Aggressive factions are unrealistic

[fomalhaut]

I'm pretty sure there is a mod for that exact issue, where the AI will act in accordance to their victory conditions rather than just haphazardly conquering in a mindless fashion. I find it so weird how long it takes Rome to conquer the Italian Peninsula in my games, yet they always have the coasts west to Iberia. This leaves the very open to Barbarians and they often get crushed by Carthage as Carthage is much more consolidated. I just want to fight Marian Legions! (I have the RS Legion mod)

[B-Wing]

While I think you are right that the AI factions can be given priorities on what regions to conquer, I don't think that it actually limits their direction of expansion. It just determines where they will go for first. Still, could be very useful for certain factions, like Armenia, who really should focus on the lands south of the Caucasus instead of those north.

[QuintusSertorius]

While I think you are right that the AI factions can be given priorities on what regions to conquer, I don't think that it actually limits their direction of expansion. It just determines where they will go for first. Still, could be very useful for certain factions, like Armenia, who really should focus on the lands south of the Caucasus instead of those north.

Left untended (and without the Victory conditions mod; even then they still do), several factions are obsessed with going north: Makedonia, Hayasdan, Baktria and Romani being the worst culprits.

[fomalhaut]

thinking about it, yeah that really is so. As Makedonia i would certainly conquer Helles proper first, yet KH are almost always alive while Makedonia is up north fighting Dacia. so strange. Iberia makes this weird beeline up the northern coast while they let Carthage take coastal Iberia. this is strangely consistent for me in all games

[bobbin]

This is because the AI is programmed to take surrounding rebel settlements before faction held ones.

[antisocialmunky]

Is this true of the MII AI?

[Ca Putt]

isn't it also programmed to go north first(then east, then south...) in general?
and remember vanilla latium is located on gotland which is to the north of most factions which probably also draws some attention.

[bobbin]

I've heard about that but I'm not that convinced, it doesn't apply to M2TW anyway as the "Latium province" isn't there anymore.

[B-Wing]

This is because the AI is programmed to take surrounding rebel settlements before faction held ones.

Is this true of the MII AI?

Yes, from what I've seen, it definitely holds true as long as the faction in question is at peace with all its neighboring factions. Once they are at war, I'm not sure what the priority becomes, but I've definitely seen rebel settlements go seemingly unnoticed by factions who were at war with multiple neighbors.

A common example of a faction in M2TW avoiding war with neutral factions in favor of taking rebel settlements is Scotland sending a fleet to capture Antwerp or Bruges once all the British Isles settlements are occupied by them or England. What one would more logically expect is for Scotland to besiege York.

[Tar-Andukanaro]

Well I'm not really concern with superpowers..they can or can´t happen in game. i try to use huge numbers of spies assessins and diplomats to counter a superpower that´s threatening me directly....getting cities by peace proposals( specially far away cities, small cities) and give them to neighbouring factions as to strength them and balance the superpower.

[aristotlol]

"Aggressive factions are unrealistic"

No they aren't...

Factions are still aggressive. Competition is kind of their raison d'etre.
If you can over 2 factions at once then you are really doing good for your faction!

Anyway, I see your point to a certain degree, but the problem is not at all in the mod but rather in the video-games fixed number of faction-slots. To have dynamically changing factions, with newcomers, rump-states and cultural expansion, the whole game would have to be coded a lot different and set in a much different stage-light.

The game is set up so that you can create an empire and directly control its troops and successful Emperors! Yes, it would be cool if it was highly-realistic; but it would also be impossible with the MIITW engine-- and I'd imagine even still impossible with a more modern engine.

but just my 2 mnai, man

[Klemens]

The development team of Stainless Steel nailed what I want in diplomacy with their Savage AI sub-mod. Alliances stick, nations band together against an aggressive force and backstabbing is extremely rare never happening if there is a high risk of failure. I'm sick of seeing factions in Europa Barbarorum hyper-focus on my territories when it would be more beneficial to not be throwing their armies away in annoying mini invasions, instead of expanding in other directions that don't give so much resistance.