AI Inactivity

[VIPERLORD]

Hi guys, been a while since i reared my ugly head but just wanted to pick the brains of other players.

I play on VH/VH and noticed that some of the AI controlled factions seem to just go in to "cbf" mode. They don't expand even when they have full stacks and eleuthethingy towns right next to them. Is this normal? Just wanna make sure that the game is not bugged on my end.

Most common cbf factions appear to be (for me anyway) Sweboz, Audui, Arverni, Pontus, Casse, Hayasdan

Hate to complete a campaign and then realise that i didn't really win if the AI is not working as intended

Yes i make sure script is enabled. Thanks for any input

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

It happens sometimes, not sure why. Common situations I often see:
Seleucid armies frozen on way to conquer either Arabia or India
Aedui and Arverni armies frozen attempting to conquer western Gaul
Casse armies frozen trying to take other British settlements
Carthaginian armies frozen trying to take Spain or Maurentanian/Saharan settlements
Ptolemaic armies frozen trying to take Nubia/Axum
Lusotann armies frozen trying to take northern Iberian settlements
Getai/Sweboz armies frozen once they come into contact with Central European spawning rebel settlements

The Getai and Sweboz are almost certainly trying to defend against the large rebel armies on their borders, when/if they become powerful enough they eventually overrun these rebels and can become superpowers.
The others I'm not really sure. Sometimes they will stand there for 10-15 years and then eventually conquer the settlement. After this they tend to steamroll through several more settlements so I'm not really sure what triggers sudden movement. Maybe the strong rebel generals guarding the towns deter them since they have so many command stars and so the AI simply waits til they die of old age before they assault.

[Cute Wolf]

maybe they got the dreaded "exhausted" traits that had no real cure except teleport?

[Blxz]

I find the most active AI factions are generally the ones nearest to me while further factions remain less active until I conquer closer towards them. Maybe its just in my head but it does make a kind of sense.

Examples such as Rome, Lusotan and assorted western greeks do very little in a Baktrian game whereas they seem to charge around on a Rome game while Baktria and the steppe factions seem to sit on their heels until I come closer. Note that I have started playing exclusively on no_fow the last few games to try and test this out and it seems 'almost' correct.

[Jerat]

I find the most active AI factions are generally the ones nearest to me while further factions remain less active until I conquer closer towards them. Maybe its just in my head but it does make a kind of sense.

Examples such as Rome, Lusotan and assorted western greeks do very little in a Baktrian game whereas they seem to charge around on a Rome game while Baktria and the steppe factions seem to sit on their heels until I come closer. Note that I have started playing exclusively on no_fow the last few games to try and test this out and it seems 'almost' correct.

I am sure that factions you are at war with are much stronger then other factions. The weakest factions are always those you are allied to. So if you want to weaken a faction, just make an ally :D

[Chris_]

On the subject of alliances, could it be that some of the factions are getting stuck in alliance webs? Faction A was going to attack B but allies with C who are allied with B causing a ceasefire? I'm not sure if the AI even remotely respects these things when deciding what to do, but I find if the alliance is with another AI faction they are much less likely to break it.

Edit - this obviously wouldn't explain not attacking the Eleutheroi towns in most cases, but the Casse start neutral with the Eleutheroi, I think.

[siegfriedfr]

Idle AI are one of those hardcoding deficiencies of TW.

RS developpers claim that the only workaround is improving the characters movements exponentially which solves most of the pathing problems which make armies idle; not very doable however in EB as the map is smaller.

[VIPERLORD]

Thanks for the input guys.

I have now noticed that the best way to get factions moving again seems to be to log off and "continue campaign". All the stuck armies seem to come alive again. Gunna make it a habit to do this every 5 game years. Also seems to help with crash to desktop issues as well although that may just be coincidence.

Thanks again