Well, I'm through with the game

sector24 · #1 April 8th, 2008, 11:29 PM

The complaints in this thread are blown wildly out of proportion. Even if you get to the point where you can defeat multiple Impossible level AIs, you've probably gotten your money's worth at that point. Plus the multiplayer is there even if you choose not to partake.

Rathar · #2 April 9th, 2008, 03:21 AM

Nod nod, the AI will obliterate you for the first few weeks/months. After that you have enough experience to learn where its amazingly dumb but then many games are like that.

Endoperez · #3 April 9th, 2008, 04:20 AM

Yeah, there are many strategies that the AI can't counter. Because multiplayer mostly revolves around these strategies, AI isn't a challenge if you use something meant to have a chance against other players. You'll get beaten by the AI a lot until you can figure out some effective counters against the AI hordes. If you start by reading advanced guides on how to beat the AI, the period where the AI is able to challenge you will be much shorter, of course.

Tuidjy · #4 April 9th, 2008, 01:28 PM

I you refrain from using mercs, thugs, supercombatants and battlefield enchantments
even normals AIs could give you a hard time. But why would you insist on playing
the AI? There are MP games for all skill levels. You've already found this forum,
so you are the right place to find a game.

thejeff · #5 April 9th, 2008, 01:43 PM

Why would you insist?

Because you can only play irregularly. Because you don't want to deal with diplomacy.

Because it's fun.

I tend to enjoy the lower levels, where there's less to deal with every turn. The first 2-3 years of a game. After that it usually becomes more work than I want to deal with. Less so in MP, but it still happens.

Luckily, those early years are where the AI does well. On impossible, it can throw huge decent armies at you from all sides. And you don't yet have the really abusive tactics to stop it cold. Thugs, but no real SCs (if you avoid SC pretender), battle magic is mostly evocations and the weaker buffs. Fighting the AI on something resembling it's own terms is not trivial.

Renojustin · #6 April 9th, 2008, 06:06 PM

That's such a good point Thejeff. In order to have a decent chance of imposing your game plan against Impossible AIs (which I like to play against most of the time), especially in early and midgame, you have to have great skill, knowledge, and maybe most importantly, not be unlucky.

If you start getting squeezed between 2 or more Impossible nations set to Aggressive (try setting them all to impossible and aggressive!) you're in a pretty scary position as they hurl army after army at all sides of your empire.

It's pretty good practice.

Zeldor · #7 April 10th, 2008, 03:59 PM

And you rather do not star beating AI before trying MP and learning MP tricks.

Now I would really want to get better AI after couple MP games. The worst thing in MP is that you get just one turn every 1-2 days. But sometimes you want to make 10 a day and sometimes you do not want to touch Dominions for a week. And you really don't have a choice when in MP.