Crappy AI factions

**andrewt** · 10-08-2004, 18:07

I've played 2 campaigns so far and the Seleucids, Macedonians and Carthaginians got wiped out first. I had a hand in wiping out the Seleucids in one game and the Carthaginians in the other, though. It seems these guys are the HRE and Turkey of RTW, always getting annihilated.

What is everybody else's experience?

**Tamur** · 10-08-2004, 18:16

The Carthaginians, Numidians and Seleucids have been destroyed quickly and efficiently (by AI factions, not by me) in the three campaigns I've taken past thirty years. The Macedonians seem to be survivors -- unless I'm the Brutii, then they're my first target.

No matter what I do, the Greek Cities are ALWAYS around. I wipe out their capital, the last of their holdings in Greece or on the Anatolian plateau. Then I find that they somehow took Palmyra, or Tingi!! Bah.

**TinCow** · 10-08-2004, 18:24

The Carthaginians bought it first in my campaign, and that had nothing to do with me. The other factions killed without my assistance so far are: Macedonia, Dacia, and Pontus (maybe Parthia, cant remember which is which). The Numidians look like they will be dead soon as well. I personally eliminated the Gauls, Britons, and Spain

**Basileus** · 10-08-2004, 18:48

Something that seems to happen very often is, Britons destroy The Germans, Scipii Destroy Carthage and Egypt Destroys The Seluecids.

**Red Harvest** · 10-08-2004, 18:50

Carthage takes a real beating as an AI faction even when I play as Spain and ally with them. This is an area that CA needs to address. I think their economy should be stronger (perhaps more money at start?) Not sure what else. It takes them a long time to get any decent infantry. I guess it would help if they were prone to allying with Numidia. Neither Numidia nor Carthage has a chance if they are at war, so they should not attack each other so frequently. What I always see is Numidia joining in the fun of sacking Carthage (watching with diplomats or ships.)

The Seleucids always get knocked out by Egypt. I've been shocked by the stats of the desert axemen: 11 Armour? Yet the image shows them as shirtless? I must be missing something.

**Mori Gabriel Syme** · 10-08-2004, 19:06

The Seleucids got knocked out first by Egypt in my campaign, but Carthage is still around. Also gone are Parthia, Pontus, and Spain (knocked on the ropes by Carthage, punched out by Gaul). The Germans are slowly eliminating the Britons, & I'm slowly eliminating Macedonia. Numibia was doing quite well for a while, but they seem to have gone into decline.

**Jeanne d'arc** · 10-08-2004, 19:11

no matter what i do every neighbouring faction attacks me, really annoying as i like to play in a passive way.

**Spino** · 10-08-2004, 19:32

I'll post the bloated version of this over in the Dungeon but you guys should know that you can change how the AI plays on the campaign map.

Over at twc .Spartan (with a little help from yours truly) deciphered and defined the two kinds of variables that govern how the strategic AI goes about its business building its empire. Apparently changing these variables can have a profound effect on how the campaign game plays out. Carthage has been witnessed becoming a real threat simply by making it more aggressive and focused on conquest instead of its current passive and profiteering obssessed state of mind.

Here are the default AI settings and their definitions for each faction as found in the txt file.

Faction...................................Style
................................var1........................var2
______________________________________________
Julii ---------------- comfortable ------------ Caesar
Brutii -------------- balanced ---------------- Stalin
Scipii -------------- bureaucrat -------------- Napoleon
Senate ------------ comfortable ------------- Napoleon
Macedon ---------- fortified ------------------ Napoleon
Egypt -------------- religious ---------------- Caesar
Seleucid ----------- balanced ---------------- Stalin
Carthage ---------- balanced ---------------- Smith
Parthia ------------- balanced ---------------- Genghis
Pontus ------------- trader -------------------- Napoleon
Gauls -------------- religious ----------------- Smith
Germans ---------- balanced ---------------- Mao
Britons ------------ trader -------------------- Henry
Armenia ---------- fortified ------------------ Henry
Greek Cities ------ balanced ---------------- Smith
Numidia ------------ balanced --------------- Henry
Scythia ------------- trader ------------------ Smith
Spain --------------- fortified ---------------- Mao
Thrace -------------- sailor ------------------ Napoleon
Slaves -------------- balanced -------------- Smith

Here are .Spartan's recommendations which he based on considerable testing...

