Random maps

[jdp]

A year or so ago I used to make quite large random maps (usually 70x70) and play against the computer. I would give the computer more gold than I had and the computer would put up a pretty good fight.

I've recently tried to do the same thing with the random maps on versions 1.5.9 and 1.5.12 but the computer is really easy to beat even if I give it 5 or 6 times as much as gold as I have. The computer's troops don't move out over the whole map and take towns. They explore to some extent, but mostly end up milling around in one area. They do attack when I come near, but tend to back away from a fight when I attack in a different place.

Perhaps this is just a temporary problem. I realise that the new versions are still being developed. I thought I'd just provide some feedback on this.

[TL]

I too have noticed the AI acting unusually timid in recent dev versions, although mostly it seems to still be pretty good about grabbing villages with its scouts if there are no enemy units around. But it does have a tendency to hang back and cluster around on good terrain even if there is hardly any threat.

[Simons Mith]

Do you boost your enemies' base income as well as giving them extra gold? Also, try using 2 separate AI sides, but make them allies so they don't wear themselves out attacking each other. Even if the current AI is a bit timid, these other changes might help mitigate things a bit.

[jdp]

Thank you very much for the suggestions. I've just tried playing against three allied computer players each starting with 200 gold (I start with 100). It's a lot better. The computer is still quite a bit more timid than before, but having a lot of forces coming at you from three different directions makes things much more challenging.

[jdp]

For those interested, my favorite way of using the random maps is to use a large map (about 70x70) with interesting terrain that is hidden by a shroud (I also use fog of war).

One way I find works well to get varied terrain without looking at the map in advance is to keep the default settings for 'landform' and 'Max Hill Size' and move the slider on 'Number of Hills' back so that it's not a lot further forward than the slider for 'Max Hill Size'. This guarantees a map with a good number of lakes and leads to a more tactical game that won't simply be won by the side with a bigger army. I then click on 'regenerate' without looking, so I have no idea what terrain is like until I move into it with my units.

I'm sure there are plenty of other ways of guaranteeing that a game against a computer player will be unpredictable, but this is one way.