1.4 General Gameplay Observations

[Claudio]

I don't think we're playing the same game to be honest. So far I have played 5 campaigns on Hard/Medium, and one on Medium/Medium. The 6 on H/M were Austria, Great Britain, Sweden, Russia and Prussia, in that order.

As Austria I got DoW's from all my neighbours and they all refused any form of peace settlement, even if I offered them money. I turned it off in 1702 or '03.

As Great Britain the Huron Confederacy declared war on the first turn, and just as it used to be in 1.3, they refused peace when I took their main city. After around 6 turns of inactivity I got them to accept a peace deal, but they broke it again the next turn. So, as with 1.3, the AI was completely unyielding and would have to be destroyed. I turned that one off around 1705.

As Sweden things looked promising at first. There was peace for the first few years. Russia made several demands for territory, and declared war when I refused. Their allies refused to join, but somehow they all stayed allied to Russia, despite the fact that when I refuse to join an ally, the alliance is automatically dissolved. I took Moscow easily. Russia refused peace, even when I offered to give back Moscow. I turned this particular campaign off when they demanded peace, several thousand florins and 4 of my territories, even though I was the one stampeding through their lands, and THEY had gone beyond licking their wounds, and at this point were trying to stitch back on their head, which I had ripped off.

As Russia, Georgia and Dagestan declared war on the first turn. They both consistently refused peace, even when I had defeated their armies and was besieging their only cities, which were guarded by only peasants, and so I had to destroy both. And guess what happened right after? My "very friendly" Persian neighbours declared war on me. I also crushed Sweden's armies and reduced them to their capital, and they would not accept peace. Turned this one off around 1710.

As Prussia, I just got bored to be honest. Took Gdansk from Poland, and pretty much the entire earth declared war on me. Fought a few battles with Austria, who then refused peace outright even though I had beaten them badly each time. Turned that one off.

I'm now playing as Poland on M/M. I gave East Prussia to Prussia on the first turn, got trading rights with EVERY nation surrounding me, refused to go to war when Saxony was invaded, and am getting very, very rich, having never fought a single battle. It's 1714 and nobody has declared war on me. The whole world is "Terrifying, Spectacular", or at the very least "Strong, Rich". Yet, even though there are many nations at war, there seems to be a distinct lack of activity. Prussia declared war on Saxony on the first turn, but in the year 1714, Saxony is still around, and still "Strong, Rich". The UP hasn't been destroyed yet, as happened on turn 3 or 4 in every other campaign I played. I'm going to actually have to start a war to get some action.

For me, not much has really changed. The AI is still dumb as toast, they keep refusing peace when they should be begging for peace, they keep taxing their lands so high that by 1725 population and wealth have declined so much one might think we had entered a new dark age...

I hate being the party pooper but we seem to have gone from one horrible extreme (1.3) to a boring, not quite as horrible OTHER extreme (1.4).

[Durallan]

well if your playing campaign games on hard campaign difficulty, of course theyre going to be declaring war on you, unfortunately CA doesn't make the AI more rutheless or intelligent on higher difficulty levels, it just makes them hate you more.

and I'm sorry but I don't want to EVER go near patch 1.3 again. If wars keep you entertained then by all means start them, but some people like the turtling option or the choice, at least to try and choose some of your enemies ( I don't know why your luck was so rotten, but I was able to be diplomatic with every single nation that did try declaring war on me, and peace was settled in the end.) I found 1.3 myself to be BORING, with the fact I was constantly at war with the world and there was bugger all you could do about it, turned me off it.

As far as my experience goes, the AI while not smart, it is not always suicidal now, one 1.3 campaign, poland declared war with EVERY nation on the earth, until it was wiped out, that was NOT smart.

The AI still needs to learn how to play the game, and how to manage its economy and happiness, right now it doesn't seem like it can very well, but the AI can continue to be improved, I disagree rather strongly that we have gone from one extreme to the other, that is what started the problem in the first place, everyone thought that the AI was too placid in 1.0 so it had to be beefed up, it then became warmongering beyond the point of fanaticism and became suicidal in its attempts to fall at the feet of the player. At least Balance seems to have been restored, I don't know if its your luck but it could also be the way you were playing the normal campaign as poland, did you really want trade agreements with every single nation? the idea is to only give money to friends, not to potential enemies and now that the relationmeter has some effect on what the AI will do to you, making everyone friendly kind of means they won't want kill you.

Now what might be nice is if an alliance of nations built armies and decided your land would be better shared amongst themselves, but the AI can't coordinate anything right now let alone coordinate itself out of a shopping mall, that kind of AI behaviour is what people are looking for and would set this game above others, the AI isn't perfect at the moment and it might be slightly timid, but at least it now garrisons its units, it actually attacks other nations and can win, and sends naval invasions, while its not what most of us want its a superior improvement over 1.3 and we hope they will do much more.

[loony]

I don't think we're playing the same game to be honest. So far I have played 5 campaigns on Hard/Medium, and one on Medium/Medium. The 6 on H/M were Austria, Great Britain, Sweden, Russia and Prussia, in that order.

As Austria I got DoW's from all my neighbours and they all refused any form of peace settlement, even if I offered them money. I turned it off in 1702 or '03.

I hate being the party pooper but we seem to have gone from one horrible extreme (1.3) to a boring, not quite as horrible OTHER extreme (1.4).

My initial enthusiasm after I was beaten as Sweden has been very much destroyed by the latest campaign with Austria (H/H, reduced the diffculty somewhat this time).
Poland, Prussia and the Ottomans declared on me, several turns later Hannover joined them.
I captured brandenburg and two ottoman territories, the polish have no army (after I killed of 2 stacks).
None of them accept peace, for regions, or for techs or for whaterver. A load of .

It is 1711 now. I keep spending 50% of my income recruiting and replenishing and 50% investing.
Most of the time i keep killing off inferior armies (like 5 line 2 cav 1 cannon) with my 3 armies.
And no peace no way. Total crap. So boring I have decided to quit it yesterday.