Difficulty settings bug?

[Dramadon]

I've played every Civ game that's been made and I always enjoy my first playthrough on the easiest setting just so I can see the new technology tree, the wonders, and units without having to deal with annoying things like having actual competition for things. So, I've played like 3 games now and suddenly I have civilizations declaring war on me within the first 20 turns. I have alliances of two nations declaring war bringing dozens of units down on my capital when I've barely had time to build 5 units and doing city development. Invariably there are 5 or 6 civilizations placed right next to my home city even when I lower the number of civilizations in the game and I'm using a huge map.

If this is what the game is like on settler I can't even imagine the game being playable at the hardest settings. Or, maybe this is by design but this is a significant change from previous versions of the game.

[zebenji]

Noticed the same thing. I usually start my first game on a new Civilization title on Settlers mode, do nothing more but managing a couple of cities, see how things are working, etc.

Well, I failed the tutorial because Gilgamesh crushed me a few turns after I met him. Was surprised, but whatever, the tutorial was almost done anyway.

I created a party on Settlers mode, on a huge map but with fewer Civilizations. France conquered my capital in the first 40 turns. Then I met Norway. They seemed nice. Delegation, nice words, offered a treaty to go on each other's lands. I thought great, these guys are nice and they might help me get my capital back from that Fr... Italian old hag.

Norway declared war on me when all their units where at the border of my second town. Bye bye, first game. Number of turns: 60.

On Settlers mode.

I guess I won't be able to be a peaceful Civ, for once. :)

[ThreeDayBeard]

Huh. My tutorial game was the reverse. I was Gilgamesh, and Cleopatra didn't even found a second city. She only had her capital, and I thought it odd that the tutorial was suggesting I build walls, an encampment, and a barracks. All she had by turn 50 was a scout and a warrior. The barbarians were more of a threat, and even they never sought me out. I had to hunt them down to the corners of the map.

[refraction]

I'm another victim of ridiculous Settler mode, although my experience wasn't quite the same as yours, however everybody dislikes me.

I've played Civ 1, 4 and 5 before this for hundreds of hours, usually on Prince level and I do fine. But I thought I'd play this on Settler to get used to the new mechanics.

Well by the time I hit Cannons, some of them were entering the atomic age and have AC Crew Corps (I should be eclipsing everybody else by this point in settler!) and as I say everybody hates me. I randomly went to war with somebody who I had a declaration of friendship with, even though I'm pretty sure I didn't click anything, I didn't even realise I'd done it! Anyway as soon as he went to war with me, I got a massive Warmonger penalty and everybody instantly denounced me and hated me, fantastic.

The AI is defo badly balanced for settler, they are supposed to be passive on that setting. I feel like I'm just being an utter noob but I'm actually trying! I don't want to put the difficulty up.

[Roarak]

The game seems to be intentionally designed that if someone has a lacking military the AI's will stamp thm out, regardless of difficulty. You need a fairly strong military right from the start in this game in order to not be ambushed. I made it to over 100 turns with Montezuma as my neighbor before he attacked me on Prince.

[suupernova]

I'm with you on this. I like to play a full game in Settler just to check things out and learn all the new things the game has to offer. My first round ended after about 50 turns when the barbarians kept attacking and pillaging and I spent all my time fighting them off and fixing the stuff they burnt (builders take forever to make!), they were also, bizarely much stronger than my units, so my units are eventually all killed off and then I get attacked by Cleopatra. Game over.

So, I think, ok this is just a learning curve, I know a bit about how the game works now and I start a new game, settler level again, and last about 120 turns.

My third game, on settler, has so far lasted me much longer - but eveyone hates me, my cities have almost all been converted to another religion even when they agree to stop converting, and although I have just made it to the Modern Era the leading civ is into the Information Era.

Too much building time is taken up by building city mods otherwise your people starve/leave/riot and trying to defend yourself against other civs agendas, so you don't actually get a chance to build an army. I spent far too much time being pissed off and frutstrated playing this new version in it's easiest level, that I couldn't enjoy it. I am so dissapointed.

[zebenji]

I still see the good side of things: the music is amazing... But the difficulty is far too hard for a Settler mode. I mean it's Settler mode. You are supposed to play this more if you are entirely new to Civilization or if you have no brain available anymore after a long day of work. :)

After that epic failure with France and Norway, I decided to create a game on a huge map with me and another player (AI). I met Germany around the Renaissance era, and noticed that Germany immediately started to be hostile towards me. I gave them trade goods, artefacts... I even gave up taking care of City States. Nope, Germany was still hostile towards me. We were on two different continents so they never attacked me, except with hordes of apostles that kept coming back even if I warned them not to send them over.

I went until the end of the game, where I got a cultural victory while having a few atomic bombs ready to be launched... (Bwhahaha!)

Difficulty is way too high for just a Settler mode. I appreciate that each civilization has its own personality and its reasons for being hostile, but come on... So far I never befriended any civilization. They all got hostile a few turns about meeting me, no matter what I do.

Also noticed that Lady Liberty is not a wonder anymore - though it would have been great as a Democracy government wonder, along the Kremlin for Communism, Versailles/Buckingham/any royal palace for Monarchy, etc. Gone are the United Nations too (given how hostile civilizations are, it's not really a surprise).

But overall, the game has its charms. Hopefully when they'll fix the difficulty, it sure will be enjoyable when you don't want to do anything too complicated.

(As for the Barbarians, I was bothered too so I ticked them off my last game... to see them attacking Seoul with late-game units while I, the most advanced civilization, was in the end of the Industrial Era. Weird.)

[ThreeDayBeard]

Maybe the bug is just in Settler difficulty. Have you tried playing on Chieftain or Warlord?

[Dramadon]

I don't disagree and I appreciate what they tried to do but Settler mode is just supposed to be "Play this if you like building cities and advancing technology without having to actually fight anything". I shouldn't have to create a game without any other civilizations for this.

[Dramadon]

I'll try that.

[Growlanser]

Does anybody knows the difficulty differences? What changes exactly. The barbarians are insane in prince.

[maxdogg75]

I always do first game as settler also. It is way harder than any other civ game but i'm like 150 turns in as rome and I think what has helped me is their UU the legion so I'm able to deal with the barbs and everbody Dowing me. I have managed to stay friendly with Cleo so far.
So maybe play with Rome Or the Aztecs it may make it easier because of their war ability.

[Axiom]

I lowered mine to Warlord, and just made it to about 150 turns before an ally of mine surprise attacked me and stomped me out. Soooo, yeah, I agree something is fishy on difficulty settings as well. I'm going to try another game at Warlord.

[Ender]

its really easy to fight them off, but still they shouldn't be declaring so much war on me on prince difficulty
also the greek woman seems to be the most agressive of all

[Bumpt]

Playing on Prince too, and just getting my ass handed to me. Those that don't dominate me militarily massively outpace me on tech and religion.
Hell, last game in the victory screen Kongo had a military strength four times greater than me when I had done nothing by that point but pump out warriors to deal with the barbarians.
I'm not great player of Civ games, but in 5 when I start a game on Prince I have expectations of winning. Here I feel like a mouse competing against cats.

[taylormarian9]

I've played on Settler, Chieftain, and Prince, and really have not noticed much difference -- about the same number of resources and barbarians, and Surprise Wars 100 turns in or less. I'm off to try Immortal to see what that's like.