AI factions do not evict port occupiers

[Marcus Caelius]

I don't want to come across as too complainy, because actually there is a huge amount i really love about ETW. All my criticisms are really one, and a common one at that. Weak AIs. I'm just recording this in the hope that someone important will notice it and do something about it, or tell me how to solve it.

This problem is that AI factions do not rescue seized ports, if blockaded by another AI faction.

Yes, if I takeover a port with some ships, the AI will send a small detachment of infantry correctly and quickly to kick my fleet out, but if an other AI faction did this, no reaction occurs.

So this is my first campaign, as the British, and allied with the Dutch. The Dutch are at war with France, and i was too briefly but have now been at peace for 20 years or so.

So about 24 years ago two french ships took over antwerp. And they are still there. No armies in support, a full stack in the dutch capital, no french armies in the area.

While at war with france i tried to attack the french fleet in the Dutch port, but i couldn't of course, it was just a blockade. I sent a land army to try and kick them out of the Dutch port, but i was told that this meant attacking a Dutch port and therefore an act of war on my ally.

So this is it, no trade with Holland for 25 years.

There's a simillar situation going on with a danish army in a swedish port, so together these two events have cut off all north european trade. But at least in that case the danish army occupying the port is a respectable size.

[Slaists]

I don't want to come across as too complainy, because actually there is a huge amount i really love about ETW. All my criticisms are really one, and a common one at that. Weak AIs. I'm just recording this in the hope that someone important will notice it and do something about it, or tell me how to solve it.

This problem is that AI factions do not rescue seized ports, if blockaded by another AI faction.

Yes, if I takeover a port with some ships, the AI will send a small detachment of infantry correctly and quickly to kick my fleet out, but if an other AI faction did this, no reaction occurs.

So this is my first campaign, as the British, and allied with the Dutch. The Dutch are at war with France, and i was too briefly but have now been at peace for 20 years or so.

So about 24 years ago two french ships took over antwerp. And they are still there. No armies in support, a full stack in the dutch capital, no french armies in the area.

While at war with france i tried to attack the french fleet in the Dutch port, but i couldn't of course, it was just a blockade. I sent a land army to try and kick them out of the Dutch port, but i was told that this meant attacking a Dutch port and therefore an act of war on my ally.

So this is it, no trade with Holland for 25 years.

There's a simillar situation going on with a danish army in a swedish port, so together these two events have cut off all north european trade. But at least in that case the danish army occupying the port is a respectable size.

I concur. I just launched a Dutch campaign. Prussians(!!! some naval power...) sent a fleet to blockade the main British trade port on turn 3 or 4. That fleet has been sitting in that harbor for 15 turns now...

The sad part its: British were my main trade partners...

[Zarky]

I had same kind of a situation in my current GB campaing, French ships in Dutch port ever since turn 7 when they went to war, costing me over 1500 in trade income (but just last turn Westphalia took over Amsterdam destroying the Dutch, so I started trading with them and will harvest the rebellious former Dutch colonies). More annoying is that both Sweden and Denmark have 1 ship parked in each others ports, Denmark does nothing about Swedish, and Sweden kicks Denmark out every couple turns but won't destroy the ship with its massive fleet parked outside Stockholm so Denmark just goes back the next turn.
Over 4000 trade income lost because of AI stupidity.
This could easily be fixed if allies could go to each others cities (but not region capitals) without declaring war, why can't armies go to city and NOT pillage it?

[Fisherking]

Oh, they can and do evict ships now on occasion. It is just extremely slow in doing so. It usually takes a couple more of your trade partners getting blockaded before the evil AI go decides that that faction can have some money while it can still punish the player.

[A Very Super Market]

Certain factions will not do so at all. The Dutch have had a French brig in Rotterdam for about 80 years in my game.

[Fisherking]

I had some what the same. It turned out to be a 6th rate and a 2nd rate. I brought in three 3rd rates and sucked them out by sending a single sloop into their zone. Since that time my trade partners have been blocked.