MP: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI. Game Over. Supplicants Triumph!

[Wrana]

Originally Posted by Septimius Severus

Speaking of the AI, I am posting a poll up on our forums on how you rate the difficulty of the AI, here are the choices:

My answer for now is:
What was it?! IT breezed alongside me so fast! :?

[zegc-ben]

My current answer is : Pantocrator ! Tens of mamouths and hundreds of good indies : what am I supposed to do !

For the discussion about my initial position giving me to much ambition, I am not hoping to win this game and I will not spoil the balance by making non symetric offer and going to activelly for the win. Yet I will play to maximize the mercs power and if I were able to grow as large as a full team I will do it (but this will not append). About number of provinces you would be afraid of the expansion rate around my capital : look at the score graphs and think that I am in the middle of the 4 AI. I am vey far away from grabing 20 provinces, even if I do manage to attack the AI and keep the provinces.

[Septimius Severus]

Zegc, it's cool with me long as you abide by the basic merc rules (no attacking AI or human teams unless under contract or being paid, etc), you have a good amount of latitude in what you can do. I'm sure you have ambition but I am not really worried about your expansion yet. If it becomes an obstacle or issue in the future, the teams can shrink ya down to size if they have to.

Glad to see nobody wants their momma vs the AI.

But, next game, really will be:



Genocide!
The deliberate and systematic slaughter of all human players. No more leniency from Gandalf, I expect. No mercy. No quarter.

[Squirrelloid]

I cannot comment on the AI - I haven't seen a real combat involving it yet. Giving all the AIs mammoths to start with is just silly, however. For shame.

[Septimius Severus]

Though there are many things we can do (and are doing in this series) to make the AI more challenging, as far as I know we still cannot really change the predictable and seemingly stupid (to us) behaviour of the AI in terms of the way it actually uses its units, spells, and the specific combat mechanics. A starting army is only a temp advantage, but I believe Gandalf has gone further by giving the AI more staying power this time around and with certain of these foreign national units being recruitable by the AI throughout the game. Rest assured though, if your one of those players who long to be have your butt kicked by the AI, we will do all we can in the future to try to accomodate you.

[ano]

One comment regarding AI.
Really, guys, it's just boring. Having signed up for the multiplayer game, we now have to invent anti-uber-AI tactics. If I wanted to play against AI, I'd play a local single player game which I played maybe 2 times total. Or I could join one of Gandalf's anti-AI games... But this is just not interesting. And also, it teaches your beloved "noobs" nothing because generally in a normal multiplayer game the things are different. While some addition of AI in a game like this could be interesting (that's what I thought of when I was signing up here), an "all-vs-AI" game is not fun at all. That's my opinion. If I knew this before the start, I would leave.

[Septimius Severus]

Ano, the core of this game (and the most exciting part IMO) will always remain the human vs human part. Feel free to ignore the AI if you desire or feel you can do so. The goal of the AI is to present a greater challenge than you'd face against simple static level 9 indies and/or your run of the mill AI.

There are actually three stages to the game, expansion vs. indies, expansion vs. AI, human vs human, but the order this happens in doesn't necessarily always follow that course. But the team that does best in the first two stages will have an advantage against the other teams. So it does have a long term strategic purpose.

[ano]

I strongly doubt that the core of this game will be human vs human. We shall see who is right, of course. What I see now is endless AI hordes and until you have a decent sc or at least a good thug (or a good bless which nearly noone has here) there's absolutely no chance to do anything with this AI. Also, considering enormous castles, research and gem income the AI is given, at best we may reach human-vs-human phase at about turn 30 (very unlikely, IMO). Ok, that's my forecast.
Frankly speaking, I'm not much interested in such gaming. But ok, what's done is done.

[Septimius Severus]

The core of game 1 (I am not talking time wise) was human versus human, don't see why game 2 should be any different although we have less players (unless Gandalf has created AIs which cannot be overcome at all, which I doubt). Your prediction pretty much meshes with the weak AI in game 1. Still, every player has their own interests and dislikes. The AI will be defeated a lot faster if teams coordinate attacks. In the meantime, though this lets noobs actually do some research and explore the game some, while they build up.

[ano]

Each concept has its pros and cons, of course. I just wanted to say that such game concept is not interesting to me in particular and to the whole team in general. And a side opinion, Gandalf's 10 level mega-AI in game 3 will totally eliminate any interest for the most part of the people who could have joined it.
That's all, I won't raise this point anymore until, maybe, I get totally tired.