One of the consistent critiques of Civilization 6 is that the AI, even at higher difficulty levels, doesn’t play the game as well as experienced human players. While the AI receives bonuses and extra resources on difficulties like Immortal and Deity, its decision-making often feels lackluster, predictable, and sometimes downright baffling. Enter the Roman Holiday mod, a fan-made improvement designed to give the AI a significant upgrade in its strategic play and overall performance. This mod focuses on fine-tuning how the AI makes decisions, interacts with the player, and manages its empire, making the game more engaging and challenging.
What is the Roman Holiday Mod?
The Roman Holiday mod for Civilization 6 is an ambitious AI overhaul created by modders who saw the need to improve the AI’s competence in managing its empire, making war decisions, handling diplomacy, and competing with human players in a more meaningful way. The mod doesn’t simply give the AI additional bonuses but reworks the way it approaches various aspects of the game.
The primary goal of Roman Holiday is to create a more immersive and challenging experience by making the AI smarter, rather than just handing it more units, gold, or resources. It adjusts the AI’s decision-making, allowing it to better prioritize important actions like city development, district placement, and military tactics.
Key Features of the Roman Holiday Mod
1. Improved City Management
One of the weaknesses of the AI in Civ 6 is its tendency to mismanage cities. Often, the AI will build random districts without considering the overall growth or needs of its empire, or it will settle cities in poor locations. The Roman Holiday mod addresses this by teaching the AI to prioritize district placement more effectively, focusing on strategic placements based on adjacency bonuses, terrain, and long-term yield optimization.
This means that AI civilizations will now build cities that are better equipped for success. You’ll see more thoughtful placement of campuses near mountains, commercial hubs near rivers, and industrial zones where they’ll provide the most production. Additionally, the AI will manage housing and amenities more competently, preventing stagnation and improving overall growth.
2. Smarter Diplomacy
In vanilla Civilization 6, AI diplomacy can be frustratingly erratic. Leaders can be friendly one moment and declare war the next, often without rhyme or reason. The Roman Holiday mod gives AI leaders a more coherent approach to diplomacy. They will evaluate friendships, alliances, and rivalries more logically, basing their actions on tangible goals rather than seemingly random mood swings.
For example, AI leaders in Roman Holiday will place more weight on shared strategic interests, common enemies, or economic partnerships when deciding to befriend or make alliances. If you and an AI civ are both competing against the same opponent, they’re more likely to propose deals and treaties to work together, rather than turning hostile suddenly.
On the flip side, the AI will also become more aggressive in situations where it has clear advantages. It won’t hesitate to declare war if it senses your military is weak, or if it sees a strategic opportunity to gain more territory.
3. More Effective Military Tactics
One of the most noticeable improvements in Roman Holiday is how the AI conducts warfare. In the base game, the AI often struggles with military strategies, sending units piecemeal into battle or failing to protect important assets. This mod reprograms the AI to make better military decisions, both in attack and defense.
AI armies will now use combined arms tactics, sending mixed forces of melee units, ranged units, and cavalry to effectively take cities or defend their own. They are also more likely to strategically retreat if a battle is not going in their favor, rather than blindly sacrificing units. Additionally, the AI has become more adept at naval warfare, organizing its fleets and launching coordinated attacks on coastal cities and enemy ships.
The AI also better prioritizes production of military units when at war. It no longer over-prioritizes civilian infrastructure when it’s in the middle of a major conflict but instead ramps up unit production to meet the needs of the battlefield.
4. Better Resource and Economy Management
Economic strategy is another area where the AI often falls short in the base game. The Roman Holiday mod reworks the AI’s approach to managing resources, both strategic and luxury. Civilizations will prioritize securing strategic resources like iron, oil, and uranium earlier in the game, ensuring they’re better equipped for the later eras.
The mod also improves the AI’s handling of trade routes, ensuring it uses them to maximize gold, food, and production. This results in AI economies that are more robust and capable of supporting larger armies and more advanced infrastructure. Additionally, they’ll better manage gold and faith, making more efficient purchases of units, buildings, and Great People.
5. Enhanced Victory Pursuit
In the unmodded game, the AI often struggles to consistently pursue a specific victory condition, sometimes scattering its efforts across multiple paths. The Roman Holiday mod improves this by pushing AI civilizations to focus on one or two victory conditions based on their starting situation, leader abilities, and game progression.
For instance, a civilization that excels in science will now more consistently pursue a science victory, building campuses, spaceports, and focusing on technology development. Similarly, militaristic civs will prioritize domination victories and be more aggressive in expanding their empire through war.
This focused approach makes the AI a more formidable opponent, as it will relentlessly pursue the victory condition that aligns with its strengths and the current game situation.
How Roman Holiday Changes the Gameplay Experience
The most noticeable change when using the Roman Holiday mod is that the AI feels more human-like in its decisions. The AI now behaves in a way that reflects a deeper understanding of the game’s mechanics, making for more challenging and rewarding gameplay.
- Early-game decisions are more competitive. The AI expands faster, selects better city locations, and starts to make moves that force the player to adapt early on.
- Diplomacy is more realistic. No longer will you be caught off guard by random denunciations or wars. The AI now weighs diplomatic relationships more carefully and uses them to its advantage.
- Wars become more engaging and difficult. The AI’s newfound ability to use combined arms tactics, retreat when necessary, and target valuable cities with coordinated strikes makes military engagements far more dynamic.
Overall, the Roman Holiday mod transforms the Civilization 6 experience by addressing many of the base game’s AI weaknesses. For players seeking a more challenging and realistic game, it is a must-try addition.
The Roman Holiday mod is a fantastic addition to Civilization 6 for players who are tired of the AI’s predictable and often illogical behavior. By enhancing the AI’s city management, diplomacy, military strategy, and economy, this mod significantly improves the challenge and enjoyment of the game. Whether you’re a veteran looking for a tougher opponent or a player who simply wants a more engaging single-player experience, Roman Holiday is a great way to make Civilization 6 feel fresh and competitive once again.