In learning the basics I have started many games which I have abandoned early. I have come up with the following configuration at this time.



Game speed = endless

Difficulty = normal

Empire Spawn - chaotic

Strategic Resources = rare

Luxury Resources = rare

Anomaly Odds = few

Minor Faction Difficulty = hard

Regional Size = small





As per the subject line the AI starting but rarely progressing let alone completing Legendary Deeds. There has only been once that the AI have beat me to the



Often I will see they have started either the Civilization Builder or Baron of Industry but within 1 to 2 turns I have gone from 3rd to first. The only Legendary Deeds the AI gets over me occasionally is the Wealth Harvester and Visionary Leader regardless of whether I have played the Vaulters, Broken Lords or my current faction of Cultists.





On top of that in my military over 4 fold of my closest, research and industry and dust is over double, science is 7 fold.



I have wiped out one faction, almost done a second and on my third.





No I am not a legend at this game which I have had for less than 2 months so what is the deal, am I missing something really important or can I expect this to be the norm?





Cheers,



Capt. Teddy Bear

I have not had that much experience with Guardians, as I disable it. But from my limited experience, I have found the serious AI capable of achieving legendary deeds, where sometimes they are leagues ahead of me.



I have found it impossible, short of having a very strict build order, to compete with the AI over all legendary deeds. You rather have to pick which one or maybe two to focus on, per era.



But I reiterate that my experience with Guardians is very limited and pre-patch.

I can confirm KnightofPhoenix experience that at higher difficulties the AI regularly beats me to legendary deeds, but that's really no surprise.



I believe this issue is similar to some issues with how quests and the AI interact: The AI plays a very general game. It might decide on a focus (build up military, boost dust, conquer new territory), but I don't think it i capable of defining specific targets down to the detail necessary to specifically pursue legendary deeds.

The deal is that you´re playing Normal difficulty, which is not meant to be challenging for people with a notion of strategy games.

On default seetings, If I'm not in luck with both titanium and glassteal, Normal AI tends to complete first two legendary buildings a lot faster then I do, same goes for harvesting luxury resources. If I'm playing passively (aiming for science or economic victory etc), Normal AI beats all the military deeds - defeat 10 minor faction armies, gather large armies etc.

So the problem with your case should be in harsh world settings, where gathering resources and fighting minor factions might be challenging even for normal AI.

Sublustris wrote:
On default seetings, If I'm not in luck with both titanium and glassteal, Normal AI tends to complete first two legendary buildings a lot faster then I do, same goes for harvesting luxury resources. If I'm playing passively (aiming for science or economic victory etc), Normal AI beats all the military deeds - defeat 10 minor faction armies, gather large armies etc.

So the problem with your case should be in harsh world settings, where gathering resources and fighting minor factions might be challenging even for normal AI.

I do not recall when I turned up the difficulty and as I start my new game (won the last game on turn 166 after smiting all who dared look in my general direction) I will keep this in mind whilst, for now, I keep the above mentioned settings.

I believe it really depends on the deed and AI difficulty.



On medium difficulties, poor AI exploration leads to fewer early T1 strats, and so I'm usually guaranteed the museum and the megapole. On high difficulty, extraction rate bonuses can compensate for that, and it can go either way.



Early (too early) military development by the AI leads to a high likelihood of winning 10 battles, especially on higher difficulties with production bonuses; it's inability to parley means that it has a low likelihood of pacifying 8 villages.



Research, production bonuses mean high difficulty AI can get extraction of all T1+T3 strats ridiculously quickly, but there's no mechanism for it to save, so getting 4000 dust is pretty much guaranteed to go to the human.



It's all like that-- some of them, bonuses make it nearly impossible to beat the AI (100% empire approval). Others, the AI doesn't even take into account.