Is the AI really better? I'd like to think so, and it does seem to
perform fairly well, without being quite as over-the-top as the
Warlords patch. I'd guess it is a better balanced version of the
Better AI project, which in itself pushed the AI effectiveness up,
while still leaving it vulnerable at times to predictable
overextension. OTOH, being unpredictable can mean making stupid
mistakes, so it is usually better to err on the side of overkill.
I haven't played enough to judge whether the AI will target cultural
or diplomatic victories effectively (which Better AI attempted, and
that AI could beat the human to a cultural win). But it does seem
smarter in aggressive warfare. The trading changes also seem to help
it out, though part of that is the dual value of resources with
corporations, which makes trading them away for little gain even less
of a good idea than before.
In my latest game, I shared my continent with Saladin (tolerably
cooperative closest neighbor), Ghandi (peaceful but wimpy), and
Ghengis Khan. Ghengis proceeded to attack and conquer Ghandi
completely, then with a short break went after Saladin, having some
success. Me, I was the Dutch, with a coastal empire. I'd built up
with rapid settler expansion, very little military, and no iron :-(
That meant that I wasn't in a good position for an aggressive push.
I'd been hit with a barbarian horde of spearmen, fought off with
whipped-out warriors, which slowed my development a lot. Saladin and
Ghengis both had iron, and if I wanted some, I had to take it from
them -- without any iron-using units. Enough catapults and axemen
could do that.
But my best target, Saladin, was now being overrun by Ghengis, who
certainly wouldn't stay my good friend if I joined in and got a small
(but good, I could get his capital) share of his land. Instead, I
traded Feudalism to Saladin, hoping to assist his defense while I
built up enough force to make a difference.
Well, Ghenghis asked me to quit trading with Saladin, and I refused.
I figured he wouldn't push for a two-front war. I was wrong. While
my homeland was fairly secure, the cities I'd established along the
coast near Mongol lands weren't. Longbowmen rapidly whipped out might
slow things down, but a horde of Mongol swordsmen and catapults aren't
easily stopped.
I saved and quit. I probably will fight it out later, but to me, the
AI seems to be handling aggressive expansion fairly well. The Mongols
aren't leading in tech, but they are using what they do have most
effectively. None of this doddling around fighting without taking
cities, or letting the enemy make peace rather than finishing him off.
--
*-__Jeffery Jones__________| *Starfire* |____________________-*
** Muskego WI Access Channel 14/25 <http://www.execpc.com/~jeffsj/mach7/>
*Starfire Design Studio* <http://www.starfiredesign.com/>
|
