What is up with technology and religion advancing so fast in this game for the AI? ...and then a rant.

[agreeksailor]

I had one map where Japan hit the Atomic era while I hadn't even entered the industrial. Me playing poorly? Maybe...But it happened before turn 240, standard speed. Recent game, less than 60 turns in and Brazil is entering the medieval era and it is isolated from all other civs and it has a religion, again standard. Am I doing something wrong? I mean, yeah, I am playing on Deity, but there is unfair and then there is just impossible. Hell, all the prophets were claimed before I could even get the tech level to earn a prophet and I beelined there, that happened around turn 45. It takes at least 20 turns to have a chance to finish a settler and start a second city! What kind of advantages is the AI getting that let's it do things I can't even game the systems to do? Do I need to ignore units, technology, production, trade, and expansion to have a chance at a religion? I do play with all the civs if that makes a difference.


Realized after that the rest from here is a rant...feel free to ignore.

And for another matter, speaking of fast AI...how the devil can I break a promise to move my troops from the border when, 1 I didn't make such a promise (apparently that what it means when you say your troops are just passing through...galleys on a coast) 2 they gave me an open borders agreement as part of a trade, and 3...the important one, the only units there are the ones from after the open borders agreement? I am trying to see the appeal everybody else sees in this game, I really am...1upt is a clearly broken mechanic and the root of all the problems in this series lately. Hell, I even had a friendly city state block me from developing an Iron resource in the early game because it wouldn't move its warrior from my borders. This game is just so poorly thought out.

Sorry...this post started out as a what am I missing here and then turned into a wtf in my current game. I have lots of time to wait around between turns because...you know, I have no idea why it takes the AI so long to take its turns. Hell, fully modded civ 4 at its worse didn't take this long and I played on maps that hit the city limit with thousands of units in play. It has to be that 1upt rearing its ugly head again. I would gladly take back Civ II's all units die in a stack mechanic over this one.

[HandyVac]

The main advantage the AI gets is a bunch of free stuff on turn zero. Units, techs, civics, gold, etc. How much depends on the difficulty level.

So you're behind during the first few turns on Deity because the AI had a massive headstart, the challenge is to catch up with them later in the game.

[Professor H. Farnsworth]

^ what he said - although - it's a lot more than you'd think :). If you start to lack behind. Choose a specific Civic and Tech path and stop fussing about all the ones your will be missing (I'm a Domination player so I go the Military path(s)).

Do want to point out - Catching up to them is neigh impossible unless you are playing a Civilization which gets huge boosts to Science and Culture in which case have fun when they invade your lands, preferably, 4 AIs at once all with 15+ armies.

Below you can see the cheat percentages per difficulty level above Prince - note that while it does not say it per say - each level of Difficulty adds more and more aggressive AIs up to a point in which the slightest mistake in Deity will cost your dearly.

Up to Prince:
No cheating for the AI.
AI less aggressive the lower the difficulty.


King
Resource production:
AI gets +8% to Science, Culture and Faith, +20% to Production and Gold.
Combat and XP scaling:
AI receives +1 in combat, player gets nothing.
AI receives +10% to unit XP, player gets nothing.
Research boosts:
AI receives 1 free Tech and Civics boost.
Starting units:
AI receives 1 Settler and 2 Warriors at the start of the game, and receives a free Builder when it builds its first district.
Barbarian camps award 30 gold when cleared.

Emperor
Resource production:
AI gets +16% to Science, Culture and Faith, +40% to Production and Gold.
Combat and XP scaling:
AI receives +2 in combat, player gets nothing.
AI receives +20% to unit XP, player gets nothing.
Research boosts:
AI receives 2 free Tech and Civics boosts.
Starting units:
AI receives 2 Settlers, 3 Warriors and 1 Builder at the start of the game.
Barbarian camps award 30 gold when cleared.

Immortal
Resource production:
AI gets +24% to Science, Culture and Faith, +60% to Production and Gold.
Combat and XP scaling:
AI receives +3 in combat, player gets nothing.
AI receives +30% to unit XP, player gets nothing.
Research boosts:
AI receives 3 free Tech and Civics boosts.
Starting units:
AI receives 2 Settlers, 4 Warriors and 2 Builders at the start of the game.
Barbarian camps award 30 gold when cleared.

