Dropping down a difficulty level is tough

[lummoxybez]

I've been playing on VH/M for a while and I was getting a bit fed up with winning every battle, but also with the fact that the AI had seemingly limitless troops in the campaign map.

So I decided to change the difficulty to H/H.

Now, I have to really think out most battles to win them, which is good, but I've noticed that the campaign is more difficult now. Nobody will ally with me and I have to pay to get Trade Rights. My reputation is very low and I've only been playing for 10 turns with no wars declared at all (playing as KoL).

I just have the feeling that playing at a campaign diff of Hard is quite tough, as I'm encountering problems I didn't have when playing on VH. The last game I played as KoL (on VH/M), everyone was paying me 1200-2000 to form alliances with me. Now they are telling me to clear off and then sending a SoD into my lands. Help!

[Alesianduke]

So I am not the only one that tought H > VH difficulty and that the AI is playing a much better game on the campaign map on hard difficulty. Always tought something was weird with this...

[The Source]

try installing some AI submods or play m/h

[MikeNice808]

be a real man and play vh/vh as Kievan-Rus...what is KOL???

[Wilxz]

be a real man and play vh/vh as Kievan-Rus...what is KOL???

Kingdom of Leon would be my guess

[lummoxybez]

Yes, KOL stands for the Kingdom of Leon.

I don't want to play as VH/VH or as M/H, but as H/H.
My post wasn't a complaint about how difficult the game is at H/H, but a comment on how much the campaign difficulty appears to increase when dropping down from VH to H.

It seems that I'm not the only one experiencing this as well.

I wondered whether the scaling of difficulties is non-linear and whether different things change for different difficulties.
For example, playing on a Hard campaign, would the AI be less-favourable towards the player, and be more likely to attack compared to Medium campaign? Whilst on a Very Hard campaign, does the AI behaviour revert back to what it was at Medium, but each AI gets 10K gold/turn extra with no other changes?

Just a theory as I've no idea what the difficulties actually change in the game.

[vtec.dominion]

Yeah, install sub mods and enable BGR IV-E.
ReallyBadAI + BGR IV-E make this game really fun and challenging. Without these 2 the game is too easy and boring after 50 turns.

[Ichon]

AI on very hard does get bigger money bonuses so in some ways VH is easier especially earlier in a campaign when AI pays for trade rights and always pays ransoms. Later in a campaign AI tends to be less aggressive on H and the blob empires seem to take a bit longer to form on average.

I think it depends on your play style which is harder. Blitzers might find VH actually easier as they can leverage the extra money AI gets into their own hands and the early turns set up the later turns.