axe.exe vs rtw.exe vs bi.exe whitch is the best?

[muha]

I currently use RTW.exe, mainly because my alex game refuses to work properly (more on that later), and I cant find my BI cd.

I just want to find out from you guys, in your opinion, whitch one to play EB with.

P.S. How do you play the mod through the expansions anyhow?


P.S.2 Any one ever had this problem when you started alex.exe, but nothing happened. Tried again to only get the "cant run to instances of the same program" error, and find out on your task manager that alex.exe is indeed runing, but its not on the task bar, just sitting there eating away at my CPU speed.

[a completely inoffensive name]

I think the general opinion is that alex.exe is the best to run EB on but i am not sure about that as i do not even use it myself because i am very lazy.

[Maion Maroneios]

Another of those thread like this? What is this, a subtitution for the LS thread? Listen, each one has his or her own pesonal tastes, others like the BI engine, others the ALEX one and others don't bother and just stick to plain RTW. You could search previous threads for the pro's and con's of each engine and make your own decision you know...

[TWFanatic]

If this thread offends you, don't respond. This issue is not addressed in the FAQ and searching often doesn't work as one doesn't know the correct terms to search for. There is also that obnoxious feature of the search mechanism that allows you to search only once every 300 seconds or so. Honestly, do you run a search before every thread you start?

I remain interested to see what responses people give as I am considering buying BI or ALEX.

[Che Roriniho]

If this thread offends you, don't respond. This issue is not addressed in the FAQ and searching often doesn't work as one doesn't know the correct terms to search for. There is also that obnoxious feature of the search mechanism that allows you to search only once every 300 seconds or so. Honestly, do you run a search before every thread you start?

I remain interested to see what responses people give as I am considering buying BI or ALEX.

Hear Hear. Incidently, I know RTW.exe has been given a bad press about the lack of Naval Invasions, but they seem fine to me. Haven't had any problem with it. slight problem with lots of tiny armies (1 or 2 units in each, all next to each other.) But this only appears to happen between 2 AI armies, hen the Player is at war with someone (as far as I can tell), all seems fine.

[mlc82]

Alex.exe led to me losing a campaign for the first time in history since RTW came out, on "hard" difficulty so it wasn't just going insane as usual either. That's all I need to make Alex my favorite.

[Woreczko]

Another alex.exe fanboy. With this executable AI seems more able to create solid sized armies. I find fighting numerous stacks of 1-3 trash units very tedious and alex helps to fix this problem. Also AI seems to take more risks. Sometimes it will attack your forces, despite being weaker. I did lose a city or 2 due to such an unexpected behaviour. "Oh, Saka FM + 2 noble Saka HA popped next to Marakanda. Well, they won`t dare to attack a city garrisoned with 5 infantry units.... Damn, they did... Still odds 5:4 in my favour <autocalc>... Oh shit!" (I always autocalc if there is no family member present on my side).

[muha]

Well, too bad my alex.exe simply does not want to work, and I got no idea why at all.

*sad face*

[Captain Trek]

Since I got Alx working, I've started a new campaign as Epiros, and whilst the battle AI seems to be slightly less inane overall, the campaign AI seems to have this bizare habbit of having its more powerful armies stand around and do nothing (as a Roman half-stack is doing currently as I have taken Arpi and are about to take Capua)... I don't know if this is to do with Alx or if it was always like that...

The most significant thing I've noticed, however, is that the AI now tends to play very aggressively with its skirmishers (and sometimes even its missile troops)... In smaller battles (where the AI has ~1/4 stack or less), the AI's skirmishers (even ones like Akonkistai) tend to charge straight onto my infantry (sometimes not even throwing their javelins), the AI's own infantry coming in right behind them, only to have their formation disrupted by the skirmishers... I've also had skirmishers charge at my flanking cavalry on a few occasions...

[Maion Maroneios]

If this thread offends you, don't respond. This issue is not addressed in the FAQ and searching often doesn't work as one doesn't know the correct terms to search for. There is also that obnoxious feature of the search mechanism that allows you to search only once every 300 seconds or so. Honestly, do you run a search before every thread you start?

