2 questions about the AI

[Pericles]

It's Now 1226 AD:

Here is the situation:

I am now at war with Egypt. However, I am allied with Italy, the HRE, the Papacy and Sicily. I am trying to end the war with England, but the English King has been deaf to my entreaties.

1) I built a huge fleet and after a large number of naval clashes I hold one quarter of the western side of the Med. My Spanish borders are safe from Amphibious attack.

However, Egypt still maintains a huge fleet and holds the other 3/4s of the Med. In particular it controls the water around Italy and has been landing forces there at will. Almost all of Italy has fallen to these Muslim warriors and there is still no end in sight.

I will need to build more ships and then fight Egyptian ships for control of the waters around Italy. This will prevent Egypt from reinforcing its forces there, and hopefully a combined European onslaught can defeat the Muslim forces there.

2) The good news is that rebellion is in the air and even now Loyalist factions have been rising against their Muslim Overlords in Italy. And the Papacy, although it holds only one province, still maintains substantial forces in it.

3) I launched a Crusade to re-take Venice from Egypt. I loaded it with thousands of mercenary troops and sent it on its way. When it finally entered Venice, it contained a ton of troops. Egypt, in turn, sent in thousands of its fanatical warriors, and the resulting battle lasted 3 hours: I had 30 units as reinforcements alone. In the resulting battle 3,500 soldiers lay dead on the battlefield, and the Crusade was repulsed. However, this placed a major dent in Egyptian forces and showed to other countries that the invincible masses of Muslim warriors could indeed be stopped.

Italy and the HRE maintain large forces in the west and north of these Egyptian forces and should be attacking them soon.

4) By using ONLY mercenary troops for my Crusade I have not lost a single soldier so far. In keeping with this, I have sent thousands of front-line, upgraded troops to Algeria. I plan to attack Egyptian forces in Tunisia by land, and then to control the waters surrounding it, to prevent Egypt from easily reinforcing it by sea.

5) As a result of the war I have lost my lucrative trade income, and because of my massive troop and naval build-up I am running a slight deficit. However, I still have 41,000 Florins in the bank, and I am sure that once I fight more battles (and lose men and ships) this deficit should be eliminated.

6) The Golden Horde should be making its appearance soon. With most of Egypt's forces tied down in the west in titanic battles, it should be a very unpleasant surprise to them. I have never been so happy to see the Horde make its appearance then I have at this time.

7) In my encounters with Egyptian forces so far, they have proven to be formidable warriors. With a huge empire and income to back its aggressive advance in the west, they will prove to be a tough opponent.

The outcome still lies in the balance. . .

[Pericles]

It's Now 1230 AD:

Throughout every marketplace and town square in Spain can be heard the reverberating sound of Church bells as they ring out only one word: Victory! Victory! Victory!

The past four years of have seen some of the most titanic land and naval battles yet seen in the history of Europe. Yet, through all this struggle the tide has been turned against the Egyptian onslaught.

If money is a measure of effort, then let it tell the tale:

Four years ago Spain had 50,000 Florins in its coffers with an annual income of 5,000 Florins. After just four years of brutal warfare Spain now has only 10,000 Florins in its coffers and it is running a deficit of 1,400 Florins per year.

1) In Europe my previous Crusade against the Egyptians in Venice weakened them quite a bit. Soon after this, powerful German and Italian armies invaded and re-took Provence and Venice from the Egyptians. Then Papal armies waged a successful fight to re-take another province in Italy.

2) In the Med a big naval expansion on my part resulted in several successful naval battles which left me controlling half the Med, especially the waters around Italy. This meant that Egyptian forces in Italy were cut-off from reinforcements, and are even now being attacked by European armies.

3) In North Africa I attacked the Egyptians in Tunisia. After several very bloody battles I finally captured this province.

4) Loyalist uprisings in Italy have resulted in major headaches for the would-be Egyptian conquerors. As well, revolts have broken out in several other Egyptian provinces.

Clearly the tide has been turned and Europe has been saved from this menace.

5) Yet news has reached me that tens of thousands of warriors called The Golden Horde are even now sweeping north-west across the Steppes and south into Egyptian-held territory.

But this is of no concern to me at the moment, since I am hoping that powerful European armies in the north will meet this barbarian invader, and that Egyptain armies in the south will be able to secure their borders from this new and terrifying menace.

My main goal right now is to secure overseas trade through a new shipbuilding program and to secure trade in the Atlantic, thus repairing Spain's finances, and filling her coffers once more.

Yet, I cannot help but wonder what new and terrifying enemy will rise up against Spain in the years ahead. Spain has been at war for over 120 years. In all that time friends have become enemies and enemies have become friends. . .

I have no doubt that powerful European Monarchs will yet seek to lay claim to precious Spanish soil. . .

"Keep your friends close, but keep your sword closer. . ."

6) With my Spanish borders secure, and with relative control of the Med guaranteed, my goal is to conquer all of North Africa.

I have pledged to the Spanish king that I will not rest until I have planted the Spanish flag at the foot of the fabled Pyramids in Cairo; that no Spanish soldier will sleep until the army has bathed in the soothing springs at Mecca; and that no valiant men-at-arms will return to their beloved homes in Spain until they have stood before the great walls at Constantinople.

This I have sworn.

Your Obedient Servant,

Manuel Ortega Rodrigez
General of his Majesty's Armies in Africa

[Pericles]

I'll keep playing my current game, but I wanted to illustrate to others that whether you are playing a Mod or the default game, by simply adding more income to other factions, you will have a tougher game.

The extra income definitely allows the AI factions to build units and province improvements.

Playing other factions other than Spain (it has rich provinces), will also spice up the game.

Cheers!