Rate the SP AI...

[Wauthan]

Basic Ulm with watercult would not be a good idea since they lack sacred units. Scuba Marignon is a lot more scary. Drive by priesting is though without them storming the beaches. Cheap massable flagellants and though knights of the chalice can take on atlantis and R'lyeh if they have a good blesseffect backing them. Not to mention what submarine inquisition can do in a dominion push strategy.

[HotNifeThruButr]

I forgot to add, suppose I wanted to play a theme, like Diabolical Faith, then what?

[Wauthan]

Then take air or watermagic to create scubagear. Or a lot of watermagic to launch an immediate water expansion so you can stock up on Tritons quickly.

[HotNifeThruButr]

What scuba gear items are there? How much do they cost? Path requirements? Their effects?

I thought that scuba gear items usually comes pretty late in a game with very difficult research.

[Jondifool]

I find it difficult to rate the AI without discussing the purpose of it.

As a standalone single player experience its one rating.

As a prelude to MP its certainly another.

I also find that even when we talk about a better AI we might not talk about the same.
there is alot differense in wanting it to presure you more in the begining, be cheating, using different strategies or even be more MP like.

[Wauthan]

First scuba gear appears at construction 2. Shamblers Skin (1w) and amulet of breathing (1a) One man gear but enough to send a group of competent commanders into the deep. At construction 4 the first group scuba gear appear. At 6 comes the submariners and at 8 the fabled "Orb of Atlantis" that essentially lets you take on water nations as an equal.

See Zens item reference sheet for information. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/Illwinter/d2/6.htm

[HotNifeThruButr]

Yeah... more specific, Wauthan?