The horrible war mechanics make this really unplayable

[Pantteri Mix]

So here´s my rant:

Every game I start, one of the AI´s attack me for fun as soon as possible, or with luck a bit later. They always have a superior army (like totally 100-0 steamroll army), regardless of how many units I produce. I even tried doing a full on "nothing but units" game, but they basically just slapped them away in 1 battle.

After every war another AI declares a new war, making the game a constant game of self defense with absolutely NO opportunity to play anything else like culture or religion. Its like being forced to fight wars constantly.

I tried playing the game on the easiest mode cause I thought maybe that would help, but no. It won´t make the AI invade you any less.

And just playing defensive is not possible, because you lose the war support. Im trying to sit like a turtle defending from every direction, and eventually lose because of the war support, even if I´m the one who has killed more units.

Also the mechanic that you can lose the entire war (and the game) in 1 turn is absolutely horrendous. If you have adjacent tiles to the AI, he will just win the war in 1 combat turn and you lose the city before having even chance to get more units to defend, (This is often even before getting the organized warfare tech)

And not to mention that regardless of whether me or the AI attacks, he always has the first turn in the battle. I still have no clue whats the rule there.

I really don´t want to play the game as the huns, doing nothing but producing military units to have even a fighting change.

The peaceful mode is also a bit bad option, because that just makes the game pointless. Just whoever gets to the score the fastest and thats it. I would prefer to have a fair fighting chance, like less aggressive or even nerfed AI rather than completely handicapped from battling.

I have now played 20+ games and havent made it past medieval era a single time. I wonder if there even is an end game lol.


inb4 "you just suck"

grow up

[AOM]

Originally posted by VDmitry:

Originally posted by AOM:

You misunderstand me. What I said was, there is no point making a non-aggression pact because all that will do is give the AI time to (aggressively) settle all along your border. I don't consider forward settling to be non-aggressive, but, after signing a non-aggression pact, this is what the AI will do. Therefore, the non-aggression pact isn't really a non-aggression pact, it's a "please forward settle the **** out of me" pact. No thanks. I'd rather just mow the pest down early when it's fairly easy to do and get it out of my way. There is no diplomacy. All there is is the AI attempting to kill all your explorers and forward settling you or the AI forward settling you. Both situations are mindless aggression on the part of a stupid AI. I'd rather not have a stupid aggressive neighbor.

I've got it right. You want to attack AI near you so they cannot settle near by. However you don't like AI attacking you for the same reason.

Btw did you notice that when AI settles near your borders you get grievances which you can immediately turn into demands?

Again, you misunderstand me. I began playing this game last spring. Since that time, I've repeatedly tried to have a peaceful relationship with my AI neighbor(s). It just doesn't work out.

I have no problem with their scouts passing through exploring. They do not return this sentiment. My explorers are ruthlessly hunted down any time they run into an AI unit regardless of where they are on the map. Similarly, I have no interest in settling directly on an AI's border, especially if the territory in question has no resources. The AI does not share this sentiment. Its goal, in every game I've ever played, is to surround my fledgling nation and box me in so I can't expand or explore. It will literally bypass territories that have resources or a natural wonder to settle a tundra area with nothing in it if that territory is on my border.

After seeing this behavior over and over, first in the Victor dev, again in the Poe beta, and now in the release version, I don't need to wait and see what they'll do. I *know* what they'll do. They are mindlessly aggressive one-trick ponies, and the only way to deal with one near you is get rid of it before it grows so large that getting rid of it becomes an all-consuming task.

[Dorok]

Originally posted by AOM:

there is no point making a non-aggression pact because all that will do is give the AI time to (aggressively) settle all along your border.

Then build outpost before them. I didn't notice this but yeah it's possible, but then exploit it yourself.

Originally posted by AOM:

AI attempting to kill all your explorers and forward settling you or the AI forward settling you. Both situations are mindless aggression on the part of a stupid AI. I'd rather not have a stupid aggressive neighbor.

I believe you are confusing the different options.

You can make an alliance to avoid this, and then there's an option to re allow it but I don't think you are forced to accept it. Myself I often accept and take profit of it.

For sure with abuse at some point the alliance will be broken. But that's the deal.

I don't know why but I don't have AIs doing that or rarely. That said I don't use any AI with trait "attack on sight".

[VDmitry]

Originally posted by AOM:

Originally posted by VDmitry:

I've got it right. You want to attack AI near you so they cannot settle near by. However you don't like AI attacking you for the same reason.

Btw did you notice that when AI settles near your borders you get grievances which you can immediately turn into demands?

Again, you misunderstand me. I began playing this game last spring. Since that time, I've repeatedly tried to have a peaceful relationship with my AI neighbor(s). It just doesn't work out.

I have no problem with their scouts passing through exploring. They do not return this sentiment. My explorers are ruthlessly hunted down any time they run into an AI unit regardless of where they are on the map. Similarly, I have no interest in settling directly on an AI's border, especially if the territory in question has no resources. The AI does not share this sentiment. Its goal, in every game I've ever played, is to surround my fledgling nation and box me in so I can't expand or explore. It will literally bypass territories that have resources or a natural wonder to settle a tundra area with nothing in it if that territory is on my border.

After seeing this behavior over and over, first in the Victor dev, again in the Poe beta, and now in the release version, I don't need to wait and see what they'll do. I *know* what they'll do. They are mindlessly aggressive one-trick ponies, and the only way to deal with one near you is get rid of it before it grows so large that getting rid of it becomes an all-consuming task.

I finished 5 games (2 of which on Humankind level) and don't have similar experience. AI never tries to surround me, unless we compete for the same territories from the beginning (and that is reasonable in that case). I try to do the same against it if it happens, and last time I tried I've got immediate demand, declined it, got war declaration and city assault and surrendered the same turn. But every game I have up to 5 AI allies. And even that one oppenent who declared the war on me, and even after 2 more wars later which I declared on it myself, became one of my allies later.

[AOM]

Originally posted by Jimib4158:

I rush him early on with scouts and warriors and clense my area of unwanted rival empires pretty easily.

Exactly. The longer you let them sit there, the worse of a problem they become.

Originally posted by alpedar:

I play on middle difficulty (where AI gets small advantage)
I don't have this problem either. I stay bit longer in neolythic, get tech bonus and as many units as I can, take two territories far from each other (to be transformed into cities) and move to next era with around 10 units. And I activelly attack AI units when i have adavantage and ransack their outposts. And then I'm the one who tries to do unto them.
Try this approach.

Agree. Trim the AI back by ransacking outposts until you get enough troops together to get it out of your way.

Originally posted by VDmitry:

I finished 5 games (2 of which on Humankind level) at this point and don't have similar experience. AI never tries to surround me, unless we compete for the same territories from the beginning. I try to do the same against it if it happens, and last time I tried I've got immediate demand, declined it, got war declaration and surrendered the same turn. But every game I have up to 5 AI allies. And even that my oppenent who declared the war on me, and even after 2 more wars later which I declared on it myself, became one of my allies later.

All I can say to this is you must be playing a different game than I am. I've been playing this game for about 5 months or so, and every start is the same. The AI tries to kill my explorers and box me in. The easiest solution isn't to bother with grievances. The easiest solution is to remove the AI from the board. So that is what I do. I have better things to do than have back and forth border disputes with an aggressive neighbor for the whole rest of the game. And, there wouldn't be such border disputes if the AI hadn't crossed 8-10 empty territories to forward settle my borders. <shrug>