1.x AI Faction Progression Thread

[Teleklos Archelaou]

The 1.0x AI Faction Progression Thread was a great success, as were the others before it. I just wanted to get a new thread up for 1.1 games. We made a lot of changes to try and get the AI acting more like we want them to, from lessening garrisons in places where we want the AI factions to move into more easily, but keeping them strong when humans play as those factions, to more changes to steppe factions and such.

Let us see what happens in your campaigns!!

Old 1.0x AI Faction Progression Thread:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=93151

[thelord]

eh? Is 1.1 out??

update : wow I cant believe I didnt see it.

[Hax]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

252 BC, Koinon Hellenon

========================

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

252 BC, Makedonia

===================

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

253 BC, Arche Seleukeia. Proper balancing

Notice the Pahlava, everyone?

Just for laughs:

HUG TIME!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[V.T. Marvin]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

253 BC, Arche Seleukeia. Proper balancing

What the heck does Baktria (?) doing in the Balkans?!?

[Leviathan DarklyCute]

Looks like Baktria dies too fast..

[Teleklos Archelaou]

My money is on that he (as AS) conquered those places and gave the provinces to Baktria.

[Hax]

I did not. That is actually the Koinon Hellenon, recoulored.

I always felt like the KH is so..useless after the death of Makedonia, so I recoulored them, to show the change that they have actually started to take back other lands.

[Visitor13]

Looks like Baktria dies too fast..

Better them than Pahlava or the Saka, I say. It's more interesting to fight the latter two, whereas Baktria is not that different from the Seleucids or the Ptolies.

I'm more concerned about Epeiros kicking the fudge out of Makedonia so early on.

[Poggleit]

Epeiros Campaign, 252b.c. M/M.



The map distribution seems pretty good to me, except that the Romani have been unable to take Rhegion though not for want of trying.

I've noticed that there have been more naval invasions in this version, which is a good thing.

Pontos seem to have been stalled by the garrison of Sinope: they keep sending quarter to half stacks at its garrison and being defeated, despite having a full stack in their capital and a three-quarter stack outside.

The Ptolemies and Seleukids have fought each other to something of a stalemate. I even saw a grey army shipped into Egypt proper, although in true AI style the army only contained one unit. Baby steps I suppose.

[jtareb]

I'm playing as Romani on med/med and I've already noticed a more aggressive ai, especially in using naval landings. In 1.0 I could blitz the carthaginians out of sicily without much trouble--this time they landed two full stacks to protect lilybeaum. The getea also seem to be much more active. And having reached 210 bc the AS and the Ptolemies are still stalemated around lebanon whereas in 1.0 one would have already destroyed the other by then.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

I'm playing as Romani on med/med and I've already noticed a more aggressive ai, especially in using naval landings. In 1.0 I could blitz the carthaginians out of sicily without much trouble--this time they landed two full stacks to protect lilybeaum. The getea also seem to be much more active. And having reached 210 bc the AS and the Ptolemies are still stalemated around lebanon whereas in 1.0 one would have already destroyed the other by then.

Now that sounds absolutely fantastic! Especially the bit about a massive Carthiginian army in Sicily - finally a challenging battle for that island!

[Reality=Chaos]

I don't have pics but I'll give an update on my h/m Getai campaign 256BC. The Saka and the Pahlava are slowly eating up seluekid territory.
Baktria took Kophen but has been queit.
Hayasdan are expanding though for the past few years it has been at a sloths pace.
Saba have taken the southwestern corner of the peninsula
The ptolemies and the seleukids have a big fight going on. No clear winners yet though the grey death took Side from the ptollies. The ptollies have taken the western (libyan) provinces, though they've not taken Cyrene or the little province beneath.
Pontos is at war with epeiros and the seleukids. They've taken Ipsos from the silly's. A couple of years ago the silly's actually conquered (the then eleutheroi Galatia) Pontos has just lost Byzantion to Epeiros.
Makedonia are in a war with KH for southern Greece. They Chalkis, Myrtylene and Korinthos left (pella was taken by epeiros, Demetrias by the KH.
KH war in southern greece. Looks like stalemate at the moment.
Epeiros was on a roll, but they just walked into me. They've just lost Serdike, and an army is underway from Tylis to take Byzantion.
The sauromatae are scary (luckily I'm allied with them, for now at least..) They took Olbia and the neurii provinc in no time and have a lot of half and full stacks walking around.
Rome is doing quite decently. They've taken the peninsula excepting rhegion (and the've not been trying to take it either) And they took massilia.
The quarthadastim are slowly expanding in Africa. Mauretania (the three westernmost provinces in africa), are the only provinces left to the eleutheroi there
The luso's are slowly taking Iberia
In Gaul, the adeui have taken all of western Gaul. The averni have not expanded yet though not for lack of trying.
The Sweboz took their homeprovince except fro norway so far. They are in a rather succesful looking war with the adeui
The casse took Cornwall, and tried to take wales unsuccesfully so far

