Does AI disregard longbowmen?

**geala** · 12-04-2006, 14:13

I played a campaign as HRE and am currently playing as Spain (H/H). It's around 1400 again, the decision was made that world has a black extension in the west and I am battling against 4 western and 4 muslim nations. Milan on land and England on the sea are my most annoying foes.

But I never saw a unit of longbowmen in my HRE campaign (except as my mercenaries) and I have not yet seen one in my current campaign. The English are still using peasant archers or militia archers (is this the first step to longbowmen? didn't played as England yet). Why? Has anybody had the opportunity to fight against longbowmen in a campaign?

**Quillan** · 12-04-2006, 15:26

If I had to guess, I'd say the root issue is money, or rather the lack of money. I'm about 200 years into my Spanish campaign, and I've spent a LOT of money teching up. I have 2 cities that can build musketeers, 3-4 more that can build arquebusiers and are working on the barracks for musketeers, and probably 10+ cities that can build Tercio pikemen. I have seen a couple of handgunners and pike militia in other European armies, but not one single arquebusier or musketeer anyplace outside my own forces. Over the last 50 years, I've routinely run across cities with 25,000-40,000 population that were still "large" cities, not having the final upgrade built.

I think the way the AI algorithm works is it first looks at the money it has and the cost of maintaining what it has. It takes that profit, builds any critical troops needed, and then spends the rest on buildings and troops as it can. I don't believe it is capable of making a multi-turn financial decision, such as "I'm not going to spend anything this turn so I can save up the 15,000 florins I need for that Royal Barracks". As a result, I don't think it HAS the 9600+ florins needed to build that Army Barracks, Huge Stone Wall, Marksman's Range, and so forth. I'd imagine the English have been too tied up dealing with their foes and spending their money on the troops they could build now to fight those wars they haven't been able to upgrade to the point where they could build the longbowmen.

I've seen the same thing in my current game. It took England from the start of the campaign to 1271 (1 year per turn) to eliminate the Scottish, and a few turns after that to unite the isles (Dublin and Caernarvon went rebel when the Scots died). I sent a spy over there, and I see armored sergeants and dismounted english/feudal knights in their armies, but no archers better than peasants. Their only castle was Nottingham until they got Caernarvon and Inverness from the Scots, so I don't think they've been capable of making them. I'll be keeping an eye on them now; since they have no one to currently fight unless they invade by sea, perhaps they'll tech up.

**Daveybaby** · 12-04-2006, 15:39

Nice theory Quillan, and possibly correct (havent seen much sign that's true though, on average i'm finding AI cities are on a par with mine tech-wise) but longbows are hardly a high tech unit. Think it's the 2nd level bowyer that builds them.

Ironically when playing as the english i *have* seen the scots field longbows in their armies, presumably theyre merc units cos i dont think theyre in the scottish roster.

**Merlin's Apprentice** · 12-04-2006, 15:40

I noticed a few days ago that I was the richest faction with 4000 florins
since then I started every faction with 200k to spice things up a notch

**Quickening** · 12-04-2006, 15:42

The AI uses longbowmen against me all the time (VH\VH).

**Fridgebadger** · 12-04-2006, 15:43

@ Quickening

How do you do that again? I used to do it regularly in Rome to make things a challenge, but I've forgotten the command...

**geala** · 12-04-2006, 17:21

Hmm, strange.

What Quillan said sounds really clever. Indeed I don't see much high-tech units elsewhere, too. A fact which his thoughts would explain. But Quickenings experience seems to contradict...

Giving money to the AI would be a nice idea. But as I cannot open the console anyway my only choice would be changing the desc_strat (easy task) but I will start a new campaign only after the arriving of the unpacker.

**Furious Mental** · 12-04-2006, 17:26

The AI will build the best units it can if you give it time, e.g. I have had English armies come at me with retinue longbowmen and such. However the player can generally reach them before the AI does.