Europa Barbarorum 2.08e is released!

[QuintusSertorius]

Changelist for 2.05:

• Further update to Baktrian mission to make certain it triggers.
• Tweaks to Baktrian and Hayastan independence scripts. Captures are monitored when they're in rebellion.
• Doubled chances of Mauryan punitive expeditions spawning, to ensure reform script triggers properly.
• Added a market to Chighu
• Added a Patava pool to Epirote Native/Supervised Native Admin, and to Celtic migration governments.
• Revision of Roman civlib to put in a clearer structure to the pools and added an Anatolian pool.
• Lugian governments brought into conformity with other "barbarian" ones.
• Added slingers to the Illyrian pools. Added a placeholder Thraikian pool to Hellenistic governments.
• Tweaks to carthage_poils, carthage_council and numidia4 governments.
• Reform-oriented tweaks to greek1, greek2, hellen1 and hellen2 Allied Government pools. Also to polis and helcol buildings.
• Replaced Cappadocian Cavalry with Anatolian Medium Cavalry.
• Update to Pontic factional governments - pontos2 and pontos3 revised to be more like Hellenistic pools - ie local levies.
• Quick update of govgandara and govsaba - closed double-counting and altered some pools.
• Big update of Iberian pools - we have new "Iberian Levy Spearman" and "Iberian Levy Skirmiser" units (ie renaming and repurposing of existing units).
• Doubled Rebel recruit_pool refresh rates (but left pool caps unchanged).
• Increased economic support for Makedonia, Numidia and Saka.
• CAI updates to defense rules and diplomacy.
• Recosted Illyrians and Hoplitai Haploi. Tweaks to Celtiberian Skirmishers and Leusitane Light Spearmen.
• Review of cavalry stamina for consistency; heavy and most medium cavalry do not have hardy, missile and skirmish cavalry all do. Steppe cavalry have very_hardy to represent their practise of each warrior having remounts.
• Review of infantry mass for consistency. Numerous skirmishers standardised.
• Iberian and Eastern light cavalry put on ponies instead of horses.
• Removal of illyria from Landa Skordiskoii
• Updated diplomacy screen UI for cul_3 that was reversing confirm/deny.
• Re-enabled huge_stone_walls for Hellenistic and other factions that were disabled.
• CAI, diplomacy and pathfinding updates. Implemented different skirmishing distances for javelin and archer cavalry. Update to reinforcement AI.

[gosam]

Thanks for the update!

A little thing I've noticed : Alkyoneus (from Makedon) picked up the occasional drinker trait, while he starts with the metriopotes (moderate drinker) one.
IIRC, I've even had a save on one of the previous 2.04 versions where he ended up with the sot trait.

[gosam]

Apologies for the double post.

I've started a Hayasdan game. After building the tribal government in 5 provinces, I got the kingdom reform and unlocked the satrapy governments. Two points :
- I've conquered Gazaka after the reform and found that both the tribal government and the satrapy were available as choices. Is this normal? I thought the satrapy was a straight upgrade.
- The satrapy seems to restrict recruitment to cavalry only, apart from Armavir where I can still get some infantry. Is this WAD? Should I have held on building the satrapies untill more reforms were enacted? At this point I have 8 settlements, with infantry available only in one. (Edit : Turns out the infantry in Armavir comes from a native colony building)

More general observations : Pontos is rocking out this time! First the Ptolemies took the whole south coast of asia minor + Syria and Assyria. Then Pergamon and Pontos attack the ptolemies, with Pergamon taking Lydia, Ionia, Karia and Pamphylia, while Pontos took Kilikia, Syria, Assyria, and then drove south to Syria Koile and Phoinike! This is turn 84 btw.

2nd edit : After upgrading Karkathiokerta to a city, I have the option to build there a Royal Kingdom of Hayasdan government. From the Faction governments and colonies thread over at twc, it seemed as it's only buildable in Armavir.
Though it makes sense that the Imperial Capital of Hayasdan is the only one to be restricted to Armavir.

