AI Cheating/Difficulty

[Khosrau]

After the most recent release of the Origins DLC and Update I feel like the AI has gone from 0 to 100 in difficulty scaling. There are just way to many games now where it feels like the player is getting dog piled on by the AI. On top of the AI acting super aggressive for no reason now, they also seem to be cheating way more frequently; recruiting way over force limit and suffering seemingly no manpower or economic issues, conquering dozens of high development provinces with seemingly no aggressive expansion impact, and while at war with the player they apparently gain access to the never ending bag of money with which they hire mercs and regular armies at an outstanding rate. But the problem just doesn't end there, the AI nations a player allies seem to suddenly become the least intelligent thing on the planet. They can't organize their armies properly, zone of control becomes a problem for them (which is another thing the AI is still ignoring zone of control rules), they always go into massive debt, and they refuse to attach or assist player armies in war.

Paradox please fix your dang AI, I even like the old AI better because at least they were consistently poor. Now you just have super powered nations destroying any chance at an actual campaign. It's even worse in multiplayer because the AI freaks out with more than one Human player and just does everything in their power to ally great powers, go over force limit, warn their country, and use every trick in the book to shut down any chance at an enjoyable game. Surely the amount of hours I have in this game tells you that I'm not just a new ♥♥♥♥ player, I've been playing for over 5 years now, fix your game!

[Marquoz]

The AI is no better or worse than its ever been, and the only cheats that it gets have been exhaustively documented by players digging through the game files. You can find the entire list here: https://eu4.paradoxwikis.com/Artificial_intelligence#Cheats

The things you claim are cheats, aren't. When the AI is at war, it will take out loan after loan to finance its armies. It will drill in peacetime to raise army professionalism and then slacken recruiting standards when at war to generate more manpower. It will recruit streltsy or janissaries if it's Muscowy/Russia or the Ottomans. It will hire mercs. It will raise war taxes. It will spend military and diplomatic monarch points to hire generals and admirals for all of its armies and fleets. It will do anything to win, and you can do every single one of those things as well.

Once you learn the game's systems, the AI isn't a challenge. Until you do, it is.

[Khosrau]

Then I guess you obviously haven't played enough of the new update to see the real differences SMH

[Marquoz]

I have played 400 hours since 1.30 and crushed the AI time after time. Shake your head all you want.

[Narrowmind]

This game is the best it has ever been. Hard to put down now.

[Damedius]

The AI is weaker than ever because it deletes forts in order to not go bankrupt.

[KingCobra]

ai on 1.31(and 1.30 i guess) was much weaker than normal, they constantly delete army, forts, going debts etc.
ai now still weaker than 1.29/1.30 ai, but better then 1.31.

[Narrowmind]

I don't know about that. I see bankruptcy, even for major powers. It is something that happens, a lot.

[Vladolf Putler]

It might seems that AI is cheating but in fact its just using all of its possibilities to try to be the beat you. Manpower magically appears? that poor ai dude just used his army proffesionalism to boost manpower. Money? They are in debt, in the wartime almost everytime. Just check the allies when declaring war, you see the score i they want to join you, there you see if they are in debt. I must say they did good job, I did not play many years and now came back and its really good, so many things, so many possibilites, AI is simply using them, I am glad.

[Malvastor]

Just chipping in to say that this:

AI freaks out with more than one Human player and just does everything in their power to ally great powers, go over force limit, warn their country, and use every trick in the book to shut down any chance at an enjoyable game.

-is all the stuff players are advised to do to win wars against larger nations or shut down their neighbors expansion. It's not a bad thing when AI plays like a human.

[Narrowmind]

Absolutely.

[volbound1700]

AI doesn't seem that much stronger. Ottos tend to be tougher now but that is pretty historic. The game is difficult if you play minors but still is fairly manageable if you play the major/recommended countries as well as some other countries that are bigger like Venice, Bohemia, etc.

You can always just merc spawn and go into debt. Key is to stay ahead of AI on Military Tech. If you fall behind on Military Tech, it can get very difficult.

I felt like prior to the recent update, the AI was actually harder. I saw Austria AI actually pursue the mission tree PU with Bohemia and Hungary. I don't see that much anymore.

[Khosrau]

Nah you’re all dumb and don’t know how to play the game

[Totally Innocent Chatbot]

Originally posted by Khosrau:

Nah you’re all dumb and don’t know how to play the game

Speech 100
Denial 100

[Marquoz]

Originally posted by Khosrau:

Nah you’re all dumb and don’t know how to play the game

The people who beat the game time after time are "dumb and don't know how to play" while you, who can't win, supposedly know what you're doing and are smart?

Sure, dude. Sure.

[Narrowmind]

Verismart!