BI and ALEX

[Parallel Pain]

How does BI.exe compare with ALEX.exe and how are they different from original?

[Tito Pullo]

Bi has better naval invasions. Alex, seems to have improvements in the diplomacy, although ai continues being stupid, in fact it didn't notice much difference between the three, the performance seems to me the same (time of load and between turns).
Personally I prefer bi, ai seems more aggressive (just my opinion I've played the 3 exes).

[overweightninja]

Personally I prefer bi, ai seems more aggressive (just my opinion I've played the 3 exes).

Ditto, ALX is pretty nice to use but I remember reading that is causes problems for the AI because of the retraining and stuff. Not really worth it for the improvements over BI (or even RTW) for that matter.
BI gets a little annoying when the AI spams 1-2 unit stacks in amphibious invasions but I can live with that :)
Cheers

[Brasidas]

ALX has has had good and agressive PR from Maximus recently. But after couple of tests with alx.exe I am rather sceptical about abilities of that engine. In comparision to BI, on strategic level AI with Alex is lazy as ketchup.

To be honest, I must admit I have noticed better organisation of defence in cities. I am still not sure in the matter of tendency to merge armies as well as to retrain troops.

Anyhow is hard choice between more cultured (little euphemism) but predictable AI in ALEX and more savage and erratic (especially at sea) in BI.

[Maksimus]

Sorry, I did not want to jump here. The naval use on ALX.exe is on a massive scale, KH, Carthage and Macedon, Egypt and Epeiros are shiping one afther the other even 15+ units (as I have posted in the ALXEB thread, there you can clearly see that KH is shiping 13+ units from Rhodos to Sparte to fight Macedon during the whole campaign all troops from Rhodos are shiped to Greece). The same issue is with Carthage and Sicily to Spain, or Egypt from Alexanderia to Salamis and Asia Minor, Macedons to Lesbos.. etc)

I palyed on BI very shortly so I can not comment it (do it has features RTW and ALX do not : LIke S_wall, swiming... +.. but ALX.exe has Legion names too, Night battles.. etc)

In any case, BI and ALX are far better than RTW.exe

[overweightninja]

Sorry, I did not want to jump here. The naval use on ALX.exe is on a massive scale, KH, Carthage and Macedon, Egypt and Epeiros are shiping one afther the other even 15+ units (as I have posted in the ALXEB thread, there you can clearly see that KH is shiping 13+ units from Rhodos to Sparte to fight Macedon during the whole campaign all troops from Rhodos are shiped to Greece). The same issue is with Carthage and Sicily to Spain, or Egypt from Alexanderia to Salamis and Asia Minor, Macedons to Lesbos.. etc)

I palyed on BI very shortly so I can not comment it (do it has features RTW and ALX do not : LIke S_wall, swiming... +.. but ALX.exe has Legion names too, Night battles.. etc)

In any case, BI and ALX are far better than RTW.exe

Was wondering what was taking you so long to show up Maksimus
Seeing as you're here anyway, perhaps you'd be kind enough to help me with something that's on topic.
As I've said above, I remember when I was looking at you're work with ALX towards the beginning, there was a problem with the AI retraining (well not in itself a problem but it was making AI expansion a nightmare no)? That was what put me off using ALX when I tried the first time around. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you've found a workaround for that, but I understand you're now working on the ALEX mod fix to some of these problems. I did take a look at the section on the mod and trawled through about ten pages of the thread but its not something I have the time to go through from start to end really
Anyway, I was able to pick up that you have modified the script somewhat, or added a new one(?), have tweaked some upkeep costs and stuff too, but it is quite vague, also from looking in the package itself it looks like you have added some new units possibly (I see some RTR material in there)?
Anyway before I go and fanny around making yet another RTW install, could you please say what it is your ALEX mod basically does/changes in addition to the features inherent within the ALX.exe, or point me to somewhere in the main thread that does that I may have missed?
Cheers mate

[olly]

Personally I'd go for ALEX.

I does seem to harder for the smaller factions to make gains against each other (especially the guals) but they expand okayish into rebel areas. I like this as it means I don't have to worry so much about a faction getting wiped out before i turn up but Rome and Carthage still end up expanding aggressivly if you leave them long enough. Plus the Selucids and Ptolomy's seem to have more of a stalemate for longer.

I also think the battlefield AI is a bit better in the field and a fair bit better in the cities.

