[Freeciv] differences between AI and human-to-human games

[Reinier Post <rp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Jan 02, 2001 at 07:44:15PM -0500, R. Miller wrote:
  [on freeciv-dev - this message is redirected to the users list]

> 1. What size map and what number of AI players should I use  in order to 
> for the game to be as close as possible to the type of game that is played 
> between humans? I expect that will make the skills I learn in playing 
> against the AI more easily transferred to games against/with humans.

Use a timeout.  Practice playing with a 60 second timeout as long as you can.

Typical settings on a civserver.freeciv.org game are: generator 2, 5-8 players
(but you rarely have more than 4 at the stage where things get interesting),
techlevel 0, huts 0, fogofwar 1, barbarians 2, onsetbarbs -2000, standard
80x50 map size.  Generator 1 games are less common but more interesting.
Landmass is rarely changed.

> 2. Apart from diplomacy and intelligence level, what are the most important 
> differences in the game when playing with humans.

Timeout and tactical planning (which the AI doesn't do at all;
see http://www.freeciv.org/tutorials/nouja/ which is 2 years old
but most of it still applies).

Paul Dean is right of course: you can't beat an experienced human
when it comes to learning this game.

-- 
Reinier