Wanted: a strong AS (and SPQR)

[DaciaJC]

Thank you!

[Andy1984]

Thanks for the replies. While I didn't yet decide which faction to pick, it will probably be one of the minor hellenic factions (Bactria, Makedonia, Epeiros or perhaps even a Saba that focusses on the Ptolemeans). Besides picking one of these, I guess I should try to adapt the script to give Rome more money.

[K-Dogs]

I've never found it too hard letting Rome get strong, mainly because of their huge early game income, and the fact that, in my experience, the various in-game 'Punic Wars' are shortlived for a fair amount of time, letting Rome expand north.

The main problem with the AI AS is money, if you look at the Financial graphs their mnai drops fairly reliably in the early game, and this can allow other successors to start eating into their empire, so id've thought add_money donations should help in that respect.

Don't be too keen on adapting the script too much though; if the endless streams of levies weren't enough before, facing endless streams of elites should be... uhhh... fun

[EagerBeaver]

This problem troubled me also .. as for AS, they tend to do just fine in my campaigns, so I decided only to tweak Romans a bit. I gave all their starting generals 6++ command stars, since this way, they get better autocalc results and thus expand more quickly and aggressively. If you already started your campaign, you can use give_trait "name" traitname traitlevel console command.
If you're not familiar with console commands read further

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

here are roman starting generals' names exactly the way you need to put them in:
Lvcivs Romanvs
Cnaevs Romanvs
CnaevsA Romanvs
Manivs Romanvs
Caivs Romanvs
and here some useful traits and their maximum levels:
GoodTactician 5
GoodLeader 5
GoodSiegeAttacker 3
So, let's say you wonna give character Lucius Cornelius Scipio 5 command stars using GoodTactician
you need to type
give_trait "Lvcivs Romanvs" GoodTactician 5
note: especially the GoodSiegeAttacker 3 trait worked like a charm for me.

In case you would like to use this in all new games, you can edit descr_strat.txt in Rome - Total War\EB\Data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign\ folder.
Hope this helps.

[Grade_A_Beef]

For me AS has always been the dominant power in every playthrough.....EVERY....ONE.

The Ptolemaioi are always too busy with Carthage to take chunks out of AS, so they get wasted just as I get strong as KH, Epeiros, Getai, and other Balkan/Celtic powers (not to mention Pahlava). Then they bleedin' spam elites all over the place. Surprisingly I notice that Pahlava and sometimes Baktria still take chunks out of AS even with AS dominance

That and the romans in my game are almost always mediocre. They take Sicily but only once have I ever seen them expand past the Alps....also, they've never taken Carthage.

My game's weird like that....but very entertaining (and frustrating )

[bobbin]

In all my games the SPQR will expand into gaul beating the Aedui and Arverni up quite bad then either Epieros, Qarthadast or most commonly Lusotanna will smash them and the romans will be left with territories in eastern or northern gaul.

With the AS it really depends on what happens early on, they usually become very strong if they lose Anatolia of a large part of thier eastern holdings. If that doesnt happen their forces are too streched to keep control and they're eaten up by the Pahlava and Ptolemaioi.

I'm really enjoing EB since 1.1 as the steppe factions are way more powerful, anyone remember the old days when Pahlava would be ground to dust almost everytime by the AS.

nowadays you'll see this
romani 210bc

this has to be one of my favorite campaigns as it follows history quite well, Pontos was booted out of Anatolia and formed a Crimean kingdom, Baktria was forced out of Baktra by the saka and have retreated to india and the Pahlava have formed a nearly perfect Parthian empire sans seleukeia. Sadly a recurring bug kill it a few month ago

[Andy1984]

I was wondering whether using BI.exe might make a difference. Since BI portrays more naval invasions, Epeiros might be capable to send more forces towards Southern-Italy, while SPQR might have an easier time conquering Illyria or the Mediterranean islands. Any ideas whether BI strenghtens or weakens the Romani (or the Arche)?

[bobbin]

I'd say it weaken the SPQR as the carthies and epieros can ship troops to italy, the romani rarely go fo illyria as they get distracted by Iuvoatea and waste troops trying to kill those eleutheroi superstack.