I remain interested to see what responses people give as I am considering buying BI or ALEX.

LS threads should also not be responded to (by others insted of the EB team memebrs), but many do so. Also, there are quite a few topics with polls and such related to the subject and they are quite fresh. And about your last question, yes most of the times I do. At least i search a few pages before to see if there is any related topic to mine.

[bigmilt16]

I know I have inquired many times about this subject, but I don't see the harm in asking. It certainly isn't as pointless as LS, because choosing the right exe. can seriously lead to a totally different gameplay experience depending on the faction you play as and the difficulty you seek.

[Maion Maroneios]

Which gets us to my point. There is no better exe, each one has his or her own tastes. This versus thingie is what irritaded me mildly.

P.S. Ok, I'm sorry forget I ever started this... Let's just say it wasn't exactly my day...

[QuintusSertorius]

Personally, rtw.exe is far better than bi.exe. Alex.exe may be better than rtw.exe, but I've no personal experience of it to confirm or deny it.

Basically I'd say if you don't already have Alexander, stick to rtw.exe.

[Cambyses]

EB 1.1 appears to have many of the better features of BI incorporated into it, so I would agree with Quintus on this one. I understand ALX.exe requires some more work to install and work properly, details of which can I believe be found on the unoffical mods forum. Once youve "worked out" the AI though I dont think the human player can be defeated regularly on any exe, by its very nature the AI will always follow certain patterns and fight with certain strategies. Once you are used to them, it should be striaghtforward to defeat, as you know what's coming...

[TWFanatic]

I was thinking about getting BI so that I could play the Caesar Bello Gallico mod (I'm making up the name, I forgot what it's called). However I'm not sure I want to get it solely for that purpose, I would want it to at least improve my EB experience (yes I'd still play EB regularly). If it does not improve gameplay much for EB, I'm not sure I should bother.

Unless I can find it dirt cheap somewhere...

[Tollheit]

Personally, rtw.exe is far better than bi.exe.

What are your experiences with bi.exe, leading to this conclusion?

[QuintusSertorius]

What are your experiences with bi.exe, leading to this conclusion?

Crap naval invasions that never end. Not only do you have to content with the possibility that everyone sharing a land border with you may attack for no reason at all; but you also add that anyone with a sea border (read: virtually everyone) may land a pathetic stack of three units at any time. And no matter what you do, they keep on coming.

[Che Roriniho]

I haven't had any experience with bi.exe or alx.exe, but I hae to say I haven't had any problems with it, especially considering what people on this very forum have been saying about it. Had Naval Invasions, decent armies, and even on one occasion having a single nevy between corinth and Thermon, and KH ferrying a good few stacks accross, to strike at relatively undefended Thermon. Just as well I had a veteran Legion heading it's way :D

[mlc82]

Well, too bad my alex.exe simply does not want to work, and I got no idea why at all.

*sad face*

If you don't mind the other additions he included, Lz3's mod made it as simple as installing Alex, then just dropping his mod folder into the RTW directory. I almost ripped all of my hair out trying to get Alex to work right the first time manually, then became even angrier when I realized that my Generals and Governors were living to be 120+ yrs old. No problems of those sort with Lz3's mod, and I'm loving the game under Alex!

[mlc82]

Crap naval invasions that never end. Not only do you have to content with the possibility that everyone sharing a land border with you may attack for no reason at all; but you also add that anyone with a sea border (read: virtually everyone) may land a pathetic stack of three units at any time. And no matter what you do, they keep on coming.

I agree, the non stop naval invasions took the fun out of BI for me. In my Romani campaign, by 250BC, I was already at war with Koinon Hellenon, the Ptoelmaic Empire, and Carthage, all because they kept insisting to land 3 unit "armies" in Italy and then besiege my fully garrisoned Capua. Really, really annoying, especially when I made the mistake of playing on very hard (campaign) difficulty where the AI will never accept a ceasfire.