How to defeat AI in higher difficulties

[Fimbultyr]

First of all, this should nnot be a ranting post, i seek propper advice.

i tried a few times now the third hardest (archduke?) and i cant see how it is possible to win this mod, yet alone to survive act 1.
At Prince i have even footing a the start, maybe a bit better than AI but each step higher means i am only half as good as the ai at every time.
I tried fast expansion, i tried no expansion and many workshops. it doesnt make any difference. I am always at half the prestige the second last AI has. I know they get boost for starting, but i do not see room for growing faster then the ai within the timelimit. (well to be fair, even without timelimit it dont see any chance)

Any tips?

[godwyndi]

Prestige is always cumulative, so you need to get prestige going quickly. There are a few ways. Have you tried expansion and workshops? I haven't tried doing just single city, so I don't know how viable that is. But rushing cities and maintaining production is possible. Get 2 cities ASAP, and 3 quickly after.

[Fimbultyr]

Originally posted by godwyndi:

Prestige is always cumulative, so you need to get prestige going quickly. There are a few ways. Have you tried expansion and workshops? I haven't tried doing just single city, so I don't know how viable that is. But rushing cities and maintaining production is possible. Get 2 cities ASAP, and 3 quickly after.

hi thanks for the reply. Quick expansion were my first few tries. My normal queue is scout - workshop - settler. If i remeber correctly i have my first cities within 25, third around 35.
I did not add more workshops thought(wanted to save that space for living space but) and focus on improving ressource nods.
But maybe this would help. its just a bit unintuitive to build things you dont really need

[jer]

Originally posted by Fimbultyr:

Originally posted by godwyndi:

Prestige is always cumulative, so you need to get prestige going quickly. There are a few ways. Have you tried expansion and workshops? I haven't tried doing just single city, so I don't know how viable that is. But rushing cities and maintaining production is possible. Get 2 cities ASAP, and 3 quickly after.

hi thanks for the reply. Quick expansion were my first few tries. My normal queue is scout - workshop - settler. If i remeber correctly i have my first cities within 25, third around 35.
I did not add more workshops thought(wanted to save that space for living space but) and focus on improving ressource nods.
But maybe this would help. its just a bit unintuitive to build things you dont really need

You need rope for Stonehenge. So you are not really building things you don't need.
I start with building a farm then I build a settler. Next is always 1 or 2 workshops.

Get those easy Triumph prestige points if at all possible. The two games I have won, I had Triumphs. The ones I lose, I don't have any.

[Jeff]

Your leader choice helps as well. If you take Copernicus, for example (Poland), he has +Prosperity, and that automatically gets you prestige every turn from the very first turn. You do nothing and gain prestige.

[Fimbultyr]

Originally posted by Jeff:

Your leader choice helps as well. If you take Copernicus, for example (Poland), he has +Prosperity, and that automatically gets you prestige every turn from the very first turn. You do nothing and gain prestige.

Shouldnt it be possible to beat the AA with every leader?

[Jeff]

Originally posted by Fimbultyr:

Originally posted by Jeff:

Your leader choice helps as well. If you take Copernicus, for example (Poland), he has +Prosperity, and that automatically gets you prestige every turn from the very first turn. You do nothing and gain prestige.

Shouldnt it be possible to beat the AA with every leader?

Yes, it is possible, but until you figure it out, there is your edge/advantage.

Take note I said it "helps", I didn't say it was mandatory.

[Gorgeous_Joe]

I tend to find there is a little RNG in everything but if you get a good start location, you will be playing catch up for the first act on the higher difficulties but eventually you will surpass the A.I even on the highest difficulty because it simply doesn't build it's cities optimally. It will build farms in wood regions or 5 different building types in one region so it never gets any bonuses.
You could play as Poland, their leader and his buffs are incredibly OP compared to everyone else, unless you are going full on warmongering. Poland is usually the only one that keeps up unless they get taken out early.
You also have a lot more time than you think before you get chopped, depending on how many factions you have added in. Playing with all of them is best as unless you are exceptionally bad at the game there will always be an A.I with a bad start location who is below you, at least for the first act.

[VDmitry]

There is an option to not defeat Human players because of Prestige.

[Fimbultyr]

Originally posted by VDmitry:

There is an option to not defeat Human players because of Prestige.

I know, but thats not the point in this discussion. i want to improve, not to bypass a system.

Thank you all for your input, i will try a it around and give feedback later