AI experience so far.

[todorp]

What is the CPU and graphics on your PC? I have found that the AI significantly improves with a better hardware, which is common sense. The AI can do more calculations and come with better decisions. E.g. I on my Athon XP 2500+ the AI is worse than on my E6400, not to mention the frame rates.

Do a little test. Start the Windows Tack Manager, click performance tab, then start the battle. Now and then pause the battle and Alt+Tab to the Windows Tack Manager to see the CPU usage. If you are close to 100% then the AI is taking short cuts to keep the game going.

[osb0t]

What is the CPU and graphics on your PC? I have found that the AI significantly improves with a better hardware, which is common sense. The AI can do more calculations and come with better decisions. E.g. I on my Athon XP 2500+ the AI is worse than on my E6400, not to mention the frame rates.

Do a little test. Start the Windows Tack Manager, click performance tab, then start the battle. Now and then pause the battle and Alt+Tab to the Windows Tack Manager to see the CPU usage. If you are close to 100% then the AI is taking short cuts to keep the game going.

I haven't noticed the kind of AI issues the OP mentioned. I run an athlon 64 3800 and the AI has been much much better than STW/MTW or RTW.

I have developed some very "sloppy" tendancies when sieging from those past games and the AI in this game will punish you for it. If for example you do not directly screen archers/siege weapons the AI in my experience will send a unit or two of cavalry out and launch a spoiling raid against your siege engines.

The AI is also very adept at outmanuevering you on the battlefield when it has hard hitting mobile elements.

If you are fighting a catholic nation that has several units of heavy knights, you will have a difficult time controlling the edges of the battle. They will flank mercilessly, even better than that is this, if you have significant cavalry yourself they will hold theirs in reserve and wait for you to commit yours. Once they do the AI apparently sets a very high priority to isolating your cavalry and charging it from 2 or 3 directions at once.

On the other hand, the non-catholic nations seem to have some issues with using their lighter cavalry properly. Russia with its hybrid missle/melee cavalry is a joke. It doesnt really know how to use those units effectively it would appear.

The ONE ai issue I have run into so far is regarding sieges. I have discovered that if you send one unit out of your castle/town the AI sends all of its cavalry at that unit. At the same time it basically will "reset" the rest of its forces. The infantry/archers/siege weapons will start to move around in a big jumbled mess. This makes it very easy to defend cities with a unit or two of militia and several archer units.

I will also comment that playing on H/H the AI does seem to lightly defend its castles. Towns have been by and large heavily defended, castles for whatever reason seem to get token garrisons. I wonder if the AI is over-estimating the defensive worth of the castle itself, the standard seems to be about 400 men to defend the castle, with ~800 defending cities.

[Lord of the Isles]

I will also comment that playing on H/H the AI does seem to lightly defend its castles. Towns have been by and large heavily defended, castles for whatever reason seem to get token garrisons. I wonder if the AI is over-estimating the defensive worth of the castle itself, the standard seems to be about 400 men to defend the castle, with ~800 defending cities.

Noticed the same. It's a shame since attacking Castles, especially the big ones, could produce some fun battles if the AI was garrisoning them well.

I wonder if this is a result of the AI choosing garrison sizes for reasons of quelling civil unrest rather than for defensive reasons? That would explain the larger ones in towns: they are needed to keep unrest down.