[gamegeek2]

For the record, these are what I usually saw in 1.0

Romani: Tend to take Italia and not more, maybe spill into Sicily or Green
Epeiros: Takes Pella, Demetrias and loses steam
Maks: Eat the Thracian/Getic homelands and go north
Getai: Go north, usually struggles against Maks
KH: Takes Attike, Peloponnesos, takes Demetrias and Pella from Epeiros
AS: 9/10 times gets Asia Minor, Syria screwed by the Ptollies
Ptollies: See AS.
Pahlava: Confined to warring with Saka for the steppes.
Saka: Fights Pahlava for the steppes, often eaten by Baktria later on
Baktria: Tends to go for Indo-Greco-Iranian provinces, often eats Saka homeland
Casse: Takes its first province about 250.
Aedui: Usually defeat Arverni due to easier rebel access.
Arverni: Struggle versus Aedui, but usually last until about 200.
Lusotanaan: Monopolizes Iberia, slow to break alliance w. Kart-Hadast
Qarthadastim: Take nearby Africa, sissy-fight with Ptolemies over Libya.
Saba: Little better than Casse.
Pontos: Eaten by AS or carves out a niche before the Ptollies stomp 'em
Hayasadan: Heads north instead of south.
Sauromatae: Casse-speed expansion, with the exception of Maeotis.

[Tarkus]

I haven't started a 1.1 campaign yet -- haven't even downloaded the new install -- but after reading this thread I'm struck by the sweeping conclusions people are making ("Faction X much better than before"..."Faction Y doesn't do anything anymore") based on just a few years of playing through a single campaign.

This is a simulation, folks...with each faction's activities subject to the whims of fate (Fortuna?!) over the years AND between replicate campaigns, even played by the same person on the same computer in an iterative fashion. I would think a little more experience collected by our great and enthusiastic community would be warranted before significant conclusions are drawn about the long-term strategic behavior of one or another faction. After all, it's only been four days!!!

[Reality=Chaos]

Still some trends are emerging. And it's all good as far as I'm concerned. Every faction is seriously trying to expand, unlike in 1.0. Some are very unsuccesful so far (like the Casse in my game) but try they do, which didn't happen in 1.0. So far I like the AI expansion. It feels more... I don't know... challenging.

[Gester24]

i need help i dont know where to go to ask this question. when i try to cheat lol i tyope in the code then the unit name for example "Create_unit Arpi Principes 5 2 2 2 2" it says thatt the unit is not rexongized. if you know the units id for the romani can you plz tell me. or if you have a notehr thread that can help me cause its too slow for me to wait a season and my campagin map is dam laggy\
thnx

[Tellos Athenaios]

I suggest you try the main fora and the bugs/support fora. If I may ask why of all threads did you choose this one, plainy a thread without any relevance to your query?

[||Lz3||]

i need help i dont know where to go to ask this question. when i try to cheat lol i tyope in the code then the unit name for example "Create_unit Arpi Principes 5 2 2 2 2" it says thatt the unit is not rexongized. if you know the units id for the romani can you plz tell me. or if you have a notehr thread that can help me cause its too slow for me to wait a season and my campagin map is dam laggy\
thnx

create_unit Arpi "roman_infantry_principes" 5 2 2 2

not sure about the EDU name though

[Marcus Ulpius]

Quite some time has passed since my last screenshot at 224 BC, so here's how the things look like in 205 BC.

I've conquered Iberia and the Lusitanians are gone.

Casse did exactly nothing for those 20 years.
Arverni which I thought should be extinct by now, not only defeated Aedui, but seem to be defeating the Sweboz too
Sweboz left Mediolanum alone for 20 years already and are fighting with Arverni (and seem to be losing).
Getae - did nothing for 20 years.
Epirotes - have tried an attack on Epidamnus, which turned out t be unsuccessful. As it is now firmly controlled by Pontos.
Macedonians are now at war with Pontos and seem to be losing badly. If no one will attack Pontos from the East, the Macs are in for a big trouble.
Pontos - now control most of Asia Minor and are beating Macedonians and Epirotes.
Seleucids - unsurprisingly gone.
Ptolies - control most of the former Seleucid terriories and some more. Now fighting me over Kyrenaika area (lots of Klerouchoi and Klerouchoi Agema are thrown around, but my legions seem to be capable of doing their job).
Saba - fighting a hopeless war against the Ptolies. Nothing special actually.
Hayasdan - being killed by Pahlava and Sauromatae.
Pahlava - fighting Hayasdan.
Bactrians - finishing off Saka, strange, but no war with Pahlava (not for long I think).
Saka - slowly losing ground to the Eastern Greeks.

[Ower]

OMG that Pontos is just Crazy, I love it. The Aedui in southern Central Europe is is your doing or rebelino?

