31-12-2000 05:12									#1
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Usually, I always made the Apollo Program a high priority, to get the whole map cleared. Now, in my current game, I'm not in all that great position, so getting it wasn't an option. However, the Germans just completed it and the map was revealed.

One would wonder, why does everyone get the free map, so to speak? The basic question is, does this always happen? Just seems odd to me.

	31-12-2000 06:02									#2
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IIRC the Apollo Program makes the whole earth map available to all players - at least this is my experience.

:eek

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	31-12-2000 06:12									#3
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I think that this is one case where the designers really tried to reflect the reality of the event and it's effects.

The pop-up message says that the astronauts bring back pictures of the earth from space or something similar. The photos of the earth taken by the real Apollo teams were not deemed to be classified materials and therefore were not restricted to distribution within our government only. To the best of my knowledge they were shared with any government that made the effort to request copies. They were not tried like photos from spy satellites over the SU or other locations.

Ken

	08-01-2001 10:53									#4
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Just curious about spying out geography. Do my rivals really learn anything when they send out explorers or trade maps with me, or when the Apollo wonder reveals the world? Or do they cheat and have a complete map when I don’t?

Not that I mind, really. The AI is already handicapped enough when it comes to strategy, like sending out settlers to irrigate when barbarians are a square away.

Speaking of which, I’ve gotten rather fond of howling barbarians. Buy off a few at bargain-basement bribes and stick ’em in a fortification. Now you don’t have to take time out from building spaceship parts or something.

I often trade with barbarian cities, too, if no other place wants dye or salt or cheap stuff I have lying around. What would happen if I sent in an ambassador and gave them a nuclear missile? Has anybody ever tried that?

A horde of barbarians conquered a Mongol city once, and before I knew it, they were out zooming around in a tank. It looked like they were having fun, and I thought it was kind of cool. I’ve only seen that once, though.

	08-01-2001 16:46									#5
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I don't think they have a complete map from the start. The Spanish just declared war on me, and I have seen several of thier units wandering around on the margins of my empire, without seeming to know where to head for.

Later in the game, I have noticed the AI's uncanny ability to zoom its Cruise and Nuke Missiles to exactly the right spots, however.

	08-01-2001 17:58									#6
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Yeah, I once got in a nuke fight that I was completly unprepared for. I only managed to get SDI in 4 cities after it became apparent that the AI had no reservations about nuking me to kingdom come. (that is they nuked one of my cities).

SO I had about 16 cities, 5 on the border with the chinese that were in range for nuclear assault.

I built 4 sdi in a turn (cost a lot of money) and guess which city they nukes 8 (EIGHT) times the next turn? The fifth.

They hadn't used any spies either. It was another clear cheat.

	10-01-2001 23:06									#8
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I beleive that the AI knows EVERYTHING from the very beggining.

What it does is to «pretend» it doesn't know a thing and in most cases it does that very badly.

What differs maybe the way it chooses to use that information. I think that has to do with how far ahead or behind you are in comparison with the biggest AI civ.

I took the liberty of writing to Firaxis asking to make the AI cheats less blatant in CIV III. I hope they can do that. (I basically hope they even read my e-mail assuming they get hundrends of them by now
[This message has been edited by paiktis22 (edited January 10, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by paiktis22 (edited January 10, 2001).]

	10-01-2001 23:31									#9
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If the AI "knows" everything then it is more stupid than any of us can imagine!

Sure, it cheats with Nukes - I'm convinced it knows the SDI cities. However, the AI also loves Cruise Missiles. I recall a game when the AI were losing heavily, so they decided to aim cruise missiles at one of my Battleships. They used two Cruise Missiles but the beast still survived - it was black! Next square along from this unit was another Battleship stacked with a transport - stuffed full with an invasion force. Now if the AI did have perfect knowledge it would have gone for the stack. Both Battleships were in range of any city using a missile!?

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SG(2)

	10-01-2001 23:35									#10
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Maybe it mixed up the ships?

	10-01-2001 23:37									#11
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Or maybe it's a safety mechanism to prevent you from smashing your PC in exasparation..!