Fewer but larger battles?

[Mikeus Caesar]

far more significant and meaningful

Wrong. Most of the battles i play where the AI actually brings a nice sized army aren't significant. On medieval, the AI has tactics, and you can go for a while without battles, so then you can prepare your armies and have better battles. And whenever there is a battle on medieval, it is significant, because it means keeping or losing a province, or conquering a province.

[phred]

Wrong. Most of the battles i play where the AI actually brings a nice sized army aren't significant. On medieval, the AI has tactics, and you can go for a while without battles, so then you can prepare your armies and have better battles. And whenever there is a battle on medieval, it is significant, because it means keeping or losing a province, or conquering a province.

In RTW I've only seen one significant battle. I was besieged by two full stacks of Gauls in southern France, I sent a relief force and had a decent battle with four armies (my relief general's army defeated one of stacks on his own and didn't suicide) and utterly annihilated the Gaul armies. I then quickly took two or three cities with practically no opposition. The Gauls never recovered (this was at normal level).
but only one time have I seen it happen.

[Butcher]

Wrong. Most of the battles i play where the AI actually brings a nice sized army aren't significant. On medieval, the AI has tactics, and you can go for a while without battles, so then you can prepare your armies and have better battles. And whenever there is a battle on medieval, it is significant, because it means keeping or losing a province, or conquering a province.

That is due to the different type of stratergy map though. If RTW had the same type as MTW, then you would have the same aspect of each battle being significant.
However, in MTW these large battles often came about due to a 'cold war' style buildup across borders, especially in places where provinces touched on more than one other province (e.g syria). As you now no longer 'province hop' the potential for large armies consistently facing each other is lost, especially as the ai wonders around in small stacks.

[master of the puppets]

it is all true for me the rebels and poor enemy tactitions, but one thing tbhat i think is weird is the AI's hesitation to destroy you. in all my games i have plummeted to the deepest depths of dispair, sieges, lost cities, armies destroyed, but i always come out of it with a vengence because the AI won't fully destroy you.

i wanted to test this so one day i started a german campaign just to see what happens when all your cities are lost. i took all my soldiers out of all my cities and made a mass army marched it down into italy destroying cities and armies but never staying in the cities. meanwhile all my german cities are getting restless rovolting and the british are taking a few of my cities also but for some stupid reason i get down to one single city. it remains ever loyal always happy not a seed of revolt. and i have seen full british armies walk right by, so i decided to give my last city away to the julii...

just then my mother found my report card and i don't get to play any computer games till the end of january. IS THERE NO DECENCY? I HAVE GOT ULTIMATE A.D.D (also an above average IQ, go figure) WHY CAN'T SHE RESPECT THAT oh well this forum isall i've got left of thwe game otherwise im in my room blasting my mettalica really loud to tick my mom off

ok i got side tracked back to the thing we were talking about...

[KiOwA]

Put it this way: with the new strategic map, there are suddenly alot more ways to move out of your territory, and for enemies to move in. Perhaps the AI is trying to compensate by splitting its forces thin. Not a good idea though. It shouldn't be hard to program the AI to leave some forces in the homeland as guards, and group everything else into this kickass army or two, and head around on a conquering spree.

[Mikeus Caesar]

However, in MTW these large battles often came about due to a 'cold war' style buildup across borders,

I liked the cold war build-up. it gives you time to prepare for absolutely huge battles. Like on my MTW egyptian campaign, i have a huge build up of troops on my border with spain, which should be a good battle. And i've gone for 40 years without conflict.

[KyodaiSteeleye]

Put it this way: with the new strategic map, there are suddenly alot more ways to move out of your territory, and for enemies to move in. Perhaps the AI is trying to compensate by splitting its forces thin. Not a good idea though. It shouldn't be hard to program the AI to leave some forces in the homeland as guards, and group everything else into this kickass army or two, and head around on a conquering spree.

Even with the new strategy map, the objective of the AI should be the same - to move armies in as straight a fashion as possible to siege and take your cities - therefore even with the huge possibilities of the new strat' map, even if they ignored features like advantageous terrain and sneaky back routes, the AI could still make a good stab and taking you out, without having to do anything complicated.

In my present Selucid campaign on VH, factions like Parthia and Pontus insist on sending innumerable armies of 3 or 4 eastern infantry into my lands, they even sometimes take the piss enough to try and siege a city. Although i really enjoyed the challenge of getting my ass whupped by four factions at the same time at the start of the game, with only militia hoplites and some bitch-ass cavalry to ward them off, the AI's inability to hold back and field meaningful armies instead of this incontinent drip of raiding armies is really quite dull. If Parthia just wanted to piss me off, she's doing well, but if she wanted to crush me, she ain't....

Maybe their strategy is that i'll get so bored of killing their cannon-fodder that i'll resign my kingship, and become a hermit in the desert, eating locusts etc....

[Mikeus Caesar]

That is true. When i first got the game, i was finding it difficult to beat gaul, because they were sending huge armies. But after i defeated about 6 of these armies, the only armies left were horrible piddly things, which were just a nuisance.

[Maltz]

I find the current AI are OK in getting full stacks given enough financial support - just not all of them are led by capable family members. Some are. We see all of the smaller stacks because we visit them a little "too early".