[Marcus Ulpius]

OMG that Pontos is just Crazy, I love it. The Aedui in southern Central Europe is is your doing or rebelino?

That distant Aedui enclave is a rebellion which happened a long time ago.They are constantly keeping 2 full stacks there doing nothing at all. Actually the Sweboz are doing exactly the same with their enclave with only difference that they keep 3 full stacks there, when they desperately need them fighting Arverni. Tbh, I think those enclaves and big armies that the AI is keeping there, far away from any action, are the reason why Aedui are all but extinct and Sweboz are losing ground to the Arverni. AI is not playing smart here.

[QuintusSertorius]

create_unit Arpi "roman_infantry_principes" 5 2 2 2

not sure about the EDU name though

Without the "_" underscores, though.

[Chris_]

From the Pontos campaign earlier, just finished off Hayasdan, its currently ~249BC. Spoilered because its a bit wide.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Rilder]

Sweboz 250BC.



Not anything tooo insteresting so far.

Looks like KH got control of Southern Greece and Epeiros the North, KH and Epeiros are allied.

Rome seems to have moved West.


Also that army spawning directly east of my north-easternest province annoys the hell out of me, but I supose its for the best so I don't end up fighting bloody horse archers. ( I did get a pretty epic fight out of that stack though. )

[Joszen1]

Apologies if this is covered elsewhere, but it seems a nice continuation to '1.1x AI FPT'.

Main reason I'm posting is that, playing RTW 1.5x and EB 1.2x vh/vh, I am allied to a crazy empire. I am Lusotannan, taken Iberia, Balearics, Southern Gaul, Ireland and Britain. The year is 220BC. I am approached by a diplomat from Pontus offering Alliance and their world map. 'Why not?' I think., Pontus have taken all of western turkey (up to a north-south line through Antioch, and except two Hayasdan regions in Armenia), most of northern greece and north (ie. east of the alps, south of the Carpathians). Anyone else ever seen this happen?

No FD from me, in fact very little diplomacy from me at all, just allied with Sweboz, and, after killing a few legions, Romani against the Aedui and Averni. The Makedons are dead and I killed the Casse.

Anyone ever seen this before?
The only things I can think of is that my early expulsion of the Carthies left them seriously weakened, making Ptolies life much easier, making AS life a misery which equals for Pontus.

Unfortunately I have no map to prove it cause my screenshots come out all black, even with anti-aliasing off.

Hopefully this sparks a lively discussion though.

[Cbvani]

Apologies if this is covered elsewhere, but it seems a nice continuation to '1.1x AI FPT'.

Main reason I'm posting is that, playing RTW 1.5x and EB 1.2x vh/vh, I am allied to a crazy empire. I am Lusotannan, taken Iberia, Balearics, Southern Gaul, Ireland and Britain. The year is 220BC. I am approached by a diplomat from Pontus offering Alliance and their world map. 'Why not?' I think., Pontus have taken all of western turkey (up to a north-south line through Antioch, and except two Hayasdan regions in Armenia), most of northern greece and north (ie. east of the alps, south of the Carpathians). Anyone else ever seen this happen?.

Pontus semi-regularly makes some serious conquests. They seem to lack the staying power of other factions, however.

[Tartaros]

in my hay-game, pontos conquered makedonia, tracia and epiros. the asian holding fall back to makedonia (blitz from mytelene).

[LordCurlyton]

The problem is that Pontus does not develop the military MICs much in a lot of provinces. It seems that if a province does not produce a new, unique unit as opposed to something that can already be made somewhere else they tend to not upgrade MICs, both factional and regional. that is a problem when they finally fight a power that is either big (Ptolie or AS) or attacks from an unexpected direction (Mak Mytilene blitz) since they are reduced to very few actual recruitment pools and lots of crappy levies which get pile driven. This seems to be the case for many factions too. Until they've owned a territory for a long while and/or are at peace then they lag in MIC development.

[Joszen1]

Well I've never seen it before, mainly because the factions I usually play squeeze Greece and Macedonia hard. Still Pontus have killed the Maks (no Mytilening there) and are taking land from Ptolies, AS and Epeiros.

On a sad note I am starting to get pile driven by Romani full-stacks (mainly triarii, pedites and principes).

Thanks for the feedback, though, anyone else got some cool 1.2x AI expansions?

[Skullheadhq]

In my current EB 1.2 campaign the Aedui seems to conquer Gaul faster then before. And the Lusotanians are now kicking Cartie butt in Spain. Saba is on speed and securing Arabia within 30 years. Ptolemaio and Seleucids are relaxing in the mediterrean sun instead of the ptollies bashing AS in turn 1. Anatolia now counts with Pontos. but... Casse is still braindead as ever. Only sissy-fights in Britain for what i have seen.
In my campaign the AS already crushed Pahlava under it's almighty heels.... And it's only 267BC

A balloon 4 the EB team