How does the AI in M2:TW compare to R:TW?

**antisocialmunky** · 10-23-2010, 16:28

I just let them hit me. This is mostly coming from TATW and SS experience so enemy armies are much bigger than yours. I have two lines of units and the AI routs the first one but has absolutely no stamina left over. Then they get charged in the back and mass rout. The main issue is that it will be detrimental to the EBII experience if the AI completely throws realistic formations out of the window.

I will say that the TATW AI will flank and that 20 battle trolls plowing through your lines is not a good experience. Still can be salvaged as the free peoples of Middle Earth has better quality units.

**WinsingtonIII** · 10-26-2010, 19:25

Originally Posted by antisocialmunky

20 battle trolls plowing through your lines is not a good experience.

Well, that's not a factor of the AI, it's just a factor of their ridiculous stats. That is one of the nice things about trolls though, it doesn't matter how stupidly the AI uses them, they will always cause significant damage, which is really nice if you want a challenge.

**Fluvius Camillus** · 10-28-2010, 19:38

I remember a battle in my Hungarian campaign where I fought a Danish army of mainly dismounted feudal knights.

It was just standing there waiting for me to attack, I ripped it to shreds using the full ammunition of my crossbowmen. They just stood there till the last man dropped dead with a bolt in its head.

Maybe this is fixed in Kingdoms? Still, it doesnt tell much good about the M2TW AI.

~Fluvius

**Paltmull** · 10-29-2010, 14:14

Originally Posted by Fluvius Camillus

I remember a battle in my Hungarian campaign where I fought a Danish army of mainly dismounted feudal knights.

It was just standing there waiting for me to attack, I ripped it to shreds using the full ammunition of my crossbowmen. They just stood there till the last man dropped dead with a bolt in its head.

Maybe this is fixed in Kingdoms? Still, it doesnt tell much good about the M2TW AI.

~Fluvius

That can be modded. Take a look at this demo of XAI for example (It's an old version though. The latest one is 4.0). I haven't tried it myself, but it does seem quite amazing.

**Fluvius Camillus** · 10-29-2010, 20:14

Originally Posted by Paltmull

That can be modded. Take a look at this demo of XAI for example (It's an old version though. The latest one is 4.0). I haven't tried it myself, but it does seem quite amazing.

Looks promising, this can bring up some exciting battles!

In my AS game my royal army faced off with a Makedonian Royal fullstack full of elites.
They started by throwing their Basileus in the pikes of my Argyraspides followed by his hetairoi. He died soon and the elites were easily outflanked and routed. Thus ended a promising battle which really disappointed me in the end.

If I see this I can imagine him using that cavalry instead to battle my cavalry, or trying to flank me.

~Fluvius

**Ichon** · 10-30-2010, 06:20

Originally Posted by Fluvius Camillus

Looks promising, this can bring up some exciting battles!

If I see this I can imagine him using that cavalry instead to battle my cavalry, or trying to flank me.

~Fluvius

XAI and some other working along similar principles have been succesful in getting the cavalry to flank and even avoid stakes that some archers in MTW2 can place but so far none have been able to get cavalry to function as screen vs other cavalry or stop the AI from throwing all its cavalry ahead of its infantry without support if it has an advantage in cavalry numbers. The AI will hold cavalry in reserve if your own army has equal or greater amounts of cavalry but if not... throws away its cavalry and usually its general as well then its an easy battle to flank and finish off the remaining infantry. The only time battles are really tough is when AI has way more cavalry than your own army and even if it loses 1/2 of it stupidly the other half does some damage.

The problem seems to be to make the AI cautious enough to hold back its cavalry in the face of having superior numbers also means it sits there when attacked at range by missiles and does not react very well. I think some versions will chase the unit targeting them with missiles but then that is almost as bad as it is quite easy to draw out single unit or even one I tried that all cavalry within a certain radius would converge on the missile unit firing on any cavalry so it was a simple matter to line up horse archers or whatever on a hill and run 1 HA down to fire on the AI cavalry and then a whole string from one flank of the AI army chased that single cavalry back and forth on the bottom of the hill until all were dead.

Making sure AI armies are relatively well composed and that using replenish rates that players have a problem creating 100% heavy cavalry armies is key to more often good interesting battles than just improving BAI alone. If the AI percieves the forces as equal is when it seems to act most intelligently under all the BAIs and when paired with one of the better BAIs that has been developed can lead at least to some interesting battles on VH where AI gets a slight morale advantage that can sometimes make a difference. Usually it still fails somewhere but to exploit that failing takes more work and thought by the player.

**QuintusSertorius** · 12-05-2010, 16:36

Been playing some more EB1 and getting annoyed with the army composition and battle AI again. I just fought a Makedonian full stack comprised of twelve units of classical hoplites, a single levy phalanx at a tenth of it's normal strength, a unit of cavalry, a unit of akontistai, a general (who charged the centre of my line; I had to make an effort not to kill him) and the rest useless Illyrian levies. Who of course came forward piecemeal, not even as a single line. Seriously, how hard is it to at least stick to a single line?