is the AI cheating

[Aezeal]

lol a decent army of good units should help you beat most armies the AI on easy can throw at you.

[Omnirizon]

the AI is not only cheating in the game, it's sleeping with your partner when your at work...

it also likes to raid your frige.

[Edratman]

theenemy,

This is a hard and complicated game. I lost every game for a few weeks. In all likelihood you are doing what I did and try to play the game like it is Civilization. That does not work.

You are probably expanding too fast, recruiting maximum crappy troops in every province, getting bankrupted by the support costs for these troops and hoping that you can bludgeon your way to success. While the capabilities of the AI are often derided, it performs at its best against this strategy (sic).

Read the guides and various national threads. The tactics and strategies may seem arcane, but they are tired and true.

You will pick it up. I did, and I'm an old man.

[theenemy]

Originally Posted by Edratman

theenemy,

This is a hard and complicated game. I lost every game for a few weeks. In all likelihood you are doing what I did and try to play the game like it is Civilization. That does not work.

You are probably expanding too fast, recruiting maximum crappy troops in every province, getting bankrupted by the support costs for these troops and hoping that you can bludgeon your way to success. While the capabilities of the AI are often derided, it performs at its best against this strategy (sic).

Read the guides and various national threads. The tactics and strategies may seem arcane, but they are tired and true.

You will pick it up. I did, and I'm an old man.

1. Civilization? Only played that game once(CivIV), got pretty bored.

2. I think that you're right in me expanding too fast, but I do not recruit maximum crappy troops in every province. In fact, gold is almost never a problem to me. On the other hand, if I don't expand fast = AI gangrapes me.

[Crevan]

OK, let`s think together. If easy AI beats you fast, so you do a mistake before playing, yes? Wrong picks or strategy
Try:
- set all rates (money, res and sup) to 300, independents and special sites - max, research - very easy
- all picks use to maximize Order, Growth and Productivity. Your pretender will be very weak, but you`ll have no problems with cash
- play against underwater nation (EA R`Lyeh) or nation with weak troops (Mictlan in any age)
- always buy PD 50+ in every province. Near enemy - 75+

[theenemy]

I think that the AI would just recruit units at a faster rate, but you may be right.

Spasibo!

[thejeff]

The standard advice is to boost independent strength and leave the rest pretty much the same. Boosting sites might make sense, the AI doesn't tend to site search well or make good use of the gems it does find.

Boosting supplies definitely helps the AI. Less of those hordes will be starving. You can work with smaller, more elite armies or make use of supply items to avoid starving.

And I would never waste anywhere near that much money on PD. Maybe in crucial chokepoints, backed up with some mage support, but not in every province. In most cases even 75 PD won't stop a 400/500 AI chaff, and if you're able to attack and expand that huge investment sits useless in your backfield.
PD and troops on your borders do discourage the AI from declaring war in the first place though, as does your Army Strength rating (graph).

I found I usually did better with more room to expand before running into an enemy. Maps with more provinces per nations helped. Gave me time to get the early research tactics in place.

Play around with different nations and tactics. Maybe what you've been using just isn't suited to your style.

[Gandalf Parker]

Another tactic against a large army is to send a commander in with something that does a poison cloud, such as the Bladder. Protection vs arrows, or having a flyer commander will help. Send along a well defended commander who stands way in the back of the battlefield not moving. That will give lots of time for the poison to work.

But my favorite tactic is to steal his commanders from him. That does double damage. I get a commander and maybe even some nice euipment, while his armies are left leaderless so that they instantly rout in a fight.

[Crevan]

Jeff, OP is not so skilled - so huge income and supplies will help him. Later sure, set of Summer Sword + Cauldron - and low supplies is not a problem. PD 50-75 can stop army of 100- units and prevent attack of 150- (if enemy - Easy)
Theenemy, best way for you - to boost sites and research. On level 5 Conjuration you`ll receive spell Acashic Record (astral 3, req 25 pearls), and can scan provinces for sites - AR reveals them all
Gandalf, how can I steal commander? Just bind Succubus or there is another way?

[Crevan]

Another starter against large armies: set supplies to min and choose EA Oni. They`re strong, special Oni general is powerful mage-priest, and troops of this nation don`t need to eat (they`re demons). So your enemy - using large armies - with game option "minimal supplies" will have permanent starvation