1.x AI Faction Progression Thread

Olaf is gonna hate me.....
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3361/...22ee8113_o.jpg
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I must say, finally playing a "barbarian" faction has been quite refreshing. No micromanaging your army like a HA faction or spamming pikes and auto-calcing the world into submission like a Hellenic one.
Plus the AI expansion has got to be the best I have ever seen with few, if any, exceptions.
Let's start in the east. At first it seemed that the AS was going to steamroll the whole area, taking Nisa in 265 BC and shoving the Ptolies back, even going so far as to take Alexandreia and Paraitonion by 240 BC. That was roughly the height of their power, as they had all the Eleutheroi defeated in Asia Minor and had pushed into India adn Egypt. Then...well who knows but they have been steadily losing ground ever since. My guess is they gained one enemy too many when the KH, Pontus, and the Maks all declared war on the AS. Baktria soon followed suit by besieging AS territory in India. Even then, the beginning wasn't exactly smooth for the coalition as the AS repulsed the KH and Mak attacks and laid siege to both Amaseia and Baktra. Thankfully both sieges were repulsed and the Ptoles began to mount the comeback, retaking Alexandreia a few years before the first screenshot and as you can see, they are in the process of rebounding up the coast. The biggest surprise is the relation of the steppe factions to the civilized neighbors. Baktria and Saka have actually been at peace for almost 40 years since Pahlava got Marakanda and Saka got Alexandreia-Eschate, with the Saka expanding into Sauro territory and Baktria beginning to flex its muscles in India and Arochasia. Pahlava has held steady and is slowly but surely beginning to take AS settlements now that they seem to be collapsing.
Moving to the center of the map, the big surprise is the demise of the Antigonids. They had the KH down to Sparte and Kydonia when the increasing Epeirote and Getic influence drew their attention and the KH have exploited that to the tune of uniting Hellas and Makedonia and attacking Epeiros. But it wasn't the KH who pulled the final blow. That, you see, goes to the Getai, who took Ambrakia from the Maks, also splitting the Epeirotes in half as well. This is possible because amazingly, the Sauro are at peace with the Getai so the AI is not continually trying to take Skythia. Also, the Hai are not trying to expand into the steppe b/c they are allied with the Saka.
In my neck of the woods I found a fun dynamic to set up. After the initial Arveni/Aedui war I managed to get a peace with the Aedui and then, when I was able to afford a new army in 260 BC I marched on Roma. I took Segesta (Segesitcia? the Ligurian province), Arretium, Roma, and Capua, giving Segesta, Arretium, and Roma to the Aedui and Capua to the Epeirotes, leaving the Romans with Arminium and Arpi. In 256 BC I built a small fleet in Capua's facilities, gave away the respective provinces, and my victorious warband did much celebrating. Over the next 30 years Rome kicked out the Epeirotes but began the eternal Punic War after Carthage unified Sicily. The Aedui, after losing Rome, held on nicely against the Romans, developing a nice back and forth where they would occasionally take Arminium, besiege Roma, then the Romans would come back and retake what was lost, sometimes taking Arretium back but inevitably losing it again. Southern Italy became rather lawless as it continually switched between Punic and Italian hands, with the occasional KH siege of Taras. However Carthage, by virtue of really desiring Arretium, has upended the balance and seems to be in danger of taking the whole peninsula, not to mention wiping out my green fellow celts. This will lead to obvious retaliation by me as I really would have liked it all to last another 10 years or so to ensure I could secure the Iberian peninsula. Thankfully I've reduced the Luso to raids as their two largest armies were crushed in mega-battles and they have lost enough FMs that they are not sending merc streams after me, though the fact that they haven't been able to keep Carthage off the peninsula might have something to do with that too.
All in all, a very enjoyable campaign to date.

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Originally Posted by LordCurlyton

Olaf is gonna hate me.....

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Grabs Axe and shields... Ur right I DO!!!!!!!:furious3::furious3::furious3::furious3::furious3:
U freaking left the Aedui alive before me the Sweboz!!!

