FM development - maximize their potential

[Ludens]

Let's start our discussion with some possible facts:

1) FM development is greatly influenced by his character traits (Sharp, Charismatic, Vigorous, etc)
2) FMs have a secret potential value (?)
3) The starting Ancilliary (Clerk, Spear Carrier, Family Retainer) is relevant to the career favoured to them (?)
4) Could an FM go against his character or ancilliary and become something else (?)
5) City government affects development (traits in general) but how
6) Battles: the moves the FM orders for his units, his own behaviour also affect his development
7) Battles: the type (being on the offensive or defensive), their outcome (eg Heroic Victory) also affects their reputation

just some that came into mind.Please add yours and let's discuss how is it possible (if...) to maximize our FMs' stats.

8) At least the AI is managing to accomplish that (building great FMs most often), unless of course he cheats which I am unsure of.

1) Yes, the six primary personality traits determine how easily a character can acquire certain traits. For example: uncharismatic characters have a lower chance of gaining "good leadership" traits, and are barred from reaching the highest level of leadership.

2) Yes: each of the primary personality traits has six levels, but you can only see the broad trend. High or low levels in one of these traits can usually be discerned through a character's other traits.

3/4) I don't think it's quite so black-and-white; but I am sure the starting ancillary is used for something. The objective of the EB team is to create realistic characters; and locking someone in a "career" on his sixteenth is not realistic.

5) There's dozens of triggers relating to buildings present, buildings constructed, tax rates, happiness. Mostly, their effects are what you would logically expect, though the primary personality traits are also taken into account.

6) No, the trait-engine belongs to the strategic-map portion of the game. Traits are not changed in-battle, but updated afterwards on the basis of information passed on by the battle-engine. This information includes whether the general has routed, his kill-rate*, the number of hitpoints and bodyguards he's lost, and obviously the outcome of the battle and battle-odds. The game does not have a concept of a second-in-command, so non-commanding characters will not gain command or leaderships traits, nor will their traits affect anything but their own units. I am not even 100% sure if these characters have their traits updated after the battle is over.

7) Yes, and not just the outcome. The initial odds for the battle are also taken into account. If your victories come from battles where the odds were slightly on your side, your general will gain command stars more slowly. (At least, it used to be like this in the early versions of EB1; characters even had a trait saying whether he'd fought mostly easy or hard battles. They removed this trait, but I don't remember them changing the calculation).

8) Yes, it cheats. A.I. characters get bonuses to traits to make them competitive with the human player.

* Kill rate may refer to his unit, but possibly to the general himself. I've had two Casse chariot generals gaining "coward"-traits because they didn't kill enough. This in spite of the fact that I had used them very aggressively, and their units had killed a reasonable number with their javelins. The trait always disappeared after another battle, so it may have been an unusual bug.

On a final note: it's not possible to gain all good traits for one character. EB's trait system is about realism: it takes time and talent to develop good abilities, and not everybody is able or willing to do so. You may want your young leaders to spend all morning in the Academy and all afternoon in the Gymnasium; but they may prefer to hit the tavern.