Does the game cheat?

from PolMach Forums
I don't want to be rude, cause I LOVE Stardock. But I'm getting creamed with a custom Republican character on just the 3rd campaign mode, and it seems to be the computer has too much money and capital per turn. It sure "seems" like it must be cheating because on my fourth attempt at winning the level, the opposing candidate (Richardson) matched me HQ for HQ, but then started getting endorsements out of left field. It was like turn 4 and he had the NOW endorcement already and I was like, WHA?! <<<<
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Reply #1 from PolMach Forums Top
I too am convinced the AI "cheats." How else to account for all the ads they can place? I have tracked cpu opponent moves and discovered that they seem to be able to perform more tasks than their stamina allows. Custom created players seem to have a distinct disadvantage over the others. My custom candidate hit a brick wall against Ford in the campaign mode. I switched to a candidate included with the game and cruised by him easily.
Reply #2 from PolMach Forums Top

At the higher levels the AI gets more money to start with. But if you're losing on the 3rd guy in the campaign, where it's set on easy, well, I don't know what to tell you. You're not losing because the AI is "cheating" at that point.

When I play, I outspend the AI in both political capital and in $$$ up until 2 slots above normal (can't remember the name of it).

What I notice is that many players (online anyway) don't build campaign HQs. You need to build those things up. You also need to win endorsements early on.  If you're taking out a bunch of TV ads in the first 10 weeks you're hurting yourself.

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from PolMach Forums Top
Ads early on are indeed a poor choice. Use the ads later on to push issues in which you are strong (distract the voters). HQs are a key and so is winning endorsements. Except I found that endorsements don't hold up over the course of 41 weeks. By winning a lot of endorsements early you raise public awareness of that issue and you look strong. But over time the opponent spends a ton of cash with ads attacking you on the very same issues you once dominated. You can spend the last half of the game spending money chasing the other candidate around the country creating new ads or making speeches. I suppose that's the way it goes in a real campaign though?
I guess I don't think the AI is "cheating" but seems to have a money advantage in the later campaigns. Of course the AI will be a more efficient campaigner by using the right amount of political capital, money, HQs and ads to win, but it's frustrating. I guess I'm just frustrated that I can't beat Reagan in campaign mode--probably more of a personal thing I guess!
I once spent a whole turn (12 stamina pts!) fundraising in Alaska because I wasn't paying attention and flew there without enough cash to leave
From a strategy point of view, this game is interesting; from a political point of view, it is less than spectacular.
Reply #4 from PolMach Forums Top
Personally, I feel that the AI's "cheating" becomes too annoying at any level above Clinton (I think he's the first tough candidate, as opposed to Gore who is challenging). If all you are trying to do is to win 271 votes, regardless of what happens outside your target states, the game becomes nothing like a real election.

I agree with jdjefferson at this point. The is starting to lose its luster politically, though it can still be fun at times as a quick strategy game.
Reply #5 from PolMach Forums Top
Thanks Frogboy. I think I am not playing correctly to win... but in that respect, it feels as if there's only a single line you must play to win. I still don't understand thethis: "over time the opponent spends a ton of cash with ads attacking you on the very same issues you once dominated"


I tried playing vs Richardson where I went and bought every endorsement right away as fast as I could ,but by the last quarter,they didn't seem to do much t help me at all.
Reply #6 from PolMach Forums Top
Yes, the game cheats. It's a standard practice in game design to make a game more difficult to have the game balanced in the computer's favor. AI's are extremely hard to script effectively so one just gives the AI some extra cash and boom! Some games even mention this directly such as Rise of Nation's roll over test for their toughest difficulty level which mentions that the AI gets a 50% resourcing bonus. Also the reason why playing against a human is almost universally more fun than playing against the computer.
Reply #7 from PolMach Forums Top

jdscott: I must have missed the part where real candidates in the real world spend a lot of time going into non-battle ground states.

In the "real world" there's only a dozen or so batlte ground states and even then only half of them are in serious contention so each candidate pours it on in those particular states.  Don't expect to see Bush spending a lot of time in California or Kerry trying to win over Wyoming.

Play against experienced players or against the AI at higher difficulty (if you're losing to Clinton, it's not due to "cheating", some of you really gotta get over this "If I lose it's only because the game cheats!" thing, it may, actually, have something to do with your skill at the game at this stage).  When I play the AI at the highest levels we're both battling over Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, etc. Just like in the real world.

The easier levels aren't as realistic because both players are probably doing odd things.  It's only on the easier settings that weird things can happen because the AI isn't playing as hard.

So let me say it again: If the AI is outspending you in money or political capital before the second to highest difficulty level (that would be FDR in the campaign mode) then the problem is with the player, not AI cheating.  It means you haven't gotten to the point where the AI is really putting its best game in.

At the very highest levels, the AI does get more money. So yea, it cheats but you're not at that point yet.

Reply #8 from PolMach Forums Top
OK, hehe I figured out how to beat him I just built HQ's in all the major states until I ran out of money...

Then I bought 2 webmasters and started pumping out tv ads. This is where'd I'[d gone wrong before. I'd been buying newspaper ads in all states, but almost no tv ads cause they were too expensive to maintain. Yea I won! Not only that, but I went and started over and creamed Wesley Clark just for fun. Hehe!

Frogboy thanks for the help. I now understand the game wasn't cheating at all with Richardson but all the intracies of the game were coming into play and he was just trouncing me. I guess I was trying to force a win by shooting for the Great Plains states too - but you can't win that way! Go ahead and lock this thread!
Reply #9 from PolMach Forums Top
No problemo!
Reply #10 from PolMach Forums Top
I am willing to admit my mistakes and I jumped the gun on the Clinton thing. By playing around I have been able to replicate his spending, just not against him. What is it that makes the computer harder on higher levels before money does become an issue?