bribery

**Bouchious** · 02-23-2005, 16:58

is bribery historically accurate, i for 1 do not know if it ever occurred? will it be included in the mod? if it is hardcoded is there a way to make it a lot more difficult? sorry if i confuse you.

**Ano2** · 02-23-2005, 17:03

Well it is incredibly expensive in 1.2 and is rare... so i see no problem with it.

**khelvan** · 02-23-2005, 19:12

Sure, it is accurate, there are many instances of portions of ancient armies (if not the whole army) switching to the other side for various reasons. Yes, it will be in the mod, and we're making it so that every bribed army will make its way into your army, rather than simply disbanding.

**Dux Corvanus** · 02-23-2005, 21:32

Originally Posted by khelvan

Sure, it is accurate, there are many instances of portions of ancient armies (if not the whole army) switching to the other side for various reasons. Yes, it will be in the mod, and we're making it so that every bribed army will make its way into your army, rather than simply disbanding.

The problem I see with this, Khelvan, is that it seems to me that actual code just allows you to build and use your own faction units -apart from mercenary ones, and that's why only brigand units similar to your faction's are allowed to join your army.

Have the team managed to override this? That would be cool: we could use some exotic, 'foreign' units in our armies for the sake of variety and tactics.

**khelvan** · 02-23-2005, 21:52

Sure, as long as the faction is listed in the unit definition, it can be hired by that faction. All our units will list all factions. Most won't be buildable, but they will be able to be bribed.

**Big_John** · 02-23-2005, 22:53

so will disbanding no longer take place? or can you bribe an army to join or disband?

**Dux Corvanus** · 02-24-2005, 01:22

Originally Posted by Big_John

so will disbanding no longer take place? or can you bribe an army to join or disband?

You can always disband any unit belonging to your army. You don't have to maintain them if you don't want to.

**The_Emperor** · 02-24-2005, 12:04

One thing that does concern me is, Wouldn't this make the game too easy?

At the moment it is very rare to bribe an army that has units to join you... What I fear is that if ANY army that is bribed will join your faction, the player can quickly gain a major numerical advantage against the enemy.

Given human players will be more likely to use bribery than the AI, I fear that this could make the game much easier than it already is.

I am happy with bribery as it stands at the moment because it is so rare for the player to get any units to join them and most of the time you are simply bribing the army to go home...

Should every army I bribe instantly convert to my side, I think it would be too easy to swamp the enemy with bribed troops that i can use against them.

**hellenes** · 02-24-2005, 13:37

Originally Posted by The_Emperor

One thing that does concern me is, Wouldn't this make the game too easy?

At the moment it is very rare to bribe an army that has units to join you... What I fear is that if ANY army that is bribed will join your faction, the player can quickly gain a major numerical advantage against the enemy.

Given human players will be more likely to use bribery than the AI, I fear that this could make the game much easier than it already is.

I am happy with bribery as it stands at the moment because it is so rare for the player to get any units to join them and most of the time you are simply bribing the army to go home...

Should every army I bribe instantly convert to my side, I think it would be too easy to swamp the enemy with bribed troops that i can use against them.

With 1.2 bribing is so expensive that it wont be any advantage heh 50000 for 20 mediocre units isnt a great deal is it?

Hellenes

**The_Emperor** · 02-24-2005, 14:25

Originally Posted by hellenes

With 1.2 bribing is so expensive that it wont be any advantage heh 50000 for 20 mediocre units isnt a great deal is it?

They might not neccessarily be mediocre units... But army size effects the cost of a bribe more than unit quality judging by what I have seen, (given as the selucids I bribed a parthian army containing a few Cataphracts once in 1.2)

I mean sure bribing is expensive, but in vanilla RTW some factions do have near bottomless wealth... Egypt, (or whoever gains prominence in the east), the Brutii, or whoever conquers most of Greece, etc.

Bribery certainly saves you time taken in training costs.

Personally I would sugguest we limit units that defect via bribery to being the lower tech tree troops... Just so we don't have situations where a small stack of Cataphracts, Elephants or Companion Cavalry defect who then have a big impact on the course of the campaign.

**Sarcasm** · 02-24-2005, 18:06

I propose a slightly different aproach. Some units are inherently Elite or aristocratic, like hypaspists or hetaroi for example, though not necessarily elephants or other higher-tier units. Maybe we can assume that these are completely loyal and thus, not bribable.

On the other hand, a completely historic prespective should allow bribery of every kind of unit.