Which factions are doomed from the start when controlled by the AI?

[Visitor13]

Yeah, yeah, I know the correct and motivational answer is 'all of them'

But what I mean is, which AI-controlled factions do, from your experience, get their butts regularly kicked to oblivion by other AI factions sooner rather than later? I'm guessing Numidia, Dacia, Armenia and probably Spain, the Greek Cities and the Seleucids?

The reason I'm asking is that I'd like to kick each faction out personally, so they'd better be still there when I get to them (and I'm a slow player, in more ways than one). So I'm planning to cheat and increase their starting funds to give them more of a chance against their stronger neighbours.

And how much additional money would be reasonable for each of these factions? I wouldn't like to suddenly change them into superpowers, just make sure they survive enemy AI incursions in fairly decent shape.

Please help a beginner RTW player out !

[SSJVegetaTrunks]

Hmm, from my experience, the follow factions usually end up dead:

Numidia
Carthage
Selucia
Germania
Gaul (sometimes)
Greek Cities

Those are the ones that I usually see "Faction Destroyed!" messages for when I didn't even come into contact with them.

[SSJVegetaTrunks]

Also, why do you want to kill them all personally? Just for fun?

[Visitor13]

Thanks!

Yeah, I simply want to face all the different kinds of armies available on my way to world domination

Any idea how much more money they'd need to survive somewhat longer? If I simply doubled their starting funds, would that be enough, or would that be overkill?

[SSJVegetaTrunks]

If I were you, I'd tweak their starting armies instead. Starting money doesn't last very long.

[Visitor13]

Cool, I'll try, thanks again!

[woad&fangs]

Seleucia, Armenia, and Dacia usually end up dead fairly quickly. So does Numidia, but extra money won't help them much with their poor armies.

[Charge]

From what I've seen, most quickly become destroyed Germania and Seleucids.
Powerful factions btw... Reason is stupidly AI, which with some factions can play barely good, but with this 2 he always stucks. This fully can be fixed only by full redoing map and ai...

[Rotc_Railey15]

Sometimes the campaign will be different. Seleuciad Empire is one that always winds up destroyed in the beggining. It just depends. Like if you are the Greek Cities and you decide to go to war in the east, there may be a strong chance of Seleciud Empire surviving. Its usually different outcomes in the game.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Hi Visitor13,
If you want all factions to have a more balanced chance of survival, then perhaps this mod could help you.
Hope this helps, cheers!

[CrazyGuy]

In my games Macedon tends to be the first out; crushed between a wedge of Greeks, Dacians and Brutii. Although from what i've heard the Macedonians are a good faction when human-controlled.

Is the difference caused because the AI cannot comphrehend cavalry doing anything but a headlong charge at the enemy?

[Visitor13]

Thanks, Omanes and everyone else, I'll put this info to good use

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

BTW, I forgot to mention, an area of this thread explains why some factions rarely survive. It also can aid the reader in resolving these issues.

[NodachiSam]

Its funny in my current game Numida and Dacia did quite well, till I took out Dacia, Spain did get taken out, and the greek cities I took out, and selucid is still kicking, though he is a protectorate (same with spain last I heard) and Armenia is still kicking. Mind you, the battles are on easy because its my third campaign ever and the first two I got frustrated and wanted to play through to the point of unlocking the other factions (anyway to unlock ~all~ of them?) From what I've learned I probably expanded too quickly and relied too much on weak infantry such as town guard too much. Anyways.

[Benandorf]

Greek Cities and Dacia always seem to be in trouble, as well as Carthage and Numidia (though one of them generally dies and the other one just gets tiny.) Selucids are killed about 60% of the time, and when they are, usually Pontus and/or Parthia are.

I've never had any problems with Germania dying. They get small a lot of the time, but I don't think I've ever had them killed off without me helping in their death.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

In my games Macedon tends to be the first out; crushed between a wedge of Greeks, Dacians and Brutii. Although from what i've heard the Macedonians are a good faction when human-controlled.

Is the difference caused because the AI cannot comphrehend cavalry doing anything but a headlong charge at the enemy?

Pretty much. The AI spams lancers and phalanx. Typical army is:

1 general, 2 peltasts, 1 archer, 5 phalanx, 8 lancer. Lancers are all dead, routed, or chasing routers after 90 seconds. Why waste time on thought when you have a big charge bonus?

[Benandorf]

Pretty much. The AI spams lancers and phalanx. Why waste time on thought when you have a big charge bonus?

Too true.

Also, my new sig ^_~ Thank you.

[Poulp']

your sig doesn't show up Benandorf

[Benandorf]

It does now. I posted before I added it.