New hints ???????????????

[caravel]

Even more so the one with the spies since the AI never uses spies and cannot really defend itself (it takes ages before it add a border fort).

The AI trains spies but does not use them on "drag and drop" missions. This is odd because it can use emissaries and assassins in this way, so one would assume that it can use spies to reveal vices also. One possible explanation for this is that it is a bug. The Spy is essentially the STW Shinobi rebranded, though it's drag and drop abilities are extra (the Shinobi had none). It may be that the missions were added but the code was not added to cause the Spy to perform them.

As to Spy behaviour, it's basically broken. AI controlled Spies in MTW do not do much except for massing in one home province. They occasionally do go on the move for no apparent reason but they have very little effect. I have a theory as to why this is. What keeps Assassins, Inquisitors, Princesses and Emissaries moving around are their missions. In particular, Princesses often sit in a particular province if they can find nothing else to do. If these other agents did not have their drag and drop functions they would probably sit around like Spies as well. Priests are far more interesting though, as they appear to work. Priests head for a province en masse and try to convert it. When they arrive in a province it's often the case that an invasion will be the next move. Spies should have been set up to do the same. Spies should also have headed out to reveal vices as this would keep them moving around.

On the other hand, you have to acknowledge that the Byz are massiverly advantaged when they fight the Turks lead by the AI. Given that all battles between AI factions are auto-calc, missile units are not properly taken into account and it's a common occurrence to see one jedi general with a few peasents and slav warriors beat one full stack of HA, spearmen and Turcoman horses.

Very true, this is because MTW does not have balanced armies as with STW. The AI Turks are pretty much a hopeless faction due to missile units. To compensate for this, the Turk unit roster needs modding and units such as Horse Archers removed. The Turks have Turcoman Horse which are stronger, so they don't need HA's. Also the Turks do not need Archers and Desert Archers. Turcoman Foot are better as a base archer unit and have stronger stats. It is also essential that peasants are removed from the game. Once the Turks are fielding these sorts of units, with Ghazis and AHC they have a better chance in auto-calced AI vs AI battles.