Your Experience Starting New Game with Spring 2017 Patch

[ltccone]

Strange, I often rename their capital to Mexico City when I take it. I can't stand the Aztec names, they look too similar.

I think it's better to choose your opponents on TSL map, as obviously Greece and Macedon can't start next to each other. I just finished my first game as Macedon as well. Funny I didn't even realize they released 2 civs at once, I thought we only got Persia (which I played last week). I had barbarians on which makes a HUGE difference. Compared to last game where I was worried about losing (I had barbs off that game), this game I never even came close to losing. I gave North and South America to America, but with barbs on they never did much. All other civs were old world civs.

Even on Epic speed the usefulness of their units lasted plenty long enough. I'm not a big fan of their unique building though. Seeing as one of their unique units is a mounted unit, and I'd like to build stables. I ended up building 2 encampments, one with a stable, and the other my unique building. I conquered Russia, Persia (who had quite a few cities) and finally Spain. Spain actually turned out to be the hardest. I tried them early before I conquered Russia, but I didn't have enough units to overcome their archers (who were behind Madrid and I had a hard time getting to them without being pummeled and having to retreat). I finally got them the second time, but even that wasn't easy. I ended up using catapults since the siege tower wasn't enough at this point.

Had control of all of Europe, Iran area, India, and Indochina. Wasn't in the mood for another global conquering game, and just peaced out after that and went for science victory. My war monger status managed to degenerate, and I was able to form alliances with 3 out of the remaining 4 civilizations.

A domination victory would have been quicker.

 

[LDiCesare]

I haven't see the improvements to AI people are talking about.
Even at deity with a tech advantage, the AI still manages to lose wars it declares, still sends settlers to the frontline (as gifts?).
The game is still not challenging at all.

 

[Chibisuke]

I was just playing a game as Teddy on pangea and am wondering if they changed how continents work? I feel like there used to be different continents within the pangea but last night I noticed that the whole map was designated as one continent. Is that a change? Or was I just not noticing this before?

 

[PendragonWRB]

I haven't see the improvements to AI people are talking about.
Even at deity with a tech advantage, the AI still manages to lose wars it declares, still sends settlers to the frontline (as gifts?).
The game is still not challenging at all.

The AI is not tremendously smarter, it just builds units a lot more often that it used to, and has started using ranged units a bit better.

 

[whyidie]

3rd king game and I'm not seeing a huge difference. AI archer/wall fire seems hit or miss still, though its hitting more often which is an improvement.

Troop levels are still pretty low.

2 out of 3 starts the AI purposefully expanded away from me, which was unexpected.

IMO change wasn't dramatic enough to see consistent AI behavior in terms of troop production and archer fire every game.

 

[Victoria]

I suspect if they make it much better its gonna runaway more. The start is just too easy for the advantaged.

 

[PendragonWRB]

I suspect if they make it much better its gonna runaway more. The start is just too easy for the advantaged.

If the AI starts to get to 'smart' then they could always dial back the AI buffs.

 

[Leyrann]

A domination victory would have been quicker.

In turns, maybe, but probably not in hours played.

I was just playing a game as Teddy on pangea and am wondering if they changed how continents work? I feel like there used to be different continents within the pangea but last night I noticed that the whole map was designated as one continent. Is that a change? Or was I just not noticing this before?

The idea of pangaea is that there's one landmass. The landmass is split up into several gameplay-continents though, except if you're playing a duel map.

I suspect if they make it much better its gonna runaway more. The start is just too easy for the advantaged.

They should just keep improving the AI, and if it becomes too strong, just reduce their bonsues. I would much rather see an AI that is always on an even playing field and simply gets penalties in it's behaviour on lower difficulties to make it easier, but considering that's probably not gonna happen, I just want to see Firaxis approach it as much as they can, by making the AI as smart as possible and then giving it bonuses to make the appropriate difficulty levels, not the other way around.

 

[Chibisuke]

If this is the case, then they might have made a stealth change to how pangea works, unless my game was just bugging. I only realized it because I was fighting a late game war and the rough riders were super far away from my capital and still getting the culture bonus. Then I pulled up the continents lense and it showed as one massive continent.

 

[LDiCesare]

I suspect if they make it much better its gonna runaway more. The start is just too easy for the advantaged.

But the AI doesn't need a headstart. It needs a head.

 

[Jrk-Rick]

From Tac's post earlier I was wondering if anyone else can confirm if district cost now scales after placing it on the tile.

 

[WillowBrook]

If this is the case, then they might have made a stealth change to how pangea works, unless my game was just bugging. I only realized it because I was fighting a late game war and the rough riders were super far away from my capital and still getting the culture bonus. Then I pulled up the continents lense and it showed as one massive continent.

I've got multiple continents on the pangea map I started post-patch, but they differ in size quite a bit, one of them is much bigger than the others.