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Originally Posted by LordCurlyton

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3361/...22ee8113_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/...be0a3e86_o.jpg
I must say, finally playing a "barbarian" faction has been quite refreshing. No micromanaging your army like a HA faction or spamming pikes and auto-calcing the world into submission like a Hellenic one.

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At least u got teh sense to see y barbarians kick ass.
BTW WOAH at the Saka

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Originally Posted by Olaf Blackeyes

U freaking left the Aedui alive before me the Sweboz!!!

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Sweboz is still alive in East Europe

Oh.... uhhh yeah srry

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Originally Posted by Olaf Blackeyes

Oh.... uhhh yeah srry

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But if it wasn't for a lucky revolt HE WOULD HAVE KILLED YOUUUU!

That's a rather spiffing AI expansion on all sides, except the Getai (WTF? How would such a position even be remotely feasable?). Congratulations.

B/c getai is allied to kh and not at war with epeiros....yet.

Some really great AI expansion, I especially like the East. Also good to see Carthage being more expansionistic in Italy. But how come Kyrene belonging to KH? Naval Invasion or what?

I wondered that too but since the Ptolies invaded Rhodes a couple times I figured the KH just counter-invaded.

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Originally Posted by Mediolanicus

previous posts from 226 and 218

https://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e..._G/SPQR226.jpg

https://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e..._G/SPQR218.jpg

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SPQR 212 and 202 BC

https://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e..._G/SPQR212.jpg

https://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e..._G/SPQR202.jpg


I had to force the Sweboz back over the alps and I gave some of the conquered settlements to the Casse and Arverni.
I kept those three Alpine settlements for myself. The Sweboz are almost back to the strenght they were 30 years earlier.
Epeiros was once down to 2 settlements. Now they are seiging the last KH settlement. They are sending stacks to Lesbos too.
Macedon was my ally and was doing well. Then they backstabbed me. Now they are doing not so well anymore.
I once held Hadrumentum, Tingi and Kirta too, but suddenly Carthaginian fullstacks turned up out of the desert... The war has been going up and down since then. I don't where those sacred band and elite pikes keep coming from...
It is only a matter of time before Luso will attack me, I know.

265BC:
https://img258.imageshack.us/img258/3845/265bcbn9.jpg

250BC:
https://img172.imageshack.us/img172/5659/250bczj8.jpg

240BC:
https://img407.imageshack.us/img407/8949/240bcgd8.jpg

230BC:
https://img255.imageshack.us/img255/4140/230bchz9.jpg

220BC:
https://img160.imageshack.us/img160/8201/220bcmg9.jpg

Notes:

I'm Makedonia.

Rome's lack of expansion after taking Syracuse seems to be because it is completely tied up fighting the Aedui, who have taken Mediolanum three times so far. The Aedui are quite nasty, as they are on a major offensive against Rome while simultaneously holding their own against Lusitania and Sweboz and conquering Rhaetia in their spare time.

Since being kicked out of Sicily, Carthage has been at peace with everyone and it still took them fifteen years to capture Mauretania. Likewise, the Arverni went to peace with everyone once they lost their provinces in Gaul, despite having five or six full stacks sitting in Galatia and having four neighbors, but they've finally woken up and gone to war with Pontus.

The Pahlava were pushing really hard into the Seleucids from the start, but they weren't getting anywhere until the Seleucids suddenly decided to sacrifice everything to try and retake Antioch from Pontus. They basically put five full stacks in Syria while leaving the rest of their empire defenseless... and they still couldn't manage to take Antioch. I ended up conquering it and Tarsos for them (they're my only ally, so I felt obliged) when they were down to two provinces left in the east. Most of the Seleucid empire fell within a span of ten turns.

Baktria was invading India when it suddenly withdrew its armies and went back to war with the Saka, seemingly only because the Baktrian king really wanted his kingdom to resemble a cow's head.

