Expansion speed

[Sygrod]

I was wondering if I am out to lunch or if someone can substantiate my observation.

I tried a new campaign for 1.0. This time I chose huge units. It seems that the AI is expanding much slower than when it is using large units.

Right? Wrong? Maybe?

[Callicles]

If so, it is because on huge, each unit drains more population from the cities, but the growth rate does not increase to account for the difference. Likewise, city growth rate is much slower in huge than in large. This might have the effect of slowing how rapidly factions get access to better troops in newly conquered cities.

My computer isn't good enough for huge though, so this explanation is based chiefly on what I've read elsewhere.

[tapanojum]

Huge really makes me cherish ever single troop I make...especially playing Hayasdan when my population of the first few cities are all under 2000, and one of them I conquered with 400....

Nothing better than elite levy troops haha!

[Beefy187]

Also its easier for Phalanx based faction to protect the city because 1 unit are enough to cover the gates or the roads. That might be another reason.

[Dayve]

AI Vs. AI battles are fought with auto_calc, which doesn't take into account what certain units might be able to exploit to their advantage during battles, only unit quality is used to calculate the outcomes, so that can't be it.

It's most probably the AI draining their cities of population. I should think it really hurts factions that have high unit numbers, such as Makedonia or Sweboz for example, because the script is giving them however many thousands per turn and they always create several huge armies of crap quality troops, even when they're not at war... When they are at war however, constantly just as Makedonia or Seleukia is, it's no wonder they don't expand much.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

The script replenishes the majority of the depleted population of a city, with your choosen unit size taken into account (example: on huge: 200pop every time the AI recruits infantry - which may be more / may be less than the amount taken of of the city). The AI doesn't deplete their population in EB.

[Callicles]

Interesting. What about with your city mod? I know that your mod is supposed to make growth more historically accurate. Does it also have a similar script?

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

I didn't change the script (and since the AI is stupid enough to deplete their populations), so the exact same script occurs in the city mod.