Re: is the AI cheating
 

The computer will always far outnumber you, BUT they are masters of the chaff horde, and little else. You have to figure out what will kill the most enemies in the shortest time, often that is as easy as just getting some Evo research as soon as you can, and getting some battlemages out to throw down..... well, whatever you have, even if it's just Poison Clouds and Breath of the Dragon.

In some cases, the AI style can be plain brutal. Was doing an Atlantis test the other day, and as I tried to start expanding aggressively on land, my enemy was throwing hundreds of archers at me. Aquatics have a hard enough time getting quality troops on land as it is, but Atlantis of course has no native missile troops either.

One thing I've noticed against the AI - most people swear by Sloth in MP to milk their points, but in SP a high Production scale can give you the strength of numbers that can really help against the AI hordes. Just remember, your "best" troop may not be your most cost effective troop, in a protracted battle. If you have 16 prot heavy inf for 15g, or 14 prot heavy inf for 10g for example - don't waste the money and resources on the top shelf, go middle quality and use sheer quantity to your advantage.

Re: is the AI cheating
 

I suggest a mid era game with you as rylah. No other water races, so you can choose which provinces to fight over. Use a master lich rainbow mage. Be sure you have 4e 4s 4d at least. your pretender should be asleep. Scales: 1 turmoil 3 luck and one magic. Research site finding spells. Once you get rolling the computer will just die. Humans are a different matter. I haven't won a mp game yet, but you really learn from getting your a-- kicked. I have, and I want to return the favor.:D

Re: is the AI cheating
 

The first strategy I was able to pull off successfully was a bless strat. In that vein I would suggest taking a god bless nation (such MA Arcoscephale) and taking a heavy bless.

I like a pretender (Mother of Rivers) with Water 9/Fire 9, imprisoned, magic -3, turmoil -2, productivity +1 (because the heart companions are resource expensive), and dom 6. Then make your starting commander a prophet and recruit ONLY heart companions. Script your commander to divine bless and tear up indies. (Indies should be at 6 or so).

This strategy works in two ways. First, you should be conquering 1+ provinces per turn (you can spend surplus money on mercenaries to keep expanding, just overbid by a small amount to block the AI). Second, anytime the AI looks like it is going to attack you move your entire holy army up and attack the AI. Your blessed units can take almost any mundane attacks (they have a little trouble with tramplers) so an army of 50 heart companions can easily take 200 AI chaff.

Re: is the AI cheating
 

Hah my strategy is if they swarm you swarm them right back and be LA Ermor. The Ai has a very hard time beating you then.

Re: is the AI cheating
 

course that isnt really a strategy.

Re: is the AI cheating
 

So, that MEANS that the AI is cheating or what? Because, I don't see any other reason here.
In one SP game, I set up all the players(except myself) with ALL NEGATIVE SCALES, sucky dominion and sucky pretender. Then I switched to AI players in-game. Well guess what, the AI recruited HORDES of cheap troops each turn while I struggled to keep my small armies from starving. Keep in mind though, that when u switch from human player to AI, it goes to normal. Not hard, not super-hard, not super-duper-yippie-kiyay hard, just NORMAL. As far as I know, the AI doesn't get any bonuses on NORMAL difficulty level.
Another thing that makes the AI harder is that all the "ultra-mega-uber-kill-everything-in-site-spells" aren't available until the higher mag. lvl's. And if you turn the magic research to easy in options, the AI only get's tougher for some reason unknown to me. So, if I turn down the mag. research... the AI b****slaps me to hell, if I don't turn down the mag research... well, the AI b****slaps me to hell too.
I usually don't get easily frustrated with games. I play because it's fun, not because I wan't to win. But getting raped by the AI again and again and again is starting to feel kinda old now. Every time I see the banners of my AI enemies in a SP game, it already feels like I'm about to loose.

END OF RANT

But perhaps it is only my poor troop placement skill. I have trouble deciding what kind of troop is better placed where.

Oh, and isn't unrest 100 or over = not able to recruit troops?

They really should include SP diplomacy in this game. Would make things SOOOO much easier.

Re: is the AI cheating
 

The AI is quite willing to let its hordes starve. *shrug* Depending on what you're playing, it's likely that you shouldn't be very often.

In my experience, they're also often quite willing to remain at peace with you for many years if you maintain strength on the frontier and you refrain from attacks on them -- and meeting engagements in what was independent territory (when you gave the movement orders) don't count. If you're not ready for multiple wars on multiple fronts, don't start them.

Re: is the AI cheating
 

No, the AI on normal gets no bonus to gold or anything else. It can cheat in the sense that it can micro more than a human ever could, but on normal you really, /really/ shouldn't be having so much trouble.

I suggest you detail exactly what pretender, magic, scales and nation you're using and what you're doing in the first 10 or so turns. Because the only explanation is that you're making a series of fairly major errors, or you're fighting like 4 AIs at once.

Re: is the AI cheating
 

Hmm, I play on difficult setting and I have a similar problem. however only with certain nations.
If Niefel is in the game it usually goes like this. I expand until I border Niefel. Than I remember the previos game "OMG it's Niefel I have to destroy them", so I attack them early use lots of spies if I can and even take some of their territories.
But they simply don't care their armies keep growing as does their land and sooner or later they return with a really huge army (100 of the smaller giants + a lot of indies). Even if I can defend against that army I takes only a few turns and they are back with an even larger force and other AI nations invade me, too.
So I start another game (again with niefel because I must find a way to defeat them) and exactly the same thing happens.
The same happens to a lesser extent with some other nations (vanheim for instance but that seems to be more random).

Re: is the AI cheating
 

Illuminated one,

Make sure you start your games in a corner of the map. That will reduce the potential enemies significently. With less adjoining pressure from enemies, you will be able to pickup the game easier.

If you continue to have troubles, start your game on the standard maps that come with the game. Then post a save game and you will find many helpful advisors.

And don't get discouraged. This is a very hard game. I've been playing computer games since 1980 and this is the only game that I ever encounteed that kicked my butt for a month before I finally beat it. That's a big part of its attraction.