Does the AI cheat at call god?

[Cor]

I just finished a game where there was a one turn gap between killing an AI pretender and fighting it again. It was on a small map and Ulm (the AI) had about 8 territories and no castles. I cannot say for certain they did not have a huge number of priests, but it seems unlikley.

I have always been suprised by how quickly gods return with the AI. But this is beyond plausible.

Is the AI cheating? Has anyone else had this happen?

[Baalz]

Sorry if this is a silly question, but you didn't mention- was the pretender immortal? Another question is are you sure the pretender died? In the past I've seen pretenders cast something like "returning" and teleport out the last round of the fight when surrounded by units. Pretty easy to mistakenly think they died. There's also that magic item that teleports you back home if you take a hit.

[Cor]

Good questions. Defiantly killed the bugger, got his magic stuff and got the Killed our god message. Not immortal. It was a father of serpents or some-such-thing.

I killed it good.

[Nick_K]

It's /possible/ that the AI had lots of priests... how many is it for call god? 40?
I think that the shamen are the most cost effective researchers for EA ulm when it comes to upkeep so I had lots when I played them, but the AI usually wouldn't have h realyl huge number.
What difficulty is this on? I think the AI gets extra gold at least at higher levels, so maybe it affects call god too.

[Wish]

i have wondered myself, sometimes, but certain nations do have a lot of priest mages... if their research base is made of priests then it is quite possible that they have enough holy power to pull him back in a single turn

[Wish]

on a related note, I was woopin up some nifelhiem in the mega game I am playing, and I controlled their capitol - on what I can only assume was the cut off for imprisoned pretenders get let free, the crone I had killed off a few turns prior came back with the message:

? So-and-So has broken free!

or something like that.

do killed pretenders get a free come-back on that month when imprisoned pretenders normally get released?

(the other pretender, a great mother, I offed couldn't even be called back, on account of me sending her to the inferno - to be baked. she should come back as a statue http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif)

[Velusion]

From my understanding you need 40 holy points worth of priests. If it was late game with a nation that has level 3 priests I could see it happening...

[Loren]

I've had it happen more than once. Twice I've had it happen repeatedly in the same game.

[Gandalf Parker]

The only time I ever had it happen was when it was a pretender with that "phoenix in fire" icon. That says it will return right away if the pretender dies within its own domain.

[Wish]

i was waiting to see if it happened with the C'Tis pretender in the mega game I am running -- what with him slain and the only provinces they had left where two besieged castles.

no dice, I think it just happens under the right circumstances.

[Tiziano]

He could have the "Elixir of life" with him. A construction level 6 miscellaneous item.

[Kalin]

Elixir of life resurrects you DURING the battle. It's kind of like Phoenix Pyre without the fatique.

As for the Call God thing, I definitely have noticed certain times, where it felt like the AI was cheating, because I had to kill his pretender so many times that the "You killed our god!" message was getting really annoying. I distinctly remember one time fighting a Son of Fenrir with 9 earth, only to have him end up with no magic after a while (ramming into my PD), and thought that was rather funny. Other times though, it takes them forever to recall their god, and I have to wonder whether they even know how to... so, no... I don't think they cheat... it's probably just a wierd quirk somewhere.

[Loren]

I was getting rather annoyed with the "You killed our god!" message once--he kept coming back into his capital--which I held. Plenty of PD there, he just kept dying over and over and over.


The one that irks me, though, was the pretender I met in the arena. He couldn't hurt a fly. Blinded and feebleminded.

[NTJedi]

Loren said:
The one that irks me, though, was the pretender I met in the arena.



The AI opponents should NEVER send their pretenders into the death match arena... hopefully one of the future patches fixes this issue.
Prophets should rarely be sent by AI opponents as well because they're very existence on a map helps their dominion.