AI control of shipping

[DarknScaly]

ECS/LJ/Target et al:

Is there any modification of the AI's handling of shipping coming up in the patch?

Specifically:

The AI factions rarely start building trade routes until the 1200's.

Many AI Factions have ships dotted around the map but dont build linear trade routes (eg Novgorod has built trading buildings, ports etc etc but has placed its [4] ships in the north sea only)

The AI doesnt protect its own shorelines very well from naval invasions: As with above it will send its ships to obscure locations.

Roving ships: The AI seems to have a tendency to use ships as some sort of "Scout", sending a ship roaming around the whole map with, seemingly, no apparent purpose.

Where the AI does build linear trade routes it oftimes forgets to build a merchant to trade! This particularly seems ot be a problem in provinces that it has lost control of and the trade pst has been destroyed - it appears to "forget" to rebuild it.

[Kraellin]

dd,

i've noticed this also. the ai trade route routines are somewhat weak. with the exception of the germans, sicilians and byzantines in my current game and one other faction in another game. i also noticed that on easy or normal difficulty, the ai seemed to do the trade routes a bit better than they do on expert. they also started earlier, but then so did i. it also ..seemed.. like the ai was somewhat mimicking me as far as trade route building...at least in easy and normal.

K.


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The only absolute is that there are no absolutes.

[DarknScaly]

hmm, actually is it possible to change the naval combat so that it doesnt factor into Excommunication details Gil?

(ie you can have constant naval combat without the risk of being excommunicated - as it stands now if the AI blocks you with a trade embargo and you fight that factiona t sea - if you are too succesful in sinking ships it judges it the same way as taking faction provinces - you get an excommunication warning. Removing this would allow for "all-out" naval combat without the Papal Nose becoming involved, which, to mee, seems a good idea)

Maybe something for that hardcore version or mod?

[This message has been edited by DarknScaly (edited 09-13-2002).]

[hiver77]

Playing twice as Byz, I've noticed that the AI will use a single fast ship (speed 4) to disrupt my trade route by moving it back and forth between my two sea areas.

It was really annoying since it took me decades to track them down as for a while my main naval fleet was all speed 2 or 3.

[barocca]

Another option for trade blockades (which i find personally VERY frustrating) would be the AI must have at least half as many ships in the area to block your trade completely, but every ship does have a percentage impact on your trade,

Thus if you have 3 ships and the AI has 2, all trade is blocked,
if the AI has only 1 to your 3 then you lose say 25% of trade passing through that sea area.

as for naval combat not affecting excommunication, that would probably be the easiest solution to implement, but may not be as elegant as forcing the human player to enlarge his fleet to protect shipping against piracy(AI raids into the trade lanes).

[DarknScaly]

Aye that'd be nice.

The problem with Exco's is that you may only have to attack 1 or 2 ships to be exco'd - which doesnt sit well if the AI faction has anything more than ships in one or two areas.