Damn AI made my game miserable

[anubis88]

Well i've been having a blast in my Pontos campaign... After macedon betrayed me in Asia minor i gave a few regions to the KH to help them, but now they've become strong and it's only a matter of time before they attack me.... I also raided all of the pontic coast but macedon regained them...

nevermind this though...

the problem is that EVERYONE is against me.... I just can't handle it anymore... I play with house rules, expand only as much as it is necessary...
When i played my last Pontos campaign, the Crimean was a safe heaven. I had very few troops there, the city's made a lot of money etc... But now Macedon i so strong they've started conquering russia and are sending at the momement 2 full stacks at me on that side.... i barely have the means to stop them. They also keep touching my western border cities. On the East the Armenians betrayed me and are ready to anhialate me.
On the south i've been having a long LONG war with the ptoly's. Of course i defeat them regulary, but they keep sending stack after stack after stack of phalangite armys. They really boring... I will probably have to stop this campaign, since i don't want to fight 10 battles every turn. I just don't see any hope... Can anybody give me some?

It's a real shame since i really enjoyed playing pontos with it's huge mix of units, new bodyguards, great skins, but this is just to much...

i will give some screens for you to see what i'm talking about...

Did anyone else leave a campaign they loved so much for the same reason?


My western border:


My northern border:


guess where these lads will be going?:


And my last but not least Southern border... This is after i killed 10.000 men of the pharaoh in that area ( i gave antiochea as a buffer to armenia ):

[Lovejoy]

Yea. You have pretty much failed.. If you are playing slow, you can't only "look to yourself", you need always have one eye on your enemies. If one faction get to large, send a expedition force to weaken them. Raid, burn and slaughter. It is important to play you enemies against each other. To make buffer states, as you have already done, is one way.

Better luck on your next campaign!

[Drewski]

I'd call it one of those unlucky games, especially if you've been able to make it work before.

The problem with "house rules", are that the AI doesn't play by them. It will act as a perfect gentleman, and ignore that fact that its neighbour has almost undefended cities, that is if the neighbour is another ai. How many times, have you seen two livelong ai enemies suddenly declare peace, just because you the player have moved into their vicinity.

And pure and simply, the ai is programmed to attack the player if at all possible. Unless I'm Rome or Carthage, early blitzing is the order of the day, just to get an economy and some peace and quiet. Pontos shares just too many land borders, I reckon you have to take all of modern Turkey, then leave a full stack in Byzantion, and a full stack fort on the isthmus border (sw of Byzantion). Then you can hopefully get a little peace.

Best example of uncalled for ai behavior--current campaign Im Epiros. I blitz Greece and leave Macedon with just Mytilene, KH with just Rhodes. Buffer Slave cities between me and Getai. I very slowly (with one 3/4 stack amazingly and no cheating;)) completely wipe out Rome. I really, really didn't want to, but they just won't make peace or leave me alone. I have buffer states to North, between me and Gauls. So I can relax, and do so, fighting not a single battle (excepting rebels for 20 yrs). Eventually, I decide to take Sicily, but leave Carthage alone.

Now here's the uncalled for behaviour--I build a very nice strong army, and easily take Messana (note it hadn't been touched, the Slave garrison was at full strength). The very next season, TWO full stack non-merc Carthage Armies beseige my full stack in Messana. I won, just about. 2 turns later another full Carthage stack, this time they must have hired every Mercenary in that part of the world...

The point, what on earth is it sitting there for with 2 full stacks, when it could have had Messana and Syracuse easily? (both slave). There are some triggers somewhere in the ai, that suddenly turn everyone into slavering maniacs. Must...killlllll.....the....human...

It gets a bit old though. I suppose the original creators or RTW never imagined elaborate mods like EB, and people playing with "house rules" or "historically"...No, the RTW engine is really only designed to be played as Rome, and the [is border city ownership = player , then kiiiiiiiillllll] overide kicks in, to give the original Rome player a bit of a challenge, and the heroic "its us against the world" feeling...

Shame really.

[TruePraetorian]

Yea. You have pretty much failed..
Better luck on your next campaign!

