1.x AI Faction Progression Thread

[Sir Edward]

I hope that isn't the last we see of this AI expansion. My bet is that when carthage looses their last oversea colony they will focus east and may push the Ptollie out of egypt. That would be really funny to see. Kind of a second great and glourious carthaginian empire after that implosion in Italy and Gaul.

[Irishmafia2020]

@khosro-II-parviz - Good job, I am glad you came over here from TWC to post that progression, we can all learn a lot from your patience. It is by far the best and longest a.i. progression anyone has seen that is not influenced by the player. Thanks...

[DeathEmperor]

Indeed a fantastic job khosro-II-parviz!

I'll have to try it myself sometime probably with the Casse like yourself or Sweboz so I don't interfere with the ai's progressions that much.


EB 1.1
h/m with BI.exe
It took a month but I finally achieved victory with the Arche



About 30 years too young but I still consider this guy my own Antiochus the Great:

[khosro-II-parviz]

Hi.
thanks for your replies
think the most important reason of ptolemaioi progress is that after they take any city of AC they can quickly retrain their units or recruit their best units that they have. specially when they conquer Antochia nothing can stop them from continuing their conquest. I played a campaign with ptolemaioi faction to see why they can progress too much like this, and when i conquered Antochia i saw that the best ptolemaioi units can be recruited without having to create buildings.

[Mediolanicus]

KH Campaign
M/M with BI

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

262


252


Pretty much every faction is doing well.
Except Macedon, that is. It was either them or me.
Audui had he bad start, but are recovering. It will be a good fight for gaul between the two tribes, unless the Romans take Insubramrog.
The Sauro's held the whole northern Caucasus at some point, but the Hai split them in two.
Epeiros has been allied to me from the start, but they recently attacked me (I'm in 246 by now). I'm also getting regular attacks by Pontos on Byzantium and on Helicarnassos by the Seleucids.

Edit : it's not very clear, but I hold Syracuse (and Messana too by now)

242


232


I think it's time to help the Romans if I ever want Greek Pikemen to play with...

Some strange notes : What's Baktrian army doing on Lesbos in 240B.C.?


And why does Pontus has such an urge to train so many useless Greek horses?

[Dayve]

This is 237BC. I am Casse. 1.1, playing with RTW.exe, absolutely no changes made to the EB files whatsoever. No formation mods, no nothing. This is pure EB.

I should think tough times lay ahead... I had to push the Sweboz back as they were expanding into Gaul, which served 2 purposes. I wanted to expand onto the mainland for trade purposes but i also wanted to keep the Aedui in the game. Averni have no hope, they have no troops and the Romans surround them with enough armies to conquer them 100 times over.

I'm not looking forward to fighting the Romans... When i play as them, Hastati seem crap. But even the best Casse soldiers are only just slightly better than Hastati, and Principes trump anything i can make. Don't even want to talk about Triarii and the Hastati Samniciti that the Romans are using in abundance.

[General Appo]

It´s good to see the Romans are finally doing something in someones campaign. Nice to see that Hiero is still free.

[Ravenfeeder]

Continuation of Romani game h/m bi.exe

230bc


220bc


I'm in the process of setting up client kingdoms in North Africa. I took Ambraikia from Makedon but gave it to my protectorate of Epirus. Pontos went very quickly, even with an 100k mnai influx from me. No sign of Casse invasion.

[The Persian Cataphract]

I completely love that Pahlava progression, Ravenfeeder. It is almost exactly as history had it when Mithradates began his great campaign, by carving out the very centre of Iran, that distinctive plunge right to the south once they get hold of Parthia proper and Hyrcania; Key areas such as Medea, Gabiene, Persis, Carmania... Lovely. Afterwards the detour to the East, covering the back against the Graeco-Bactrians, as far as Zariaspa... And then a storm to the West, capturing what's left of Elymaïs, and Mesopotamia. Wow. This really got me satisfied (Well, except for the Ptolemaioi... They are the odd man out for technical reasons).

Keep reporting, I live for this stuff

[Olaf The Great]

I completely love that Pahlava progression, Ravenfeeder. It is almost exactly as history had it when Mithradates began his great campaign, by carving out the very centre of Iran, that distinctive plunge right to the south once they get hold of Parthia proper and Hyrcania; Key areas such as Medea, Gabiene, Persis, Carmania... Lovely. Afterwards the detour to the East, covering the back against the Graeco-Bactrians, as far as Zariaspa... And then a storm to the West, capturing what's left of Elymaïs, and Mesopotamia. Wow. This really got me satisfied (Well, except for the Ptolemaioi... They are the odd man out for technical reasons).
Y
Keep reporting, I live for this stuff

You're going to go mad once I show you what the Armenians did in my campaign :)

[mlp071]

KH on VH/M,

i am 20 years past this point, but don't want to lift FoW.



