Poll #2. [Try out the demo, and vote after that!]

[Psitticine]

Cherry,

I tend to play on small maps with 1 or 2 AI (time constraints are in play there - I think I'll actually prefer the flip side now that I'm not trying to make sure I've sampled and tested every little thing!) and the AI definitely likes the mercs, especially in the early game, no matter how many AI opponents you have.

In the first game I won (Myself as Ermor vs. Machaka), I was closing on their home province, feeling good they didn't seem to have anybody good in between, when suddenly the mercs started coming in. I finally started outbidding the AI just to keep them from stopping my offense. So, the AI does use them late-game as well, but it seems like it waits until there's more of a reason to (e.g. all of its normal troops are either bottled up or dead, and there's no time for recruitment).

Merc contracts are always, without exception, 3 turns. You bid, as always, to sign them back up, but if it is your contract that is expiring, your bid counts double in terms of how influential it is. (So a bid of 30 beats a bid of 59 when you're resigning them instead of hiring them fresh.) This bonus only Lasts until they are fully gone from your service, which is the very next turn afterwards.

A good tip on setting merc prices: the + and - keys allow much faster adjustment of those prices than clicking with the arrow pointer.

[Saber Cherry]

I always play with strength 5 indies... much more fun, IMHO. You actually have to prioritize your conquests, and indy battles are dangerous! Some provinces never even get taken (like ones with 80 units of mixed knights and longbows).

Playing with higher strength is even more fun, but sometimes there are odd effects, like a Dom I game I played with strength 7 indies, and a couple provinces started with commanders with soul contracts... by the time I got to them, they had upwards of 50 devils...

-Cherry

[Nerfix]

I prefer the indie strength 3...
It always feels like that you need WMD's to get yourself started with higher indep strength.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by -Storm-:
The independent's str was 2 in all games.

2? I could beat the AIs on an independent setting of 2. Fast taking of provinces, intelligent use of build queues using only the best choices in the province I take. Always upping the price Im willing to pay on Mercs (the AI seems to always offer the asking price as far as I can tell). Find and taking the AI castle early in the game so I have their main source of gems and money.

I usually run my games at 7. That extends the time it takes for opponents to reach each other. For some races thats a big difference if their strength lies in their dominion or research or bleeding all the resources from the provinces they take. At the end of the Dom 1 era I started scripting random maps that boosted the independents beyond a setting of 9 which drastically changed the game play.

Hmmm I suppose AIs could be tought to play differently based on that setting. But then you might as well have them take all the other settings into account also. Nasty project there.

[ October 28, 2003, 16:50: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Daynarr]

I usually play with independent strength of 9, but its not exactly a good idea for demo since games wont be nearly finished by the time you each 40 turns. Also playing in RICH medium and small maps helps AI's too and normal richness for large maps. In my games AI’s takes all mercs and I have to fight for them. Also, playing against 3-4 AI's and against 16 is quite different too. I warmly recommend playing with 9 independent strength, normal richness, all AI's and very slow research on largest maps (once you get full game). You will notice how some AI's will have bad development due to bad luck or wars, while others will grow rapidly and wipe out weak ones. Usually, after 100 turns, there are 2-3 strong AI's left to fight with you and none of them will be easy pickings by then.
Sometimes you will be having bad luck and tag-teamed by AI’s or get bad event at the start that will really hurt you. I’ve had games sometimes that I had to restart early because of tag-team wars.

[Dekent]

I personally like to crank that indie up alllllll the way heh

[MStavros]

Damn, I didnt wanted to cause any trouble.
The AI is really weak, I never lost a single game in the demo so far, and I played a lot.
I didn't finish these games, 40 turns are not enough, but when we reach turn 40, I control most of the provinces, I have lot bigger power, my research is lot better etc. The AI didnt recruited a decent army ever. It always had some small blitz armies. I never ever met with a bigger army.

I think the main problem is, that the AI cannot make a good striking force. It is trying to operate with small armies, and it wont work.