AI taking over every island instantly

[Klapskalli]

I just started another free game run. I have 250 hrs in this game and some good experience. As soon as I discovered the new world, all Islands got instantly occupied by my AI competitors. This run is basically ruined already. Like wtf is wrong with this game. Any ideas?

[pemmons1]

One of my goals, of course, is to claim as many islands as I can in both old and new worlds. I like a peaceful, easy game on paper, and then make my own challenges. These would include populating a minimum number of islands and keeping the others, if sizeable, in pristine condition for attractiveness to tourists;, making the most of the resources and phantom labor on tiny islands of no interest to visitors; and hoarding goods: eventually filling all trading posts with as many products as possible. (This latter objective does contribute to the official game score that you can see by clicking on your avatar in the upper left corner of the screen.)

After starting out a game telling myself to advance faster this time, sooner or later I get bogged down in details, but for me observation and fine-tuning are part of the fun and a learning experience. Fortunately, how fast you can reach a given point in the game doesn't seem to be a factor in the score. So I stop worrying about it too much.
The knowledge and experience gained from patience do make it easier to advance faster in later play-throughs.

To claim New World islands, in my experience it can be counter-productive to reach for the artisan level too soon, or at least to embark on that first expedition until you're good and ready. That means having two or more ships loaded with timber and steel beams waiting at the south edge of your map, ready to sail to the New World as soon, or almost as soon, as it opens up. I say "almost" only because initially the only place you can send them is El Puerto. It *might* be better to save one ship for such time as you have claimed at least one northerly New World island with the clipper ship that you are given there.

Equally important, you want to be prepared with about 300 influence to spend, which means two or three well-populated islands in the Old World and discretion over other temptations to spend influence, such as harbor masters and trade unions. Needless to say, your territorial ambitions in the Old World should already have been satisfied. ;-) The AI players will enter the New World almost as soon as you do. With luck, you can beat them to most of the largest islands. However, if you are delayed by insufficient influence, you're probably out of luck. The land area of an island is a major (if not the only) determinant of the amount of influence needed to occupy it.

Once the New World opens up, suddenly things become very busy. Getting your settlements there up and running, creating trade routes etc. will take all the attention you can spare for awhile. Ideally, your Old World operations should be running smoothly on their own. I find more than enough to do running the game at the slowest speed most of the time and wish it could be slower still. If you are not doing likewise, it's not surprising that you will despair over what the AI does "instantly."

[Humble]

I wouldn't take every island in early game, I would suggest take island as you need, avoid small or tiny island, choice on based of resource as well, if your main island lack of resource, then find big island that are self sufficient with worker level while forced on that resource, more citizen on single island can be very hurtful due tax, and you had to push over 1,000 each population but more larger island, more populations, tax should be cheaper yet paid more due more population,
https://anno1800.fandom.com/wiki/Royal_Taxes#:~:text=.,be%20stable%20for%20higher%20populations.

Now, Why not take every island, you see, there is soft cap and hard cap when come to investment a influence, Influence is very importance (Money is almost no issues when come to having a lot of more investor living in your island) On your left top screen there is profile of your, with level, early of level, small number population requirements to next level to gave you 20 influence, but once you hit 50 level, it's where hard cap, lot more population requirement to next level, make more costly investment influence for had a island. Other Reason, is more island you had it, more AI will take island in other world map, assumed you playing 2 star and 3 star AI, not 1 star easy AI. Harbor defense is not only costly but cost lot of influence but useful in few bunch before your fleet got there to help Harbor defense and rise military power to make easier with AI making deal sure as ceasefire.

I would said for 2 star AI, it's was mix 4 to 6 Harbor defense types for big island, Single Trading Post can handle fight with 2 Frigate or less, depend. Ship of line or AI had Battle Cruiser, your Trading Post are done for unless your fleet nearly by (depend on your type of fleets, and wind, might or might not make it as it's can happen in few second to min)

This is why Human player should not take every island in early of game, only take a good large island and investment your time on that island to grow more population to get more influence back and money while same time cut Royal taxes down, so it's prefer 2 or 3 Big Island, depend on resource, but leave other less quality island alone to AI so AI waste their time of Influence and time limited frame (3 star AI will settle more island with in time frame while 2 star is less settle island within limited frame before they can settle up other island) before next map, my experience with 2 star AI, they will settle island again within 15 min to 45 mins. 1 Star AI will settle island again within hour if they didn't ask (they not always ask you, sometime they do settle up island without asking, maybe bug or something, I don't know)

If all failed, there are 2 way, try to had ton of money per second like 50,000 per second income to buy share and takeover island while you and AI are under Non-aggression pact for 5 hours, once that 1 or 2 hours left Non-aggression is over, then stop buying share/takeover island then do AI quest, to rised back to 40 to 50 relations point to ensure AI do not make war on you after you buy and takeover island, but not need fleet for this.
Or build war fleet to take over island you want.

If you playing with 1 star AI only, you don't need Harbor defense even pirate is hard (Pirate rare do coming in Harbor to attack your small trading ship if there is no military ship there but most case Pirate avoid Harbor most of time, Pirate even do avoid your military fleet as well)

So what I was try to said more island you take, better chance AI will take island in other world map, this is why you want to take very good island as need, and avoid take bad island and leave that bad island to AI so AI is waste their time on bad island and less chance to take good island in other world map but 2 star and 3 Star AI always take island much faster than Human player so they might got best island first before you most of time, depend on map seed, and campaign or sandbox, if playing campaign it's harder to get there first before AI due story plot, but Story Plot always ensure new world island is for human player only, so AI can't take 2 island as it's special island for player, it's very basic resource, it's not best, and it's medium island, not large island,

I did posted on Ubisoft's forum to buff those island because campaign's new world map is too limited than normal sandbox, and it's need more buff and reward for campaign, but you always got island in new world due campaign locked island for human use, but AI can steal your island if war happen.

It's all depend on whatever you had all DLC or not, if You had All DLC, it's make game easier, especially one had dockland, it's can help level up to investor without need new world in some way, but it's would be difficult to supply Investor's need, when Investor number get bigger.

[pemmons1]

Thank you for your perspective! If, as you say, the more aggressive you are in claiming the Old World islands, the more aggressive the AI will be in the New World, that is indeed an important point to consider. I'm also aware that not all AI characters will be as indulgent with a land-grabbing player as Qing, Bente, and Willie are. I always worry that playing a game at the easy level could instill bad habits that won't serve one well at higher difficulty.

The only DLCs I have played with thus far are Bright Harvest and Seeds of Change. I'm eager to add either Sunken Treasures or Docklands next time around!