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

[Bob the Insane]

Interstingly I still see the enemy AI being passive when backed into a corner (on the battle field). You know, as above when you chase down a small rebel stack with a much superior one The enemy stck does not dare attack, but can't run away so you can cut it to pieces with missile troops.

But in much larger and more even battles where I have had a distinct missile troop advantage the AI will advance it's formation until it's missle troops start firing. Then the missle troops stay in place but the rast of the Army continues to advance through them and ultimately attacks my line.

The battle in question was a me as the HRE with an army approximately 50% merc spearmen and 40% merc crossbows (plus a general and some knights). The Milan army (the enemy) had only three crossbow units and and a general, the rest of their full stack was Italian Milita units.

Basically my opinion is that it (the battle AI) acts better in some specific ways but still has some wrinkles to work out.

A biggy is ignoring gates opened by spies when it has no cavalry and other siege engines. Another battle in the same campaign see a surprize attack by a french half stack on a castle defended by two armoured spearmen and two peasant archer units. I can't chose deploment at the start and I get the message about the gates being opened and my troops are scatered around the castle. So at the start I retreat all back to the town square to try and hold out there (a little cheesy I know). So gates are open and undefended. French have two Balista units amoung a quite sensible selection of archers and spear sergeants. Before they attack the balista wear them selves out firing at the wall to the right of the gate (looking out) and only manage to damage it before running out of ammo. Then, still ignoring the opened gate (though not completely because I note they have a ram that they abandon and fai to use) they thier one set of aldders to the walls and set them up. Now all the infantry units and archers type to climb at the same time an get into a mess (no lag though which was nice). Individual soldiers appear to be blocking each other when trying to climb the ladders. I have to though away one of my units in an attempt to kick start the AI into life. After a coupld of attempts this appears to work and the rest of the solders successfully climb the ladders and once all troops are on the wall the start down out of the towers and the battle continuned normally from that point on

Victory for me, but a close run thing and entirely dependant on the immunitely to routing granted by the town square. INteresting if you stand them close enough the towers on the keep will actually fire too (it was new to me... )...

This is all post patch of course...

[Handel]

About towers firing - in first (before the patch) and in my second (after the patch) campaign as France, the ballista towers in the LARGE cities don't fire at all! So I have to keep my fingers crossed all the time hoping to upgrade to huge city before enemy with lot of catapults arrive.

[Mega Dux Bob]

Isn't attacking you at all costs what the AI at VH supposed to do? I've read people saying the at M is more challanging because the AI holds back and builds up.

[Spark]

Isn't attacking you at all costs what the AI at VH supposed to do? I've read people saying the at M is more challanging because the AI holds back and builds up.

There is some truth to this. I found the higher up I go in difficulty, the more the AI creates massive stacks of peasants, militia and low tech troops, which are pretty much fodder for your strong armies. Medium difficulty is unfortunately not at all challenging, whereas on VH difficulty, I find my good generals with professional heavy infantry and cavalry routing a sea of militia in every battle :\
I think H difficulty is pretty decent, although the AI still makes hordes of militia, it starts teching up later on in the game.

[OMGLAZERS]

There is some truth to this. I found the higher up I go in difficulty, the more the AI creates massive stacks of peasants, militia and low tech troops, which are pretty much fodder for your strong armies. Medium difficulty is unfortunately not at all challenging, whereas on VH difficulty, I find my good generals with professional heavy infantry and cavalry routing a sea of militia in every battle :\
I think H difficulty is pretty decent, although the AI still makes hordes of militia, it starts teching up later on in the game.

Exactly the problem. VH has now become wave after wave after wave at any cost, poor troops.

It's even worse than before.

Im going to start a new, Hard/Very Hard campaign and see if that makes any spit of difference

[gardibolt]

Hm, I'm playing at M/M, and the AI is creating about half-stacks of very good troops--no peasants or minor militia to be seen--and shipping them to my less-well guarded islands, which is causing me no end of grief. Maybe there is something to the M being more challenging than VH?

[Anubis King]

How is the calvary in the patch? Still super strong or is it balanced out?

[Von Nanega]

There is some truth to this. I found the higher up I go in difficulty, the more the AI creates massive stacks of peasants, militia and low tech troops, which are pretty much fodder for your strong armies. Medium difficulty is unfortunately not at all challenging, whereas on VH difficulty, I find my good generals with professional heavy infantry and cavalry routing a sea of militia in every battle :\
I think H difficulty is pretty decent, although the AI still makes hordes of militia, it starts teching up later on in the game.

Well this may be a challenge. I had an unit of Viking Raiders wrecked by peasants in my Denmark game. Darn those Uber Peasanrs

Captain of Raiders: "My prince, here comes Peasants!"

Prince:"GOOD Kill Them ALL!"

C.O.R.: "But they are peasants!"

Prince: "Don't tell me you, desendants of the mighty Norse Raiders have become soft!"

C.O.R.:They have Kitchens knives your worship. We can not stand!"

Prince:"Charge"

Minutes later as the Viking raiders run, "God help us, the peasants are chasing us."

[sapi]

The trouble with the AI is that it does tech up, but it doesn't specialise, meaning that human players can get good units quicker because they don't build, say, 3 lvl2 troop producing buildings in one settlement but rather one lvl5 one. This means that the player is able to use his superior tactical skill and troops to smash both the AI's economy and professional army, forcing them to revert to militias.