How is the AI overall?

[Rothe]

My complaint vs. the CAI is that it tends to assault fortifications (towns) with equal numbers compared to me, which means the AI will certainly lose.
And usually it does not have a back-up army to re-assault me in the near future. That usually means I get an easy win and then I march on his castle and take it easily.

On open field battles it seems to work fine, and I have lost a few battles although none with equal stacks of equal quality troops. (I am a TW veteran though)

Reinforcements are seriously bugged, but I think it will be fixed pretty soon.

Overall, the AI seems to do pretty well with matching its units vs. yours (e.g. RPS effect works) and using its archers to hit your most expensive and vulnerable troops if it can. It perhaps lacks some tricks like proper flanking moves, and I am not sure if it uses its general's inspire properly, which makes for quite a difference - I use mine often and it really helps.

[Daevyll]

In all, much impoved AI both campaign and battle.

My main thing with the AI at the moment is that it is not careful enough with its general. It isnt nearly as bad as it used to be, with lone generals doing a suicidal charge into your spears, but still the AI would fight more effectively if it kep the general out of combat and behind the main force to use his inspirational abilities. Now I often kill the opposing general and start a chain rout, in what would otherwise have been a close fight.

Another thing is sieges; I can accept assaulting the walls with a major superiority in force (like 3-1 or so), but otherwise it should just keep my army under siege forcing me to attack/relieve. I've not seen it do so even once so far. With the result that sieges become a 'cheap' way to kill of opposing stacks.

[Lord Benihana]

Agreed - best AI since MTW 1. Only issue is the CAI sending stacks against forts

I took out 3 full stacks (one at a time) in a single turn because the computer kept marching one stack at a time up to my walls and attacking. But that was a rare occurance. I also prefer an AI that constructs armies prior to assaulting - where in previous games I would always have the superior force, I find myself outgunned and I need to actually think

and I'm only playing on normal!

[al Roumi]

I think, after a couple of weeks, that the AI is much better at the "basics" both on the campaign map (i.e. army composition, stacking) and battle map (keeping its forces together, not *usually* zerging with cavalry, broadly using units in a way that befits their attributes) but that it does have flaws. Siege behaviour is a big one, also that it only ever sends one stack in a given direction.

The best I've seen the AI play on the battle map is when it doesn't attack me, but sits back and puts me at a disadvantage -i.e. by having a large archer contingent and camping in woods (my usual cheap cynical tactic). It unfortunately doesn't do more elaborate things like splitting its forces, laying small ambushes or any real flanking movements -bar the odd cavalry escapade.

I think the AI offers much more of a challenge than it did in Empire and it is certainly a lot more coherent on diplomacy, campaign and battle map strategies. If I've got at all complacent its because I've figured out some of the tricks that work against it and how to deal with its main threats. For example, after being nobbled on the flanks by Yari cavalry units a few times, I now always have a unit of yari samurai on the flanks of my main Ashigaru line. The AI knows better than to get cavalry too close to yari samurai so it doesnt even try to flank. That is always going to happen in a game and frankly, without it no-one would play it.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

The AI has, for the best part, kicked my arse all over the map and I'm loving it. Great challenge, had one good campaign going with the Oda but my Uesugi campaigns have just been burnt out by a coalition of factions that hate my guts. Wasn't expected much from the game but I have to say I have not enjoyed a total war game like this since Viking Invasion.

[Monk]

The AI has, for the best part, kicked my arse all over the map and I'm loving it. Great challenge, had one good campaign going with the Oda but my Uesugi campaigns have just been burnt out by a coalition of factions that hate my guts. Wasn't expected much from the game but I have to say I have not enjoyed a total war game like this since Viking Invasion.

I hear that, Eastern Honshu has proven to be particularly viscous. I don't think i've seen a single game that didn't see one clan (usually the Takeda) rising to be the head of a multi-clan coalition that unites eastern Japan into a scary power bloc. In my current game the Hojo hold 15 provinces not even counting their vassals and allies.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

I more than hear that mate! When I'm the Uesugi I normally have a small coalition of Ashina, Mogami, Yamanouchi and I try to give money to that clan the Takeda usually crush to hopefully stave them off for a bit but I find the Takeda, Hojo, Imagawa and sometimes the Ikko Ikki with a few other smaller clans such as the Kiso just unite and overwhelm me.