Making Single Player more Exciting

[NKIcan]

Ok so I've been at this awhile now, and while I am immensely enjoying the game and the Multiplayer aspect, sometimes I just want to have a nice game at my own pace that I can pick up and put down whenever I choose.

In other words, I want to play against the AI. Only problem is, that the AI is rarely any sort of challenge. Ive tried handicapping myself to some extent, and that works to make it more challenging but not to make the AI less predictable.

So what do you all do to a) make the AI more entertaining and more of a challenge and b) to keep from trouncing the AI through them having stupid scales/gods?

All hints welcome

[Sombre]

A tricky request. Less predictable,.... hmm.

You could gather some mod nations you've never used and assign them to the AI, play on a No Indy (NI) map and do the usual handicap to yourself like staling for the first 4 turns.

[Endoperez]

SemiRandom program can assign non-stupid scales and gods to AI. I don't know if it works with NoIndependents maps, but it should work with Better Independents mod.

[Sombre]

With semirand all you'd have to do is add the NI code (a cut and paste) after you'd made the semirandom map file.

[WraithLord]

The following setup works for me (for fun SP games).
1. Map - Faerun adventure version.
2. Mods - BI (Better Indeps.) resources.
Feel free to give uber mod nations to AI as well.
3. Don't hire mercs. Ever.
4. Generate the game a few times until you start in a middle position. Not in corner.

Njoy

[Gandalf Parker]

Lowering the indept strength can make the AI much stronger. Try a setting of 5.

Making a copy of the .map file of your favorite map you can add commands which change the AIs. Such as pre-designed gods and scales.

One of the things I like to exploit about AIs is that I send stealth troops to where its another AI fighting and snag provinces when they both have ruined their armies on each other. There are commands you can add to the .map file which will ally AIs so they wont attack each other. If you want to try a small game like that you can login to one of these.
http://game.dom3minions.com/bin/vsAI_chk.cgi
Since AIs are in the game you can go ahead and hit START right away, or wait for more humans to join.

You can also use map commands to grant extra units and castles. If you want to try that taken to an extreme you can login to one of these games.
http://game.dom3minions.com/bin/Chaos_chk.cgi
Again you can start it right away and play by yourself, or wait for others to join.

[Gandalf Parker]

Lowering the indept strength can make the AI much stronger. Try a setting of 5.

Making a copy of the .map file of your favorite map you can add commands which change the AIs. Such as pre-designed gods and scales.

One of the things I like to exploit about AIs is that I send stealth troops to where its fighting another AI and snag provinces when they both have ruined their armies on each other. There are commands you can add to the .map file which will ally AIs so they wont attack each other. If you want to try a small game like that you can login to one of these.
http://game.dom3minions.com/bin/vsAI_chk.cgi
Since AIs are in the game you can go ahead and hit START right away, or wait for more humans to join.

You can also use map commands to grant extra units and castles. If you want to try that taken to an extreme you can login to one of these games.
http://game.dom3minions.com/bin/Chaos_chk.cgi
Again you can start it right away and play by yourself, or wait for others to join.

[Tifone]

My suggestion always: design all the playing nations by yourself... yours and the enemy one(s) You play them for some turns to recruit some elite units/research some critical early spell/ conquer some easy indies, and then turn all the ones you don't want to play AI. It may seem boring, but you'll maybe find yourself continuing to play those nations more often than you imagine

Of course you'll need to avoid blesses or SCs in need of equipment for the enemy nations, as those aren't well managed by the AI later. For them, go for good scales and/or strong mages with national paths, researchers, or natural SCs like dragons, manticores/4 armed gods etc

[Sombre]

I don't think the AI has any idea what to do with dragons, four armed pretenders etc. They might be able to use a dom10 wyrm with no magic, but anything else is pretty much a waste for them.

Also the OP asked for unpredictable opponents - managing the start of the AIs makes them more predictable if anything.

[MaxWilson]

Originally Posted by NKIcan

So what do you all do to a) make the AI more entertaining and more of a challenge and b) to keep from trouncing the AI through them having stupid scales/gods?

All hints welcome

Inspired by Baalz' recent guide on Niefelheim, I just added superskrattir as a recruitable unit for Niefelheim and its descendants.

--experiments
#newmonster 2479
#copystats 1652
#name "Superskratti"
#gcost 700
#magicskill 2 2
#magicskill 7 1
#copyspr 1652
#weapon 101
#weapon 149
#weapon 20
#berserk 3
#prot 18
#attack 13
#defense 13
#end

#selectnation 17
#addrecunit 2479
#addreccom 2479
#end
#selectnation 42
#addrecunit 2479
#addreccom 2479
#end
#selectnation 63
#addrecunit 2479
#addreccom 2479
#end

(For some reason that I'm still trying to work out, the troop versions appear as wolves and not werewolves.)

It's true these guys are slightly too strong--natural prot synergizes with berserk better than armor prot, and these guys get the Quickness bonus to att/def but could actually cast Quickness on top of that. I don't figure that will matter though, against the AI, because he probably won't be fielding nearly as many as a human player would. 700 gold is my wild guess at how much gold you're losing out on by collecting enough blood slaves to forge Baalz's suggested equipment.

I've been looking into Amos' angel nations recently, and Aezael's dragon nations, as opponents. I'd rather do something like this, though, which is within a nation's capabilities even if the AI usually doesn't do it.

-Max