In Kingdoms campaigns, retrofit, and LTC I have been having mostly field battles. I rarely am defending, however; and often have to chase the enemy down. If your army is percieved as being smaller/weaker the AI may be more apt to come out and attack. Often I see it massing to attack a settlement but then it will chicken out when I send a few reinforcements in. The AI is usually, slow, stupid, and cowardly. A good example are the Timurids have been the biggest disapointment ever in my current game. As the Scots I have been eager to stick those elephants with my pikes but with 4+ stacks the Timurids can't breach the walls. They refuse to use their big guns. Two rocket units do 51 percent damage to Antioch's walls. The stupid elephant's walk up to the gates and sit there (firing? causing no damage or casualties) until the fire arrows make them run amuk or they are all killed. The one tower they build burns or their men can't take the wall. The battering rams just sit there and never move? After being reduced to 2 stacks with their bombards intact they just wander around separately and apparently aimlessly until I put them out of thier misery out of boredom. I hope Stainless Steel is better.