🚀 go-pugleaf

...
> 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 .....


Yeah, it's winnable but extremely difficult... I have won both as Allies
and Soviets on "difficult" mode without allying with any AI's (I lost a
bunch of times too!).  However, my whole style of playing had to shift to a
defensive mode.  I cranked out enough tanks to soften the first waves, and
started putting up defensive structures and concrete walls.  If you don't
have a nearby chokepoint that you can defend with turrets or Tesla coils,
forget it.

Looking at the RULES.INI, you can see that you are at a handicap in terms
of build speed, unit speed, etc...  If it wasn't for the fact that the AI
is so insanely _STUPID_, (e.g. standing in the northwest corner doing
nothing, or building itself into a corner, or trapping its harvesters in
its base, etc., etc., etc.) I would surely have lost.  In any case, the
difficult setting is no more enjoyable than normal mode... I initially
thought (incorrectly) that selecting difficult would use a more intelligent
AI.  Hah!