do the game balance change with the new patch?
 

I have got bored with the lack of challenge after mid game when you can produce SCs like a factory (wraith lord + latern shield + area damage sword + horror helmet + regen ring) I wonder whether it is worth playing again with the new patch installed. Do the AI become better at dealing with SCs? (They did get fire arrows when they can produce some well-balanced army when they got huge in the past. But once you beat them down to around the size of you. They rarely produce an army with artiliery + mages that can cast fire arrow)

Re: do the game balance change with the new patch?
 

AI is never going to be good at dealing with SC.

Multiplayer is where it is at.

Jazzepi

Re: do the game balance change with the new patch?
 

The AI hasn't changed.

My advice to you would be stop building SCs against the AI if it's very boring. Try some restrictions on yourself. I like to stale my first 4 turns versus the AI - that makes things a lot more interesting.

Re: do the game balance change with the new patch?
 

Something I did to revitalize my game was including a slew of non-vanilla mods for AI nations (recently helped by the fact that the modding comunity has been throwing out a lot of mods). And while I haven't seen the AI go in for fire-arrow spam, something I have seen it do is ubiquitous arrow-fend spam, when it has the paths to pull it off.

Re: do the game balance change with the new patch?
 

Setting the AI at a higher difficulty gives it more points to create a nation with. It does a pretty good job but not a great job. Humans do it better.

There are two ways to get that. Play MP against humans, or help the AI create better by designing a better AI.

There are 3 ways to design a better AI. (1)manually by starting the nation as human then turning it ai or (2) map commands by designing the AI's pretender and scales or (3) mod commands by designing the entire nation so that the AI can play it smarter.

Of course AI is only AH so MP always beats SP for challenge.
(Artificially Intelligent is only Artifically Human so MultiPlaying always beats SoloPlaying for challenge)

Re: do the game balance change with the new patch?
 

Agree with the thought of the post, and I do the same. I research construction at a lower priority, don't build many SC's...usually 2 or 3 that i want to be my "heroes", set the AI to mighty or impossible, and stale a couple of turns.

Unfortunately I still end up bailing on a game when it gets to the point of castle grinding (AI throws up a LOT of forts on impossible)...but its fun up till then http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Recently started multiplayer, and its very very fun and much more difficult in that it seems every little decision is going to bite you in the rear at some point. Plus, diplomacy is both fun and scary!

Re: do the game balance change with the new patch?
 

Maybe try a different nation ? Not all nations have access to Death spells.