Best AI Improvement Mod?

[Fastdash]

I'm a new player to Civ 5, but I think that I've been doing well on Prince difficulty and want to have a greater challenge. However, I don't like how the higher difficulties just let the AI have cheats. Are there any good mods that make the AI smarter, without affecting specific civ behaviors and things like that? I still want to have a very vanilla experience, just with an added challenge.

[knighttemplar1960]

Vox Populi probably has the best mod for AI behavior.

[whatamidoing]

Seconding Vox Populi[forums.civfanatics.com], although it's also somewhat different from vanilla (nothing but improved, imo). Hypothetically you should be able to use just the community patch component that contains the improved AI, but idk how well it'd work without the rest of the pack.

[Fastdash]

Originally posted by knighttemplar1960:

Vox Populi probably has the best mod for AI behavior.

It seems to include other content as well. Is there a version with only the AI improvements? I still want to stay in the lanes of vanilla for now.

[Timoh]

You select what parts you want as a part of the installation process. If you just want the AI improvements only select the Community Patch there. The community patch also includes bug fixes, but no balance overhauls or new mechanics.

[clif9710]

VP users, how would you characterize the AI changes that VP brings?

I second Fastdash's comment.

[kamikazi21358]

There are a couple AI improvement mods on the workshop, that don’t change anything else about the game really without adding other mods.

[zorkman]

Another for Vox Poplui. The various civs are different & have more purpose, & they changed the dumb happiness system for the better. In fairness, nearly everything is an improvement on vanilla

[whatamidoing]

Originally posted by clif9710:

VP users, how would you characterize the AI changes that VP brings?

I'd characterize them as an improvement :^)
For specifics, the military AI is more refined than the hordes in vanilla and will try to protect ranged units, push where it feels it's strong, and withdraw where it feels it's weak. It's kind of hard to quantify, but I do think it's a big step up from vanilla, although obviously still not human-level. Outside of unit tactics, the AI seems to focus more on growth and development (example: internal trade routes shipping food) than vanilla and will try to expand to fill empty land where it can, which results in a more filled-in map than I'm used to in vanilla as someone who plays on huge (usually modded to be even larger than huge) maps without creating a whole bunch of completely worthless 3-pop cities like the vanilla city-spammers do, although the different happiness system in full VP almost certainly helps there. The AI will also value resources differently based on how desperate it is for them, which is something I don't think it does, at the very least to the same degree, in vanilla. That's what I can think up now for the visible changes.

[clif9710]

It has always seemed strange to me in G+K that the AI will not go after my ranged units when I am trying to take a city. It seems to target the weakest unit whatever that may be so having sacrificial units on offer really helps make a siege successful. Taking out the AI ranged units has saved a city of mine many times as the melee units are hard pressed to do much damage without ranged help.

[Fastdash]

Originally posted by Timoh:

You select what parts you want as a part of the installation process. If you just want the AI improvements only select the Community Patch there. The community patch also includes bug fixes, but no balance overhauls or new mechanics.

Alright, that's good to know. Where can I get the mod?