Artillery unit priority in AI forces list

[Bolfry]

According to MedMod read-me, WesW managed to lessen artillery units priority in AI forces list, which is a really handy in AI open-field assaults during the campaign. Anyone know how can I mod mod that? :) Would really appreciate that.

[Aenlic]

In the unit_prod file, in column 11 and column 15.

Column 11 lets you adjust the likelihood of that type of unit appearing in rebel factions.

Column 15 adjusts the likelihood of the AI building that type of unit in the first place for AI controlled factions, based on faction behavior type. Adjust the integer values up or down for each behavior type for each unit.

Unfortunately, it appears to be hard-coded in the game for the AI to place artillery units on the battlefield first. When you encounter an army of multiple stacks, each containing some artillery, then the battlefield is going to appear with all of those artillery units given priority. Large numbers stacks means more even artillery that the AI is forced to place at the start of the battle. The only way around this is to adjust column 15 so the AI won't build those types of units.

The actual details for how to adjust the integers for each behavior type in column 15 I don't know, such as up or down and how much up or down. You can use Wes' unit_prod file for the MMIV beta as a guide.

[amritochates]

You are facing a classical catch-22 situation, now your initial problem is that since the 1.1 patch and probably even before that CA has implemented the following fact:

All the player's artillery pieces are chosen in the initial 16.. This implies what holds true for you will also hold true for the AI.

Your second problem is that in column 11, the probability of artillery showing up as rebels is too high, which is why you get singular events such as 12 ballistae and 4 Hashishin rebellion that someone reported a few days ago.This can be easily be modded by repplacing the factors for artillery with some other unit like Almughavars that appear very rarely in the game.

Now we come up to the Column 15- Now here you have to mantain absolute certainity about what you want, for if this is set too low you will end up with the AI rarely developing artillery and getting slaughtered when assaulting castles, set too high and you will end up with a magnified version of your orignal problem. :bow: