🚀 go-pugleaf

I have been playing and winning against the computer in Skirmish games at the 
"Normal" difficulty setting.  I win regardless of how many AI opponents I 
have.  Sometimes (depending on how many AI opponent I have) the computer 
gives me a real run for my money and other times it is pretty easy.  I decided 
to move up a step and play at the "Difficult" difficulty setting.  MAN, the 
computer cheats BIG TIME.  It manages to get more tanks and infantry out in 
the shortest space of time and then rushes you with them.  Playing against 
more than one AI computer opponent is almost suicide (regardless of whether 
you ally with the computer or not).  This is what normally happens: I play 
with a unit count of ZERO, a Tech Level of 10, Credits at 2,500 and select an 
appropriate number of AI oppknents.  I deploy IMMEDIATELY (no exploring for 
best location) and build one power station, one barracks and a weapons 
factory.  If I have selected more than one computer opponent OFTEN I hear 
combat taking place BEFORE I even have my first power station built (remember 
that I selected ZERO units).  Next thing I know, as my Weapons Factory is 
STILL BEING BUILT, about 5 to 11 tanks (all from the one team, not a few from 
one team mixed in with a few from another team and so on) roll onto my 
doorstep.  There is NO WAY a human player can build tanks THAT QUICK -- heck, 
as I already said, I don't even have my weapons factory up yet!  And, to make 
things worse, the tanks that roll up are normally accompanied by a large 
number of grenade and bazooka dudes.  If you do some maths, the computer has 
supposedly spent upwards of 9,000 credits just on units (NOT counting what it 
is supposed to have spent on base building) in the time it has taken me to 
accumulate only 4,000 credits!  Personally I think this is a BIG JOKE and 
seems to highlight once again that Westwood's claim of play-testing is 
nothing more than a white lie.

Sure I am a believer in giving the computer some advantages in order to beat a 
human player but THIS is rediculous!  If anyone has managed to beat the 
computer at Skirmish games using the "Difficult" difficulty setting (WITHOUT 
cheating or modifying the RULES.INI file) then I'd like to know how .....

-- Brad (Zone Shark) Barns       |  AARDVARK Public Access Internet
-- zsh...@aardvark.apana.org.au  |  Australia.  Modem (613)+9670-9877