Based on the above information, below are my recommendations for AI variable settings. These are based on general stretgic disposition, tactical capabilities and economic resourses.

Set version 2

Julii -------------- fortified ------------ caesar
Brutii ------------- bureaucrat ----------- napoleon
Scipii ------------- religious ------------ mao
Senate ------------- comfortable ---------- henry
Macedon ------------ balanced ------------- genghis
Egypt -------------- balanced ------------- stalin
Seleucid ----------- comfortable ---------- genghis
Carthage ----------- balanced ------------- napoleon
Parthia ------------ bureaucrat ----------- henry
Pontus ------------- trader --------------- napoleon
Gauls -------------- fortified ------------ napoleon
Germans ------------ religious ------------ stalin
Britons ------------ trader --------------- smith
Armenia ------------ bureaucrat ----------- caesar
Greek Cities ------- fortified ------------ mao
Dacia --------------- trader -------------- genghis
Numidia ------------ religious ------------ smith
Scythia ------------ comfortable ---------- napoleon
Spain -------------- comfortable ---------- stalin
Thrace ------------- bureaucrat ----------- mao
Slaves ------------- Fortified ------------ caesar

Please note: I have not recommended any "sailor" settings because I have been unable to conclude with any degree of certanty that it does in fact work correctly under the assumption that it is a naval power focus. The "balanced" setting seems to put more resources into navel development based on my experiences.

**Red Harvest** · 10-08-2004, 20:02

Hey Spino, that is great info.

Would you mind posting a new thread in the Colloseum to discuss what each setting does? It is deserving of some discussion on its own merits just to understand how each faction is supposed to behave (whether or not someone mods them.)

**Colovion** · 10-08-2004, 20:04

wow that's cool

I'd like to know how that all pans out in the real game.

At the moment the Egyptians are cutoff from the remaining Selucids as Pontus took Taursus and now I'm bribing and taking out the Pontus Empire and trying to give it to the Selucids to build them back as a buffer zone between Egypt for my Greeks.

**andrewt** · 10-08-2004, 19:13

The Seleucids get knocked out by everybody. Some of their cities are far away from Egypt so it's either the Parthia or the Greek Cities or even Pontus that's also doing some of the sacking. In my second game, though, as Parthia, I captured all their territories and they lost the last one to rebellion.

Carthage also gets ganged upon. Scipii, Spain and Numidia seem to attack them though historically, they were allied with Numidia for most of the time. The Julii could also get in the mix.

Macedon, in my games gets beaten by the Greek Cities and the Brutii or both.

Egypt is really powerful in this game. I had trouble with them first as Parthia. Seleucids were little more than arrow dummies and so are the Greeks who just attacked. The Greeks attacked me with lots of hoplites and got easily routed by a combination of Cretian Archers, Rodian Slingers and Persian Cavalry. The only reason they inflicted some casualties on me was because there were so many of them they reached my infantry at the back of the map. I had to use my peasants, hillmen and militia hoplite to protect my slingers and archers. That and my idiot people were shooting each other.

**Akka** · 10-08-2004, 20:49

Originally Posted by Red Harvest

Carthage takes a real beating as an AI faction even when I play as Spain and ally with them.

The Seleucids always get knocked out by Egypt. I've been shocked by the stats of the desert axemen: 11 Armour? Yet the image shows them as shirtless? I must be missing something.

In both campaign I played, Carthage also gets slaughtered without my help.

And Egypt seems the only power that can slow down the Romans.

**desdichado** · 10-08-2004, 20:59

Originally Posted by Red Harvest

11 Armour? Yet the image shows them as shirtless? I must be missing something.

It's there tough leathery skin from years in the sun without shirts. Makes them tough to take down with missiles but they fatigue really quick so it does balance in some way.

Seriuosly though, Spino, thanks for the great info. Would be happy to see Carthage become a real force and a threat to Rome itself. I wnat a huge prolonged war with them.

Anyway, I'm off to China for 3 week holiday so will have to wait to see how it works but if anyone mods as Spino suggests please let us have your thoughts/opinions on how changes affect game good or bad.

Ciao everyone