Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

Hmm, as as pretender design goes, I think you could set up your AI opponent as a Human initially, and then design decent scales and a pretender for them, then switch them to AI. However, I don't think the game lets you choose what type of AI you could (which would be a nice feature).

For the hardcore fans, if you could tell the AI to choose from a list of pretender gods that you have designed, this could make things more challenging. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that they would follow the optimal research paths. If you had an option to set research priorities for them, this could help.

Finally, the option to pop switch an AI player back to a human for a few turns to correct it's mistakes could be interesting. Essentially, you'd be playing against yourself, with the AI filling in some of the time, but it could be a bit more challenging. Does anyone know why there isn't an option to switch an AI back to a human? I know I would find this useful for testing purposes at least, and maybe other people would as well. Well, that's my two gold pieces anyway.

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

Well I was trying to share my own positive experience with MP since at one time I only bought and played games for SP, thinking that such a perspective might be useful to you. I see that, given your response, I was wasting of my time.

I would also ask, if as you say, you are through with the game, why bother posting here as well?

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

The random scales is intentional. The AI is supposed to play a pretending god with an effect on his lands. It is not supposed to be a god trying to maximize the outcome of his subjects lands. So should you if you play SP http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I'm not sure, but thought that SP players were less concerned with beating their opponent and more into role-playing. If you are a role-player both you and your enemies should take scales according to your own whim. If the AI is playing with death scales it is your task to rid the world of him. It might also be easier to do than defeat the other pretender, a fertility god that has all his population with him in an orderly and growing nation.

I know that there are players that try to find strategically worthy opponents in SP games, but I believed, perhaps wrongly, that the SP community was more concerned with exploration and roleplaying and less with finding strong and weak strategies and ways to defeat an opponent efficiently.

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

Kristoffer O:

Maybe it is because you made strategy game, not RPG? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif At least higher difficulty levels should be somewhat challeging for strategy enthusiasts.

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

I'm probably a poor player, but playing on a 125 provinces wrapparound map against 10 mighty ai's is still a challenge for me. Although it may depend on which nation I pick.

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

The forum population here is heavily skewed toward the multiplayer aspect and a lot of people seem to try to maximize the effectiveness of their nations. I like to roleplay, for example.

The problem with the AI is not that it takes some bad scales, but that it is not uncommon to see a Death 3, Turmoil 3, Misfortune 3 combo and at that point you can generally walk all over the AI with both hands tied behind your back. On the other hand, if you like playing a hard research game and you run into an impossible AI that picked good scales, there's a real chance of being overrun unless you can hold it off at a chokepoint.

Especially with the Better Independents mod, because then the AI will not be able to recruit crap chaff. If it has indies, it'll be crossbowmen, heavy infantry and heavy cavalry with some militia, but mostly national units, heavy infantry and the decent light infantry and crossbows in the MA and LA.

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

Yes the smaller the map is the harder is the game against AIs (it's for 20+ provinces per nation maps that AIs may need to be boosted more ; on a 10 provinces per nation map I think I lose too against mighties, especially if some are offensive).

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

I'm up to out-finessing 7 Impossible AIs in medium sized random maps, even with relatively weak nations, and without SCs. Yay!

Should I be setting them to Offensive? I just have em set to Random behavior... at least that way most of the talent on the map seems to be making a beeline for me (for some reason) instead of randomly bashing away at their neighbors.

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

Space Empires IV allowed modding the AI, and Space Empires V added even more modding options.

Re: Well, I\'m through with the game
 

I must admit that I haven't even tried to beat 10 might AI's... A lot would depend on my start (= luck) and then on exploiting gaps in AI of opponents else you obviously can't beat them since they have much more income etc.

I would prefer to get a good opponent with equal income etc as me and then try to beat him.. or to compensate for the AI a little extra income.

Better AI would be nice!