A few questions

[gollum]

While Mr Nagamasa will disagree - the 100% import doesnt fix anything - since the player that usually has most fleets and the most stable network gets it too. This means that you benefit more the player with high import percents than balance the trade income out.

One of the things that generally goes unnoticed - is AI factions king influence.

This is one aspect of the game that the GA mode has an advantage over domination in terms of AI performance. This is because certain factions (the best example of which is Hungary) get the GA homeland influence bonus every 25 years. Usually even large AI faction empires fall victime to low king influence - and that is a major game breaker (much less challenge).

On top of this the AI faction personnality setting is paramount together with the king influence aspect. The expansionist, naval_expansionist, crusader, crusader_trader, trader for Catholics and the expansionsit, devout for Muslims as well as the expansionsit, stagnant for Orthodox are AI faction killers.

The expansionist AI personalities focuses AI faction on constant attacks - so much so that it burns them out (and also does not leave developed lands behind for the ones that do conquer them eventually).

The crusader AI personalities, are litterally a curse for the long term as they set Crusading as a focus. AI crusades often fail and this in turn instigates civil wars that destroy a blossoming French kingdom or HRE say. This actually is a very significant long term effect and i noticed it while playing GA camaigns to the end. The end rival whoever i played in GA mode were the Hungarians (unless i played one of their immediate neighbours like the Byz or HRE). This is because the Hungarians are set to CATHOLIC_DEFENSIVE, cannot crusade and do take the homeland GA points (they start with them) that yield influence so they always have the best chances of survival.

Actually the DEFENSIVE AI personnality is the Best for AI factions unless they start too small and/or surrounded (say Turks, Danes, Novgorodians and Aragonese in early). For all other factions that have enough starting land/income DFENSIVE is best long term. In Defensive the AI factions do still crusade, but not as assiduously as when set to Crusader. They use more sense and when they do Crusade they have more focus as it is apparently regarded as a luxury and its done only when the AI is really rich and stable.

For the Turks ain early (as example of situation) EXPANSIONIST is best - time is against them otherwise. Thewill get swallowed by their powerful neighbours if they just sit back.

For the Danes, Novgorodians and Aragonese EXPANSIONIST is also best (otherwise they fade out - too low starting income). Otherwise they get swallowed.

To Asai Nagamasa; the DEFENSIVE AI personality also handles shipping better than any other AI personality in vanilla - it builds sensible amounts even when it expands the trade network and covers its coasts as a priority. So for the Sicilians actually DEFENSIVE is also the best long term. They have less chances to win the game (they expand much slower) but in the few cases that their empire does pick up its more stable - it doesnt easily disintergrate.

The equivalent of DEFENSIVE for Muslims is PEACEFUL. DEVOUT muslims make too many Jihads that melt them through influence hits. EXPANSIONIST burns them out. For the Almohads and Egyptians PEACEFUL is best in early.

All in all try setting everyone unless too small or sandwitched between powerful neighbours like the Turks in DEFENSIVE, particularly in long games - challenge should rise.

[caravel]

While Mr Nagamasa will disagree - the 100% import doesnt fix anything - since the player that usually has most fleets and the most stable network gets it too. This means that you benefit more the player with high import percents than balance the trade income out.

It may come as a surprise to you gollum-san, but I'd actually worked this out quite some time ago. Trade and shipping in MTW doesn't work, period. The only solution to the problem IMHO is to take out sea trade and shipping altogether. This gives a more balanced campaign with more realistic expansion of territories and individual theatres of conflict.

If you're going to go for an increased import tax, then 100% is probably too high. The player can spam fleets and build realistic trade routes - the AI has unlinked fleets dotted around all over the map doing nothing.

[gollum]

Originally posted by Asai Nagamasa
It may come as a surprise to you gollum-san, but I'd actually worked this out quite some time ago. Trade and shipping in MTW doesn't work, period. The only solution to the problem IMHO is to take out sea trade and shipping altogether. This gives a more balanced campaign with more realistic expansion of territories and individual theatres of conflict.

Oh no it doesnt, i just thought that you regard high import still a good idea if one wishes to play with the naval aspect on - removing shipping and trade altogether is a very good way to go - i am certain that there is a lot to be explored down that route.

[Garnier]

Hmm, this is interesting. I agree about naval trade, it really never did work and you've given me courage to try removing it.

And Gollum, that information about the AI personalities is really helpful, I am definitely going to try that out as well. However, I was under the impression that AI personalities changed during the game, am I confusing something?



How exactly would you go about removing sea trade, I can only imagine it would be necessary to remove all trade entirely, is this correct? I don't know of a way to only stop sea trade.
While trade is an interesting part of the game it works terribly and inevitably benefits the human over the AI.

I am going to hold off on starting another campaign for now as I try figure out how to make things work better.

[caravel]

Hmm, this is interesting. I agree about naval trade, it really never did work and you've given me courage to try removing it.

And Gollum, that information about the AI personalities is really helpful, I am definitely going to try that out as well. However, I was under the impression that AI personalities changed during the game, am I confusing something?



How exactly would you go about removing sea trade, I can only imagine it would be necessary to remove all trade entirely, is this correct? I don't know of a way to only stop sea trade.
While trade is an interesting part of the game it works terribly and inevitably benefits the human over the AI.

I am going to hold off on starting another campaign for now as I try figure out how to make things work better.

To stop sea trade you would have to stop all trade entirely, because as soon as a trader is built and a shipping link exists, trade occurs. The simple way to do this would be to remove goods and traders and assign a decent fixed income to ports.

The, somewhat different, approach I have gone for is to remove all shipping and keep ports, traders and trade goods intact. This stops the ridiculous "high speed" movement of army stacks all over the map and eliminates overseas trade altogether. Instead of sea trade you exploit the "local trade" income as a means of generating income per province based on the goods present. You would have to increase the value of the goods somewhat to make them worthwhile and perhaps add more goods, especially to landlocked provinces, to balance it out. The "local trade income" will then generate florins based on the goods and level of the trader built. Ports are retained and agents can still move from port to port.

[Garnier]

So you removed ships entirely. That's a good idea, really. Could you save me some time by posting the relevant code you use in the EARLY period startpos? As far as the trade goods in provinces and their values, is concered.

[gollum]

Originally posted by Garnier
And Gollum, that information about the AI personalities is really helpful, I am definitely going to try that out as well. However, I was under the impression that AI personalities changed during the game, am I confusing something?

Not that i know of. In STW and STW/MI AI personalities did indeed change with the ascent of a new daimyo as head of the clan - and teh faction behaved differently.

However in MTW/VI observation says that the AI faction personality is retained to the end of the game. EXPANSIONIST factions do behave expansionistically till game over etc.