Random Naval Usage.

**Youngie** · 03-19-2008, 18:33

Im guessing were all in agreeance that the AI's management of its fleet is at best capable. One of the most frequent and cringeable sights to see is the neighboring ships that frequently have no strategic purpose, and are at a lower if not basic level to your own. They pose no threat and are sitting ducks. Large single stacked fleets also show how the AI has a complete disregard for strategic positioning , they are confined and unapproachable, what possible good would become of this. Unless it was a single delivery.

Now this is on the MTW GOLD i realise a lot of you are playing with the XL and vanilla mods, but shouldnt there be some sound logic in the what the AI executes. There is such a vast gap between it success in its endeavors on both land and then at sea. Surely using game theory on sea movements is simpler than land movements. As im aware that i dont know the actually inner working of the game or the specific processes it undertakes but there must be a reasoning for this, or am i just asking to much of an ageing game .

**BananaBob** · 03-20-2008, 04:26

They are trade fleets dude. If you have a link of water territories to a coastal provenance then you get a trade bonus. The more coasts you are connected to the more money you make. The AI is just setting down some non hostile trade fleets made of cheap ships.

**Jxrc** · 03-20-2008, 11:48

The AI does some weird stuffs when managing its fleets.

Often You see IA ships occupying sea square without any purpose cause they:

- do not connect one of the AI's port with a foreign one;
- do not protect the AI's territory; and,
- do not enable the AI to land an army.

Have seen plenty of times Sicilian and Byz galleys in the North Sea without creating a trade route or anything. A bit weird but it seems to me that AI factions producing ships in the Med have a tendency to move them clockwise without any justification. It's a bit as if the AI was trying to build a trade route "backward" by first putting its ships at the end of the trade route to later reconnect those to its ports with additional ships (that it almost never produces for some reason).

**Caerfanan** · 03-21-2008, 12:15

... and then you forget this Byz dromon ship (= very hard to catch) in the baltic sea, start a war in the south agaisnt the byz.. and get massive rebellions up north... And a dromon going from Skaggerak to Baltic, unharmed by your bulky caravels...

I always thought that was the AI purpose.

**Brave** · 03-26-2008, 17:52

I find the navy to be buggy in every TW game. Not good

**Heidrek** · 03-27-2008, 23:33

I wish I knew how Ship combat worked. Is it just a numbers add up? What advatage does the "leaders" command stat give? does 1 command = +1/+1 to all ships in the stack? 2 command give +1/+1?

The leaders command rating seems to make big difference. I had a 9 caravel stack lead by a 3* commander destroyed by a fleet of 15 Barques with a 5* commander, without loss! and what does Strenth and Power stats mean?

**caravel** · 03-28-2008, 00:09

Well... this has been debated at length in the past and you can make a decent sized thread on the subject. But just when you think you understand it another factor pops up to blow your argument out of the water (excuse the pun).

Ship combat can be quite unpredictable and the ins and outs of stacking or not stacking ships has been a matter of much debate in the past.

Also as you have said the flagship's command rating seems to be the principle factor in determining victory in most cases.

**Youngie** · 03-28-2008, 01:18

Is there a list of the most hazardous seas in MTW. How does ship sinking occur, and what factors are behind this.

**Heidrek** · 03-28-2008, 02:24

There is an anecdotal suggestion that the higher tech the ship the less likely to sink it is. Reading the description of the vessel tells you something about it's functiona dn also mention something about it's stability at sea, but there is nothing quantifyable that I know of. Pretty much just a random event like a plague or other factor that can occur in sea spaces. Any ships in that space have a chance to sink as far as I know.

**Youngie** · 03-28-2008, 04:02

Originally Posted by Heidrek

There is an anecdotal suggestion that the higher tech the ship the less likely to sink it is. Reading the description of the vessel tells you something about it's functiona dn also mention something about it's stability at sea, but there is nothing quantifyable that I know of. Pretty much just a random event like a plague or other factor that can occur in sea spaces. Any ships in that space have a chance to sink as far as I know.

This could be true, but i have noticed that there are certain seas/lanes that do sink ships more frequently. Has anyone else noticed this at all. In my view portugal an the irish sea, even the north sea, are all prime candidates for this theory. no!