Finally I kicked Carthage out of Iberia and got a stack of 14 units get shipped over which was a bit of a surprise I can tell you. Only happened once though (I usually only play the first 30-40 years of a campaign on h/m).

[Tito Pullo]

There is really no big diference between these exes, Its only some minor changes and a few new features. We can't assure which one is better.

[Lysander13]

I personally prefer to play with the BI executable. Not necessarily however because I deem it the more "intelligent" of the 3 exe's. Rather because of the functions it permits..ie..hording, unit formations/abilities, night battles, religion and such. Some of these functions like swimming units, the AI of course doesn't use very well but I like having more options just the same. Some of these alex.exe has and others not, where as rtw.exe doesn't have most of these but things like night battles can be enabled. As far as an actual difference in "intelligence" between the 3 whether it's campaign and certainly battle field AI goes? The difference IMHO, is negligable at best. Besides the aforementioned differences the only thing of note IMO is that naval invasions are certainly more active with BI and Alex than they are with RTW. However I have not experienced any differences of note in naval activity between Alex and BI.

[Maksimus]

Was wondering what was taking you so long to show up Maksimus
Seeing as you're here anyway, perhaps you'd be kind enough to help me with something that's on topic.
As I've said above, I remember when I was looking at you're work with ALX towards the beginning, there was a problem with the AI retraining (well not in itself a problem but it was making AI expansion a nightmare no)? That was what put me off using ALX when I tried the first time around. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you've found a workaround for that, but I understand you're now working on the ALEX mod fix to some of these problems. I did take a look at the section on the mod and trawled through about ten pages of the thread but its not something I have the time to go through from start to end really
Anyway, I was able to pick up that you have modified the script somewhat, or added a new one(?), have tweaked some upkeep costs and stuff too, but it is quite vague, also from looking in the package itself it looks like you have added some new units possibly (I see some RTR material in there)?
Anyway before I go and fanny around making yet another RTW install, could you please say what it is your ALEX mod basically does/changes in addition to the features inherent within the ALX.exe, or point me to somewhere in the main thread that does that I may have missed?
Cheers mate

To be short, Finall ALXEB mod will come soon (it's just that I am implementing new features and will release the Beta 3 anytime now )

AI with vanilla EB using ALX.exe is expanding almost the same pace as RTW.exe but there are retraining featrues that AI uses only when he has enough men (for example, only Pella and some high population cities can do this - Pella because population is scripted).

But what is in mind is that the human player should have much harder time winning and taking the capitol (I might say that capitols are very important in ALXEB mod) thus destroying the faction. That is why we made population to be scripted in all capitols so that AI could retrain when he can (plus to that we made the EBBS keeping AI above minus and not with more money than he needs). That slowed down

We took many steps to slow the vast expansion after making an overall much more developed World that is closer to the historic time scale (now, most cities have stone_walls, and many regions paved_roads and developed infrastructiure and ports, barracks are only larger in the capitols.. etc)

We made Attalid Kingdom and Illyrian Kingdom and Crimea Greek kingdom alive using ALX.exe features and RTR generals.

ALEX mod basically changes vast issues in addition to the features inherent within the ALX.exe. We use the features that can specify the handpicked Campaing and battle generals (that is why we have RTR and Alexander generals in the game - that is, we can implement as many new generals as there are characters ), we use immortal trait for most rebel generals (so that when you reach India you fight against one which is much harder)

We will implement some new Romas Surrectum 2 units that RS team will give us kindly. Legion names..But basicly, a mod for veterans and all EB fans that want chalenge and vast wars, slower expansion (with more overall developed World from the start) etc.,

I am yet to make a preview

edit: I havent been playing BI much so I cant comment really - I just think ALX.exe is faster than BI.exe

[Tito Pullo]

We made Attalid Kingdom and Illyrian Kingdom and Crimea Greek kingdom alive using ALX.exe features and RTR generals

Did you add 3 new factions? , and I like the idea of using RS legions.
I'm looking forward to play alexeb.

Btw:A mod using alx or bi features starting in 100 bc could be great.

[Maksimus]

We did not add new factions (as I am not really sure it is possible )

What we did is that we handpicked the generals for a certain region. For Illyria we added RTR blue genera, (or RTR illyrian general), for Attalid kingdom we used RTR macedon general, for Crimean one we used other.. etc...

See, we might try to implement new faction for EB 11 if alexander allows it (to tell you the truth, I belive no one yet even tried to implement more factions into ALX.exe based game )

Anyway, we wont use RS legions.. or not yet, I very much like the EB ones
Why are RS legions better?

