Tarentum too strong?

**Thaatu** · 05-17-2007, 15:50

Originally Posted by Lusitan_Centurion

And about Taras, I've played an little and I didnt had any problem conquering it (being to lazy to do an direct assauld to the city I've sieged it, waited until they conterattacked and then easly kicked their asses in the field), but many times AI is not so smart as it, so I agree that the guarnition should be decreased, or at least given them an worst general. I might be wrong but, as far as I know Pyrro had abandoned Italy, concentrating his full strenghts in Makedonia and almost giving Taras to SPQR with the peace offer. I might be wrong anyway, I've readed it long time ago...

I believe the current depiction is about correct, but the garrison was withdrawn after Pyrrhos' death (around autumn of 272bc if I recall correctly). Changing the governor of Taras wouldn't do much good, because Helenos Aiakides is a pretty stupid as he is.

**O'ETAIPOS** · 05-17-2007, 18:08

I played quite a few games as Makedon, and Romans never took Taras. The problem is this was most probably not due to too strong garnisson (I even tried modding descr strat) For some reason AI is recultant to weaken faction being in war with player I think. When I played as Baktria Rome took Taras with no problem.

**MarcusAureliusAntoninus** · 05-17-2007, 20:26

The AI will always go for your faction first. If your faction isn't bordering them, they will go for the rebels. That is the problem, Taras belongs to someone so they go for the rebel towns first.

**Reno Melitensis** · 05-17-2007, 20:40

Its very difficult for the AI to act historically. In my VH/M Romani campain it is c.248 BC and Pontus is a dead fraction, Macedon has all of Greece under its conrtol, the first Punic War is of course over and in the east the power struggle between the Ptolemies and Selucia is at its best.

Epirus will eventually move north too, attacking and taking Dalminion. In an effort to save guard my northern border I went to war with Epirus. Dalminion was freed, ( it became an Aidui city !!!!), while Alexander refused to surronder. After an epic battle in Epirus, Ambrakia was captured and Epidamnos plunder, a heroic end to a great fraction.

Cheers.

**Danest** · 05-17-2007, 20:48

The odds of the Romans acting historically is perhaps 0. I mean, imagine the Ai taking Iberia and Greece before Germany and Gaul? Simply not going to happen, I'd say.

**Thaatu** · 05-18-2007, 14:24

Originally Posted by Danest

The odds of the Romans acting historically is perhaps 0. I mean, imagine the Ai taking Iberia and Greece before Germany and Gaul? Simply not going to happen, I'd say.

AI expansion is very random, but realistic expansion should at least be a goal. In one game Rome actually went for Iberia after Po valley, but left Sicily alone. Increasing the Po valley garrisons while weakening southern Italy and Sicily just might do the trick. Maybe via a script deny the Eleutheroi the ability to recruit in Messana and Rhegion. I mean weren't those towns in the hands of rogue mercenaries?

**MoROmeTe** · 05-19-2007, 08:03

I began a Makedon game last night and something interesting happened. I proceeded to crush KH and then turned on Epeiros. It was unusually easy to take both Ambrakia and Epidamnos, and I discovered towns that had only about 500 population each (mind you, I did not enslave or exterminate). The only relatively tough fight with Pyrrhos himself, who just stood outside Pella while I trampled his kingdon (shouldn't he at least move when I threaten his capital? He never moves!).

Then around 260 I send a spy into Italy, only to find that while Rome was going after the northern rebel towns Epeiros seized all south Italy and was marching on Roma itself apparently unopposed.

Maybe something should be done so that the northern focus of the Romani is lessened and they do try and at least defend their southern cities? Cause I restarted my Mak campaign, toggled FOW and saw how they moved all their armies north and left only family members in the south, while Epeiros took all of his mainland Greece troops to Italy and began taking towns.

**MarcusAureliusAntoninus** · 05-19-2007, 08:21

I just started a Makedonian campaign and Pyrrhus moved, he move his entire Greece force to Dalminion and then they all sat there until I conquered everything.

There is no way to alter the AI's focus or behavior. They love going after rebels, it is just hardcoded in.

I had a theory that they were going after "Rome" with their constant northward expansion (since the hardcoded "Rome" is the island in the Baltic). But that wasn't very likely given many other, better explainations (Zebras). I was going to test the stupid theory but got sidetracked by a shiny object.