ok not a noob, mostly but...(play single player games exclusively)
this new single player 'ladder' has me stumped...
granted i am not the best player here, but the maps leading to this one were cake.
my question is : how is it that by the 8th turn the AI is producing twice as many armies?
does it start with more territories or more armies.....?
i have tried this level, i dunno 12-15 times so far and by the 12-15th turn i have no choice but to surrender. i don't think i have made it to 20 turns yet.
i try to group my territory picks to maximize army strength, get regional bonuses as soon as possible. but as soon as i find the ai he already has more armies in place and has greater production.
i don't get it.

It's standard strat 1v1. Really pretty straightforward. Easier than most of the old built-in single player levels. All I can figure is you don't know how to pick territories very well. I'd recommend joining a few multi-day autogames and taking note of their territory selections and expansion methods.

Always check the history and see how your opponent picks and expands, even if it's AI.

my strategy here is pretty much the same as the other single player games. and i do pretty well there...
i try to pick areas free of 10 neutral army terr...
sometimes i think i might have it...then we meet and it has twice as much production as i do.
i'll just keep hammering at it i guess...

"multi-day autogames"?

thx

Some general advice:
1. Don't put all your picks in one region
2. Pick bonuses where the territory:income ratio is closer to 1. For instance, you are better off in East US than West US or Europe because it has less territories for the same income.
3. Make sure you have a bonus of some sort after 2 turns. If you don't, I doubt you can win.
4. After getting your starting bonuses, expand in a few spots, not everywhere.

You're one to talk...1v1 ladder template. You make. Right here. Right now.

Edited 6/19/2016 19:42:42

Ignore the bickering. The advice is generally sound.

Know your math... how many armies to take 2 or 4.
Ignore wastelands at all times. Rarely are they worth conquering.
Focus on completing your starting bonuses before you move onto other bonuses.
Early on, focus on one bonus at a time. Don't try to take everything at once.

There's a single-player ladder?

yup. I'm no.1 right now