[Tito Pullo]

EB legions are very good, but would be cool to have diferent legions, same eb models with some minor changes ( of course no LS),like diferent shield logos,standartes and recruiting zones. The equipment must be the same.
Instead of using the l name feature, the legion name is in the unit name (similar to RS).
sorry my english is very limited, but I'm learning

[Parallel Pain]

What religions does BI have?

Do the generals have loyalty?

Is it compatible with first cohort/elephant/phalanx mod? If not can someone combine the two (or teach me how to)?

[Tito Pullo]

Eb doesn't have bi religion system implemented (lots of changes required), and yes, bi is compatible with fanatic mod and every unnofficial mod (exept alxeb).
EB is made for rtw, so any new feature implemented from BI and ALX (except naval invasions) must be
implemented by a modder.

[overweightninja]

What religions does BI have?

Do the generals have loyalty?

Is it compatible with first cohort/elephant/phalanx mod? If not can someone combine the two (or teach me how to)?

1. Religions are not implemented in EB
2. Same again
3. The .exe you use by itself will make no difference to this mod, as long as your EB install itself doesn't change you'll be okay.

Cheers

EDIT Grr Tito Pullo too fast for me (well I'm too slow :D)

[Parallel Pain]

Wait so if you take the enemy capital the faction is destroyed in Alex?

And the Alex campaign AI is "lazy as a ketchup"?

[Tito Pullo]

Check your private messages
A faction is destroyed in rtw,bi & alex when you capture the last settlement, the last settlement is always the capital

[Parallel Pain]

That I did

just wanting some more opinions on the AI, right now it seems the BI campaign AI has an edge and there's not really dif in battle.

[Visitor13]

I haven't played with Alex far enough, but in BI half of the Casse army always loads up on their sole ship, sails to the north coast of Gaul and never disembarks.
Meanwhile, absolutely nothing happens in the sole Casse province. Nothing at all. The whole faction effectively freezes.

This is enough for me to write off BI as an engine for EB completely.

With Alex, Casse AI seems much more reasonable, it recruits units and makes what seems like attempts at conquering the nearby rebeles. But like I said, I haven't played with Alex long enough.

[Atraphoenix]

I hate capital sytem. Historically, Romans sacked Ctesiphon more than 3 times. Carthage survied a few years after the sack of carthage.

AS lost Seleukeia to parthians and survived many decades after it.

for me unfair ...

And I will do my best to disable that function that ı reaaly find it unhistorical.

[||Lz3||]

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the advantage of using alexander exe is really noticeable , and the ammount of things you could do with it its also amazing , but unfortunately I lack the modding skills/creativity/time to create a full quality mod

there were several things incluided in the alex.exe rtw like
330 unit slots instead of 255 -the hardcoded limit in rtw.exe- so you can fill your game with A LOT of new units if you know how to model or even adding units from other mods (as I did , but since I doubt the other mod teams will give me rights for their units I can't release a version of that)
Sort of Moddable campaign AI -you can force a faction NOT to attack another one, don't knwo if this could be implemented somehow
Substansially faster loading times (when loading EB - its about 30 seconds faster than rtw in my computer)

[Atraphoenix]

yes AI is very good in Alex.exe but I hate retraining ability to stop it you always annihilate the enemy
otherwise you will face them again with full stock!
even Jesus could not do better to revive a full army OMG!

[satalexton]

they don't do that as often as you think, n they don't usually re-inflate entire stacks too. It's either the cheapest ones or the best ones they priotitize on, or if they're out of cash they just merge in cheap units and etc

[Atraphoenix]

hm. this consoled me a bit , even yes very logical, one more question does alex just retrain in cities or no need to, namely in open field without entering a city?

[satalexton]

they retrain their units indide cities D= dunno where'd u get that strange idea from =/

[Maion Maroneios]

I have been thinking, wouldn't it be great if there could be a sort of ''hybrid'' executable, like BI and ALEX together? I mean, you would have cool AI cmpaign behaviour and the cool BI extra's, not to mention both balanced attacking as well as defending amphibious assaults. The latter (BI features) is the reason I prefer that cerain executable, as I have anabled hording, warcry and shieldwall. I haven't bothered with the rest, as they require tons of work (religion) and make the game unstable (schiltrom).

Anyway, I guess we can't have it all, do we?

Maion