Campaign Map AI is buggy and is a Game Killer!!

**PorT_Lobo** · 11-16-2006, 03:06

Campaign AI is the biggest problem in MTW2!

It has several exploits that destroy game.

- AI doesn’t garrison their settlements! Even in Frontier against enemies, AI leaves a small garrison inside.

- AI in campaign map is to few aggressive... Human can pass an army next to AI army and it doesn’t attack.

This 2 severe exploits result in a super easy game to an experienced human player. In a game that conquer cities is the key to victory, i think this is clear.

I will refer 2 clear examples from my campaign.

1st, playing as Portugal i destroyed Spain in first 3/4 rounds, just make 2 armies (mercs + original Portuguese army) and send one for Leon and another for Toledo. They found the settlements almost deserts, Spanish army outside did not attack, and i conquered both settlements and exterminate Spain in round 4!!!

2nd, France were my enemy since some time ago, but did not defend theire borders, besides be much strong than me at the moment! I advanced with a full army in French territory, and AI did not react. Tolouse were a Citadel defended ONLY by the king alone!!! I conquered it super easy and after, France send a full army against me inside the Citadel that it should offer me.... of curse the suicide AI lost!!

I conquered also several Moor settlements, all of them without a full garrison inside!

I know there are more bugs in this game, but so game killers as this i doubt!

As a side note, im a veteran player with 30 yo! I play TW since Shogun and i am also a known Age of Empires series player, and founder of PorT Clan, the biggest Portuguese RTS Clan. My experience above described was in vh/vh difficulty!

I would like to refer some other bugs related to diplomacy:

- AI pays to much to Human become Vassal. I asked 12000 florins and it gave it to me! At next turn i attack their ally and they broke alliance again without any penalty!
- AI pays a lot when want cease fire, sometimes 4000 or 5000 florins, in next turn I attack it again without any problem!!

At last, when AI has a Spy inside town who open doors, AI continue using only the siege engines and ignore the side doors open by spy!

Anyway Campaign AI is the biggest problem in MTW2! CA must do something or we will have a nice looking game with no chalange at all!!

**Zoltan** · 11-16-2006, 04:24

I thought this forum had a rule to delete threads with more than one exclamation mark in the title....

**Nebuchadnezzar** · 11-16-2006, 06:27

Yes we know the AI doesn't garrison frontier towns/castles. But this is hardly the most important issue with the game.

Edit
Did you really expect some breakthrough with diplomacy?

**AlJabberwock** · 11-16-2006, 07:32

Heh heh.. I know it probably wasn't meant for just this post, but your URL avatar is particularly funny in this case Neb!

Wish we had a potuguese language forum porT!
Concordo sobre as falhas que se apontou...

Al Jabberwock

**Spendius** · 11-16-2006, 10:09

AI also spams siege machines. Yesterday I was attacked by 1 militia spearmen and 10 catapults/trebuchets, which is plain stupid: I am no passive AI.

**Tadajon** · 11-16-2006, 12:01

The Campaign AI isnt broken and its definitely not a game killer, it just needs to be adjusted and some serious tweaks.

I agree, sometimes the AI can be really annoying in its current state, but in principle, the Campaign-AI is better then ever.

Cummon, how do you play on the campaign map? May I guess? You have only that much garrison to rise the tax rate to very high (or maybe high) and maintain a loyalty level of 100% at the same time (maybe a little bit higher).
Movability is the key to success. Small garrisons + some strong stacks outside is the way i play the game and probably you too.
This way i can not be "pinned" inside a castle or city and can act and react without losing the initiative completely.

I go so far and call that "intuitive and creative" AI!

As i said, it has to be adjusted and tweaked, but seriously, IMHO CA is on the right way here and it would be a big fault to do it like it was in previous TW games. Sure, it would be easier to implement and of course nobody would cry "broken AI" (just bad).

BTW, i have a blast in my current Campaign as HRE (h/vh). The struggle for northern Italy against the italian city states+Sicily is an experience which i never had with the original MTW (and i played it to death like i did with STW, trust me on that at least

).

I give M2TW (and future patches) a chance. And it cant be worse than RTW was.

sorry for my bad english

**SoxSexSax** · 11-16-2006, 12:08

Originally Posted by Tadajon

The Campaign AI isnt broken and its definitely not a game killer, it just needs to be adjusted and some serious tweaks.

I agree, sometimes the AI can be really annoying in its current state, but in principle, the Campaign-AI is better then ever.

Cummon, how do you play on the campaign map? May I guess? You have only that much garrison to rise the tax rate to very high (or maybe high) and maintain a loyalty level of 100% at the same time (maybe a little bit higher).
Movability is the key to success. Small garrisons + some strong stacks outside is the way i play the game and probably you too.
This way i can not be "pinned" inside a castle or city and can act and react without losing the initiative completely.

I go so far and call that "intuitive and creative" AI!

This depends on whether the AI has a field army near enough to relieve the under siege garrison in one turn. If not, the city is mine.

As this is often the case, I'd suggest that it is not "intuitive and creative" but more "reckless and suicidal".

Still, at least the battlefield AI is better. Not great, but it's not the moron it was in Rome.

**Leaping-Tall** · 11-16-2006, 12:19

campaing Ai isnt that bad . im on VH an getting my @ss kicked

**Tadajon** · 11-16-2006, 12:41

Problem are not the small garrisons. The AI just isnt aggressive and smart enough with their stacks outside. Its adjustable if you ask me and the M2TW Campaign-AI is a step in the right direction.

I will never expect to play a TW Campaign without house rules.

**PorT_Lobo** · 11-16-2006, 16:57

In a game where conquer settlements is the main goal to win, AI baddly garrison it and let us pass without attack in middle theire territories is a game killer..... That must be priority to be solved!!!

Originally Posted by AlJabberwock

Wish we had a potuguese language forum porT!
Concordo sobre as falhas que se apontou...

Olá Jabber, o site está temporariamente em baixo esta semana devido a mudança de servidor, para a semana vai estar online de novo e sim, é em Português ;)!

**mr.blonde** · 11-16-2006, 18:45

i play tw from original medieval and i think CA(really thank you for the happy hours) makes good steps in development, i really enjoy m2, but campaign ai has its flaws, maybe not a game killer but sometimes very unrealistic. In my current campaign(egypt/m/vh) a crusade called in jerusalem and above adanna in the only and narrow pass for the holy lands i have a full stack with mamluk horse archers and boom... 3 full stack crusading armies(england/venice/hungary) dont dare to attack me and continue their purpose or attack the poor garisoned castle of adana to gain a foothold, they stuck there in front of my army for about 8 turns in the mean time in testing a turkish army comes with a simple unit and atacks hungary crusading army and the crusaders retreat...
i feel that the game is siege oriented and not even succesfull with that(known issues of poor garrisoned castles and buggy battle ai) but i believe with patches/mods later we all gonna have good times