[56k Warning] Quirks from Patch (Agent Missions, Aggression, Passive)

[OMGLAZERS]

I've noticed a few problems today that I feel are pretty major and persistent. I felt I should share them with everyone, including accompanying images. All games were played on VH/VH, Long with Milan or the Moors (the two camps I tried since I patched). And YES, I am patched. I do see v1.1 in the top right :P

1) Passive AI Persistance? (Or just DUMB AI!)
This could either go under Passive AI problems or possibly just bad and dumb AI.

While playing as Milan, Sicily sent three units of feudal knights and a calvalry to attack a settlement. This wasn't a bad move, considering the settlement only had three militia (It was the closest Island to Rome, can't remember the name). However, I simply pulled away my main stack from it's desired destination and sent it flying at the Sicilians. Rather than running, they stayed to fight!

300 vs 1800+ men. Expecting a simple battle, I lined my four units of crossbowmen in front of the huge army of militia, marched them forward.

I stood nearly DEAD center with them, and unloaded on them. They did NOTHING! They didn't move, attack, or anything! They should have withdrew from the siege to begin with (considering the odds) but stood their ground. Even stranger, in the face of all these men, they stood their ground. I killed every single one with crossbows. Not a single of their unit ran. They all died where they stood. It's the only time I encountered possible passive AI, and so far, thats a good thing.

Accompanying Screenshot:

2) Suicidal or Small Invasions / Diplomacy Hack!
No screenshot for this, but i've noticed as Milan I constantly have the Moors, Sicily and Venice sending a unit or two to attack, or even a full stack. Often when this happens, I just am forced to send my full stack and repel it. One time, I decided to attempt to negotiate with the Sicilians as they began to lay siege. I offered a cease fire, and found out that I could also get 1500 gold to boot! Now, I imagine the reason why is because my armies in the city so outnumbered these tiny little invasions. However, this occured nearly three times or so with Sicily in a 25 turn period before I nearly gave up on the situation.

3) CRAZY Aggression
AGGRESSION = GOOD! I mean, I love the whole, they can't get enough of attacking you. It provides for a good game. However as Milan, within the first few turns I was attacked by a tiny cadre of Sicilians. Expectable. However, the next turn, the MOORS showed up! They invaded and blockaded me with one ship and like two militia! I couldn't believe it! What the hell were the Moors doing in Italy on turn seven?

This strange aggression that seems to be focused towards the player alone just seem weird. In the 25 turns I tried to play Milan, the Moors and Sicily constantly took turns throwing their tiny stack at me, forcing me to pretty much run a stack between two islands where they kept persisting to invade. EXASPERATING and annoying. No good honest to god invasions or battles; just tedium.

which leads into the final problem:

4) Pre-Programmed grudges or early rushes
When I say early rushes, I do mean like, Zerg-Like rushes. After playing 30 turns of the above problems with Milan I decided to start a new game with the Moors.

I'm going to link to a screenshot and let it do the talking:

That stack showed up on my doorstep as the Moors on turn eight. Not a single peasant in it. All cav and infantry. It looked like Sicily found every unit it could, got it on that boat and spent two or three turns shipping it to my doorstep.

Now I don't know if some nutty Sicilian/Milan/Moor aggression triangle has been created, but in 1.0 I NEVER encountered rushes or tiny invasions like these on the amount that they happened so early in the game.

It almost seems like the computer is either sucidial or hell-bent on killing you, at the expense of everything else (defense, economy, etc.)

5) Pre-Determined Agent Missions
Not so much a bug as a prevention of cheating by quicksave+load to make sure people don't do that to get agent success. Agents now no longer have randomized chances each turn to succeed. If you fail, load and try again, you will ALWAYS fail. Normally this would appear unscientific in an assasination as in reality, you can't predict the % to come out exactly as such.

But in trying to have a princess seduce a prince with a %40 chance or so, I QS'ed, and attempted. She failed, disgraced, and married him. I QL'ed twenty or so times, and EVERY time the same result. I let a turn pass, and tried it again. Ten times she attempted, and succeeded, EVERY time. Let another turn pass, and this time she failed, rejected, ten times.

So, just a heads up: QS/QL for agents doesn't seem to work anymore. Not a bug but a definite change.

I have no idea if I somehow messed the patch up and caused this, but it's just some problems i've noticed I thought needed to be addressed in detail because I haven't heard anyone else mention them and figured i'd say it out loud and see what I could find out from others.

-Glen

[Shahed]

1. Correct, the passive AI isn't really fixed.

The passive AI is "fixed" in the sense that all it will do is charge, and that's it. It won't think of ways to get out of the situation. Mostly however it will stand there and get shot up.

The campaign AI does'nt seem to be much fixed either. It is better but very often I've seen Huge stacks just sitting there when they could be attacking.

In fact I am the one who's always attacking. I'd like to get attacked. Can't wait for the Mongols and Timurids.

However we should note that in a lot of cases, the AI cannot do anything, except a suicidal charge. They are outnumbered outgunned etc.

3. Correct also, the aggression is stupid. I've seen that post patch. I like it though, lambs to the slaughter.

4. Personally I always allow the AI plenty of build up time, so I often see large rushes with teched troops, which I then proceed to destroy. Makes for a lot more fun battles. What you can do is stack against their border so they don't dare attack unless they have huge superiority, then it's interesting.

5. Agent missions are not pre-determined. You have to reload, then do something else, assign a build que, recruitment, another agent to a mission whatever. Then save the game and re-do your original mission. The result is different if you follow this procedure. BUT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO DO THIS A FEW TIMES BEFORE IT CHANGES THE RESULT !

[OMGLAZERS]

I liked MTW2's AI before much much better. It wasn't so INSANE about attacking, nonstop, suicidally and then giving up the second a cease is offered.

I am seriously considering uninstalling the patch and waiting for modders to fix these problems because it seems impossible for CA to manage to fix anything properly anymore :\

[Faenaris]

Actually, being attacked by the Sicilians is actually a good thing. Pre-patch, I would regularly take over the islands near Italy and abandon my holdings on the mainland. I was NEVER challenged by a naval invasion and the game was actually way too comfy. Now, I have to fight for my islands and I like it.

Just my two bobs.

[OMGLAZERS]

Actually, being attacked by the Sicilians is actually a good thing. Pre-patch, I would regularly take over the islands near Italy and abandon my holdings on the mainland. I was NEVER challenged by a naval invasion and the game was actually way too comfy. Now, I have to fight for my islands and I like it.

Just my two bobs.

Perhaps I was just seriously shocked by the massive aggression increase, but they seem to attack so quick I can only call it a zerg rush!

Maybe VH is now, VERY hard!

[Handel]

The passive AI during the sieges is not fixed. The AI still stays under the fire untill his catapult/ballistas are destroyed or finish the ammo.

About the naval invasions - they invade and the fleet leaves. So just a minor defeat leads to whole stacks destroyed.

[OMGLAZERS]

The passive AI during the sieges is not fixed. The AI still stays under the fire untill his catapult/ballistas are destroyed or finish the ammo.

About the naval invasions - they invade and the fleet leaves. So just a minor defeat leads to whole stacks destroyed.

That seems pretty much worse than before.

Am I crazy or did the patch just make the game worse?