Difficulty Levels in MTW - to the Devs

[Khan7]

Would it be possible to work out some sort of alternate system of difficulty levels for MTW? For instance, give the AI percentage bonuses in Koku income, building speed, building cost, unit cost, etc etc.

The way it is in Shogun is that the AI gets combat bonuses. I have never liked this.. it seems kind of silly really, at least to my taste. I would much rather be outproduced, outdeveloped, outnumbered.. than to have the enemy guns defeat my monks in h2h.

And if the AI is improved as everyone says it is, this should be especially feasible.

Anyway, the game is sounding great u guys, can't wait to see what you come up with firsthand!

Matt

P.S.: Currently I play SP Campaigns on Normal by editing a campaign so that I start with 1 province, 1-2 units, small castle and spear and arch dojo, usu. in 1580. This don't work too well tho.. often have some nail-biters early on, but it only takes a few (or more) years to get a strategic advantage and then it tends to be zippittydoodah yay. It would be nice to have them hitting me hard and fast right up through the end..

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[Sjakihata]

And would it maybe also be possible to include some different difficulity settings (exempli grati) aggressiveness, attack on human etc. maybe as a per cent slider ?

[andrewt]

I think that the AI should be able to use its superior computational skills to its advantage. I don't like artificial bonuses for the AI. It's kinda annoying, like in Civ3 or the old War2, where a weak AI cheats to beat you.

[Hirosito]

hear, hear!

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Hirosito Mori

Gentile or Jew
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.

[theforce]

The should scrap the difficulty system. It should have only 1 difficulty setting aka the most realistic.


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I cannot return l presume so l will keep my name among those who are dead by bows!

[andrewt]

A difficulty system is needed in every game. Some people suck so much they need the easiest difficulty and some, like me, like to play in easier difficulties first when I'm new to a genre. Also, some people want really big challenges or else they will get bored quickly and that is what the harder difficulties are for.

[theforce]

Ocarina of time everyone. It didn't have any difficulty settings. It was a hard game but wise balacning can do the trick

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I cannot return l presume so l will keep my name among those who are dead by bows!

[DoCToR]

theforce, difficulty levels are essential in games like Totalwar or Civ3 because otherwise the longevity really suffers. Imagine you beat it easily on only the second attempt, what's the point in having another game?

One of the problems with STW was that once the horde was removed in a patch the game became quite easy at all difficulty levels and therefore it lost its appeal to play.

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=MizuDoc Otomo=
=Clan Takiyama=

[Khan7]

heh.. I never had a problem with the Hojo Horde.. always liked a challenge. Nowadays the AI just seems to deplete itself on suicide missions and pretty much get fragmented and dead by the time I start rising up (on normal difficulty, with me starting at a huge strategic disadvantage).

This happen to anyone else?

I'm really very sick of hearing people bitch about the AI "cheating". I want the AI to cheat, I want it to cheat very nastily and dirtily, because I seriously want to have an interesting campaign game where I have something really to do beyond the point where I have half a dozen provinces.

Matt

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Shogun 2 now available for download! Comes with a nifty version-switching program, so never have to break a sweat! Click here NOW!!

To read all about it, click here.

[Wavesword]

One idea would be if other clans considered you as a bit of a pariah as in civ- ie they co-operated against you while infighting among themselves. Khan does this in some of his almightily hard campaigns by starting you off as christian in buddhist japan or vice versa. Ultimately this thread presupposes that the AI won't have any dramatic improvements, which is probably correct considering its development time.

[Hirosito]

well khan i hope there is no need for the AI to 'cheat'. the map is bigger and if alliances start to count for something you might come up against much stiffer opposition. i would love it if at the end of the game there were 2-3 different factions all so strong and large that the game practically ends with a stalemate. it would be about as realistic as a game could get.

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Hirosito Mori

Gentile or Jew
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.

[Khan7]

Yes, currently I am trying many things in the quest for an interesting endgame. Currently fooling with the "Starting in 1530" campaign, me as Imagawa with just my hatamoto and nothing else in Awaji.

So far, simply giving the AI players more and more and more units, and more and more and more H2 Shinobi only does so much good, especially as they always feel the need to outdo the suicide they would've done if they were weaker.. Takeda is a suicider, Shimazu is a suicider.. in the game I've currently got going there is SOME hope the by the time I get really scary Hojo will have defeated everyone in his corner and be someone formidable.. but depending on how many guys he has to waste trying to take Uesugi's one remaining (river) province, anything could happen, including the standard resurgence of the Ronin leaving me as the only solvent Clan on the whole map.

AAARGH.

Matt

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Shogun 2 now available for download! Comes with a nifty version-switching program, so never have to break a sweat! Click here NOW!!

To read all about it, click here.

[Wavesword]

Quote Originally posted by Hirosito:
well khan i hope there is no need for the AI to 'cheat'. the map is bigger and if alliances start to count for something you might come up against much stiffer opposition. i would love it if at the end of the game there were 2-3 different factions all so strong and large that the game practically ends with a stalemate. it would be about as realistic as a game could get.

[/QUOTE]


BAH, Diplomacy all over again! Presently playing an East or West campaign where things have become suitably knife edged game, but this is mainly due to my refusal to ever break alliances except for the purpose of getting to 40 provinces at the end.

[Wavesword]

One way to increase the difficulty level would be a saved game editor. Imagine if you had half-conquered Japan and could configure the game so the Mongols turned up at that point, turning an easy game into a balancing act. I don't think if you started a campaign in 1265 with nothing the Mongols would still turn up in 1274, whcih would be a nice variant to JDD.

[Wavesword]

What should ideally happen is an 'auto adjust' ai that modifies itself to the skills of an opponent, so all the above is what could occur if one is doing too well.

[Jaguara]

Quote Originally posted by Wavesword:
One idea would be if other clans considered you as a bit of a pariah as in civ- ie they co-operated against you while infighting among themselves. Khan does this in some of his almightily hard campaigns by starting you off as christian in buddhist japan or vice versa. Ultimately this thread presupposes that the AI won't have any dramatic improvements, which is probably correct considering its development time. [/QUOTE]

There was an option in "Alpha Centauri" called "I am the best in the World!". It made all of the other civs despise you...that is why I was hoping that MTW would allow the choice of Pagan religion...since it would essentially be giving the finger to all the Christian and perhaps even Muslim nations...

But since Lithuania and the Golden Hoarde are not playable factions...it seems that this may not be the case at all

Jaguara

[Wavesword]

Just be really beastly to their emissaries and make them play 'pull my finger' games then. Or do a Henry VIII with the marriage alliances. Hope the religious element is played up this time, so if you were excommunicated you could 'do a King John' and submit to the Pope to undermine alliances against you, and other such dirty dealings. Of course as time went on Muslim and Christian alike would have more homogenous alliances as religous fervour reduced- one of the crusades sacked Constantinople and never went near the Holy Land...