Modifying the troops that appear in crusades

**Garnier** · 03-13-2009, 16:37

I just launched a crusade as England from Northumbria and got 8 highland clansmen, and nothing else. Naturally, I'm rather disappointed as I was hoping for Templars and other unique units that I don't already have.

Looking in the unit_prod, highland clansmen aren't even listed as possible in crusades if I'm not mistaken. This is their entry:

Code:

"CATH_REBELS(-15), CATH_LOYALISTS(-15), CATH_PEASANTS(-15), CATH_BANDITS(-15), CATH_ZEALOTS(10), ORTH_REBELS(-15), ORTH_LOYALISTS(-15), ORTH_PEASANTS(-15), ORTH_BANDITS(-15), ORTH_ZEALOTS(10), CATH_HERETICS(-15), ORTH_HERETICS(-15)"

So does anyone know how exactly these functions work? Is a negative number drastically different than a positive number, or is the difference between 5 and -5 the same as the difference between -5 and -15?

**caravel** · 03-13-2009, 20:17

Highlan Clansmen are a kind of default unit. I can only think that they appeared because the game could not find any other available unit to add to the crusade. Adding specific homelands to units causes this problem a lot as I found out.

**Garnier** · 03-13-2009, 20:25

You mean because of the valor bonus in Scotland? I am thinking about removing those anyway, is that a bad idea?

**gollum** · 03-13-2009, 21:56

This is a great idea because in valor provinces the AI is geared up to build only what he needs to get to the unit that gets the bonus there and after that he doesnt build almost anything. Typical example of this is vanilla Constantinople and vanilla Provence (that gives valor to peasants and hence never progresses beyond the fort - the AI desont even built farms despite Provence having a good income).

Taking out all valor provincial bonuses helps the AI tremendously.

**caravel** · 03-13-2009, 22:23

Originally Posted by Garnier

You mean because of the valor bonus in Scotland? I am thinking about removing those anyway, is that a bad idea?

gollum is correct in that the AI will tech up blindly to the valour bonus, to the detriment of all else, if there is one in a province. Personally though I like them. The best approach is to remove valour bonuses for elite units and replace them with bonuses for more humble units. Bonuses for Kataphraktoi and Chivalric Knights can all go, but they can be replaced with bonuses for hobilars, spearmen, archers and similar. This means the AI can tech up fairly quickly and then get on with building other infrastructure.*

To answer your question though I was not referring to the valour bonus in scotland. Highland Clansmen are unit no 1 in the unit prod file. So I think if a rebellion is triggered and the game cannot find a rebelling unit for that province, it will produce clansmen. I've seen huge clansmen rebellions in provinces like Khazar and Navarre. Also if you create a new faction and forget to assign the faction leader/heirs a unit type, his royal bodyguard will end up as clansmen. This is why I think clansmen are the "default unit".

*I'm not sure as yet if the AI does actually recover and then continue building infrastructure normally once the valour bonus unit becomes available.

**gollum** · 03-14-2009, 00:30

Originally posted by Asai Nagamasa
I'm not sure as yet if the AI does actually recover and then continue building infrastructure normally once the valour bonus unit becomes available.

In my experience;

In actuality it does continue to build up, but in such a slow pace as to be practically useless. Provence again is the best example but can cite others too.