More challenging AI - for MedMod

[A_B]

I just had a new idea (the first for this year) about making the AI a more challenging opponent. This is geared towards the MedMod, which is what I usually play.

First, make the Royal Guard units free of support costs. Too often, the small factions go stagnet. I think the main reason is upkeep on all those royal guards strutting about with the extended royal family. No upkeep would also give the player an incentive not to throw away his royal guards - a tactic i'm sometimes forced into in the early parts of the game.

OK, that was it, my great idea for this year http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Another thing to make the game harder for the player - with a modded med mod - is to make the players faction specific units have a higher support cost, especially for high/late period units. This would balance out the players ability to handle the economy more efficiently than the AI. With Wes's MedMod, each faction has enough specific units that this would be possible. For example, a 'hard byzantine for MedMod' could be made quite easily; reduce the starting territories, units, buildings and money of the byzantine (to make the early age hard), and make all the cool high/late units cost 50% more in upkeep. The purchase could be the same, to give the player a break during wars (otherwise, it may be too hard).

Thanks for the Mod, Wes, it is awesome as usual.

[Spino]

Quote[/b] ]First, make the Royal Guard units free of support costs. Too often, the small factions go stagnet. I think the main reason is upkeep on all those royal guards strutting about with the extended royal family. No upkeep would also give the player an incentive not to throw away his royal guards - a tactic i'm sometimes forced into in the early parts of the game.

Sounds ok to me but dropping the support cost of Royal Bodyguard units to 0 might cause the AI to make hordes of these units and seriously unbalance the game. I suppose if the AI doesn't take support costs into account it might work.

[ToranagaSama]

Damn Thought someone had figured out a manner to mod the AI Imgaine the dissappointment.

This thread probably belongs in the Main Hall.

If you want an "incentive" to NOT throw away your Royal Guards, then I suggest you adopt one or more of my HardCore Rules. Specifically, limit your Govenorships to Royal Guards/Knight units ONLY (as well as limiting your Trade options)

Doing so will limit your funds so severely, that each unit of Royal Guards/Knights will become so scarce and precious, wasting won't be a consideration.

~ToranagaSama

[A_B]

Quote[/b] (Spino @ Aug. 27 2003,13:49)]Sounds ok to me but dropping the support cost of Royal Bodyguard units to 0 might cause the AI to make hordes of these units and seriously unbalance the game. I suppose if the AI doesn't take support costs into account it might work.
Make royal bodyguards unbuildable by the AI. Their support could be something nominal, but low enough to prevent stagnation.

[A_B]

Quote[/b] (ToranagaSama @ Aug. 27 2003,14:29)]Damn Thought someone had figured out a manner to mod the AI Imgaine the dissappointment.

If you want an "incentive" to NOT throw away your Royal Guards, then I suggest you adopt one or more of my HardCore Rules. Specifically, limit your Govenorships to Royal Guards/Knight units ONLY (as well as limiting your Trade options)
~ToranagaSama
Whoops, sorry, didn't mean to disapoint you http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

I play by some hardcore rules, but limiting govenorships as you suggest seems excessivly masochistic. What do you do for the first 30 or 40 turns, just wait for them? That would definately make the game HARD. I should try it - maybe as the French HRE.

[Spino]

Quote[/b] ]Make royal bodyguards unbuildable by the AI. Their support could be something nominal, but low enough to prevent stagnation.

That won't work. If the only source of new Royal Guards units is new heirs the long term implications for most royal families would be disastrous. The only way to get replacements would be to wait for new heirs to be born and given the usual rate of attrition you would be putting the royal families of most factions in serious danger, especially when those units are controlled by the AI. Beyond this you have to account for those factions that do not use specific Royal Guards units for their royal family members (i.e. Byz royalty use Kataphracts and Mongol royals use Golden Horde Heavy Cavalry).

The smartest option is to mod the game so that all Royal Guards units are like the Kataphractoi or Golden Horde Heavy Cavalry; indistinguishable and easily merged with the same class of unit not led by a member of the royal family. Obviously this would make all Royal Guards units much more powerful because of their larger size but it would also make them more survivable when placed in the hands of the sometimes sadistic tactical AI.

[Yelping Godzilla]

The next update of Medmod will do just that. No more special Royal units.

EEUURAAH.

[ToranagaSama]

Quote[/b] (A_B @ Aug. 27 2003,16:33)]

Quote[/b] ]Whoops, sorry, didn't mean to disapoint you http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif


http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif


Quote[/b] ]I play by some hardcore rules, but limiting govenorships as you suggest seems excessivly masochistic.

I like PAIN http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif


Quote[/b] ]What do you do for the first 30 or 40 turns, just wait for them? That would definately make the game HARD. I should try it - maybe as the French HRE.

Play the Game.

I call this element, "Hardcore" Govenorships.

Normally, I won't have ANY govenors until the first King dies, the heir ascends, and his heir comes of age. Quite some time, BUT the upside is that the "Royal Uncles" who then become regular Generals are above-average candidates for Govenors with GOOD/GREAT Acumen. Often you won't have enough Royal Uncle Generals to go around so you then need to plan their Province placement carefully. Of course, once you have the buildings you can build Royal Guards/Knights to fill in the Govenorships.

The result is quite effective in GREATLY limiting the Player's Income and Bank Account, which serves to even things out, monetarily, versus the AI. This is positive.

The value withing the Campaign of EVERY unit of Royal Guards/Knights is GREATLY enhanced. No matter how low the Acumen or how bad the V&V, each unit is greatly appreciated and will increase your Income. No more "suiciding" a King/Prince/Knight General you don't happen to care for.

The fact that your Govenors are your best quality troops, along with the great need for their Acumen effect upon Income VASTLY increases the Risk of taking them into battle. Losing one in battle becomes a "True" loss, much as it must have been in reality.

The player cannot simply replace him with any old unit that happens to have good Acumen. He must either wait for a Royal Prince to evolve into a General eligible for Govenorship, or, if the buildings are available, use PRECIOUS Florins to pay for a new unit with no guarantee that the new Royal Guard/Knight unit will have good Acumen (or any Acumen) and/or good V&V.

ALSO, I play by requiring any "Attack" be led by a Knight unit. The overall effect is that virtually all Generals above 1 Valour/Star are Knights.

Lastly, with such a severe limit upon Income, spending the funds available to you WISHLY is an imperative. A Campaign is usually lost or won with the decisions made regarding Spending.

CA "Spending" s/b implemented as a "Strategic Element". In vanilla MTW is difficult to Spend unwisely, because the Player has so much money he can build many things simultaneously and is only limited by the number of Provinces held. Spending is NOT strategic in vanilla MTW.

The MedMod makes Spending wisely a bit more important, but add "Hardcore" Govenorships and Spending becomes "Strategic"

At the start of a Campaign, the Player has to determine a complete strategy, in Chess terms, the player must determine his Opening Moves, a script.

Every Florin spent is a Florin not easily recovered, every building built is a building not built, every Turn not utilized effectively is a Turn wasted, and every battle lost or poorly "won" is a blow to the Campaign.

Make just one or two mistakes and the likelihood of losing is great For a "Seasoned" player this is HUGE Add the 56 Year Bug and Green Generals and ahhh....the Pain, oh the Pain. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

~ ToranagaSama