To be continued....

My wars so far(up to that point) :

1) Macedonian war (272-267)
2) Epeirote war(261-258)
3) Sicily war (247-243 )
4) Italian war (243- ongoing)
5) Second Epeirote wars(233-228)

Never started war first, other then attacking Rebels.


And not to forget interesting things :

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

This is the second time I see Epeiros surviving as an alpine faction... I congratulate the EB-team to their stunning achievements. AI-progression seems to have made a giant leap forward since 1.0.

[jhhowell]

Mediolanicus - I've seen both of the quirks you've noticed. Baktria loves to bribe Seleucid troops in Asia Minor for some reason. You're seeing it at the source, I saw it as a trickle of tiny dark blue armies trying to march across my Hayasdan empire (they usually made it, including a lone FM one time; Baktria and I are allies and AS is very weak...).

I also saw the Pontus weak cavalry fixation in the same game. In my case it was because I'd pushed them out of their homeland, so for a time junk like that was all they could recruit. It's not clear if that's quite true in your game, looks like they might still hold their original capital. But certainly troops raised around Pergamon will be remarkably bad for quite a while, until the AI gets a good level MIC into operation.

[Mediolanicus]

Baktria should rather defend her own territories instead of bribing distant armies, they are down to 1 province!
On the other hand they are pumping out Indian and indo-hellenic elites.

Pontos is doing very weird. Suddenly they rush and conquer western asia minor and just as suddenly they let the seleucids conquer half their possession back. Now they have 3 stacks near their old capital doing absolutely nothing.

[mlp071]

This is the second time I see Epeiros surviving as an alpine faction... I congratulate the EB-team to their stunning achievements. AI-progression seems to have made a giant leap forward since 1.0.

Arverni created Switzerland and Epeiros is pretending to be Austria.

I will keep them there(Epeiros) till they build up towns for me , plus they are buffer between me and Sweboz.

[Tyrfingr]

Romani campaign, EB on Alex.exe, VH/H

262BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

252BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

242BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

232BC (previous update)


222BC


Alot of action in just ten years...

One year after my last update, I cleared the world of the lusotana scum. It got hastened by a strange CTD: everytime I played a battle against Lusotana manually the game would crash. Anyhow, in 231BC the Iberian Peninsula was mine and I directed my focus to Hellas. As I shipped over some armies from Iberia, I stopped by on the Baeleric Islands and Sardinia to conquer them from the carthaginians.

My two armies, a regular and an illyrian (illyrian units only) swept all over the Epirote lands, defeating her armies where ever they made battle. Epeirus fell within a single year. Meanwhile, Makedonia took all of Hellas for themselves, only to be my next victim. My illyrian army got the newly appointed faction heir Titus Cornelius Scipio as commander and took a boat, sneaked behind the heavily defended Makedonian capital of Demetrias, and conquered Sparta from Makedonia. From there, I marched a Publius Cornelius Scipio (not related) from Pella, won two heroic victories against fully stacked macedonian armies and conquered Demetrias. A third army arrived and conquered Termon.

My faction heir continued his steamrolling of the Makedonians, conquered Korinthos and Athens, and is currently celebrating a triumph over the macedonians. Just as the years turned 222BC, my faction leader, Gaius Gallicus died, making Titus Cornelis Scipio my new faction leader.

In the north, I got attacked by the germans once...bad mistake by them as I recruited gallic armies of Verrixes, Neitos and Helvetians and marched them north. The conquest goes on.

KH have had a small revival. They have re-established the kingdom of Trapz-blabla through rebellion from AS and they have gained Byzantium also through rebellion from AS. They have however through a naval invasion conquered Crete, which is really interesting.

Another faction that has finally awaken is Sabyn. They have conquered the arabian peninsula and is currently at war with AS over Nabatea and that other desert city which I have forgotten the name of.

The ptolies have been pushed out of Egypt by the carthaginians, and are expected to be eliminated soon. They only have 1 fully stacked army, located in Erythraia and it hasn't moved since the conquest of Erythraia in 270BC!!

AS is kicking ass! In 230BC they wiped out Pontos, and when Baktria finally declared war on them, they seized Baktria. They however made the mistake of declaring war on me, and is currently besieging Tylis, which will be relieved in a couple of turns.