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Originally Posted by Varam

Baktria was invading India when it suddenly withdrew its armies and went back to war with the Saka, seemingly only because the Baktrian king really wanted his kingdom to resemble a cow's head.

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jujajajjajajajajjaa LOL!

that's one of the best jokes I have seen around here. keep it up.

btw, that's an amazing pontus/parthian expansions. incredible.

regards

Nice comeback! And the Parthian/Baktrian/Pontos/Hayasdan/Sweboz/Aedui (Sweet Zombie Jesus!) expansions are all awesome, and the way the Seleukids have collapsed into just Syria (As in reality) is terrific. A+ expansion, and as a result, you get a balloon. :balloon2:

Love Pahlava! But.....:inquisitive: ...... either the last beer was one too many, or Baktria really took the shape of Mickey Mouse :fainting:

My Arverni campaign so far:

270BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...3-46-58-20.jpg

265BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...0-49-11-59.jpg

260BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...8-30-06-93.jpg

255BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...7-05-40-23.jpg

250BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...0-13-42-99.jpg

245BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...7-20-19-04.jpg

240BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...0-03-23-87.jpg

235BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...3-02-16-96.jpg

230BC
https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/...1-13-56-55.jpg

Casse: normal expansion, maybe even better than usually. The fact that they got reforms because of me might have helped. Still have no idea why they don't conquer the last settlement in Ireland having 3 fullstacks there.

Aedui: kicked out of Gaul early in order to unify the place. Left them be in Mediolanum and they were sitting there doing nothing. Only recently, when a settlement of Sweboz rebelled to them after my raid, they started doing something.

Lusotannan: very slow expansion. Got annihilated because of the conflict over Celtiberia (though it was very bloody).

Sweboz: nice expansion. Recently decided to attack me, so I sent an army to raid their settlements and set them half a century back.

Romans: expanded agressively towards me so I organized a raid to raise the Northern Italy. After that they concentrated on Alps and wars with Carthage in Sicily.

Carthage: slowly united their African provinces. Got into war with Massalia (my ally) over Arse and got kicked out of Iberia. Now fighting romans.

Epeiros/Makedonia/KH: I like the stalemate there a lot. None seems to be getting the upper hand which is very nice.

Getai: slow but confident expansion. At war with Sauromatae since the beggining of the time. Thought it seems that war is going at skirmishing level.

Sauromatae: very nice expansion till the Hayasdan decided that they like steppes too much.

Pontus: one of the best expansions I've ever seen! Currently at war with Seleukia.

Ptolemaioi: long stalemate with Seleukia. Later joined Pontus in their strike against the Arche. Now trying to defend Mesopotamia.

Hayasdan: would be nice if not their love for the steppes.

Seleukia: were defending well till Pontos decided to conquer Asia Minor. Still holding in the East and trying to reconquer Mesopotamia.

Pahlava: struggling to expand as Arche is holding her ground.

Bakria/Saka: eternal struggle prohibiting these two factions to expand.

Saba: as usual.

I think the Hai problem could be solved by having the two nations start at peace with each other. In my Arveni campaign, once the Saka took over the Hai lost any interest in the steppes and is instead trying to take the much richer Pontic territories. I also think the Getai should be at peace with the Sauro too. Wasn't it primarily Scythians that were raiding both peoples and not the coalition of tribes the Sauro represent?

THIS!!! ^^^^
I have always wondered why the hell the Hai start at war with a bunch of steppes peoples. Has the EB team tested this yet?

