AI - Some quick campaign changes to get a more challenging game

[Matte979]

So after testing the tools made by our fantastic members on this forum and using hexworkshop to 2 AM yesterday to examine a large number of files and values set by CA, I have decided to not wait for CA, btw I dont trust CA with making some of the changes I want.

So first I thought I start with some game balance changes and a few things to boost the AI in a quick and dirty way.

I have allready found some of the files and places to modify the following but I need more ideas on other quick and simple changes that could help game balance and difficulty.

My plan is to modify the Hard Difficulty as I dont like the morale bonus the AI gets on very hard.

1. Give the AI the same handicap bonus on recruiting and maintaining troops and ships as in very hard

1. Up the unit cost with 100% and at the same time give AI a little larger cost reduction bonus on top of the very hard bonus maybe 20%. Keep upkeep the same on armies to promote buildup and preparation for war. I am also considering increasing upkeep on ships.

2. Double recruitment time so its harder to replace lost troops and ships, I think the AI can cheat on this anyway. Beside there are more AI so I think the player will be hurt more from this.

3. Make the Gentlemen pay upkeep (Research is not free) AI will pay 50% less.

4. Increase default unrest level to force you to keep a garrison and increase the chance of rebels in conquered territories.

Some other things I have thought about doing

5. Increase cost of building upgrades and make it cost much more to improve schools.

6. Give AI bonus to fight unrest and lower the priority on building church schools and pleasure parks

7. Reduce movement speed on battle fields with 20%

8. Increase turns per year to 4 and reduce movement speed of armies.

9. Temporarily remove hedges and walls from battle fields (Until the AI can handle them they just kill the fun of those battles)

10. Temporarily remove fort upgrades and ability to build forts (AI cant handle them)

11. Lower the defence priority for AI

12. Lower the power threshold for attacking and increase the raiding threshold

13. Increase minimum units in mobile armies (yes I found this value not sure if changing this would work)

14. Add the possibility to recruit line infantry and basic artillery in settlements with no barracks / or military ourpost.

15. Only allow recruitment in regions with low unrest (Preferable only home regions) whatever is easier.

16. Create units of line infantry and artillery instead of citizen militia when attacking capitals. (Temporary to help AI)

I also found some values on how long a unit should keep their orders if they somehow cant finish the full move this turn. And values on how much of fleet should be dedicated to transport. When the community can interpret how all this works we will be able to turn this rough diamond into a real diamond.

One other thing I also found that there seem to only be one AI personality called default for the main campaing, i thought we would have one for the minors and one for the majors. But intrestingly there is a diffrent AI configuration for every major country in the road to independance campaigns.

But for now I need more ideas for small changes...

[Maledon]

Looking foreword to it

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Eeehhh, I'm not so sure some of that will help any tbh.

[Yoda Twin]

9. Temporarily remove hedges and walls from battle fields (Until the AI can handle them they just kill the fun of those battles)

Well i have to disagree with this statement. Plenty of times Ive seen the AI make a quick grab for the walls and begin pummeling my forces.

[Van Diemen]

This is my first post on this forum, so first I would like to say hello. Though only my first post I'm not a complete stranger to this forum and am really interested in improving ETW by modding.

One question: you said you were able to edit the free garrison you get to defend a city? Where can you find this file, as I would like to increase the quality of the capital city garrisons, so that national capitals become much harder to take. I would like to add to any monarchy royal guards (1 unit) or equivalent to the capital and some extra line infantry (3 units) and maybe one unit of fine cavalry (life guard or crusadiers) of course republics will get their equivalents this on the expens of the city militia.

Could you please explain to me how I could do this?

Thanks,

Van Diemen

[♔ST0MPA♔]

can you tell me how to change turns per year? i would like to change mine to 12 turns per year, then later figure out how to adapt research and unit/building recruitment/construction times to match 12 turns a year. When you changed to 4tpy, do the seasons follow suit or is it two summers two winters per year?

[Matte979]

Have not found the turns per year yet. Even if I find it it might be tricky to change without throwing the game mechanics off.

My list is just a wish list.

I am still trying to find the relevant areas and with a hex editor its not directly easy.

But I found the AI handicap file so we can change the handicap for the difficulty levels.

We also have the unit stats mapped by LtChambers pack manager and so is technoloiges and buildings.

Unrest can easily be changed by tax penalty and effect from buldings. Now I need to find the unrest when conquering regions and find out how it works. I would like to have the major powers regions have crazy amount of unrest when not owned by that major power and "almost" impossible to control. I want large rebel armies to spawn to force the player to first control that region. before you can move on. Second thing I really want to change it to boost garrison scripts for major powers....

I think I found ways to accomplish most of my primary goals and now they need to be balanced and we have to wait and see what CA does on the passive AI front and other trouble spots.