AI needs to build more ships of the line

**Marquis of Roland** · 05-20-2009, 00:21

Before the patch, I saw at least some small fleets of 2nd rates roaming around. Nowadays I hardly see a ship of the line at all. In my GB campaign, its 1799 and I think the whole time I fought 2 third rates (separately) and 3 fourth rates (also separately). I'm playing on hard difficulty, does the AI spawn more ships on VH? At any rate, I hope they change some build priorities around or something for the next patch, I'm tired of seeing trash fleets.

**joe4iz** · 05-20-2009, 02:59

Same here.

I seldom see any fleets of anybody at all. Most of those fleets that I do see are all Indiamen or some such traderships.

I had no problem now when someone declares war on me as I control all of the shipping lanes. I appear to be the only one who can field any real navy and army at the same time.

**anweRU** · 05-20-2009, 03:08

I've seen one full stack French fleet in about 1715 (still hanging out in Norht American waters in 1742), and a full stack of Swedish ships in the East Indies theater ~ 1740. However, these were all made of at best 5th rates.

I faced two Swedish fourth rates in another stack (of five ships) and a French fourth rate (of two ships) in the 1730s...

I am pretty sure the AI is suffering from the not-enough-money syndrome (being discussed in Slaists' thread on VH being too easy...). It can't build the higher level shipyards, and couldn't afford to build the better ships if it did.

Of course, I'm evil, and have let the large AI naval stacks rot on the high seas... If I destroyed them, the AI would have 2-3K freed up..

**Mr Frost** · 05-20-2009, 04:02

The A.I. needs to be inclined to disband obsolete units .
This is the 5th T.W. not counting the expansions and only in the first one did it not matter much ; they should have made it a standard feature long ago !

**Oaty** · 05-20-2009, 07:28

They should make a limit on how many ships of the lower class you can have

**joe4iz** · 05-20-2009, 17:42

Originally Posted by Oaty

They should make a limit on how many ships of the lower class you can have

I have to disagree with you on that. I use smaller ships to fill out my fleets now that the patch has made making money harder. If the AI is limited, then you are limited also. Besides, would this then limit the amount of Indiamen that you could produce also? Early game, small fleets is all you can afford.

The problem is in the attempt to make the game more challenging, the latest patch has caused all parties but the player to remain poor. The player starts with the same disadvantages (or worse) but eventually works his/her way out of it.

A disband "check" by the AI would be better.

**Marquis of Roland** · 05-20-2009, 17:46

The AI will build the naval hospital but they never build steam drydocks, therefore the largest ship they can build are 2nd rates. The reason the AI never builds it is because naval hospitals are available first so they build those as soon as they can, which means they can't build steam drydock. Even with new ports emerging, the AI usually builds a useless fishery. If CA made the AI convert at least 1 naval drydock into the steam drydock, then make the AI navy strat more aggressive, that'll be great. Watch though, the minute they do this you're gonna have people playing trading factions complain about AI navy being too aggressive.