Unit upkeep cost balancing

[Garnier]

I was always annoyed that a unit of knights that could demolish 10 units of peasants, only cost 2 or 3 times as much upkeep. So, I've just gone through and completely rebalanced the upkeeps, so that they are all 1/4 of the unit's cost. So, a unit of chivalric knights that costs 675 to recruit, costs 170 to upkeep. And a unit of peasants that costs 50 to recruit, costs 13 upkeep. I know that's almost nothing, but peasants do almost nothing in battle. So now, I can't have solid armies of knights everywhere without having monetary problems.


The other problem I've always had though, is that the AI is deplorable at getting money. They just never have enough. What I can't figure out though, is how to give extra money to the AI. I generally have enough for myself, even when I don't do the "big trade" from the baltic to the black.

What do people suggest?

[Youngie]

The other problem I've always had though, is that the AI is deplorable at getting money.

This is so true. The AI use of money is pitiful. As ive said on occasions, i have no clue about modding the game but couldnt hero creator be used. You could give all nations a hero or two, at set dates. this hero should be acumen based, maybe that would help it use its money more wisely. im not sure. Sorry if that was just a load of dribble.

[caravel]

The problem with increasing upkeeps is that you will stifle the AI. The biggest problem the single province factions (Danes, Aragonese) and the Poles face is the upkeep of newly matured heirs. Most of these factions go into the red after a few turns which is why you very rarely seem them expand. In fact any faction that is cornered and pushed back into one province will face the same problem. This is why upkeep is better left at a reasonable level.

The AI is a poor trader in that it fails to establish trade routes and moves it's ships around all over the map for no apparent reason. The player on the other hand can abuse trade in MTW and rake in a massive income. To counter this trade income can be slashed and import tax increased. Farming income can also be improved as can the income from other structures. Bodyguard unit support costs can also be reduced with initial training costs and training prerequisites increased a little.

[Great Est.]

What about completely unbalancing the upkeep aspect by boosting farming income to ludicrously high levels. In effect, this would free the AI to build whatever it wants, whenever it wants. Such AI armies would post a much tougher test to seasoned MTW players. The financial management aspect of the game would suffer, of course, but perhaps this would be an acceptable tradeoff for some.

[Garnier]

If I could figure out a way to get rid of my money in a balanced way as well.

[Garnier]

I just went and added 100 to the base income of farms (so instead of 120, 140 etc its 220, 240 etc) and made them all cost 5 florins and 1 turn. I also set the AI priorities to 500 for all situations. Now if I don't build them at all, and destroy them when I take a region with one, hopefully the AI will get lots more money than me.

[Ironside]

You can also change the import number, from 20(%) to at least 100(%) (I have only gone up to 60though), this will make your trade network boost the income massively for all factions you trade with.

Edit: Oh, caravel has suggested the same thing.

[Garnier]

You can also change the import number, from 20(%) to at least 100(%) (I have only gone up to 60though), this will make your trade network boost the income massively for all factions you trade with.

What file is this in? I don't see it in the build_prod.

Also I'd like to decrease trade income as well, if you'd tell me how.

EDIT: I found it, in startpos of course..

[caravel]

You can both lower trade goods values and increase import tax. That way when you establish trade routes you are empowering AI factions. This adds a whole new dynamic to the game. If you use 100% tax the trade become totally bidirectional which helps the AI even more as it means only one of the factions needs to establish the shipping and trading post for both to trade. Also port provinces without their own trade goods can make a lot of money acting as trading hubs.

You can also add more or less goods, or resources in the startpos file and can remove the pretty useless inland trade resources from provinces such as Muscovy. These goods can be relocated to adjacent coastal provinces to represent them being carried across land to the nearest port. Another example of landlocked trade goods are those in Syria. You can remove these but a hardcoded event will always add (I think) spices and another I can't recall at a certain date.

[Garnier]

I've done this, putting import income at 80. My current game (as the danes...) without using farms at all and with decreased trade (cut in half) is really a challenge. I started in the high period, and now it's 1306 and I've been slowly warring with England most of the time. I kill tons of their men but they always seem to have more. Someday I'll take Mercia and then conquer it altogether..

[Brave]

The reason as to why they always have more is because by killing them they have less upkeep and can afford to recruit more. Kill them now I say.

[Garnier]

Instead of removing farms, now I've turned Inns into a farmland building instead of what they were. They double the farm income of a province, and cost 5 florins, take 1 turn to build, and all AI behaviours build them first. Then, I simply don't build them myself, so the AI consequently gets double income from farming.

[naut]

That's an interesting idea.

[The Unknown Guy]

I made inns uber-income boosters for rebels, but was under the impression that they didn´t exploit their newfound funds.