H3: Is it just me...

[UndeadHalfOrc]

..or the CPU controlled Castle player tends to do more poorly than the other factions, only getting Cavaliers quite a bit later and rarely, if ever, getting angels?

This is assuming all players start on equal footing, in a balanced multiplayer map with multiple start locations

I suspect this is largely due to the Fight Values in the data files which are way off base

[GreatEmerald]

On which difficulty setting?

[Mirez]

last few times he got archangels pretty fast

[UndeadHalfOrc]

Hard diff, free for all with 7 computer players.

Castle is almost always the first player to get eliminated (in H2 it was Necro)

[Banedon]

That's a problem with the map - you'll soon see why if you start a game as Castle. The position is defensible, but I'd imagine it's one the AI cannot be expected to understand, and he'll soon throw away all the advantages he does have.

[Pol]

That's a problem with the map - you'll soon see why if you start a game as Castle. The position is defensible, but I'd imagine it's one the AI cannot be expected to understand, and he'll soon throw away all the advantages he does have.

Yep!

[UndeadHalfOrc]

Sorry I should have been clearer when I said free for all, I didn't mean the specific map, but any map that has 8 positions, one for each faction.

Although, yeah the problem DID occur on that Heroes 3 Free for all map as well, but the Rampart faction is placed in a similar fashion (4 central towns) but tends to do better.

Anyone ever played a balanced map where the CPU who started with Castle, outplayed all the other CPUs? I didn't.

Same story with necromancer for Heroes 2 "free for all" type maps

With or without my balance patches.

[Midas]

Yes, for some reason it DOES happen to me too...

But I waited for too long, and next thing I know, it (the AI) had a "pack" of AA! My mix of Hydra + Behemoth (not upgraded) didn't stand a chance!

(I took the liberty of finishing Stronghold first, before he got Behemoth)

[Kristo]

According to the CH pages for H3 buildings, the base Portal of Glory requires 20k gold to build. That's 10k more than most of the other base level 7 dwellings. Saving that kind of cash is likely a tall order for the AI. I would imagine that once it builds the base dwelling, the AI will probably put more emphasis on upgrading it.

OTOH, the base level 7 dwelling for Tower is only 5k and in my current game the AI didn't build them in either of its towns.

[UndeadHalfOrc]

According to the CH pages for H3 buildings, the base Portal of Glory requires 20k gold to build. That's 10k more than most of the other base level 7 dwellings. Saving that kind of cash is likely a tall order for the AI. I would imagine that once it builds the base dwelling, the AI will probably put more emphasis on upgrading it.

OTOH, the base level 7 dwelling for Tower is only 5k and in my current game the AI didn't build them in either of its towns.

That's funny, because in my custom patch I increased that structure to 8K gold and yet the Tower player is always one of the first to get his basic Level 7s (just behind thr barbarian player's behemoths usually)