If the AI played like a human....

[LuckyPistol]

To put it more detailed, if the AI played like the average TATW player....which faction would you fear the most going into a campaign? How would your usual game plan change up?

Of course this all depends on what faction you choose, but I expect this to create some interesting conversations as well as exchange battle and game strategies

For example, if I was an evil faction I would be most frightened of Rohan. For this faction to be self aware of its cavalry power and have to go up AGAINST it.....I shudder to think of a task

[k/t]

Mordor, Isengard, Rhun and Harad all have anti-cavalry infantry.

[Macilrille]

Evil... Gondor, much stronger cavalry power than Rohan, BG stacks... auch. HE, have you ever played HE and buildt their top-tier units? They mow down EVERYTHING.

Good... hard to say, Harad (Mümakil + cav BG), Rhûn (balanced roster and cav BG) and Mordor (Olog Hai) are all dangerous.

Note that I play MOS mostly, a bit of DaC lately, never Vanilla.

[Salah-ad-deen]

I would be scared as Harad if the Ai play Gondor the way I play. I tend to Rush Harad with generals and Haradrim spearmen don't seem to be able to handle the charge of Gondor BG.

[Hugyfew]

We should remember that our allies would also act like a human. So Gondor may be tough in battles, but easy on the campaign map (Harad/Mordor giving you a hand).

I say Rohan. Not only do they have strong cavalry, they won't have such a hard time getting them like Gondor.

[Bladvak]

I'd say the Dwarves. A Dwarven faction aware of its power, of the fact that it can wait in cities like until the last turn to sally out, that makes for quite a lot of strategic options. And have you tried assaulting Dwarven cities held by a small but tough Dwarven army? Impossibru!

The orcs would be swarmed by the elves, which would give time for Dwarves to slowly but steadily develop a world-conquering force. Mordor cannot withstand the Dwarven fury, not if the Dwarves hold the whole North of the ME.

As a note, Gondor is still my favorite faction.

[Feanaro Curufinwe]

If the AI played like a human......

..It wouldn't be a Total War AI.

[Lord Dakier]

I don't know really but on the flip side I wouldn't like to be Rohan. All those factions surrounding you, once you're knocked out Gondor is easy pickings after the Osgiliath front isn't the only way of holding back the enemy.

[LuckyPistol]

Mordor, Isengard, Rhun and Harad all have anti-cavalry infantry.

Yes, but the AI would know this in this scenario, wouldn't it?

[Flinn]

it depends on the player, I steamroll with everything

jokes apart it's hard to say, probably all factions with large starting armies or cheap/easy to recruit 1st tier units; if the AI plays like a (good) player, with all the bonuses the AI gets with money, it could be unbeatable

have you considered asking the opinion of the multiplayer community? they surely have a better knowledge over fighting a human opponent (though they have some strict rules so it's not exactely the same as playing a regular campaign)

[Feanaro Curufinwe]

Also, what kind of "human player"? It can range from 'Veteran of Total War from Shogun I to Rome II' to 'Shooter-loving kid that has never played a strategy game before and got attracted by the shiny units'. Although the actual AI seems to lean towards the second..

[VektorT]

I'd say the Dwarves. A Dwarven faction aware of its power, of the fact that it can wait in cities like until the last turn to sally out, that makes for quite a lot of strategic options. And have you tried assaulting Dwarven cities held by a small but tough Dwarven army? Impossibru!

The orcs would be swarmed by the elves, which would give time for Dwarves to slowly but steadily develop a world-conquering force. Mordor cannot withstand the Dwarven fury, not if the Dwarves hold the whole North of the ME.

As a note, Gondor is still my favorite faction.

I agree. Totally the dwarves. I'm always extremely careful when facing a full-stack of them in open field and my regular stack wont do, I had to bring a specific anti-dwarve one filled with anti armor units, especially javelin throwers. But if I have to take a settlement from them... it's TOTAL HELL!!! Some of their elite infantries on the walls or guarding choke points can totally kick off tons of units.

I think elven faction may give similar problem, but no elven faction gave me so much trouble like the dwarves did. Maybe elves have such high recruit time and low availability that when I defeat a full stack of them it would take a while to them to bring something good again, not like the dwarves who appears to out heavy units.

[DrDragun]

Probably the Silvans. As a human they would own Moria very quickly then use the money to field unkillable archer stacks backed with heavy spears.

I would actually prefer a human opponent playing Rhun, Mordor, or Harad after turn 80. Dat stack spam...

[Veteraan]

Also, what kind of "human player"? It can range from 'Veteran of Total War from Shogun I to Rome II' (..)

Did somebody call me?


Oh wait, I didn't actually play Rome II.

[Macilrille]

Also, what kind of "human player"? It can range from 'Veteran of Total War from Shogun I to Rome II' to 'Shooter-loving kid that has never played a strategy game before and got attracted by the shiny units'. Although the actual AI seems to lean towards the second..

LP wrote;

if the AI played like the average TATW player....

[Feanaro Curufinwe]

LP wrote;

Do we have any figures on the 'average player', if such a thing exists?

[Macilrille]

Me I believe, there are some things I am good at, other things I am not so good, and some that I am really good at. But TATW, I believe I am pretty average. Now stop mincing words and answer the question ;-) (inserting a smiley, for it is not harshly meant).

[Ngugi]

An 'average player' I would without any fuzz define as someone with more strategic and tactical capacity than the AI. That should suffice for even the most cynical, hehe

[King of the Ring]

To put it more detailed, if the AI played like the average TATW player....which faction would you fear the most going into a campaign? How would your usual game plan change up?

Of course this all depends on what faction you choose, but I expect this to create some interesting conversations as well as exchange battle and game strategies

For example, if I was an evil faction I would be most frightened of Rohan. For this faction to be self aware of its cavalry power and have to go up AGAINST it.....I shudder to think of a task

if the AI would act like an average player you would lose the game in the first turn

[StealthFox]

A good player can make any faction fearsome. It's not impossible either. Go check out the hotseat forum if you haven't already done so. Once you play against human players, you'll never go back to the AI!