Unmodded AI tactics
 

In my current game, playing an organic race, I am beating the second place player (Eee) gas giant. When I use tactical combat, I can best him every time with minimal losses. After managing to set up my empire in a corner of the galaxy, I am occupying roughly a quarter of it and moving across the map slowly. I am waiting for a major assault from the gas-planeters, but the AI keeps sending single ships (dreadnaughts) against me. My fleets are composed of smaller ships, but longer-distance weapons. I have also noted that he has carriers sweeping through, which I pick-off, that often don't have any fighters. This is my first game of Gold and the AI is set on medium. The answer to my own question is that I need to increase the difficulty and lessen my racial advantages. But I'm a little suprised that I have come back into first place so easily after destroying *several* of his fleets with dreadnaughts and wiping out four or five planets.

Sorry if this post is too tangential.

Wildcard

Re: Unmodded AI tactics
 

The Ai is crippled unless it is set on 'high'. Only on 'high' does it actually use all the tools it can.

Then give it a bonus.

Then try TDM.

But play against people sometime, as well.

Re: Unmodded AI tactics
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Ah, thanks for the opening tip. I'll use the others later, but I'll finish out this game to follow the tech trees to their conclusions.

Wildcard

Re: Unmodded AI tactics
 

To expand on the difficulty settings, they actually correspond to all the different AI ministers. For example, on low, many of the AI ministers will be off and those aspects of the AI game will suffer - such as population management. On high, they are all on and the AI can perform many tasks much better and not make so many poor decisions - that is why the players here will recommend that you leave this setting on high always. Even as a newb.

The AI bonus should be considered the "true" difficulty setting.