It seems a bit easy

[Grandpa Kim]

Great as the game is, the AI is notoriously poor. Even at its best (and TDM is the best in the stock game) it is easy to beat. Only in exceptional circumstances will you get the challenge you desire.

Some things you can do:

• Use a small map
• Move all computer player settings to high
• Select the best empires rather than random selection -- United Flora and Space Monsters are two I know of
• Let the AI use 2000, 3000 or 5000 points while you use none.
• Play PBW http://seiv.pbw.cc/text/

You will eventually play PBW against other people; the only true competition you will find. It can be very humbling.

As for mods, I'll have to let others answer.

[AngleWyrm]

Grandpa Kim said:
Great as the game is, the AI is notoriously poor.

Unfortunately very few people have had any experience designing AI algorithms; most modders are used to scripting languages, and can even write code, but AI design is the Great Unknown Frontier to many, which scares 'experts'. Thus the subject is hard to work on in the forums, primarily for lack of interest.

[Fyron]

There are no AI algorithms to mod in SEIV, so having experience with such would not help modders any, unfortunately. Modding SEIV AI is more of an exercise in tedium than anything. I don't know how the TDM folks found the patience to work with it.

For a bigger Nomadic challenge, use the AI patcher program SJ wrote and patch the TDM AIs to work in P&N mod.