I wouldnt say you've failed at all. What I would do is start scrapping you border cities of their buildings...make 'em ghost towns for the money. Sell them off if you can as buffer states..force diplomacy may be a need here since the AI won't buy cities for 5k..

Now, with you nice buffer states to hide behind, build up that army. Stop building buildings also since you won't need them for the war.

Quick question: What's with your cities making no money at all?

And it's a shame to see Rome in her current predicament

[anubis88]

I wouldnt say you've failed at all. What I would do is start scrapping you border cities of their buildings...make 'em ghost towns for the money. Sell them off if you can as buffer states..force diplomacy may be a need here since the AI won't buy cities for 5k..

Now, with you nice buffer states to hide behind, build up that army. Stop building buildings also since you won't need them for the war.

Quick question: What's with your cities making no money at all?

And it's a shame to see Rome in her current predicament

well i'm making about 1000 a month... It's just i must have huge land forces... They COST a lot of money.... i had much more money 10 years earlier... But then all of my good governors died one by one, now i have newbies who don't have a clue about economy...

My very own financial crisis

[Lovejoy]

I wouldnt say you've failed at all.

lol, maybe a little bit harsh! if he have the will and patient to fight numerous battles every turn he still got a chance to win.

I suggest a big raiding party into Greece. Kill, burn and slaughter. Get yourself a base in Greece, ,which mean you get yet ANOTHER war front, but hopefully the Macedonian attacks will concentrate at that front. With the new money build armies, take the whole of Greece. Dont bother to much with the ptolemoi... thats what I would do.

[Jebivjetar]

I think that youve been too little aggressive, especially when domination in Asia Minor is in question. My opinion is that you should kick-off ANY faction outta there in the start (then negotiate about peace and trade rights), just to have some safe ground and expand more safely from it. That means kicking Macs outta Mytilene, no "grant of land" to KH and as soon as possible kicking off Ptolies outta AS too.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Well, let me simply state that there is no other faction that needs to blitz as much as Pontos. It is a matter of life and death for them. I am extraordinarily surprised that you survived for so long. Usually it is either blitz or die.

What makes your situation even worse is the fact that you cannot really play off the enemy factions. They are too large and some, such as the Maks, do not have any powerful enemies bordering them. The Romani have not yet expanded that far, which is peculiar. I suppose the Karthadastim taken their toll on them, and quite possibly even the Sweboz as well.

If your campaign is so boring, then quit it. I always seek the ultimate challenge in EB (just as long as I have a hope of winning), but if you are bored with the current campaign, then there is no sense to continue it. It is just a game after all. I would suggest starting a new campaign and this time blitzing. As some people have mentioned, raiding deep into enemy territory and razing everything is very effective, as is constant expansion.

[TruePraetorian]

well i'm making about 1000 a month... It's just i must have huge land forces... They COST a lot of money.... i had much more money 10 years earlier... But then all of my good governors died one by one, now i have newbies who don't have a clue about economy...

My very own financial crisis

What i do to combat huge military costs is to make forts at key locations and stock them with 1 hoplite mercenary/unit and and archer (cretan ). This way when the AI comes knocking at my doorstep I have at least 1 year of before the fort is taken to build up units for the invasion. Not to mention they sallies and the fact a hoplite in a doorway is enough to beat up a good sized enemy.

With my territories safe I usually have 1-2 full stacks and thats it. I try not to maintain a huge navy also. In my current Romanii campaing its 249BC with the Punic wars just begun and I have 162000+ mnai, not to mention the 50+k I recieve a turn.

[anubis88]

What i do to combat huge military costs is to make forts at key locations and stock them with 1 hoplite mercenary/unit and and archer (cretan ). This way when the AI comes knocking at my doorstep I have at least 1 year of before the fort is taken to build up units for the invasion. Not to mention they sallies and the fact a hoplite in a doorway is enough to beat up a good sized enemy.

With my territories safe I usually have 1-2 full stacks and thats it. I try not to maintain a huge navy also. In my current Romanii campaing its 249BC with the Punic wars just begun and I have 162000+ mnai, not to mention the 50+k I recieve a turn.

