SP Difficulty

[Horath]

I've just installed Equilibris on IV vanilla, and played a solo game on standard difficulty on a large map. I was underwhelmed by the AI, to say the least. Does the AI get better? Should I play on smaller maps? Higher difficulty? Both?

I'm used to II and III, where normal difficulty or one up would yield a nice, long, entertainingly challenging but still winnable game for a casual player.

Thanks!

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

I've just installed Equilibris on IV vanilla, and played a solo game on standard difficulty on a large map. I was underwhelmed by the AI, to say the least. Does the AI get better? Should I play on smaller maps? Higher difficulty? Both?

I'm used to II and III, where normal difficulty or one up would yield a nice, long, entertainingly challenging but still winnable game for a casual player.

Thanks!

Try a higher difficulty setting. If I recall correctly it is the expert setting that gives the player and computer an even playing field, so on normal difficulty you are getting an advantage over the computer. Also diffulty is highly dependent on the map design.

GOW

[Gaidal Cain]

Since creature stacks grow for the AI with difficulty, and the AI uses the sucky quick combat, higher difficulty doesn't necessarily mean better AI. What you really should do is to try some custom maps, where mapmakers have used tricks to make the AI play better.

[timagalant]

An easier thing to do would be opening the map in the map editor and giving the computer plays some nice starting boost of creatures/resources, so they will have a chance of not killing themselves fighting neutral armies.

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

Click here for my HOMM4 maps (shameless plug.)

All 4 of these maps were designed for single player and have at least an introduction storyline. The Dancing Crusader is specifically an Equilibris map and has an extensive storyline and tons of scripting.

You will find that the computer gets advantages in each of these maps, particularly in Against All Odds. Combat and exploration are emphasized in my maps.

Against All Odds -all factions playable
Wishes and Dreams - wizards playable
The Price of Liberty- Nature playable
The Dancing Crusader - Nature (primary) but you'll have access to human troops later.

GOW

[okrane]

cool maps all of them

[Horath]

Awesome, thank you GOW! I will try those maps and let you know how I like them.

[pacobac]

if you want playing hard game, try multiplayer game !!!

http://www.archangelcastle.com/h4/ligue/

http://www.toheroes.com/

[timagalant]

Grumpy, I've had a bug with one of your maps. I'm fairly sure it's a bug with the game itself, but I just thought I'd ask.
In Against All Odds, the orange player never leaves the castle. All the other players are fine and so far they're much stronger than me, so it's cool.

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

I've never had that happen and I've played Against All Odds many many times, so I'm not sure what the problem is. At what point in the game are you? Sometimes the AI can decide to do some weird things.

GOW

[timagalant]

Nah, I guess that's a game problem, as I've had an AI which just refused to move at some other game once.

I'm pretty far out in the game, and I'm fairly sure all the military you gave him can take out those sprites with no problem.

[Horath]

Multiplayer requires rather more time than I have.

[Humakt]

I have some rather difficult/challenging maps. Click on the link in my signature to get them.

[BrennusWhiskey]

Beating AI is like beating child;
too easy...

[timagalant]

Beating AI is like beating child;
too easy...

Try those maps GOW posted earlier.


Oh, and if I'm already here, Grumpy, why is it that in Against All Odds the computer moves incredibly slow? I mean, it's like it suddenly decided not to use quick combat, and actually fight all the battles. It's making me fat.

Yeah, I'm damn impatient, so I go grab something sweet like every turn. The law suit is pending!

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

Well, for a while the computer is kind of held at bay so the earlier turns go quicker. When it is cut loose it gets free heroes and armies so it has to make a lot more decisions. When you take out a couple of opponents you'll see the turns go back down a lot.

Eliminating heroes in the oceans can help too. Navigation and capturing lighthouses can help you quickly sail the oceans to eliminate or escape from enemy heroes. If you sent out some hereos early to explore the seas and gather the floatasm you'll be able to track them down easier obviously.

Otherwise speed of turns is dependant on your computer specs.

GOW

[okrane]

AI sucks big time in heroes 4.
You should just play special made scenarios or multiplayer.

[timagalant]

I don't know what I would do in Against All Odds without that captain hat and summon ship.
Town gate scroll is extremely useful as well.


Though the nature quest didn't work for me.. any idea why?
I've had "the druid's chain" and went there, but it didn't work.

[pacobac]

AI h4 is bad, AI equil is better, but the h4 editor is very big !!!
So it's very easy to script big opposition with editor....
Finally, the better difficulty is trying multiplayer game here:

http://www.archangelcastle.com/h4/ligue/

AC come soon in english.......

try this big maps:

http://www.archangelcastle.com/h4/ligue/cartes.php

http://www.vandea.com/homm/maps.html

http://www.archangelcastle.com/h4/ligue/coffretmaps.php (off map, and off save are difficult)

good play........

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

I don't know what I would do in Against All Odds without that captain hat and summon ship.
Town gate scroll is extremely useful as well.


Though the nature quest didn't work for me.. any idea why?
I've had "the druid's chain" and went there, but it didn't work.

What exactly is not working? To get the quest you must get there the same day that you get the quest message. If you are not getting the creatures that the chain is attuned to, make sure that the chain is in the inventory of the druid, not the archer.

GOW