The game is too easy to win!

Yep very valid way to win. For a challenge try playing a good race against a galaxy of bad ones or vice versa. Makes diplomacy a lot harder. Also they will declare war on you more often and not allow you to turtle as much.

Tech line victory needs some form of control on it yes - probably once you start the deeper knowledge research, an immidiate call to arms from the other races would be in order, or at least from those races that share a boarder with you.

Alliance victory is another ball of wax, at times it does seem to easy to pull off, however on other games ive found it nigh on impossible even when neutral aligned.

as a side note, i also wonder why, at least in a good 90% of the games ive played, the AI factions do not ally with eachother more often, if anything they seem overly reluctant to do so.

I know what you mean I keep winning on "cakewalk" and it is too easy!!!

I wish this game had multiple difficulty levels so we can be challenged!! Not just three like most games but give the AI 9-10 different difficulty settings. So the game can have a dozen or so variations in difficulty.

I also wish we can create different types of galaxies and customize our own race so we can achieve victory multiple ways.

Oh Stardock why won't you hear our pleas. If these features would just be implemented AIL.ST and others would have nothing to complain about.

I now have won 4 games on Tough in a row

Yeah I was getting to that point. I found the game almost getting boring, always winning the same ways.

So I set up a Tiny map, with the Drengin, Yor and me. Put the AI on Painful and their intelligence set to Gifted. Planet settings all to Common.

Uh..it didn't go so well. I got spanked pretty bad, mainly because I was so used to being passive until mid-late game.

So now I face the question: is it still fun to play? Meaning, I want to win, but still want a challenge.

The answer: yea, i'll continue playing and trying new strategies to see if I can beat them. I would say play time is limited with single player AI, but we'll see. I feel the first signs of boredom coming (always researching the same techs, building the same buildings, same ships).

I just don't want to have to crunch numbers in this game down to a science just to keep up with the AI. Nothing against number crunching, I did it all the time in neverwinter nights, but that was totally different.

Whatever happens, I'm glad I bought this game, and look forward to the future of it.

I know what you mean I keep winning on "cakewalk" and it is too easy!!! I wish this game had multiple difficulty levels so we can be challenged!! Not just three like most games but give the AI 9-10 different difficulty settings. So the game can have a dozen or so variations in difficulty. I also wish we can create different types of galaxies and customize our own race so we can achieve victory multiple ways. Oh Stardock why won't you hear our pleas. If these features would just be implemented AIL.ST and others would have nothing to complain about.

Sure you are kidding, since the game has more than just cakewalk difficulty.

MMMMmmmmmm...

Conquest Victory...

I shut off all over victories besides Domination and set everything to super hard and play. It's not easy to win.

Once you know that and play accordingly you'll find it hard to lose on tough.

Doh! Play on a higher level then! Try suicidal with no tech trading, beat that, then u can come back here and complain the game is too easy.

The "play a higher level" point would be valid when I was either playing below "Tough" or I would dominate the AIs. Both is not case.

As I said: The AI is totally competative. They have a solid buildup and are tough to beat in wars and will react on Influence-Threads.

But as long as your way to the victory does not threaten to harm the AIs and you do not present yourself as a good victim you can pull it off.

I'd prefer seeing some things changed about certain victory-paths.

As someone suggested: Once you research Deeper-Knowledge, the AIs should become wary about you, just the way they do when you set them under cultural pressure.

And for alliances: Don't really know what to do about them. Perhaps rate the Alliance-Victory not as a victory anymore but a draw, that you would only aim for when there's no way to win.

Tick of research, influence and diplomatic victory. The game should be a tad more interesting. Currently I am playing on a large map with the AI on intelligent. All AI's build decent fleets with matches weapons/defenses, so it it's really easy to win a conquest victory.

if u find tech victory and alliance victory boring go for all out conquest.Much more fun

if u find tech victory and alliance victory boring go for all out conquest.Much more fun

I've never actually had a tech victory. not once. My anger is at Alliance victory because it's easy to acheive, no matter the alignment of you or the AI if all you do is butter them up by giving them gifts. I think after a certain point your relations with a race should go down if you continue giving them gifts. I mean at some point they should realize you're just trying to suck up to them to get an alliance. No one likes a brown-noser.

I ONLY play conquest....never used any other victory conditions.

The game that I'm playing now on tough looks as though I'm going to win it without having fired one shot....!!!! I didn't plan it that way from the start but playing on a huge map with 9 other AI's I found that by researching every diplomatic and influence tech and then just buying and trading other techs, that I'm short of, will allow me to maintain a reasonable defence. But as everyone seems to like me I have found that all the other AI's are too bothered about kicking the c**p out of each other than me

It is too easy to win using the above tactics and it is a pity that the AI can't somehow recognise and adapt a strategy against them. But then again it is up to me to not use those techniquesif I didn't want to win that way

The "play a higher level" point would be valid when I was either playing below "Tough" or I would dominate the AIs. Both is not case. As I said: The AI is totally competative. They have a solid buildup and are tough to beat in wars and will react on Influence-Threads.

However, there ARE higher AI levels. Switching a few races that seem to be a bit weak to gifted doesn't give them much of an advantage, but does allow them some sneaky intuition.

That being said, try being the only evil race in the galaxy versus all the good races. If you still manage an alliance victory, I'll be impressed.

I think it's pretty cool the game AI lets you get away with playing peacefully - if you want war you can always attack people - sometimes it's nice just to pootle around making friends and building economy startbases. Very relaxing after some hardcore Counterstrike:)

Grakkus, I salute you. Sarcasm is incredibly difficult to do on an online forum, but you've managed it! That said after a few games on tough you get the hang of it, and political victory is usually easy to achieve. Luckily one can disable the victories making it far more interesting!

I disable all the victories so it's a much loner and more interesting game. It's also seemingly alot harder though as DeadDodo says, you get the hang of it after a few games. I like to play for ages just conrtolling the galaxy. Doesn't take me long to become top nation, and when I do it's be quite a way, but nevertheless I plod on for ages, restoring peace and prosperity to the universe . Conquest only does make for a much more interesting game, and it's not so deadended like the others, it can go on forever, allowing you time to really appreciate what you've built.

i don't get it?

i don't get it?

yes you do?

I won on Painful and now try suicide. I also increased the size of the galaxy to huge. Looks like I may win but itis still a close call. I also only go for conquest as tech victory is too easy. Although I am in a stand still and may have to switch to win by alliance in my current game. The game is not too easy. If the setting you have is too easy go up and believe me the ai seems to work alot better. On painful I attacked someone who was friends (but not allied) with someone else and nothing happened. On suicide I attacked someone who had no allies and found the toughest opponent in the game jumped in to help their "friends". You decide what you want and easy victory or a tough battle. You may win but it will be alot more challenging.