Merc Availability

Mercenary availability could use some restraining as they are far too many especially in N Macedonia and around the Hellespont you can recruit quite a few stacks in those provinces with enough money.
The mercenary phalangites are also way too common in my opinion.
And those predominantly or only led by a general armies composed of gauls that the Romans use because the AI is unable to keep bringing troops from the homeland are very annoying.
Could you lower the refresh rate of mercenaries, what is the team's POV on this?
Are you satisfied with the way things are, from a historical POV or/and a gameplay POV?

Merc availability will probably be reduced. I just saw something about it recently. It seems that new mercs keep being added and that throws off the balance of numbers...

Diversity is great but they should spawn less often I love my Galatians but they pop up in great numbers especially the Kluddollon (sp?). And the Thracians are also very fertile people it seems and eager to earn money by making war.
In my Sauromatae campaign I found the Steppe areas and the Armenian area pretty okay in terms of mercs some provinces lacked mercs or at least mercs I could recruit but overall it was balanced I was glad to get some archers from the Parthia provinces or a few phalangites near Baktra. But the area around the Hellespont is really too populated.

I find that historically mercenaries availability was never a problem in ancient times.Finding the money to finance them was the major problem.So i dont really think that there is an issue about being able to hire too many mercs if you have the money

That's the problem. Too often the AI has the money, and you don't. I have had it up to here with the AS suddenly summoning magic fullstacks of merc troops to hurl at me just as my Baktrian armies have cleared the region of troops and are just about thinking they have the city practically in their hands as it is. I do not think anyone can hire the equivalent of 70000 mercenaries at one go within a season, however much money they may have.

Amen!

I did just quick 3 tests last night as AS and just in 3 provinces bordering Baktria (Aria, Drangiane and Margiane), they(AS) had available 26 (:furious3: ) mercenary units within first 4 turns , and they got 22 prvinces at start.
Even if they recruit in only half of the provinces (mercs i mean ) thats 5+ stack every 4 turns....4 years later they got 20+ stacks.

Same things is with most of regions in the game .


AI will buy all mercs that spawns, as long he has money available. As i stated in some other posts in 2 of my campaings (Qarth & Maks), i am yet to fight units that are produced in baracks . And thats after 4-5 years of war in each.It's not that i can't beat them, just would like to see their own units.Both have built up top lvl barracks and overfulll towns (20+k), yet they are not producing anything.

If i see one more misthophoroi phalangita,thureophoroi and mistophoroi hippeis all mercenary made army, i am gonna cry.:help:

Even Getai are fielding those, and they can make better units in barracks.

AI buys all mercs available and is not producing any elite units of theirs.:wall:

Is there a quick fix that we can do on our own? I remember reading that AI gets a cash infusion to balance its lack of proper logical programming.

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Originally Posted by Sygrod

Is there a quick fix that we can do on our own? I remember reading that AI gets a cash infusion to balance its lack of proper logical programming.

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https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=83349
Fixing the AI money script (preliminary tests)

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Originally Posted by LennStar

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=83349
Fixing the AI money script (preliminary tests)

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Those scripts stops infinite stacks , but they are not preventing AI from fielding all mercenary armies though ...it's just way to many mercs available att:no:

Does the AI actually have cost/benefit analysis when approaching whether to hire mercs or use their own units (or is that asking too much of the RTW engine)? If this is the case it would be possible to just raise the prices of mercs and trim AI inflation to sustain quasi-balanced armies.

Mercenary recruitment is total mess right now.
But it will be totaly redone in near feature.
Just hold on a little longer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LorDBulA

Mercenary recruitment is total mess right now.
But it will be totaly redone in near feature.
Just hold on a little longer.

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That's perfect, manyminimethanx =)

BTW, are you going to adjust your money script in near feature?