The first world war has started between me and the Arche Seleukia...

[Hax]

You're going to go mad once I show you what the Armenians did in my campaign :)

Can I see can I see can I see?! =D

[Skullheadhq]

Mediolanicus - I've seen both of the quirks you've noticed. Baktria loves to bribe Seleucid troops in Asia Minor for some reason. You're seeing it at the source, I saw it as a trickle of tiny dark blue armies trying to march across my Hayasdan empire (they usually made it, including a lone FM one time; Baktria and I are allies and AS is very weak...).

I also saw the Pontus weak cavalry fixation in the same game. In my case it was because I'd pushed them out of their homeland, so for a time junk like that was all they could recruit. It's not clear if that's quite true in your game, looks like they might still hold their original capital. But certainly troops raised around Pergamon will be remarkably bad for quite a while, until the AI gets a good level MIC into operation.

Baktria in Asia Minor? How did they get so far?

[Sygrod]

KH Campaign

...And why does Pontus have such an urge to train so many useless Greek horses?

If you look closer, you'll notice 2 Apeleutheroi units in there. Pergamon must have had a civil revolt (against AS?). I had civil revolt in Egypt and the ptolly armies had several Apeleutheroi units along with Tarantine cavalry (long way from home) and Merc Phalanxes, Merc Peltastai and assorted ethiopian units. It would seem that the city gets stuffed with Merc units when it revolts.

[Mediolanicus]

If you look closer, you'll notice 2 Apeleutheroi units in there. Pergamon must have had a civil revolt (against AS?). I had civil revolt in Egypt and the ptolly armies had several Apeleutheroi units along with Tarantine cavalry (long way from home) and Merc Phalanxes, Merc Peltastai and assorted ethiopian units. It would seem that the city gets stuffed with Merc units when it revolts.

They've got those Apeleutheroi because I gave them Nikaia after they'd conquered Pergamon and Halikarnassos.
That created 6 units of Apeleutheroi, two of wich defended the city from the Seleucids (and lost), and four which still run around in their armies.

[Tyrfingr]

Romani campaign, EB on Alex.exe, VH/H

262BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

252BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

242BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

232BC

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

222BC (previous update)


212BC


The world war between me and the Arche Seleucia has been postponed a dozen of times in the ten years that has passed. Byzantion rebelled from AS to the greeks, then I conquered Byzantion from the greeks and every second turn, AS is attacking Byzantion only to offer proposals of peace the next. I'm busy on other fronts, so this strange cold war between me and AS will have to continue.

Otherwise, the Aegean Sea is the most stable of all fronts, with only minor changes. I have taken Chalkis and Lesbos from the Makedonians, reducing them to Pergamon, which seems to suit them well. We are still at war, but they make no effort to attack my positions, so I will let them be. In 213BC I have also landed at Crete to conquer it from the greeks, and I was very surprised to find an almost fully stacked Makedonian army there.

In the north, the germans got slaughtered like rabbits. I even chased them into Scandinavia and even held Scandinavia for 2 turns before it rebelled to the Eleutheroi with a fully-stacked army of silver-chevron persian archers and greeks leevies (!) as garrison. I have left Scandinavia for now, I will return when I hit the Marian Reforms. My northern armies have instead marched for the shores of Belgium, to board ships for Britain. The Casse have finally conquered the whole of Britain and it's time to take care of the rest of the barbarians.

In the south, my second Punic War have started with an landing at Atiqa and Carthage, quickly establishing a beach-hold of the two cities. From there, I conquered Adrumeto to the south and Ippone to the west. An army of iberian milities and light skirmishers landed at Siga, conquering that city and went eastwards and conquered Kirtsan.

In the east, I have just recently attacked the Getai, taking two cities with barely no struggle at all (bastarnae mercenaries cuts through armour like a hot knife through butter). My goal is to push the Getai towards the Sarmatians, and expel them to eastern Europe before I take on the mighty AS.

In Egypt, the Ptolies got defeated time and again until they had no family members left and was sent to death by Carthage. During their conquest of Egypt, Carthage also got in touch with AS, and conquered Alexandria from the AS. As the Ptolemaois died, Kypros rebelled and I quickly sent an army to establish roman authority.

AS is establishing itself as my rival, and I fear the day I will have to fight them. My spies have revealed armies filled with cataphracts and elite infantry, I would much prefer to wait for the Marian reforms before I tackle this giant Grey Death.

