why can't I survive at Deity?

temacc · March 13, 2002, 08:29

I've played every level and killed the computer each time but when I tried the top level I get smoked 15 minutes into the game cause the computer is 10 times the size of me, what am I doing wrong? I played for 10 minutes and had 3 cities built and traded territory maps with the french and he had 15 cities built. How do they do this so fast. It also seems I can't build settlers as fast as I use to. I build warrior in 5 turns, warrior in 5 turns then a settler which comes out in about 10 turns. By this time all the computer players have atleast 3 cities built and are pumping out workers, settlers and warriors by the truck load. HOW CAN THEY BUILD SO FAST?

Harovan · March 13, 2002, 08:55

The AI has in Deity

- loads of freebie units, AFAIK including free settlers
- 4 free units in every built city
- a production advantage, it needs to build only 60% of shields you would need for this unit/improvement/wonder.

But no, you have no production penalty on Deity, just the AI is so fast.

Ari Rahikkala · March 13, 2002, 10:12

Well, it's called the "deity" level. Are you a deity

?

Pius Popprasch · March 13, 2002, 11:08

If you really have played other levels before you should have noticed that the A.I. has some bonuses. On Emperor level the A.I. has 2 extra Workers which I can easily notice, especially if they are industrious.
The various bonuses add to each other. Faster growth and more productivity combined with less unhappiness and less corruption can eaily make a plus of 100% or more at Deity.

player1 · March 13, 2002, 11:17

Facts:
1) Units, wonders & buildings cost is reduced by 40% (60% from normal).
2) Same for tech. research and city growth (cheaper techs and less food needed for next pop)
3) They get a free upkeep of 4 units per city (just look at potential of AI Democracy with Despotism upkeep)
4) they also get free upkeep for 16 extra units regradless of number of cities
5) they need max of 2 turns to change government
6) they start with 8 defensive, 4 offensive units, 1 worker and 2 extra settlers (note that they get those gradualy every time they build city, unitil all of them are aquired)
7) regradless of difficulty level, unhappines for AI is calculated as on Regent level (first unhap. at size 3)

godinex · March 13, 2002, 11:29

In few words... The AI rules.

DrSpike · March 13, 2002, 12:16

The AI isn't any better in deity, it just cheats more.

temacc: Try choosing a civ with a good early UU. Build few (exactly how many largely depends on how close the AI civs are) cities with barracks in then start churning units. Some deity games I have built nothing except units till early AD.

pchang · March 13, 2002, 12:59

You do not survive because you are not a warmonger. If you are a warmonger, you will start your first war vs. the AI with fewer units and fewer cities. However, human tactics can be far superior to the AI's. Thus, you can still win. Winning this first war is critical because that is how you catch up to the AI.

Warmongers build temples, some barracks, and tons of troops. Sometimes they build libraries and once the first war is won, they then build marketplaces. Warmongers do not worry about science. They research things once they are cheap because the AIs all have it. They kill the AI and extort techs from them. They buy techs from the AI when they cannot extort techs.

Warmongers concentrate on building up elite level troops in the hopes of generating great leaders. Warmongers pillage extensively. Warmongers choose militaristic civs (Aztecs are pretty much the ideal warmonger civ, though the Iriquois unique unit makes them a good choice too even if they aren't militaristic).

The makers of Civ3 succeeded in making a tougher AI. However, in doing so, they pretty much killed the builder style of play. Now, every game is one of conquest (at least at the higher levels).

DrFell · March 13, 2002, 13:12

In a few words, the AI is just as brainless as it always was (well, maybe a bit better), but it has truly huge production advantages on deity, far greater than any in civ2. I'd love to see some of the people who say the AI on deity is just good try to ever replicate it's achievements in the early game (with the humans hugely inferior start). Anyway, I find the key is to use the AIs strength against it - conquer a couple empires, take the cities and workers, force harsh peace treaties on them.