Deity
Resource production:
AI gets +32% to Science, Culture and Faith, +80% to Production and Gold.
Combat and XP scaling:
AI receives +4 in combat, player gets nothing.
AI receives +40% to unit XP, player gets nothing.
Research boosts:
AI receives 4 free Tech and Civics boosts.
Starting units:
AI receives 3 Settlers, 5 Warriors and 2 Builders at the start of the game.
Barbarian camps award 30 gold when cleared.

[jcp011c2]

Regarding the breaking promises, yeah that is super annoying. It's one thing if they have luxeries or agendas they are griping about, but when they denounce you for not keeping a promsie that you never made (and worse much of the time it doesn't tell you what promise you "broke"), it really gets on my nerves.

I love so much of the new game mechanices but the AI and diplomacy especially is complete tripe.

[agreeksailor]

Originally posted by Professor H. Farnsworth:

Snip

Oh wow...thanks mate! I had no idea it was that much! I knew they got a ton of extra starting stuff, but that now makes a lot more sense taken together. I might take it down a couple difficulties. I just want a fair game. An up hill fight against those odds isn't so fun for me atm.

[Professor H. Farnsworth]

Haha, I'd probably start on King if I were you. It does ramp up pretty fast.
However, I wouldn't say that it's an issue fighting omre technologically advanced civs - they rarely upgrade their units so... You got free reign with your up to date army.

[destroyalldreamers]

I think everygame I'm researching Future Tech and Social Media over and over again during the last 100 turns.

[bluetooth]

You have to build Campus and Campus buildings if you want to catch up in Science, also the Inspiration Policy which will give you 2 Great Scientist points/ turn. And Scientists are really great to have.

In my current game on Immortal I have 4 Campus with Libraries and Universities and I get 100 % more science per turn than the closest competitor. This on on a Tiny map and turn 165.

I have only one game on Deity but as I remember I had no problem with Science. It takes some time catch up though.

[Kelryth]

I hate religon in civilization games. its very annoying.

[DEMONICSLAYER]

I tried the Emperor difficulty. It was really hard to keep up with those empires/ dynasty/ kingdom. The Barbarian AI kept spawning near my bases and interfere. Not even after 10 turn, they spawned horses which made it hard for me to clear their outpost.

The different leader AI kept launching war using Formal War (Joint War) even before I managed to reach turn 50 (later at 100+ and 200+) and they had 10+ army which are much superior than mine even when I tried hard to skip those unwanted tech and civics. The advantages they had are too great.

Secondly, the resources spawn was also giving advantages to AI. I had 6 cities covering more than 150 tiles but not even Iron, Oil, Uranium and Coal were available for me. Only 1 niter was available after I use gold to snatch the tile from AI who opened his city beside it. Having to fought using limited resources and constant attacking from AI and its city states, I lost the game at early 200 turn after 1 of the leader AI managed to get Culture Victory without anyone declaring war on it until after 150 turn.

I continued the game and had to resort to spying to catch up in Science. AIs were like ahead of me by 30-50 turns. I felt like the game is trying to gang up on player.

[bluetooth]

I usually build at least five slingers before I build anything else. Upgrade them to Archers and that’s, with your initial Warrior, usually what you need to take out a few of your neighbors Cities, take their resources and dstricts and kill their military units. Now you’re in command.

[Professor H. Farnsworth]

Screw their cities. They always city stack and that's so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ worthless in Civ 6. Raze the lot and place your own properly placed city \o/.

They re right tho, in order to keep up you need Campus and Theaters and/or play a scientific AND cultural leader (Saladin is great for this and his Mamluks are utter horror on the battlefield). You can snatch both a Domination, Cultural, Science AND Religion victory with Saladin (thanks 10% to faith, science and culture from his special building - provided you obviously have Campus, Theaters and Holy sites in each.)

Having just say. 4 cities like that is 40% extra Science, Faith and Culture. Having 10 is 100%. And you get the picture.

Gorgo and Pericles is great too. Pericles because you can mostly focus on Science as his Culture is already boosted. Gorgo if you play aggressively (remember to farm Barbarian camps!)

[bluetooth]

Originally posted by Professor H. Farnsworth:

Screw their cities. They always city stack and that's so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ worthless in Civ 6. Raze the lot and place your own properly placed city \o/.

I don’t agree on that. Usually their Cities have developed Holy Sites and more than once that have helped me to found my own Religion.