On causing revolts

[QuintusSertorius]

I've had a torrid time with this of late, largely because my strategy in trying to change AI behaviour involves making certain factions go to war with each other. Civil revolts are about the only way you can do this, but causing them is far from an exact science.

A while back in my game, a single spy had no trouble making Atiqa revolt to the Rebels time and again. Yet since then none of my attempts to do so have actually worked. I've had a lot of settlements that drop into revolt territory, with the burning pitchfork for a turn, yet miraculously the next turn they're fine again.

At once point I literally had four spies each in Singidunum and Naissos, yet neither ever revolted. Not for the better part of 20 years, even though order rarely crept above +80. Now I'm having the same problem with Karkathiokerta (which was Seleukid and I gave to the Hai). It has five spies sitting there, yet mysteriously it never actually gets bad enough to change hands.

What am I doing wrong? I know that the biggest unrest is caused by the best spy there, and the others only add an ancillary bonus to that, but is that bugged perhaps? Would I be better off with just a single, good spy?

Are there any other means of adding to that penalty? Would adding population help? Or is that likely to give the AI a chance to upgrade the governor's building? Would briefly changing it's ownership help for the "new settlement" unrest?

Any other console-related options that might help?

[Jurdagat]

If the happyness suddenly changes from 40% to 100%, that's because the AI changed the taxes.

Besides that I can't help much. :)

[Sygrod]

1. Train Assassins - 8-10 per target city (some will die along the way).
2. Give them experience by killing rebel and enemy captains and the odd diplomat.
3. Once they are level 5 super killers - let them loose on the settlement in question and sabotage buildings that improve public order and happiness.

[QuintusSertorius]

1. Train Assassins - 8-10 per target city (some will die along the way).
2. Give them experience by killing rebel and enemy captains and the odd diplomat.
3. Once they are level 5 super killers - let them loose on the settlement in question and sabotage buildings that improve public order and happiness.

I actually have an "assassin squad" in Pergamon (most of them in the 6-9 range), there's about four of them who've been swatting away the swarms of them floating around in Asia Minor. I'll give them a try.

[alatar]

Add population, lots of it.