House Rules against the AI

thejeff · #1 November 28th, 2011, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by triqui

I don't remember which difficulty it was, becouse it happened a lot of time ago. I doubt they were Impossible, but probably Mighty. But I once defeated 4 computer nations, with no research at all. W9F9B4 Jaguar Warriors, that's all you need.

The easiest way to defeat the computer is using PD smartly. Having triple blessed PD helps a lot too...

In other words the strategy to beat the AI with limits on research (whether none or 1/lab) is to use strategies that don't rely on research. High bless sacreds or maybe SC pretenders.
It probably also helps to use a fairly small map. With ~20 opponents you might have had more trouble by the end.

The other easy choice for a nation would Nieflehiem. E9N4+ bless. Buy nothing but Neifel Jarls, and Giants when you have cash left over. Maybe 1 PD, just for visibility.

A interesting challenge I played with a few years ago was LA Ermor with an imprisoned pretender. No research, or extra reanimators, until he breaks free. Though you could get lucky with Etimmu or hire mercs to build labs for indy mage recruitment.

Knai · #2 November 29th, 2011, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thejeff

In other words the strategy to beat the AI with limits on research (whether none or 1/lab) is to use strategies that don't rely on research. High bless sacreds or maybe SC pretenders.
It probably also helps to use a fairly small map. With ~20 opponents you might have had more trouble by the end.

Don't forget about scales. Taking something like Caelum, Niefleheim, or Abyssia you can take Order 3, Luck 3, Growth 3, Cold/Heat 3, and Magic 3 if you don't bother with a bless. Early on, focus on troop use - the AI is good at massing troops, but their ability to pick them is substandard at best - use heavy PD, and just expand outward leaving no province undefended. You will want some low level of research, focused towards getting thugs and battlefield mages in play, these back your armies up. Eventually, the battlefield mages will be far more impressive, and the thugs will have transitioned to SCs, at which point you basically win.

Against a player, this strategy is a good way to die horribly. It only works against the AI because the AI is incredibly dumb, and even then you have to be careful.

Starbelly Geek · #3 November 29th, 2011, 05:08 PM

Against the AI, I like to set Research to Very Difficult and pump up the independents to slow things down, and set up large games on larger maps, because a lot of the fun for me is finding stuff randomly dispersed around the map. Hidden Kingdoms and Towers of mages and stuff are awesome. Slowing down the game lets me play around with all of that.

I also like to go hard on the roleplaying aspects, so, for example, try EA Pangaea with 3 Turmoil, 3 Sloth, 3 Growth, 3 Luck and 3 Magic and never hire human troops (except maenads - lots and lots of maenads). Play MA Marignon without ever using undead or blood. Try always to rely most heavily on your sacreds as EA Agartha, eschewing inferior surface dwellers. That sort of thing can be amusing, although the AI folds pretty quickly anyway.

Makinus · #4 November 30th, 2011, 07:04 AM

I too like to RP a lot in games... like never using death/blood magic with "good" nations and so on...

I find also challenging to try to play as a "good guy" in a more "evil" faction... like using blood oriented nations without using blood hunting (i only use the natural blood supply from sites, etc.)... the main advantage is that i reduce the horrible micromanagement of blood economies and at same time give the AI a small advantage...

As from my original house rules, i also limit myself only to attack AIs that attacked me first (simly declaring war does not count)...