How Do I Beat 7 Expert AI Handicap 100%?

[Daniel Boone]

I've watched Aklak's awesome defeat of 7 Vanilla AIs with 100% handicap a number of times, and I am repeatedly amazed at his strategy. Recently I tried copying it on Great Plains (French with similar deck, and in the exact same part of the map that Aklak started in), but I need help. How do I distract the AIs? Most of their age 3 armies do attack my wall segments, but a few groups of soldiers keep venturing around the walls and attack my settlers and buildings. I'm wondering how to effectively distract them for long enough to Dragoon/Cuirassier boom. I'm not sure if connecting the wall segments to keep out the AIs helps, because they seem to be very determined to scout around the walls and GET IN, rather than attacking the segments like they did in Aklak's game. I was thinking that maybe the order that the Vanilla civs are in might affect which ones are closer to me and are probably on the map in a different order than in Aklak's game. Also wondering if there's any way to race coureurs to the middle of the map and wall up that area to prevent the AI fort wagons from constructing right next to my town? The main armies spam from the forts it seems so that would be a tremendous help to stop them halfway across the map.

[Imperial Noob]

Play Sioux and do a dog soldier box on GP( @pecelot can beat them faster than Aklak that way) or, if very, very patient, play Shogun-monk-shinobi-shrine combo and blow up/snipe them piece by piece (on nearly any reasonably large map)

Forts should only be cleaned up after cities, otherwise you will probably bleed out.
Walling in a complex way is wood heavy and slow. Only distract, if anything. I am not certain if Aklak France strat can even be done against TAD bots.

[pecelot]

On Vanilla it's harder as you neither have petards nor Sioux. The key to win vs original bots is to wall, delay their armies for as long as possible while at the same time destroying their towns and killing villagers so that they can't rebuild it. Focus on TCs first as none of the AIs is keen to lay them down again, then unguarded settlers, at the end military buildings and forts. Spread your own economy so that it's tougher for bots to kill it, and be patient, in general, like written above.

The strategy I found most effective in general vs 7 expert AIs with 100% handicap was Sioux FI with economy spread and AR/DS box. I'm yet to work on it, but as of right now if I comp-stomp I try the improved N3O FP AI, so I don't necessarily expect any progress being made in this regard.

Here are some screenshots of my attempt, a rec is supposed to be released later on

[spoiler=images]











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Moreover, make sure to familiarise yourself with my COMPSTOMP thread for more tips and evidence.

[Daniel Boone]

Ok, thanks for the advice. I will try the Souix strat when I next get a chance. So apparently trying Aklak's same strat on TAD (even though it's just against the European civs), might not work. That's too bad. If it would work on Vanilla though, that would be really cool, cuz that's kinda my main goal. But if it's not possible, then I guess I'll just try what you guys have recommended.

[pecelot]

You would need to test. Honestly, the Aklak's approach is kind of daunting to just try it out, so I'm not sure if it would work. The main idea remains the same, though: spread the attack of the bots by either making a lot of walls (Aklak) or building your eco at the edges of the map (me) and gradually destroying AI's towns.

[Daniel Boone]

Aklak's strat is really cool btw against just 1 Expert AI (100% handicap). I creamed Germany the other day on GP by just walling and spamming Halbs and Cuirassiers. Germany won't upgrade it's Uhlans, and it's huge cannon spam is helpless against just 10 Imperial Halberdiers.

[pecelot]

That's mainly why I prefer the improved AI of the N3O clan for now — at the very least it upgrades every unit, along with sending the right home-city cards.

[zym604]

On Vanilla it's harder asa you neither have petards nor Sioux. The key to win vs original bots is to wall, delay their armies for as long as possible while at the same time destroying their towns and killing villagers so that they can't rebuild it. Focus on TCs first as none of the AIs is keen to lay them down again, then unguarded settlers, at the end military buildings and forts. Spread your own economy so that it's tougher for bots to kill it, and be patient, in general, like written above.

The strategy I found most effective in general vs 7 expert AIs with 100% handicap was Sioux FI with economy spread and AR/DS box. I'm yet to work on it, but as of right now if I comp-stomp I try the improved N3O FP AI, so I don't necessarily expect any progress being made in this regard.

Here are some screenshots of my attempt, a rec is supposed to be released later on

[spoiler=images]











[/spoiler]

Moreover, make sure to familiarise yourself with my COMPSTOMP thread for more tips and evidence.

That's really good strategy. Waiting for your records.

[Daniel Boone]

Ok guys, I am truly amazed at the success of abusing pause micro against AI(the lag gets pretty bad when all 7 armies are torching your walls, so you pretty much have to pause before issuing commands). I have been working on defeating 7 Expert Vanilla AI all with +100% Handicap for about 30 minutes to an hour every few days (using the French civ). I finally was able to wall up both sides of GP (the sides next to the trade route), and spread my eco around a bit for protection (sadly I lost both Factories). Today I pushed into their towns and have just accepted the surrender of Ivan the not so Terrible. I'm not sure it's an accomplishment, but I'm a little proud of myself lol. Walling everywhere continuously is the key, because (the way I did it), the armies are all the way across the map when their towns get razed. They have wade through a few random walls so they haven't all attacked at once. I will try to post some of the screenshots and definitely update you all if I succeed in smashing the 6 remaining bots. Your definitely right about the advanced level of the European civs on TAD. They're much smarter than on Vanilla.

[deleted_user]

Daniel Boone, a true American hero.

[Daniel Boone]

lol

[Daniel Boone]

It's harder than I thought, the remaining armies are fighting together. It seems that the only way to beat them is to get them to go back across the map and torch my walls while I destroy their towns (this draws all their settlers back in eventually).

[pecelot]

Don't fight with their armies, dodge for as long as possible. Suicide your army (mortars?) for destroying enemy „irrebuildable" infrastructure, look for lone villagers, and once it's done, crush AI's armies so that they can't reinforce anymore.

Good job so far, but way to go yet!

[Daniel Boone]

Maurice of Nassau and Queen Isabella OUT. And Suleiman is just hanging out at his fort not attacking. I will most likely be done in like 20 minutes!!

[Daniel Boone]

Henry the Navigator OUT

[Daniel Boone]

Thanks to Aklak, I have now defeated 7 Expert AI +100% Handicap with no cheats on Great Plains using the French civ (and what a glorious victory it was, I can tell you). The only problem is...sorry guys...I can't really release the rec cuz it's so full of terrible lag, just wondering if it's possible to video edit any of it out, or speed it up?

[Daniel Boone]

I'm going to see if I can post some screenshots of the game.

[Timba]

@Daniel Boone take a listen to how Interjection approached this problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0wfyzuGndY

[Daniel Boone]

Here's a few screenshots of the game (sorry they're not very clear).

[Daniel Boone]

Wonder why they're not showing up, I submitted them along with the message.

[Daniel Boone]

It keeps saying, The selected attachment does not exist anymore.