Region Discount ideas

**bretwalda** · 09-06-2005, 01:14

That is sad to hear... so if I do it I will mess up my game playability...? And the more bonus I put in the worse the AI will be...? That is sad.

However the effect lessens if I give bonus to basic troops (those that do not require extensive building before being available). I mean Slav Javelingmen, Spearmen, Horsemen, Székely, Horse Archers and so on.

**EatYerGreens** · 09-06-2005, 23:58

Originally Posted by bretwalda

That is sad to hear... so if I do it I will mess up my game playability...? And the more bonus I put in the worse the AI will be...? That is sad.

However the effect lessens if I give bonus to basic troops (those that do not require extensive building before being available). I mean Slav Javelingmen, Spearmen, Horsemen, Székely, Horse Archers and so on.

No. As far as I can make out, the effect (lack of tech development by AI) gets worse if you give bonuses to units which only require low-tech buildings in order to train them. Development grinds to a halt as soon as it achieves the minimum building requirements for the bonused unit in question.

With you as the Hungary player, the bonuses will be of benefit, since you'll be in full control of what gets built. Just expect to see Hungary suffer as soon as the AI is put in charge.

Let me see if I can relocate that thread I was talking about.

EDIT:
Here it is!

A way to make the AI build up provinces better!

It's in the Repository section, which is supposedly closed to new postings but I'm getting a 'Post Reply' button at the bottom of it, regardless. Last post is from 2003 anyway, so perhaps little point in digging it up again.

It's difficult to tell whether the conversation is all pre-VI and how much of the problem they described was fixed by changes made by CA, in VI itself. If in doubt, contact +DOC+, who initiated the thread, or WesW, who seems to be a regular inhabitant of the Modding areas.

**Zarax** · 09-07-2005, 20:55

Maybe we should get our expert modders and ask them to create a small showcase mod for AI improvements, just think the goodness that VH, BKB and Wes could do together on a single piece of work!

**bretwalda** · 09-08-2005, 16:51

I already have the feeling that this modding stuff is too complex for me to compltetely unterstand... I tweak something and the has long ripple effect on the whole game...

EDIT: I read through the Repository thread and I am still not sure what is the solution... Only use advanced units is not an option because it narrows the choices. Maybe to use two units in every province of which one of them must be high level troop type.

However I still feel that there is no agreement how this exactly works and no way to tell without asking CA. Maybe we should ask them... Or, as it was many times suggested if the reveal the source code someone could tell how this works. (yeah, I am daydreaming...)

Anyway: I wonder why can't the AI follow a few easy rules to build its empire: no overbuilding units, not building unnecessary buildings, build up farms and merchant where applicable. Considering the number of provinces could allocate a province to unit types, etc. Or is it so complex that it is impossible to program the AI?

I rather shut up and go home and play some.

**Zarax** · 09-08-2005, 17:07

Well, I'm by no means an expert modder, but I found this thread an excellent source of ideas.

What do you think about placing economical improvements as requisites for certain units?

**WesW** · 09-16-2005, 18:22

Originally Posted by Zarax

Well, I'm by no means an expert modder, but I found this thread an excellent source of ideas.

What do you think about placing economical improvements as requisites for certain units?

Reading that old thread again got me to reconsidering the setup I had developed for my mod to encourage economic development in key provinces.
The system I have now uses the two types of Peasants as the goal units, with region bonuses in all the key regions. The Christian unit focuses on trade provinces, and requires a Castle and a Merchant's Guild. The Muslim unit focuses on fertile provinces, and requires a Castle and a 60% farmland improvement. Both units are available to all factions, but their priorities are set to zero, so the AI should never actually build them. I placed them at the end of the file, so that their bonuses never show up on the strat map.

I have given every province a unit bonus, as I feel it adds a nice strategic dimension to the game. Doing this can either help or hinder the AI, depending upon how competently you set it all up. Since the AI will strive for the bonus unit, it won't waste as much time and money on buildings it will rarely use.
The key is knowing the value of the provinces and selecting units whose requirements match the province. For example, pick your knights and other advanced units for your capital and richest provinces. What was so bad about the CA default settings was when they picked a low-tech unit for a rich province, such as Venice or Provence.
From what I gathered by reading the thread, the AI will drop back to standard priorities once it has achieved the ability to construct the bonus unit. If it is still trying to obtain units in other provinces, this can result in a stoppage of construction for some time, which I believe was mis-interpreted as a premanent end to construction.
It would be extremely difficult to tell whether or not the AI prioritizes the second bonus unit once it can build Peasants in my setup, but I feel that the certain economic benefits outweigh the military uncertainty.

**Zarax** · 09-16-2005, 18:44

I agree with the principle WesW, in fact I'm using a lighter version of the system you described here...
What I would also suggest is to give to at least the smaller factions a small navy to begin with, as testing suggests that AI has problems in determine the army size, prioritizing unit construction to building one and too often resulting in bankrupt.