As it should be...

[LordCurlyton]

That's right folks, as the thread title says. I didn't post in the AI faction Progression Thread as I used FD a couple times to significantly alter the East. Mainly because the AS was starting to swallow the East and I would not have been up to fighting off stack after stack of pikes. While I don't doubt my eventual victory in that conflict I would have lost interest. Instead I wanted a different opponent. Right now its Hayasdan, or New Persia, who recently reignited war by first demanding Mesopotamia and Armenia and then finally marching on Seleukia. Sadly, after defeating their initial waves all they are sending my way is stacks of mostly Pantodopai with a few archers/cavalry at best, with a few p. phalangites as well. I've actually been able to use my Marian legions in real battles, though, and they have a healthy respect for catas (they just don't go down!). Of course, why they attacked me while being at war with the Pahlava is beyond me, but they and the Pahlava are a much better fight as the Hai throw Persian Hoplites, pikes, archers, and decent cavalry at the Pahlava's superior cavalry, lesser infantry, archers, and pikes. The Pahlava are also at war with the Saka. Now I just need to coast through the next twenty-seven years and try to get a proper Augustan candidate, though I have no idea how you can get Expert Recruiter.
Just figured I'd share some Roman love. Plus I should note that as long as I keep that Eleutheroi city between me and the Saba they keep attacking Hayasdan either at Charax or Persepolis.

[gamegeek2]

Come on. IRL you don't want big rivals, but in EB they're fun.

[Charles the hammer]

You should go after the casse so you can have the whole roman empire at its height Because nothing feels better than controlling the greatest civilization in the whole world at its height.

[LordCurlyton]

I'm waiting for the Augustans to finish it all off. And big rivals would be fun in EB if the AI were smarter, but even the team has to obey the hardcoding.
Besides, I still have a few raiding targets to hit. I will paint the whole map red given time. The one good thing though is that the AI actually will recruit generals so I'll be fighting Eastern Merc generals + Catas + FMs = hurtin' on legions. Hooray bridges!
EDIT: Mainly the killjoy aspect of big rivals in the RTW engine is that after the first few big battles it is nearly impossible for the AI to recover. Once the manpower edge has been achieved by the human, it tends to stay there. And the autocalc still gives massive bonuses to FMs, way beyond what even I would find plausible.

[Ibrahim]

I'm waiting for the Augustans to finish it all off. And big rivals would be fun in EB if the AI were smarter, but even the team has to obey the hardcoding.
Besides, I still have a few raiding targets to hit. I will paint the whole map red given time. The one good thing though is that the AI actually will recruit generals so I'll be fighting Eastern Merc generals + Catas + FMs = hurtin' on legions. Hooray bridges!
EDIT: Mainly the killjoy aspect of big rivals in the RTW engine is that after the first few big battles it is nearly impossible for the AI to recover. Once the manpower edge has been achieved by the human, it tends to stay there. And the autocalc still gives massive bonuses to FMs, way beyond what even I would find plausible.

why don't you storm briton now?

[LordCurlyton]

Is there some new scripting I'm unaware of? If not it'll be a simple matter of churning out, say, 10-15 full legion stacks (hell I won't even need auxilia) and I'll flatten the Casse.