Well if you read a bunch of the Hai descriptions as you encounter them (playing as or conquering) you are informed that raids by steppe people (Scythians) were common. The same can be said of the Getai. I would guess they made they made the decision: A) Long ago, meant to change it, but it was low on the list and got lost in the shuffle, or B) Because its the only steppe faction around and provided some incentive for the Sauromatae to expand south and west.
Personally, since the Sauromatae were driving the Scythians before them I think it is wrong to have them start at war with both the Getai and the Hai. I figure one way or another they will get around to it.

https://img160.imageshack.us/img160/6276/maphs1.png
Here's my campaign at 215 BC

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3449/...ab97b365_o.jpg
Well Olaf, you can take comfort in the fact that those smelly not-really-Sweboz half-breeds that revolted from the Sauromatae kept your faction going. They have now officially outlasted the Aedui because apparently they were *green* with envy *nyuk nyuk nyuk*. Once I deal with the Carthage Issue (as you can see, by giving their turf to the Romans) I intend to engage in the final battle against the Casse and become Lord of the Riverdan....err...Gauls. I'll eventually have to head east and tangle with the Getai, freeing my Boii cousins from Getic dominion, plus I'll have to venture into super-Eleutheroi lands for more unique units.
My spy + war campaign against the Carthies is starting to yield fruit. They had gotten thr Romans down to Arminium and were besieging it when I decided to go on the offensive. As you can see, I've taken Rome, this time for good, and have smacked their primary armies around, killing many high-experience FMs. This has allowed me to trigger a revolt in Messana and Syracuse, while the KH's abiding desire for Taras has led them to siege and conquer it. As it stands I'm hoping to get a new dynamic going with Rome vs KH vs Carthage, but I admit that will be hard to do. I also hope to be able to convince the Romans to move their capital onto Africa so i can buy their mainland stuff, then I will conquer and give them Carthie and Ptolie lands until they pass the magic 20 mark and can hopefully get the Marians.
The AS continues to fall slowly, though they hang on in Sidon and actually lost then retook Palmyra, so it seems like they are going to fight until the bitter end as they are steadily losing their more distant settlements. Hai/Pontus continues to be inconclusive, though its been the Hai pressing the assault and Pontus lifting sieges. The Getai and Epeiros are now at war and I'm rooting for the brown dudes. KH is wearing down the Maks, prolly since the Romans managed to get the March of Time off before things went to total pot for them.
On a side note, I edited the EBBS such that Pahlava will now get govparthian in appropriate territories (plus some bonus ones in Baktria and Asia Minor) when they conquer the settlements. Maybe now we'll get to see some real Parthian armies assuming they take another city, which they should. Would be nice to see those beautiful Persian hoplites in action by the AI.

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Originally Posted by Olaf The Great

https://img160.imageshack.us/img160/6276/maphs1.png
Here's my campaign at 215 BC

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Early british colonisation of Africa xD. You're just 2000 years early..

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Originally Posted by Olaf The Great

https://img160.imageshack.us/img160/6276/maphs1.png
Here's my campaign at 215 BC

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WTF THE AS HAS BECOME HAI?!?!!?

Nice Baktria/KH LordKurlyton
Nice Pontos/Getai/Epeiros Olaf
Pahlava looks a mess in Silence Hunter's game xD

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Originally Posted by Olaf Blackeyes

WTF THE AS HAS BECOME HAI?!?!!?

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Hai conquered into the steppes, Pontus and AS conquered them.

