Strange regions boundaries

[Darth Stalin]

Hey!
In EB 1.0 I've noticed quite strange region boundaries on Peloponessos, at the southern tip of the peninsula. There's something like a "meeting" of 4 regions: Lakonike, Aitolia, Krete and Kilikia (in Asia Mnor :!: )
Why is that so arranged?

As I looked into MAP_REGIONS.TGA and MAP_REGIONS_safe.TGA files, the "safe" file has proper region boundary, with no "intrusions" of foreign regions on Peloponessos. Now I'm thinking on changing the file (and of course deleting map.rwm file to allow the campaign to be continued, as I understand...), yet I wonder why that was so arranged?
Just a mistake? (though I doubt whether EB team makes such "mistakes")
Or maybe this is to force other powers, who own the provinces so "hooked" in Peloponessos, to intervene there in case that someone marches into "their" territory?
Though I wonder why there is Krete so marked - it starts the game as independent and I never saw it being conquered by anyone... so maybe chosing some Egyptian province would make more sense?

I'm asking 'cause I don't like such "strange hooks" and I'd like to delete these 3 "unnecessary" pixels from the file, yet I wouldn't like to make some crash or so...

And - when I change the pixels in MAP_REGIONS.TGA file, I should ALWAYS delete map.rwm file and let the game create it again anew, right?

[Ludens]

It actually represents Cape Tainaron, which served a sort of mercenary hub and was inaccessible from the mainland. This way you can recruit mercenaries from three different provinces at one map point.

[Darth Stalin]

OK, thanks!
So I won't delete that - as I supposed, the EB team wouldn't do that without a purpose :D

[Lgk]

It actually represents Cape Tainaron, which served a sort of mercenary hub and was inaccessible from the mainland. This way you can recruit mercenaries from three different provinces at one map point.

Hmm... then why merely adding more mercs for Peloponnessos wasn't enough? Methinks current situation is a bit weird, i mean, someone recruiting there deprives some other guy (a hundreds miles away) of these mercs! Well, maybe we can pretend that aforementioned mercs just packed and sailed to Peloponnessos, but then - why from these certain regions and no other?

Also i wonder if such a map layout can confuse AI sometime?

P.S. Noticed a bit of Ireland belonging to Caledonia... now don't tell me it's not a (minor) bug!

[bovi]

Lgk, you sound a bit confused. Yes, mercenaries travel. Yes, there was competition for them across pretty great distances. Yes, Cape Tainaron was particularly known for having mercenaries looking for work flocking in. Mercs'R'Us.

[Lgk]

Just checked in-game again and it only looks worse now. The whole thing reeks of cheat for human player:

1) Cape Tainaron is inaccessible by land, so i doubt AI will ever (not to say effectively) recruit here.
2) Again, why Greek and Asian factions should have a penalty of being potentially stripped of their mercenaries at most inopportune moment
(eg - imagine such action being a prelude to naval invasion!) As if AI doesn't suffer against devious human player already. :)
3) Aitolia, Krete and Lakonike are in the same mercenary pool (Hellas), so it's absolutely useless to have chunks of other Greek regions there! It might still remain Lakonike w/o any difference!

Methinks it should be removed for the sake of balance and less AI confusion.

[bovi]

At what point did you get the impression that we choose gameplay over history? Anyway, I have yet to see any human player with enough money to snatch all the mercs away at any point before he can easily dominate the AI by other means. Did you check the costs of the mercenaries while you were at it? They take boatloads of gold for their services.

Your last point might be good though. We have consolidated the mercenary pools from the 0.8x single-region ones to bigger ones, and this was done after the Cape Tainaron map changes. I'll mention it in EBH and see what people think.

[Darth Stalin]

Well, when playing Romani I buy only the following mercenaries:
1. Kretan Archers on the South - for obvious reasons; even my Regional MIC Hellenic Archers are not as good... and I spend my money on constructing other buildings than Regional MICs, at least at some stage; nevertheless I use Hellenic Archers in "homeland defence" against some unexpected invasions or rebel armies.
2. Gallic Archers on the North - it's much better to have them than not to have... and I still have lots of other buildings to be built than regional MICs. I'm developing one large Gallic Auxiliary Center in Mediolanum, but this will take a moment... and I need archers to counter those ugly Gallic/Spanish/Lusotannan skirmishers :D
3. I have once bought Saka Horse Archers in Thrakia - yep, they're quite nasty and fast learning boys... and can also engage from distance those bad light cavalrymen of Hellenic states that try to harass me with their javelins...

No other mercs I ever buy - maybe until I expand so to get some Saka/Sauromatae armored cavalry (cataphracts or similar), yet it wiill certainly take some time.

BTW: I think that it's pretty easy to get Roman Polybian reforms quite early in game - in 262 BC I conquered enough in Gaul and Sicily to get reforms... and so It's wise to expand in at least one city the Camillan Barracks to max. level to be able to upgrade Camillan units. The Polybian reforms start only when Camillans get their first chevrons and it would be a waste if I have to disband them. Some of them can be used in homeland security :P , but some of them can campaign alongside (or alone) abroad, gaining more experience.
I only realised that Samnite Heavy Infantry is unaccessible in Polybian Barracks, so it's better not recruit them at all or build max level Camillan Barracks in Arpi and keep it on.

I myself still have Camillan Barracks in Arretium (level 4, only... :( ), Arpi and Ariminum (level 3), while Polybians level 5 are in Roma and Capua, lvl 5 currently being built in Taras, lvl 2 in Segesta & Patavium and lvl 3 in Bononia (currently being under upgrade to lvl 4).
Thus my Camillans combat in the North, Gauls and Spain, while Polybians can fight in the South: garrison Sicily and fight in Illyria and Greece.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

As the question of strange boundaries occurs with a certain regularity, and Cape Tainaron is not described anywhere in the game, or nowhere that I'm aware of, I suggest to add this particular question to the FAQ.