What is the point of Team 2 & 3 for the AI if they just ignore each other anyway?

from Sins Forums

So I'm trying to play a single star map, Centrifuge.  I put the Advent on Hard Researcher.  And the Vasari on Hard Aggressor.

I'm playing as the TEC.  I used colony frigates to establish mining in the uncolonizable asteroid belts since the AI seems to ignore your mining operations there and thus I don't need to make efforts to defend the territory.

I also turtled on my home world and established significant defensive structures to assist my fleet when the AI brings larger fleets into my territory (allowing me to hold them off and buff up the experience on my cap ships)

To this end I noticed a disturbing situation.  The Vasari kept their massive fleet in the planet to the east of my homeworld.  The Advent kept their massive fleet in the plasma storm to my north.

Neither seemed to ever bother utilizing their fleets against one another, despite the fact that I had one planet and they controlled the remainder of the map.

So what is the point of having a "team 2" and "team 3" if the AI is going to just gang-bang the human player anyway?  And don't bother telling me I needed to be more aggressive and expand early, I realize this.  My issue is that the AI seems to "cheat" in that it isn't going to war with anyone but me.

strategy
7,299 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
That's exactly what happened to me on "fire and ice" I usually never lose 1 on 1, but it was 2 on 1 even though they were non-aligned and locked.

I was stuck in the middle and all they did was attack me. The map was originally designed for 4, so I'm guessing, they would have fought each other if their was a 4th unaligned comp.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
It really depends on the map and what looks like an attractive target. On 4 player maps, I've managed to bring one or sometimes even two AIs up to Peace Treaty status. Once you've at least signed a Cease Fire, they regularly pester you whenever another AI attacks one of their colonies, so I know for a fact the AI players fight each other if they aren't allied.

- Gus
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
Easy and Normal AI's are less likely to gang up on you. Hard AI's will if you're the easiest target or if they both really really hate you.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
I can verify this , Im was currently playing a huge map on FFA , had loads of ai , on my first attempt within 20 mins the ai ganged up on me and owned me.

However prior to the second attempt I explained what happened to my clan and they gave me some tips and now I have my home planets and 2 or 3 areas I have defended where trade ships or anything cant get through. In short if any of the roids get taken by that time I have the resources to quickly take them back . Through diplomacy and other things I have in effect a T shape(roughly) of planets. ai A and ai B on the left and right side of the T and should they enter this zone I let all hell loose , It was really difficult at first but I think they are struggling to keep up now and more of the ai seem to be wanting peace.

A feature I didnt know which I found hilarious was that I set up a trade outpost and some ai wanted a trade treaty but after so long because all routes to my planet were utter carnage they said they had to terminate the trade route lol. Maybe Im just insane but I find that funny hehe

I big part of it is appeasing at least 1 or 2 ais but I admit it was tricky initially.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
I don't think you understand the game or you dont have the patches. But ether way I have a 2v2v2 on a custom map lots of planets. at least it started out that way after 2 weeks and all of the upgrades the Visari are hard to beat and the Advent are all over the map and me with my little space that I am holding on to. The Visari and Advent have little battles going on everywhere, I have a treaty with the Advent the Visari Wiped out the other TEC race that I had a treaty with. I have 2 fleets one out and about and the other protecting home world. I have had 8 major engagements with the Visari all larger fleets but I have more capital ships but I have been pushed out of that space because the Visari planets are all coving each other so I am killed with reinforcements and a battle lasting 20 mins. each side using its upgrade to its full and the pirets and insurgencies and constant capture and recapture. I take back what I said about the 1.04 patch the balance its great. Man I love this game!!! :D
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
Hmmmm.......perhaps I need to "lock" the teams, maybe that is the problem. I haven't done that, just set them to Team 2 and Team 3 and played the game. And it always seems they both gang up on me.

I've played the same on the Medium setting, but that's too easy. And on the hard setting I just can't hold onto my territories, too much micro-management with sending my fleets back and forth to defend from yet another massive assault.

I wind up setting my smaller fleet to hold position and place them right in the midst of my defensive turrets and repair structures so I can hold off and turn away the enemy assaults.

but I wind up doing this on multiple fronts constantly running back and forth with my two fleets, which means I can't expand or grow and get hemmed in.

Perhaps the team locking will keep them battling one another as well?
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Are you playing the diplomacy game? You need to do the missions given by at least some of the computer players, or they WILL just gang up on you.
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
Locked teams means that if you have two players on the same team, they can't betray each other. Unlocked teams means they can.

If its all teams of one player, locked teams doesn't do anything. In that case you need to either be the strongest (so you can defeat them both if they do gang up on you), or do missions for one of them so that they like you (and will sign a cease fire).
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
If its all teams of one player, locked teams doesn't do anything.
End of quote


Not true, it turns off diplomacy and quests.
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
One thing i've noticed is that the comp seems to never attack each other *on the original, and 7deadly sins* so i'm stuck fighting a huge fleet when i want to expand, and then the idiots have nothing on the rest of their planets!
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
Another issue that may have hurt me is I had turned off pirates. Now that I have them back on, that seems to be helping to slow the tide and/or encourage the two AI opponents to bid against one another sometimes.

I did set all three of us to separate teams and lock them. I honestly don't recall if I'm getting missions since I've played so many damn games only to get hemmed in by both massive fleets in my previous attempts that I'm not sure right now.

Anyway, things running much more smoothly now