is the AI cheating

[JimMorrison]

Originally Posted by Terrement

"Read the guides and various national threads. The tactics and strategies may seem arcane, but they are tired and true. "

I did, using the Man - archers & knights. I have 15 provinces, he has 15 provinces. However, 7 of his have been "unrested" above 100 continually by teams of bards, and he is still able to throw hundreds more troops at me than I can generate.

The computer will always far outnumber you, BUT they are masters of the chaff horde, and little else. You have to figure out what will kill the most enemies in the shortest time, often that is as easy as just getting some Evo research as soon as you can, and getting some battlemages out to throw down..... well, whatever you have, even if it's just Poison Clouds and Breath of the Dragon.

In some cases, the AI style can be plain brutal. Was doing an Atlantis test the other day, and as I tried to start expanding aggressively on land, my enemy was throwing hundreds of archers at me. Aquatics have a hard enough time getting quality troops on land as it is, but Atlantis of course has no native missile troops either.

One thing I've noticed against the AI - most people swear by Sloth in MP to milk their points, but in SP a high Production scale can give you the strength of numbers that can really help against the AI hordes. Just remember, your "best" troop may not be your most cost effective troop, in a protracted battle. If you have 16 prot heavy inf for 15g, or 14 prot heavy inf for 10g for example - don't waste the money and resources on the top shelf, go middle quality and use sheer quantity to your advantage.