History Main / NotPlayingFairWithResources

** CommandAndConquer Red Alert 2 suffers from this too. The enemy can rebuild a building in just a few seconds, and seem to have unlimited money. The only was to defeat computer players is to destroy their construction yard first and then go for everything else.

Compare OffscreenVillainDarkMatter.

*** In some of the SMT games draining boss MP to prevent magic use IS a legitimate tactic.

** Sometimes this isn't * exactly* cheating. The enemy-exclusive spells may simply not cost any MP to begin with because you can't use it anyways, and bosses sometimes have MP value that is, while not infinite, in five or six digits so it takes forever to drain them all, and only become a plausible course of actions in low level games or something. There are games that have the enemies bona fide cheat, though.

** The spin-off ''Colonization'': 20 tools and 50 guns, the AI gets for free in every new colony ([[http://t-a-w.blogspot.com/2007/05/colonization-tips.html source]]).

** Most of ''Civilization 4's'' difficulty can be attributed to this - the AI gets bonuses to their economy and production, among other things. As a result, it isn't unusual on very large maps to see stacks of twenty or more units running amok. However, this only happens on the highest DifficultyLevel; on the lowest difficulty, the AI actually gets a malus to production. This is supposed to help out newbies (probably better business than EasyModeMockery, which might drive newcomers away).

** This is how the difficulty settings in CivIII work. On the lowest setting, you gather shields, get money, etc, 8 times faster than your opponent. On the hardest, it's 8 times the other way.

* In ''{{Eve Online}}'', NPC ships have a fixed 100% capacitor level. NPCs labelled as mercenaries typically fly somewhat cap-poor Caldari ships shooting very cap-hungry lasers, which they can do ''all day'' if you let them. It also means that energy neutralizers, often quite lethal in [[PlayerVersusPlayer PvP]] combat since they (indirectly) disable the target's armour repairers as well as its weapons, are completely ineffective against them. On the flip side, energy vampires (which steal cap from the target but only if the victim's cap level is higher than yours) always help you (but likewise don't hurt the NPCs).

** Similarly, CPU-controlled enemy {{Pokemon}} never run out of PP for their moves in the original Red and Blue games.
*** Actually this is as far as ''Heart Gold and Soul Silver''. The computer at one point used Thunder more than 10 times, which is the maximum limit it can be used even with PP upgrades.

* In the original ''Warcraft'', the computer AI has infinite resources (at least it does in the campaign levels). It can even build more units than it has farms to support.

** Similarly, CPU-controlled enemy {{Pokemon}} never run out of PP for their moves in the original Red and Blue games.

* One quest in {{Majesty}} requires you to take down the enemy kingdom. Which would be great...if they didn't start will a full functioning kingdom, with heroes and resources to boot, and you only started with a couple of warriors and an empty temple.
** Yes, but they have the same money system as you to use. Because you are far, far more intelligent than the rather crude AI, and because they can't rebuild things, it's quite easy to push through towards their castle. Eventually, you'll start killing their heroes so fast that they run out of money casting resurrection spells, and they'll lose. It's actually quite hard to destroy their castle before their treasury empties.

** Justifications time! Planets you reach are homeworlds, so it makes sense they are VERY heavily guarded.. Also, the allies you gain are:
*** ''Spathi'', who are cowards [[spoiler: and will eventualy disappear complety]]
*** ''Yehat'' who are caught in [[spoiler: civil war]]
*** ''Traddash'' whose fleet [[spoiler: is destroyed by you]]
*** ''Utwig'' and ''Supox'' who launch offensive against Ur-Quan and suffer heavy casulties.
*** ''[[spoiler: Shofixti]]'' whose [[spoiler: entire race and homeworld were destroyed apart from single ship and few females]]
*** ''[[spoiler: Chrmm]]'' who grant you what they have.
*** ''Zot-Fot-Pik'' who don't have such numbers and need everything they have for protection
*** ''Arilou'' who don't want to get involved apart from volunteers.
*** ''[[spoiler: Syreen]]'' whose fleet was locked away and has been moth balled for long time.
*** ''Umgah'' who, after giving you ships become hostile.
*** ''Pkunk'' who also only grant volunteers and not much interested in was against Ur-Quan apart from giving you spiritual councel.

In some cases, the trope is justified by painting the enemy (on an ally of the enemy) as a more advanced civilization (especially aliens). Otherwise, you get StoryAndGameplaySegregation. Also entirely justified when the programmers have the simple courtesy of warning you that given higher difficulty settings ''will'' bend or break the rules in favor of the computer opposition.

In some cases, the trope is justified by painting the enemy (on an ally of the enemy) as a more advanced civilization (especially aliens). Otherwise, you get StoryAndGameplaySegregation. Also entirely justified when the programmers have the simple courtesy of telling you that given higher difficulty settings ''will'' bend or break the rules in favor of the computer opposition.

In some cases, the trope is justified by painting the enemy (on an ally of the enemy) as a more advanced civilization (especially aliens). Otherwise, you get StoryAndGameplaySegregation.

** The AI in Warcraft III has permanent bonuses to movement speed, which makes certain maneuvers like intercepting fleeing opponents more difficult; it gets to the point where your faster-moving units literally cannot catch up with their own slower units. It also means they harvest resources faster than you even though their workers don't carry any extra. This bonus is built into the game engine and cannot be removed even in custom maps.

** In the original ''Warcraft'', the computer AI has infinite resources (at least it does in the campaign levels). It can even build more units than it has farms to support.

* A lesser example, but when you visit homeworlds in ''TheUrquanMasters'' they are protected by an infinite number of ships, despite the fact that you seem to be the only one in the galaxy actually ''gathering'' any resources. This can be partially [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that they had a large supply of ships before the game began ... but once the race has been recruited to your Alliance you most definitely do ''not'' gain access to said ships! If you want any you'll have to build them yourself with your own mining profits.