Best AI, please.

[paleologos]

How can I get the best AI, with BI or with Alexander?
I suspect this has been discussed but I am still relatively new to EB.
Thanks.

[lionhard]

Iv tried both, Alexander for over a year and BI for the last month. I personally prefere BI because the AI is more aggressive. Ill give you a short list of what each BI and Alex will offer you

BI:
Better AI campaign movement
Better use of ships
Units can swim
Units can use sheild wall
Night fight

Alex:
AI retrains its units
AI acts more sensible in battle (Not sure if i would agree)
Night fight


As a whole what we say is, if you want better AI movement and a better campaign experience go for BI

If you want a better battle experience, go for alex.

Im not deadly sure if BI retrains units, im sure iv seen the AI in my seleucid campaign retrain units. If they do its definetely not as excessive as what alex does.

[Ludens]

I have never seen a difference in campaign A.I. between BI and vanilla R:TW, so unless Alex actually has worse campaign A.I. I don't think this would be an advantage of BI. The only strategic advantage of BI I know of are the navel invasions, which I consider a mixed blessing. Sometimes you get a serious invasion by a serious rival, but I've also seen small, undermanned, pointless attacks by factions that otherwise would have been at peace with me.

[paleologos]

I 've never played Alx but I had an inconclusive campaign in BI vanilla with the Saxons. I remember I could keep West RE (and everyone else for all that matters) from attaking me by simply placing troops at river crossings and/or bridges. The AI would obstinatelly avoid fighting at those locations (who can blame them?). All provinces along the Baltic coast were mine plus Britain and Ireland and I discontinued before destroying the Romano-Brittish who had just emerged. I played that at medium difficulty for battles and very hard for campaign. I remember reading somewere that the Saxons were supposed to be a hard to play with faction but that was not my impression. If I play EB on BI will I be abble to stop the movement of AI armies by placing mine at bridges?

[anubis88]

You will stop armies on bridges even if you play with Vanilla RTW... An army can't pass if another army guards the bridge...

Like Ludens said, BI gives mostly naval invasions... Hovewer they are without sense sometimes. I remember in my Pontos campaign, Epeiros, with whom i shared no border by a longshot, kept invading Sinope whit full stacks... It was just wierd.

It adds a new dimension however, if you play with factions who have islands. It's a must practicaly. Without EB, you could always keep your fleet and Island army to a minimum, with no fear of them attacking you. With BI.exe on the other hand, you must always have a strong navy, and a respectible force on islands

[lionhard]

The biggest problem i had with using vanilla and Alex with EB is that the romans never launched naval invasions against corsica and sardin, or north africa for that matter. That simple fact turns me away because, i am now playing a seleucid campaign and it would be nice if the romans actually got their reforms, but they dont in vanilla or alex cas they dont use naval invasions which the first reform requires the capture of sardin or corsica.

So far in my campaign iv had so many naval battles iv lost count, the romans invaded greece with 2 fleets, drove me back to the east and returned to italy. I personally have not experienced nothing like that when it comes to aggressive AI, fingers crossed my BI campaign will bring more fun to come :)

[paleologos]

Could I have a link to that map depicting all the coastal provinces that can build fleets? I intend to misbehave .