Difference in AI difficulty levels
 

Does it determine how much the AI cheats, how much it thinks, or a little bit of both?

Re: Difference in AI difficulty levels
 

See the FAQ entry "AI BONUSES FOR DIFFERENT DIFFICULTY LEVELS".

Re: Difference in AI difficulty levels
 

I don't think the FAQ answers the second part of your question: the AI "thinks" just as hard on Easy as it does on Impossible.

-Max

Re: Difference in AI difficulty levels
 

Its 90% just setting how many starting points the AI gets in creating its pretender and scales. So "normal" AI gets the same as you do (but doesnt play it as well) :)

Re: Difference in AI difficulty levels
 

Yay, if you want to play against Normal AIs I personally suggest you to start all the players as Human and design their Pretender and scales yourself manually (better if you don't go for a bless strategy for your enemies as the AI will hardly manage this) and play the first couple of turns for everybody (overtaxing if necessary, recruiting good units, researching something useful for eventual Pretender SC or national mages, doing some first expansion as the AI is not very smart on choosing which indies attack), then turn the nation(s) you don't wanna play AI - as they go automatically on Normal difficulty :)

Re: Difference in AI difficulty levels
 

Thanks :)

Re: Difference in AI difficulty levels
 

The bonuses are actually far more important than the points. An extra 240 points is enough to swing from Turmoil-3 to Order-3 (about a 50% gold boost), but an Impossible AI gets a 100% gold boost on top of that. Same thing for gems and research, the AI bonus is worth way more than anything you could buy with points.

-Max