[georgevtucker]

My $.02:

I don't know anything about the programming end of the AIs. Having said that -- I think it would be a good idea to enable a set of likes/dislikes, or attack priorities, for the AI players.

For instance, Marignon should always attack Ermor in preference to any other neighbor. Abysia and Jotunheim would seem natural enemies, as well. Alliances between "enemy" nations would be disallowed.

To extend this thought further -- nations that have similar requirements, Abysia/Machaka and Caelum/Jotunheim, would be least likely to attack one another. If their scales are going in the same direction, they're working toward the same end. This kind of grudging friendship would both help and hinder the human player, and increase the depth and personality of the separate nations.

At the highest level of difficulty, all AI players would attack human players first, then neutral, and one another Last.

I'm thinking of old Master of Orion, where all the races had separate personalities unless you played on the highest difficulty, when they all became Aggressive Xenophobes/John Ashcrofts.

Having said all this -- thanks guys for the outstanding game.