Re: SP Home Rules
 

When in SP, I:

-- never buy mercenaries
-- play "combined arms": armies are a mix of troop types rather than only the most useful/efficient
-- prefer thematic pretenders (the ones that usually won't help your magic diversity)

Re: SP Home Rules
 

I tried Ashdod with BI mod [try beating imposible AI on that], against 20 impossible AIs, supplies at 300 and no AI nation could scratch me. Ashdod is insane and shouldn't be played in SP :)

Re: SP Home Rules
 

I play small random maps with the maximum # of opponents and never recruit mercenaries. I typically make it a victory point game with 5 VPs, capture 4 to win.

Re: SP Home Rules
 

I never play play against the AI sober.

It's my "Better AI" mod. ;)

Re: SP Home Rules
 

Never being the first to break the peace with an AI.

Benevolence guidelines (ruling as if to rule, not to conquer a ruined world) --
Never using Death scales unless playing the Ashen Empire.
Never using Misfortune scales, regardless of nation.
Never setting taxes above normal, unless AE.
Never pillaging, unless AE.
Not using pop-killing magic or 'mess up the whole world' globals unless the AE.


If having a feasible idea about something that seems amusing, try it even if it's almost certainly suboptimal (e.g. a black-hearted Umbral for use as an assassin, GoR'ing a Hydra for a most bizarre prophet, using a Skeptic Prophet, giving a Tartarian Stymphalian Wings and boots of quickness...).

Re: SP Home Rules
 

I never play SP without a Victory Condition, usually VPs at capitals, 66% or 75% of VPs required for victory.

Re: SP Home Rules
 

I play on Large random maps, with money, supply and resources set to 150% (more in later Eras), 65% sites freq. (less in later eras), 2 starting provinces (more in later eras) to add a bit of a random, indeps at 6 (more in later eras), easy magic research because otherwise I get bored. :)
But most important I personally design every pretender and play some turns, setting the nation AI later when I think it can "walk with its own legs" (bought some elite troops, conquered some easy indies). I usually give them an Awake SC or great scales.

Re: SP Home Rules
 

Just to plug...
we could use your experiences in doing that to add to the SemiRand program. The drawback of manually starting the AI nations is that you know too much about them when you do it. But with enough varied (but not self-destructive) god builds for each nation then the SemiRand program will be able to randomize the AIs settings each game for us without giving away their position and designs.
Please donate some designs to fill in our gaps.

Re: SP Home Rules
 

I would love to do it for sure, but I'm a disaster in coding/programming etc :( Just link me to where I can find informations ;)

Re: SP Home Rules
 

Its not coding. The program pretty much handles that.
much of the discussion is in previous threads but here is the latest
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=34826