Fixing the AI money script (preliminary tests)

[Wolfshart]

One thing I did notice on my Romani campaign and an unmodified script is that the Carths naval power seems to be limited by the huge Rebel/pirate naval presence in the Med. Only after I take my own navy and destroy a good portion of the rebel navies does the Carths navy get to do any thing appreciable. Are those powerful rebel navies seeded throughout the Med to hinder the AI or the player? To me it seems like they are limiting the AI to much.

[The Errant]

One thing I did notice on my Romani campaign and an unmodified script is that the Carths naval power seems to be limited by the huge Rebel/pirate naval presence in the Med. Only after I take my own navy and destroy a good portion of the rebel navies does the Carths navy get to do any thing appreciable. Are those powerful rebel navies seeded throughout the Med to hinder the AI or the player? To me it seems like they are limiting the AI to much.

The Eeutheroi or rebels are the last unplayable faction in EB. So while they may seem to you just as a collection of different independent territories they are basically an another AI controlled faction. Collectively they control more territory than any other AI faction, so if they get those territories to turn a profit they will have no problem fielding a massive navy and be able to pay the upkeep for it.
What they can build is determined by what faction is listed as the founder of their settlement, and fortunately their naval construction is limited to low-medium end naval units. But such units are often cheap, and can therefore be fielded in a very large number. Same as if you field a couple of stacks of your weakest most inexpensive levy unit.
Add to that the AI is more focused on controlling land based territory often neglecting the naval aspect since it's rewards are not clearly apparent to it. Bottom line. As long as there is a Eleutheroi settlement that can build a naval port, your likely to sea large rebel/pirate navies running around the map, causing you trouble.
On the bright side I actually saw the AI Seleukids field a "Huge Polireme" in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. A full stack of the best pirate ships can't match that single monster of a ship.

[Redmeth]

What worries me is that factions that start out big (Seleucids, Ptolies) and receive a smaller bonus will have trouble developing their infrastructure and that is not good, I know that for the first 5 years(?) or so the AI gets larger bonuses but maybe for the first 10-20 years everyone should get the 1200 per turn including the big factions and these modified bonuses that depend on size should kick in after they had time to build their infrastructure (mines, ports, roads) and affect the spawning of elite stacks not stopping them from having a proper infrastructure or their ability to train elite troops (high level MICs in most provinces)

[Dayve]

What worries me is that factions that start out big (Seleucids, Ptolies) and receive a smaller bonus will have trouble developing their infrastructure and that is not good, I know that for the first 5 years(?) or so the AI gets larger bonuses but maybe for the first 10-20 years everyone should get the 1200 per turn including the big factions and these modified bonuses that depend on size should kick in after they had time to build their infrastructure (mines, ports, roads) and affect the spawning of elite stacks not stopping them from having a proper infrastructure or their ability to train elite troops (high level MICs in most provinces)

You may be on to something...

Here is 225bc, and Seleukia is getting raped.

And they aren't using lube.

[Wolfshart]

You may be on to something...

Here is 225bc, and Seleukia is getting raped.

And they aren't using lube.

So would there be a way to make it a trigger dependent on year? They would get a big boost the first few decades then decreasing amounts as the years roll by.....

[Sheep]

What worries me is that factions that start out big (Seleucids, Ptolies) and receive a smaller bonus will have trouble developing their infrastructure and that is not good, I know that for the first 5 years(?) or so the AI gets larger bonuses but maybe for the first 10-20 years everyone should get the 1200 per turn including the big factions and these modified bonuses that depend on size should kick in after they had time to build their infrastructure (mines, ports, roads) and affect the spawning of elite stacks not stopping them from having a proper infrastructure or their ability to train elite troops (high level MICs in most provinces)You may be on to something...

Here is 225bc, and Seleukia is getting raped.

And they aren't using lube.

So would there be a way to make it a trigger dependent on year? They would get a big boost the first few decades then decreasing amounts as the years roll by.....

Taking away all the bonuses for the large factions was a mistake. Try the new version of the script out, it gives them more help. I'm already seeing a significant change in the Seleukids. They are able to defend their own lands but don't seem to be the expansionist monsters you see with the unmodified EB script. Granted I have not even finished my first test run but it is 240 and their borders are nearly unchanged - a little smaller in the east, a little larger in the southwest and north to make up for it.

Your idea about year-dependent bonuses is a good one. The EB script already gives extra bonuses to smaller factions for the first 20 turns but that wouldn't apply to the AS.

[Redmeth]

So is this possible, Sheep? Could you give different money bonuses depending on years passed? Another trigger to lower the bonuses to what they are right now (as in the script you posted today or yesterday) would be that if during the say 20 years of added bonuses for infrastructure their treasury would exceed 200k they would start getting only the normal bonuses.
I know a bit about programming but from what I understand the RTW-script language is pretty crappy and you can't really use too many if's and no variables or even % operations...