What to expect

[SCRooster1107]

Seeing as how I've been playing version 1.31 since I started playing and I only recently found these forums, I have been trying to study and read up on what to expect moving to version 1.31. I play mostly on impossible now (sometimes hard), and don't win all games, but win a fair share of them depending on how much I challenge myself with my starting picks.

What can I expect when I make this jump? Am I going to get utterly destroyed by the new and improved AI? What are the benefits/disadvantages to making the move?

[Catwalk]

I assume you mean moving to 1.40 I'm going to wager an entirely unqualified guess that your win ratio will go down 10-20%, I don't think you will get utterly destroyed.

My experience was a more aggressive AI with better units, but also frequently using smaller stacks. Many small interface fixes and bugs make the game a much experience overall.

[SCRooster1107]

What about any benefits to the player?

I will try some easier games at first like 11 book starts (haven't done that in forever) and some warlord/life specials etc.

Maybe I'll do some SS and post my gameplay adventures on here from time to time and see if I can get any feedback.

[Catwalk]

Well, one of the main aims of Insecticide is to enhance the AI. Both in the forms of improving its decision making processes and in terms of removing a number of bugs that was setting the AI back. The benefit to you is a much more challenging Impossible setting

[SCRooster1107]

I started playing my first game a little bit this weekend (what little time I had to play). 4C 4N 2L, Alchemy, halfling.

I played Impossible with medium land mass size and 2.5x magic. I faced Ariel and Jafar on Arcanus and Rjak and Lo-pan on Myrror.

I've banished Rjak 4x and have taken a good number of lo-pans citys (should banish him soon as I am closing in on his fortress). Lo-pan and Rjak should fall soon and I have already started building up forces to head for Jafar. I was also lucky enough to find a spot to plant a halfling city near adamantium and started pumping out slingers which helped the cause.

Jafar has cast time stop three times already which is really annoying and Ariel seems to be the most powerful of everyone left. As far as the AI, I am really enjoying it so far, the only thing that drives me crazy is planting new cities later in the game near nodes/lairs that haven't yet been conquered. Nothing like 3 sky drakes attacking a city with 1 spearmen in it.

Overall I have to say that Kyrub did an awesome job with the insecticide patch.