After modding and testing, modding and testing, i've come up with a way to make the AI build up some of its provinces a little better.
The one thing i've noticed in VI is that the AI very often tends to specialise certain buildings to certain provinces and on occasions this seems related to the provincial bonuses to units. Take for example Cyrencia (sp?), otherwise known as ID_LIBYA in the txt files. This region gives a +1 to Saharan Cavalry. The AI Almohad will simply build horse breeders to produce saharan cavalry and will not develop the province further.
The same occurs in Granada, where the Almos will gain a +1 to AUM produced there. The AI will develop the necessary buildings to produce AUM. Quite ingenious really
The same happens in Denmark and Wessex, where the AI will focus on shipbuilding only I once tried to throw in a spearmaker to Wessex and the game turn times really slowed down? The AI seemed to be having difficulty with this confusion of priorities?
While for these provinces this seems very logical, there are examples of when the AI doesn't quite get it correct. Take Egypt as a perfect example of when it works, but could be better. If i can remember correctly, Egypt gives a +1 to Mamuluk Cavalry and if playing GAs the AI will get 5 points if it manages to build a Grand Mosque there in the Early period.
Now, under the standard setting the AI build order for Egypt always seems to be +20% Farmland, Horse Farmer, Horse Breeder and i think Horse Breeder's Guild. Then the Egyptians permanently stop improving Egypt. Based on my theory this is because they are now able to produce the Mamluk Cavalry?? The only time Egypt might get improved further is if another faction captures it? Maybe this is because they are not restrained to building up to getting Mamluk Cavalry (+1)? For the Egyptians, a similar build pattern happens in Antioch (which incidently gives +1 to Turcopoles), except Antioch builds the horse breeder up to a Master, thereby gaining the +1 valour for all horse units (+2 turcopoles).
So there definitely seems to be a correlation between unit bonuses and AI teching. However, the Egyptians won't build Egypt up further to get the GA points, or potentially other useful cavalry units like the Ghulams (horse breeder3, spearmaker3).
Whilst this Horse Breeder specialisation is quite a good idea, in theory, unfortunately it tends to limit the province upgrading, since horse breeders can be teched up without needing corresponding castle upgrades.
I was trying everything to get Egypt out of this awful build pattern without success until i stumbled on a excellent thought
What about making the upgrades for the Horse Farmer require the upgraded castles?, as the Horse Breeder is the only troop producer that doesn't require upgraded castles to complete its tech line.
This hit the jackpot and all of a sudden the Egyptians were developing Egypt, at least up a point where it could produce the Ghulam Cavalry. Once it completed the horse farmer, it had to upgrade the castle to produce the horse breeder and it did. Then instead of immediately going up another level, it upgraded the spearmaker first Bingo This continued to the castle level, where i didn't test further due to it being 2.30 am
The original pattern wasn't restricted to the Egyptians obviously and every faction was guilty of building to Master Horse Breeder in provinces with only a Fort and then leaving it there.
Sorry if this is a little long-winded, but seems to have improved the game as obviously provinces with only Master Horse Breeders and a Fort aren't of much use unless all you wish for are valour +1 hobilars, saharan cavalry or other light cavalry. +2 if it's a bonus province for that unit.
For those interested, the finer details of the change are:
{CASTLE,IMPROVED_FARMLAND},{HORSE_BREEDER},{HORSE_BREEDER2}, {HORSE_BREEDER3}
To this:
{CASTLE,IMPROVED_FARMLAND},{CASTLE4,HORSE_BREEDER},{CASTLE7,HORSE_BREEDER2}, {CASTLE10,HORSE_BREEDER3}
If any of you try it, let me know how you get along.
Regards
Doc
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