I do have forts in key areas, but that's not enough... Also it's hard to have only 2 full stacks... I needed 3 of them just to keep the north and west from macedon and south from the ptolys. But now Armenia has attacked me with and elite half stack + a full one....

I could live with fighting the ptolys and Armenia, but having Macedon of whom's massive empire i'm the only enemy really sucks... I don't really want to fight with them for the steppes..

P.S. On another note: does anyone know why i can't recruit the hellenic medium phalanx+cavalry in ipsos with a level 4 MIC? seems wierd

[Africanvs]

When going on the defensive is not working, go on the offensive.

1) Do whatever you can to get some money coming in, even if you have to sell off some buildings.

2) Disband any units that are too expensive, like excess ships. (keep a few ships however)

3) Raise taxes to max possible, while keeping cities happy.

4) Create a couple of 1/2 to 3/4 stack armies.

5) Begin hitting any enemy cities by sea that are not well-defended.

• Massacre the populace, destroy every building that you can and leave, or:
• Massacre the population, destroy the MICs and leave the smallest garrison possible to hold the city.

6) You will now have several fronts and a bit more income to increase your military forces. Let the enemy waste time re-taking those cities. Hopefully they will stop attacking your home provinces after a while.

7) You must minimize your fronts.

• Start by slowly conquering Asia Minor.
• Mak provinces first, and then the KH.

8) Once you do all of this, you can fortify your new fronts. Your bosphoran territories may be difficult to keep.

9) Now you should have a lot more money coming in, and some decent military forces. Pick an enemy to destroy, while keeping enough forces at home to keep the others at bay.

10) You can do this, but you have a lot of battles ahead of you. I wish I were in your position; it isn't very often I find myself in such a challenging situation. Enjoy it! Things are far from hopeless.

As for your other question, hellenic medium phalanx and cavalry are available in Ipsos with a level 4 regional mic, not native. (That could be your issue?) That is if Ipsos is in Phrygia, which I'm pretty sure it is.

[anubis88]

yeah Africanus... That could be it... ( about the hellenic units)
I always mix-up those two MIC's.
I just won a battle against armenia 3600-2300, a heroic victory, i'm trying to take side now, and to keep trapezous... I will see how it goes...

The thing is also, that my goal is to have the Mithridatic wars, no matter how long it takes. But i want a historical pontos, i don't want to destroy the ptolomys or anything... I could've done this already, but then the game would become boring... (ironic huh?)

[AqD]

You're doomed because you expanded unwisely.......

It's the rules that make your game miserable. AI is actually being smart by attacking you from all sides!



Now go facing the great challenge and come back when you beat them all!

[anubis88]

Well i really got mad now... Kotais was taken, i'm marching to take Armavir in the north-east.
I defended tarsos in a heroic victory and conquered Side. I'm creating an army in the West to take Sardis, and readying an army in the north to stop macedon.

Now the real chalenge will be to lift the siege of Mazaka. The ptolys have an army of 3500+ men with 2 FM besieging it and i have a 3/4 stack to attack them. i have 3 FM's but no elite units. The problem is also that in Mazaka when you try lifting the siege the enemy is usually waiting for you on a hill.

I practicaly must win this battle becouse mazaka is my most popolous city, and i also have the faction heir in there who's the smartest guy in my kingdom. If i manage to defend it, i will probably have enough time to consolidate everything.

It's gonna be a huge battle so i left it till tomorrow...

Hope i will win

[Africanvs]

Good luck! If you want the Mithridatic wars, you're going to need to help Rome out a lot with the console. They look to be getting beaten up pretty bad. In fact, I think most people who try to set up a historical repeat use a lot of console commands and force diplomacy to make it so, creating armies with the console, and taking and gifting territories to try to create a historical situation. Things are simply too random otherwise, and the same powerful factions tend to dominate the map. (Ptolies/AS/Mak/Rome)

[Tyrfingr]

You'll need to tie up some loose ends before you can concentrate on your mission for world domination. First, you'll need to secure the Anatolian lands in the west. Then you should raid some Ptolie homelands (conquer Alexandria and raze every building they got) and leave it with a garrison of archers and try make them survive as long as possible against the Ptolies. While the ptolies are coming back for their homeland, try to sneak some of their northern settlements from them.