 

[ThERat]

After playing a few more always war games, I agree with a lot of people here. The AI has improved some and is quite challenging in the beginning due to the troops it gets and the faster research. However, the AI fizzles out half way through the game and it becomes the usual slog.
It is especially disheartening to see lone settlers moving about. Ranged units are a little smarter now and more numerous.

 

[Leyrann]

If this is the case, then they might have made a stealth change to how pangea works, unless my game was just bugging. I only realized it because I was fighting a late game war and the rough riders were super far away from my capital and still getting the culture bonus. Then I pulled up the continents lense and it showed as one massive continent.

Can you make a screenshot having the continents lens active (while making sure the legend is working, as the continent one tends to be kinda buggy), while being zoomed out as far as possible? It sounds like a bug, but I wanna see what the lens looks like exactly.

 

[Chibisuke]

I will try this. I am also considering the possibility that they just made continents more massive (and I am playing on a huge map) but I've played on huge maps before and never seen a continent this big.

 

[McSpank01]

The only game I have played post patch was a King / Continents game I played Kongo. I will state from the start that I switched off Barbarians, this is because since the patch the barbarians turn time has become unbearably slow, in fact I thought my machine was broken at one point, but turning them off fixed it and turn times are pretty rapid in general.

During my game I started next to Gorgo who I expected would be pretty aggressive and would rush me. She didn't and I managed to get 4 cities up to her 2 really easily. I spotted she had a lone settler wandering around so I declared war and took it. However, here is the kicker, I was able to take both her cities with 4 archers and a warrior. I was able to do this because in that entire time she had only built 1 archer.. nothing else. Instead she was putting all her effort into building two culture districts?! Insane.

I wrote that off as an anomaly. Later in the game as I topped the score rankings Spain declared on me. At this point I've got factories in most cities and have gunpowder (can't remember what turn I am on). I get worried as I'm not hugely well prepared for war. Luckily Spain tries an amphibious assault on my coastline with a mix of archers and horsemen.. and one conquistador.

At this point I stopped playing. The same issues I've complained about from the start still seem to be happening. The AI is incapable of upgrading his troops and doesn't have a reasonable estimate of his power level vs mine. This was my major complaint when I first played it and its breaking the game for me right now, its almost a sandbox game.

I realise I only played at King level, but that is still an above average difficulty, and I don't enjoy the buffs the AI gets at higher levels. I just want the AI to play competently.

 

[Victoria]

Instead she was putting all her effort into building two culture districts?! Insane.

this is likely down to her having a second agenda of cultured

 

[nzcamel]

The only game I have played post patch was a King / Continents game I played Kongo. I will state from the start that I switched off Barbarians, this is because since the patch the barbarians turn time has become unbearably slow, in fact I thought my machine was broken at one point, but turning them off fixed it and turn times are pretty rapid in general.

During my game I started next to Gorgo who I expected would be pretty aggressive and would rush me. She didn't and I managed to get 4 cities up to her 2 really easily. I spotted she had a lone settler wandering around so I declared war and took it. However, here is the kicker, I was able to take both her cities with 4 archers and a warrior. I was able to do this because in that entire time she had only built 1 archer.. nothing else. Instead she was putting all her effort into building two culture districts?! Insane.

I wrote that off as an anomaly. Later in the game as I topped the score rankings Spain declared on me. At this point I've got factories in most cities and have gunpowder (can't remember what turn I am on). I get worried as I'm not hugely well prepared for war. Luckily Spain tries an amphibious assault on my coastline with a mix of archers and horsemen.. and one conquistador.

At this point I stopped playing. The same issues I've complained about from the start still seem to be happening. The AI is incapable of upgrading his troops and doesn't have a reasonable estimate of his power level vs mine. This was my major complaint when I first played it and its breaking the game for me right now, its almost a sandbox game.

I realise I only played at King level, but that is still an above average difficulty, and I don't enjoy the buffs the AI gets at higher levels. I just want the AI to play competently.

That does sound frustrating

Sorry, off topic, but what is with several different people on these forums of late using Pacal II in the same angry pose? Is this a hangover from that Mayan calendar thing?

 

[McSpank01]

this is likely down to her having a second agenda of cultured

Yeah that makes sense, but even if her focus was culture you would expect her to focus on other things first. I personally don't go for cultural victories by only building culture districts and nothing else. I would have expected a minimum defence force from her at least.

Possibly the lack of barbarians meant that she decided she didn't need any military. That could have skewed it I guess.

 

[nzcamel]

Possibly the lack of barbarians meant that she decided she didn't need any military. That could have skewed it I guess.

Let us know if you play the same sort of game (length, size, level etc) with barbs on and see how that plays out. Barbarians should keep military units on the AI's radar...