Sandbox mode.

[jaca42]

A sandbox game type would be a nice addition, i mean total war is already quite open ended as it is, but a bit more freedom never hurt before.
Id also like to have the ability to play without objectives/year limit. I prefer to take my sweet time doing stuff, but at the same time the time limit does add a bit of tension that makes total war unique, there is nothing more awesome than launching an epic last chance like assault to conquer the last regions required just as the game is about to end.

[Tim_Ward]

Eventually they do turn on you, but I just moved in on their provinces and either revassalized them (removing the RD penalty completely since they were recreated after rd hit)

I thought thought this only applied after you became the actual Shogun?

[lawandorder82]

It called total war if you want a sandbox game play gta 4

[Drtad]

I thought thought this only applied after you became the actual Shogun?

Rd? Nope, it happens once you get a certain amount of provinces (I forget how many it is).

I think I'm misunderstanding you but I'm too tired atm to figure it out.

[jaca42]

It called total war if you want a sandbox game play gta 4

Just love how people assume that simply because we want a sandbox game, we want a gta style game just for d*cking around . All we want is the ability to set our own parameters for our own game experience, again there is no such thing as too much freedom in games, especially in the total war series .

The challenge is fine, its not too difficult nor is it too easy, but sometimes i just wanna play at my own pace/ "explore" the game without having to worry about meeting any victory conditions, something like in the darthmod custom campaigns for empire, where i played as some minor nations and didnt have a single objective or time limit, i could actually use other means than just war (Aha total war game without going to war, what a twist!) and still have my country grow.

Thats what total war is for me, not just a war game, its a game where i can shape history as i see fit, being through war, diplomacy or economy .

[Tim_Ward]

Rd? Nope, it happens once you get a certain amount of provinces (I forget how many it is).

I think I'm misunderstanding you but I'm too tired atm to figure it out.

What I meant was, there's a point after Realm Divide where the relationship penalty stops being applied to newly created factions (this can be either through creating a vassal or through a faction emerging, as it were, naturally, the Hojo appeared at one point after Realm Divide during my last campaign and didn't have the relationship penalty. Though they did go to war with me... maybe they just didn't like me very much?) and I was wondering whether this is after Realm Divide - i.e. realm divide only applies to factions in existence at the point that Shogun brings it down on you - or whether it's only after you've replaced the current Shogun.

I've had experience with creating and keeping vassals with no relationship penalty after taking Kyoto and holding it for four turns, but I don't know if you can create them at any time after RD and not suffer the penalty.

[Drtad]

Ah I see. I'm not sure about that...

[Ben.EEeee]

Yes, I know what you're talking about. Playing on VH as Vanilla Uesgui is like facing off against 6 pool cheesers from all sides. Your allies and neighbours turn on you for no reason and the goal of the AI seems to be for them to bully you into submission. No ally/vassal is dependable (even long before realm divide) despite having high honour and never declaring war yourself (only retaliate).

I'd eventually won by bribing factions to war with clans that declare war on me. They'd attack me and leave nothing at home, then their new found foe swoops in from behind and captures everything, when their fort assault on me fails and they have no army, I conquer what's left.

I found use of agents very difficult - the enemy seems to be able to field more agents than I can possibly muster. With money tied in infrastructure and army, I cannot recruit that many agents at all. And since I'm always at war with 3-4 clans, there heaps of enemy agents roaming my lands. At the end of my playthrough I was left with 2 monks and 1 ninja - having lost about 6 monks, 3-4 ninjas to enemy agents. I'd build and leave Metsuke at rich provinces, but when I need them to bribe they'd go into mid-life crisis after interviews with enemy monks.

--------------------
Playing with the Zen-Darth mod now, the AI is a lot more sane and the game's a lot more addictive. It's so much more fun to play. But I can understand why such mad CAI was made, it is because there tends to be long bouts of nothingness during prolonged peace. 10 turns with no new happenings tend to occur, slowing down the action of the game.

[Drtad]

Playing on VH as Vanilla Uesgui is like facing off against 6 pool cheesers from all sides. Your allies and neighbours turn on you for no reason and the goal of the AI seems to be for them to bully you into submission.

I think on the higher difficulties the AI is supposed to target the player more.

[Ben.EEeee]

I think on the higher difficulties the AI is supposed to target the player more.

It's possibly the cheapest way to increase difficulty, and the result is frustration with trail and error. Instead of enemies suiciding magically reappearing stacks into your fortresses while leaving nothing at home, the AI should employ stratergy, containment, smart trading of armies.

A 1v1 with an bigger opponent shouldn't be an easy thing (you just tie down their main force when they come at you and send in a small army to cap all their undefended provinces, then spam yari-ashigaru to follow as garrison.)

[Drtad]

It's possibly the cheapest way to increase difficulty, and the result is frustration with trail and error. Instead of enemies suiciding magically reappearing stacks into your fortresses while leaving nothing at home, the AI should employ stratergy, containment, smart trading of armies.

How do you propose difficulty for the player be increased? It's always been vast increases to AI morale and troop strength, but in Shogun 2 the morale and troop strength bonuses are decreased by half the norm of prior games.

And AI will never be on par with a human player

[Ben.EEeee]

I guess their behaviour hasn't changed from Rome... the RTW AI sent 1 new stack at you every turn, even if they were down to 1 settlement. (Slight exaggeration)

Honestly, IDK what can be done to make the AI more aware of potential future moves, but for a start they should stop assaulting castles and siege instead... I think the survivability of AI armies would increase many fold if they didn't send their troops into meat grinders, especially if the situation is unwinnable.

[bangell99]

If you mean more things to do and more paths to power, then yes, of course. That would be one way to solve Shogun 2's lack of replay value, too.