European AI versus Apaches: morale issues

[Slaists]

I was wondering if anyone else finds the European AI to have serious morale issues when facing native American troops lead by a human player. in my case, when playing Apaches, defeating European AI armies is easier than defeating other indians.

the problem is, the AI is attacking even when defending, allowing the human attacker to take up the most advantageous position (preferably a hill-top) and wait. in my case, it would be a full stack of apache missile troops (no gunpowder needed) awaiting a full stack of europeans.

in most cases, on very hard battle setting, the europeans would rout right before hitting my lines. i guess, the rout is caused by the combination of being hit by the missile barrage + being outnumbered on the field 2:1 due to unit size differences + exhaustion due to climbing the hill.

on a side note, it seems that europeans go down too easily from the native missiles. armor and 2 hit-points do not seem to help much.

[TeutonicKnight]

Yeah, that would do it. It's like playing the English in the original campaign. You can pepper them all the way up to your position, and they just cave when they get there.

Be glad. I'm playing an Apache campaign now, and anytime I attack and come out with less than 3x the losses of the Spanish, I consider myself lucky.

It's a brutal life.

[Malfael]

It's like playing the English in the original campaign. You can pepper them all the way up to your position, and they just cave when they get there.

Welsh longbowmen are death incarnate. In my recent game I had my best general rebel with six (!!) units of Welsh longbow, six of Mailed/Feudal knights and the rest axemen and men-at-arms. It was my biggest army. I nearly tore my hair out.

Then I raised a bigger army and crushed him in what was a vicious encounter before my superior mounted troops routed his knights and took the longbow by storm... The thing I dreaded before the battle, though, wasn't the cavalry. It was the damned longbow.

[icek]

I must say that those weaker factions like french have real problems againts apache. I yesterday made every posible error in my battle strategy againts french and still i won easly. They currasers cavalry died quickly in melee againts footed braves.

[antisocialmunky]

Don't apaches accumulate sick amounts of dread though?

[Guru]

Don't apaches accumulate sick amounts of dread though?

Yep, they don't even know chivalry. They didn't even use steel helmets.

Gunpowder weapons are real morale killers in Americas campaign. An unit of fresh dog soldiers could rout from a single hit from a cannon. (No enemies and only a handful of friendlies nearby.)

- Gurunimo

[Slaists]

Yep, they don't even know chivalry. They didn't even use steel helmets.

Gunpowder weapons are real morale killers in Americas campaign. An unit of fresh dog soldiers could rout from a single hit from a cannon. (No enemies and only a handful of friendlies nearby.)

- Gurunimo

the problem is: the AI does not know how to use gunpowder units... so, yes, they (gunpowder units) do wonders for the human player, but not much for the AI when they have them.

[Guru]

the problem is: the AI does not know how to use gunpowder units... so, yes, they (gunpowder units) do wonders for the human player, but not much for the AI when they have them.

Hahah. It was a French cannon which routed my dog soldiers with a single hit. I think the AI can handle gunpowder units as well (or poorly) as any other unit. Luckily the AI doesn't compare to human intelligence. Otherwise my Apache campaign would be doomed!

[Cheetah]

I agree that the AI has some problems here. Like in real life the europeans should be using mercenary troops as cannon fodders to soften up the natives.

I am playing as the Apache too, but battles vs europeans in a 1v1 situation are the costliest so far. Full strenght enemy cavalry and BG has no problem reaching and charging my lines (I have mostly pre-koitskeno, pre-onde, pre-everthing armies). Depleated cavs rout on contact as well as most infantry units. Still that 2 or 3 conqistadores/ BG can cause lots of damage. With mercenary support these charges could have been battle winners.

Also, I think that the AI using its musketeers reasonably well, as well as any other missile unit, just as always, it never seeks the highground which would be more important with gunpowder units.