[anubis88]

You'll need to tie up some loose ends before you can concentrate on your mission for world domination. First, you'll need to secure the Anatolian lands in the west. Then you should raid some Ptolie homelands (conquer Alexandria and raze every building they got) and leave it with a garrison of archers and try make them survive as long as possible against the Ptolies. While the ptolies are coming back for their homeland, try to sneak some of their northern settlements from them.

Nah, i don't want to dominate the world... I want to concentrate on the lands that the Pontic kings had.
I could've blitzed everything if i wanted to, but that's not how i play EB.


Oh and @Africanvs, i helped rome by giving them 100.000 mnai, but then the next thing i saw was 3 huge armies from carthage landing in sicily, and they beat the crap from rome

[Elcmar]

Nah, i don't want to dominate the world... I want to concentrate on the lands that the Pontic kings had.
I could've blitzed everything if i wanted to, but that's not how i play EB.


Oh and @Africanvs, i helped rome by giving them 100.000 mnai, but then the next thing i saw was 3 huge armies from carthage landing in sicily, and they beat the crap from rome

You could always just RP Carthage's senate deciding to shift the focus to egypt and just move their stacks yourself by using move_character - might give the romani some breathing space

[Fluvius Camillus]

You should have blitzed the start and reduced the power of the DIadochi.

[kekailoa]

You should have got some bear cavalry.

No, really. I've gotten to that place you're in in every Pontus campaign I've ever done. The only thing you can do is sack, sack, sack. Pick their troop recruiting centers, build up your own garrisons, then sack everything you can as quickly as you can, then retreat, retrain, and do it again.

[anubis88]

You should have got some bear cavalry.

No, really. I've gotten to that place you're in in every Pontus campaign I've ever done. The only thing you can do is sack, sack, sack. Pick their troop recruiting centers, build up your own garrisons, then sack everything you can as quickly as you can, then retreat, retrain, and do it again.

Actually, the year is now 199bc, and i've kicked the AI's ass.

I didn' want to expand so much, but the AI left me no choice... I conquered almost all of Asia Minor ( I left Pergamon as the only city of KH, to have something of a pergamese faction (does anyone know where i could change the name KH to Pergamon?). I blasted through Hayasdan, conquering Mitsheka, Armavir and Kotais. They've regained Armavir, but left Kotais to me after suffering 2 huge defeats. They still have to armys near Trapezous, but they don't dare to attack me since i have a decent army nearby. I don't attack them either, and it almost looks like we are having a ceasfire.

Since i gave Antiocheia to Hayasdan the ptolemaic empire doesn't attack me with any serious force, but i'm afraid what will happen if they attack the Hai.

On the north my greatest general (6 command stars) died at the age of 77, but not before he demolished the northern macedonian war machine. They attack me mostly with light armour troops, and my HA are destroying them. I also bulit a lot of forts, so they keep attacking fog and i don't have to fight every single turn.

All in all, the money is coming in now, i'm having a decent stack guarding KH and Hayasdan, and a full stack guarding the cheronesos... I'm thinking i'm gonna move my capital to Sinope soon, since i've become very hellenized...

With everything safe, i'm now going to try to help the romans in let say 10 to 20 years to start kicking Carthaginian and macedonian asses, so i can finaly have my Mithridatic wars.


I'm gonna post some pics when i come home, so that you will see how i managed to turn a chaotic position in a fairly decent one


I'm really glad i managed to put everything in order. It looks like i'm gonna beat my Aedui campaign in lenght which lasted to 170 bc

[seienchin]

Why dont you just use force diplomacy to give macedonian, greece and your own teritory to the romans? Then you could have the Mithridatic wars. Just remember the romans had the reformed marian army by then.

[anubis88]

Why dont you just use force diplomacy to give macedonian, greece and your own teritory to the romans? Then you could have the Mithridatic wars. Just remember the romans had the reformed marian army by then.

Nah, they must earn the wars by their own... Perhaps with some financial help and army interventions... But nothing so drastic.