[QuintusSertorius]

Traits are a bigger job than I can do by myself in these test releases. We're hoping to get a major review of them as part of the autumn release.

Upgrade path is intentional, from the precursor post-reform there are three choices (though it may only display two).

Satrapy is supposed to be just cavalry - it's expected that you'd build an eastcol (Native Colony) there for your main recruitment. By the way, that's where Armavir's other units are coming from. You should have held off building the Satrapy until you'd gotten at least the first tier of the Native Colony in place.

Good to see Pontos doing well - though that may be in part because you're Hayastan.

Royal Capital is just the highest tier of government for anywhere that's not-Armavir. So working as intended. Though you should only be able to build one of these under particular conditions.

[QuintusSertorius]

Changelog for 2.05b - ended up being a much more significant edit than I'd initially planned:

• Uazali removed from Anatolian levy pools. Restructured Anatolian recruit pools more generally.
• Getic Mezenai armour reduced by 2 points on review.
• Cappadocian Tribesmen re-statted as skirmishers.
• Correction to Roman military tribune trigger and Marian reform trait.
• Updated requirements to upgrade to hay_imperial. Alterations to Hayastan government pools.
• Leusitane switched from rel_f to rel_i.
• Levies removed from eastcol (Native Garrison)
• Alteration of Pontos starting armies.
• Fixed the bugged Amber Route building in Histria.
• Hippeis given the secondary weapon (a shorter spear) they already had.
• Fix to basic trait (Sharp/Charismatic/Vigorous) inheritance.
• Adjusted cost and recruit_priority_offset of Arabian ships to address naval spam.
• Iberians using the scutarii shield now late/reform units.
• Rejig of herds building pools. Iberian units removed
• Rework of mercenary pools to take into account troops phasing in and out.
• Slight increase to Makedonian forces in the Peloponnese and moved both armies.
• Brakara and Lankia converted from camps to villages.
• Army in Sinope removed.
• Agent cap on AI diplomats; they can recruit no more than 4.

Plus z3n's CAI/diplomacy and BAI/pathfinding changes in more detail:
Campaign/Diplomacy AI
1) Alliances issue resolved
2) Faction relations now matter more in regards to invasion decisions, the map should end up looking a bit different from normal
3) Adjustment to the invasion strength algorithm, should mean that attacks with less than a .99 strength ratio do not happen. Need feedback on that
4) Alliances slightly less stable without adequate relations
5) Sucessful requests for attacks on a faction will now divert a much larger amount of resources towards the target, additionally it should be somewhat easier if you posses the necessary relations

Pathfinding/Battle AI
1) Threat detection and prevention is improved for the defensive AI
2) Additional tactics implemented to prevent unnecessary disengagement and prioritize elevation
3) Pathfinding in regards to elevation adjusted to balance elevation pathfinding and AI prioritization of elevation
4) Hill assault tactics by the AI should be more 'intelligent' in the sense that if under fire and losing 10%~ of their melee units they will start to run up the hill. Otherwise they'll walk and conserve their stamina.
5) Defending versus a sally out should exhibit slightly more reactivity. Though this is only the start of said improvement, as more work will be done in future updates on the defensive/offensive part of the Siege AI.
6) AI will start to plan during the engagement which side (front/sides/rear) to assault units on in a more cohesive and sensible manner.

[QuintusSertorius]

Changelist for 2.05c:

• Pools switched between Bosporan Tyrranos and Oligarchy governments.
• Tidy up of hidden_resource requirements for numerous factional governments.
• Reviewed and amended the early assistance money script. Also reworked withdrawal of assistance. Essentially most factions have been equalised.
• Cap on diplomats should actually work now.

That might seem a short list, but ignoring the housekeeping, the big thing is the third one - the change to the money script. I'm keen to see if that fixes the inadvertent issue introduced in 2.04g onwards. Also whether it reduces the Gray Death.

I'd also like some feedback on Rebel recruitment and how the AI is treating mercenaries (on Hard campaign difficulty).