The Persian Trousers of the Pahlavans must be brown.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/...a32e79dc_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/...44d9bd94_o.jpg
Mission Accomplished as far as replacing Carthage and relocating Rome goes, plus getting them the Marians. I found it to be much easier to just spend liberally and buy up the Ptolemaioi turf piecemeal and then bribe the first few armies that they inevitably sent to reclaim their goods so that Rome could build up in their new territory. Now Rome is going solo and churning out Marian legionnaires from multiple MICs. They may actually be able to beat the Ptolies straight up now as they can send waves of troops towards the Levant while the Ptolies must split their attention but the Romans have annihilated some pretty mean stacks on their own, though. They've tried navally invading a few times but they haven't used their big ships to do so and I wipe out the small stuff each time. The time between attempts is slowly growing so I think the AI is learning.
But apparently Rome is not quite as interested in Ethiopia as they are halfheartedly fighting the Saba, which has let them catch a reprieve and even go on the offensive (note Charax in their possession).
The Getai are starting to win vs Epeiros, though from what I can tell the current situation has perpetual stalemate written all over it. I bribed and tricked my way into Noricum and intend a similar plan for the Lugians. The Boii homeland will be interesting though, with its 5 full stacks wandering around. the Getai made some threatening moves as soon as I took the Noricene super-city but some timely bribery and they haven't been back since.
The Hai have managed to snag Sinope from Pontus but no more. Pontus has failed to develop ANY MICs outside of their starting province:no:. Maks, KH, Ptolies go back and forth, with Ptolies with the advantage so far.
Baktria has become the Big Bloated Blue Behemoth and is in the process of finishing up its Parthian stew, though the last chunks are rather grisly. the still remain at peace with the Saka amazingly.
But the single biggest surprise of the whole campaign happened the turn before the screenshot: the Casse invaded. And no, it wasn't the script, since as you can see they lack the unified British Isles to trigger the script. They computer AI actually invaded me. Ponder that, if you will. THE CASSE AI ACTUALLY FREAKIN' LAUNCHED A NAVAL INVASION AGAINST ME!!!*loves BI-exe*
Now I have my excuse to go whomp some British butt.

EDIT:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/...8a2b0ce9_o.jpg
Forget the 202 BC pic, heh.

That aught to be the most fascinating AI expansion ever seen...

A :balloon2: for you, sir.

Romani campaign, 243 b.c.
https://img172.imageshack.us/img172/7118/243us3.png

Surprisingly good Casse expansion. Good Sweboz expansion, Aedui are getting an upper hand against Arverni. Epirotes are doing ok, but Maks and KH are still at stalemate since the start, Maks at least are doing something at Asia Minor, KH are totally passive. AS are doing very good - they've completely kicked the Ptolies out of Asia Minor and Phoenicia, while fighting Hai and Pahlava at the same time. Saba are doing better than usual, they are sending some forces to Egypt proper, but so far without success. The Ptolies on the other hand are in a dangerous position. They are fighting Saba and AS, but recently the Carthagenians attacked them as well, after the Ptolies took Kyrene from them.

Romani
Winter, 215 BC
https://i259.photobucket.com/albums/.../romani215.jpg

After I kicked some Swebos a** they have been quite reasonable neighbors.
Lusotanan decided that it's fun to accept peace and the next turn to attack me again. I didn't get the joke and reduced them to Tyde only. (Public order in Oxtraca is >> :wall:)
Macedon have been very good ally for a very long time. I think more than 50 years now. They are doing quite well after my brilliantly planned war against Epeiros.
Epeiros.. well.. this happens when sending stacks after stacks against Macedon and Getai and I declare war on them.
Seleucids have held their own for some time. Quite annoying actually! They are starting to recruit stacks with Argyraspides and Hypaspistai and those Agema guys!!
Ptolemaioi will loose Side this season and after that I head towards Antiocheia. In the same time 2 legions with auxiliaries are heading towards Paraitonion and Alexandreia. After I had recruited some Quincuiremes my income dropped I think from 60000mnai per turn to 35000mnai!!! :dizzy2:
Pontos and Hayasdan are.. well.. boring as usual.
Qarthadastimis Numidia now without any armies or money. Kind of like it.
Baktria, Pahlava and Saka are fighting against each other. I think that is one of the reasons why Seleucids have managed to hold most of their settlements.
KH haven't done much. I tried to help them and used 'move_character' to send 2 of their full stacks to Chersonesos hoping they will take some Sauro lands but no. They just sit there and do nothing! :wall:
Sauromatae are doing well against Hayasdan but loosing against Sweboz.
Casse is Casse.
Saba is Saba.

And about that Eleutheroi army. I know that barbarians are poor but please... get some clothes on!!
I don't know what I should do when I fight against that army. Be afraid or laugh! :laugh4:
The First Army of Nudists!