Difficulty settings

[Rife]

I'm no novice to Heroes games, but when playing multiplayer hotseat on Normal, I've found the computer offers very little challenge. However, on Difficult a few weeks in the computer players act like homing missiles, ignoring every mine, resource and chest and beeline toward my main hero and/or castle despite the fact they've never been in my territory before. Not only that, they are almost invariably double my level with a full army and stats boosted by artifacts. Should I survive the battle, I usually end up crippled to the point that when they send their secondary hero, a few weeks later, I've not recovered enough to withstand it's attack. The funny thing is, the person I'm playing hotseat with is also attacked at the same time by another computer player.

Anyone else encounter this? Any tips? Again, I'm no slouch at these games so this type of thing seems a more than a little like cheating to me and threatens to ruin my enjoyment of it.

[Asheera]

Hmm, that's how the AI likes to play at higher difficulties, rush to your town in the first month with some very high level hero. It cheats in creeping (takes tough neutrals easily without losses)

I don't know of any particular tip I may give you, other than the fact that if you survive with some army left after this first attack, the rest of the game will be much easier.

[Rife]

Would playing at Heroic help, or the computer equally apt at clearing neutrals there? That would put us humans at even more of a disadvantage.

[Asheera]

Heroic is really tough in the first month, since you'll encounter the enemy's main high level hero just like in Hard, but in addition you have a lot less starting resources to prepare an army for that.

Still, I do manage to win at Heroic, although at times I do get overwhelmed by the AI's first attack. After the first wave it gets easier though.