1.4 General Gameplay Observations

[Slaists]

Is it just my game or has anyone else observed the campaign AI getting "paralyzed" around 1730'ies? The start of the game was very exciting with "stuff" happening all around. However, around 1730 AI factions suddenly stopped doing anything. Example: Iroquois are at war with me (Britain). They have full stack armies sitting in their towns, but they completely ignore my raiding parties in their territory. They have not even attempted to move anything into my territory. Spain has several full-stack navies (filled with Galleons) sitting in the Carribean. When I say sitting I really mean SITTING on the same spots without moving for a decade at least. Something seems funky. Usually (in the previous games), AI getting this paralyzed meant it was bankrupt. I figure, those galleon stacks must cost a fortune to upkeep. So, could it be, that by 1730'ies the AI's get broke?

On a positive note: it seems that the AI propensity for building fisheries is gone. In my game, Denmark has built a shipyard and a TRADING PORT in Iceland (that's their only remaining province)...

[Beskar]

Poland-Lithuania became a protectorate of Knights of St. John.

I never expected this to happen.

Generally overall, I like the AI better than what it was.

On the downside, it hates receiving territory (tried to fob some land off to minor factions because I didn't really want it for RP reasons, I am now stuck with it) and I am finding it hard to get protectorates, however, peace is far easier to get.

[peacemaker]

I've found that it's rather difficult to give a province to other nations. I've still experienced many DOW's from neighboring nations, but I expect it since I'm france and only half of my border cities have a garrison.

I think this AI is more passive; in 1706 I'm the only one who's captured more than a handful of provinces. I've also noticed that the game failed to give me several announcements of other random nations going to war(i.e. Prussia, Austria, ottomans)

The pirates in the caribbean are weaker now, I cleared out the coasts of Africa to get ivory easily because they were guarding it with two damaged galleons and a sloop or two. The AI still seems reluctant to send ships there, but I'm hoping I'm just not the only one low on cash.

The other nations are certainly more careful about garrisoning towns, and have not done too much raiding. As France I invaded the west half of modern-day germany, but Spain still owns Flanders and the Netherlands. They don't seem to want to help me fight against Prussia or all the other mini-Germans states, though, I'm somewhat disappointed about that.