AS have breached into India, but it indians settlements rebels to the parthians quite often, though AS always sends an army to take them back. AS have also begun to push the Haysadan out on the steppes, and although they have several cities under siege at multiple fronts, they have 3-4 fully stacked armies at every front to tackle their opponents. I will have to clear my african, european and britannic front before I can really concentrate on the AS:

[kambiz]

held Scandinavia for 2 turns before it rebelled to the Eleutheroi with a fully-stacked army of silver-chevron persian archers and greeks leevies (!) as garrison.

It seems Iranians and hellens once again united against a common foe and conquerer just like they did against Alexander ! And this time oddly in heavenly lands of Scandinavia lolzj

[Olaf The Great]

It seems Iranians and hellens once again united against a common foe and conquerer just like they did against Alexander ! And this time oddly in heavenly lands of Scandinavia lolzj

Theres a few gauls and Indians in there, it was my doing.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

When a city is regarded as the rebel "capital" (one city always has to be it as long as one is rebel), it will do crazy things when it rebels. Even if it is not the capital rebel city, sometimes the rebellion will force it to be. One NW balkan province is particularly bad about this - Patavium maybe? Anyway, the whole set of rules pertaining to recruitment gets thrown out the window at that point when it is generating rebels for that one city. But it makes it interesting at least!

[DeathEmperor]

1st ever Pontos campaign, EB 1.1 with BI.exe, m/m

270 bc



260 bc



250 bc



240 bc



230 bc



The Sweboz, Aedui and Casse have expanded at a steady rate similar to how they do on my usual h/m settings. Averni surprised me as they're actually keeping the Romani from making the "Romani-Gallic empire" they usually make in my other campaigns. Getai haven't really expanded as much as they normally do, which is probably because of Epeiros.

Romani and Karthage are at as always with Corsica and Sardinia exchanging hands every few years. Bit of a balance in Sicily with Karthage owning Lilibeo and Romani Messana respectively. Hiero is still alive and kicking in Syracuse which is quite surprising.

Makedonia has been all but wiped out by Epeiros, and there was a standoff between KH and Epeiros until KH finally took Pella. Epeiros was the dominant power in Greece until they lost some battle to the Getai, which made them vulnerable to the KH's invasion.

I've expanded my kingdom slowly but surely in Anatolia. Hayasdan had almost all of their armies in the steppes fighting the Sauromatea so I conquered their homelands pretty easily. Declared war against the Ptolemaioi after they took Antioch (because I know what happens when they take it), and I'm currently getting ready to besiege the city itself. The Arche is falling apart as they had most of their armies fighting the Ptolemaioi in Syria and Koele-syria when the Pahlava went to town on them and split the empire in two.

I'm really quite proud of the Pahlava as their expansion in this campaign is the best I've seen by them in my 1.1 campaigns so far. As of 230 bc they're besieging Arbela, Babylon and Seleukeia itself.

Baktria and the Saka have been going at it for the entire campaign. Baktrians just took the Saka capital, but there's a Sakan full stack heading towards Baktra itself.


I'm planning on focusing on the Ptolemaioi at this point along with seizing a few eastern cities I need for the victory conditions before the Pahlava get to them first


Edit- Porblem with the screenies should be taken care of.

[kambiz]

When a city is regarded as the rebel "capital" (one city always has to be it as long as one is rebel), it will do crazy things when it rebels. Even if it is not the capital rebel city, sometimes the rebellion will force it to be. One NW balkan province is particularly bad about this - Patavium maybe? Anyway, the whole set of rules pertaining to recruitment gets thrown out the window at that point when it is generating rebels for that one city. But it makes it interesting at least!

Yeah. In my campaign Patavium used to be their capital .But when I took it ,it changed to a Germanic city with one of those weird names. I call it gangsters' heaven

[DeathEmperor]

I apologize about the pics but at least you can see them correctly now (except for the 230 bc one) even though they're oversized

[Olimpian]

Nice Pahlava Kingdom you got there DeathEmperor...almost as big as the one I have...just that mine is quite literally MINE



Note: AS and Ptoleis have been at peace since 270 BC...no fighting between them at all.

[jhhowell]

Baktria in Asia Minor? How did they get so far?

They didn't. Their diplomats chose to bribe small armies there, which then tried to march home. I've seen Carthage do the same thing, both in Greece and Asia Minor.

[Nobo]

They didn't. Their diplomats chose to bribe small armies there, which then tried to march home.

Ive never seen anything like this... which version of RTW are you running?