Games on TOUGH difficulty.

Too easy?

from GalCiv2 Forums
If I understand correctly, the Tough difficulty is supposed to be when all algortihims are in place, correct? For the past few games I have been playing through with 9 races on Intelligent and everytime it seems that it's too easy. Of course the answer to this is to increase the difficulty, but I wondered what a game on this difficulty would be like if I did not build any military ships. So I did.

The result? A cultural victory to me. Now, The AI loved me from the beginning and I have no idea what I did. I was researching my techs and then selling them to everyone else and I ended up researching everything up to cultural domination. My influenece spread like no other and while everyone else was fighting their own wars, their planets were swiftly rebelling to my name. Maybe I was doing something right, but never once did any AI relations with me go below Neutral, even with a zero military rating.

I guess once the next patch comes out this won't happen as often, but until then, I guess I'll be playing Crippling or something.

Hooray.

Now if I could only get through the proxies at my University to get on Metaverse... I'm scoring about 25,000-50,000 on all of my games.
14,291 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
That's the best strategy to win, hands down -- trade techs for BC to fuel your nonexistant economy to research your heart out. It actually it destroys them on Intelligent. Larger maps require a different initial strategy than smaller maps, but hey, you're human, you can adapt to anything.

I've tried other strategies, and none work nearly as well (or at all, on Suicidal).

The fact that you added more races (to 9, as you stated) just makes that strategy that much more efficient (more people to trade with).

Try Suicidal with 4 opponents (including one Terran)... that seems about the right challenge level for me (I still win, but I have to work for it).

On the higher difficulty levels the AI is able to throw more monkey wrenches into your plans -- mainly because they get bonuses you don't
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Ummmmmm. I noticed your medal for game difficulty or whatever says "cakewalk" You were playing on tough right?
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hahaha, no that was from Spring Break... I actually never finished the game and the medal was given to me as soon as I logged on. However, here at school, the game does not even recognize that there is an internet connection which is obviously not true as I am here writing this post. I have no idea how to bypass a proxy in the game. Does anyone for that matter?
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Intelligent is the first difficulty with all AIPs running.
Tough is all AIPs with an economic bonus.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Tough is just the difficulty level where the AIs are set to intelligent. Tough means they're playing at the same level. This is the equiv of "Noble" in Civ IV.

It's worth noting that the "fair" AI in Civ IV stops at the 4th level whereas in GalCiv its equal level is the 6th level. Most seasoned Civ 4 vets play at Prince or Monarch for a challenge (two levels above the fair level in Civ IV) and that's after 5 months of patches.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, all my victories are from cultural victories, i can never win by fighting, the AI seems to ally with me and then declare war, so i go and help and with in 5 turns they make peace and ally together and my ally turns on me.....how unfair is that.

The AI make war like its a hobbies, even the 'Good' races do.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You guys are at a higher level of play than I am. I have trouble on normal because I don't keep up with colonizations. But I'll get better. You guys are insane.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
guys, I play on tough with max races on gigantic map

i have won my first two games relatively easy on that, but this third is...getting complicated Im fighting an alliance of 3! races, they totaly negated my main attack ships(i got beam 7 they shields 4-6) and now they are producing large ships en mass. I produce atleast 10 ships per turn but my fleet is rapidly shrinking. of course im sourounded from three sides by them! and the neutral KORX, wich i have beaten few years ago, lost after the declaration about 40% of their ships, and my enemy the altarians gained the same amount!? whats going on there? did they sell, or aid? anyone got this same thing happen? first time ive noticed anything like this. im in deep s***
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
My first games in GC2 were on gigantic with 6-8 intellgient AI's on Tough and I won fairly easily. Now I'm playing with the same settings but on huge map with 5 AI and man is it tough! I lost a game yesterday and it looks like I might lose again today. I'm going for conquest victory but my empire is...shrinking.

AI seems a bit odd on gigantic maps. For example the Drengi AI never did much of anything in both of my wins, but now they are a major pain in the ***. I had a kill ratio of over 10:1 on gigantic, but now it's like 1.4:1!

I think maybe you try the smaller maps too.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Cultural or influence victories are too easy, even on tough. I keep winning those without wanting to. Grrr.
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The scores you get for military conquest seem ludicrously more than for cultural/alliance/tech. Or is that mostly due to the fact that military victories happen much quicker?

I dont really bother looking at my score except once I noticed I had 154k points - none since then have been anywhere near close to that number and I seem to remember that being a rampant destruction of the AI.