Kull
Posts: 2625
Joined: 7/3/2007 From: El Paso, TX Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Bleek Thanks, I'll cut my teeth on the old world then. To follow up on Alfred's point - I completely agree that new players can get real value in starting off with the older AI files. The reality is that your first few games are going to be a huge learning experience, and most folks make so many mistakes that they soon start over. So you haven't really wasted your time - almost nobody (and that probably should be changed to "absolutely nobody") starts their first campaign and plays it through to completion. That said, I would still recommend that new players implement the 2012 AI fixes (the ones I highlight in the second post of this thread). And the reason for that is two-fold: 1) "AI files" aren't just "better AI". Just as important, they include a number of database fixes. So certain elements of unit and location data which were definitely broken in the 2010 AI files are fixed in the 2012 versions. Not all, but many. 2) The 2012 files include a full set of "AI Variants", which means the AI will employ different strategies depending upon which variant file it selects (a random process which takes place on Turn 1 of every scenario - and cannot be altered from that point forward). So if you are using the 2012 updates, you'll get database fixes AND improved AI AND more variants. The downside? None. And that matters, because even though Andy has released newer AI files since 2012 - and there's no doubt the newer AI files are better and include additional database fixes - here's the dirty little secret: There's only ONE AI FILE per scenario. In other words, there are no variants in ANY scenario you play against the AI using a post-2012 AI release. So be very careful about using the post-2012 scenarios. I wouldn't recommend them to a new player, simply because you'll learn all of the AI's new tricks and won't have the benefit of that "surprise" when your skills have improved enough for it to really make a difference in your enjoyment of the game.
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