Is there a mod for better CAI use of armies?

**alhoon** · January 28, 2019, 12:21 PM

I would like to know if there's a mod that improves the way CAI uses their armies. I am not talking simply about a mod that gives the AI more armies for the campaign map, but a mod that makes the AI use their armies better. The way the CAI uses their armies is simply put, bad. A faction spread over a large area attacked by the player responds by sending their armies piecemeal. They may have a cap of 10 armies, keep 6 on the field (with tons of cash at hand) and instead of sending those armies to attack in unison, they attack piece by piece, with a single stack.

At any point in the game where you can afford (tactically and financially) to send 2 mostly-full armies against the AI, you steamroll them. You attack their single stack armies with 2 stacks and that's it. Once in a blue moon, there may be two armies together but that's more often AI & Ally than AI using two armies to counter yours.

**Bran Mac Born** · January 28, 2019, 02:57 PM

**alhoon** · January 29, 2019, 02:22 AM

From a cursory look of the mod, this seems very well done.

I'll remove most of the handicaps given to the player or bonuses to the CAI as I find them "unfair" but some ideas are very solid and interesting.
Food to the CAI will be good, reduced occupation penalties and best from what I've seen so far: the bonuses to the CAI to discover technology. You have my gratitude.

EDIT: OK, I'll also keep the mods to general bodyguard of the enemy... Another very good idea.
EDIT2: And the increased speed for agents and a 20% increase in the speed of armies (but I removed the speed reduction of my agents and armies)

**Bran Mac Born** · January 29, 2019, 06:08 AM

**alhoon** · January 29, 2019, 10:03 AM

But, in the past, I have checked the finances of the AI and it had hundreds of thousands in the bank... with fewer armies on the field.

If that doesn't work then yes, I may frankly put the cost and upkeep at -100% so they can afford full armies without paying a penny. I am that annoyed.
My concern is that then they would amass huge amounts of money that they would have no need for and I could "scam it out" of the CAI by trade deals.

If the "Free armies for AI!!!" doesn't work either, I may frankly limit the armies to one (1) and fleets to one (1) for CAI and player with 80 units or something and a big zone of control and bolster garrisons so the AI and I could have all our forces in one place.

**Bran Mac Born** · January 29, 2019, 01:01 PM

. Report back on how it all plays out.

**alhoon** · January 29, 2019, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Bran Mac Born

I would also look into the CAI pesonalities and set the military aggression level for the factions you want to be very aggressive. That seems to help too.

Can't do that chief.

Not everyone has hundreds of hours of modding R2TW. I will trust your changes there.

**alhoon** · January 31, 2019, 02:48 AM

That is what I had in mind...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

The AI still does blunders, and it is prone to make suboptimal attacks where it would lose. I still haven't seen if this behavior keeps up when the CAI controls a large faction.

**Bran Mac Born** · January 31, 2019, 06:26 AM

Wait till you have to fight a major faction....oh the hurt

**alhoon** · January 31, 2019, 09:29 AM

My main problem right now are two small factions, each with one minor settlement and 6 full stacks of high tier armies thanks to the no upkeep.

They remained angrily vassals of mine through the "good times" building up their armies and technology and now they are stabbing me in the back (and they are in different sides so it's two fronts with 6 enemy stacks on each side).
Large factions are still misusing their armies. They gather them to one front and you attack the other front. Then they draw them down to the front you open and you push back from the previous front...
until they are left with few settlements and then they put a serious fight.

**Sagat** · February 08, 2019, 11:45 AM

I just came on here to create a similar thread, I been going back and forth for about a month now trying out all the Mods to see which one has the smartest AI in the sense of doing something other than just building stack after stack and sending it your way.

Radious is as always, just about building stacks fast, wait for enemies to build their stacks, rinse repeat and that's as deep as the campaign gets, awesome units although unrealistic.

DEI has changed with their newest updates, I don't even recognize what's going on in the campaign map anymore, and the battles are different now. Something about their newest updates just made me unsubscribe to the whole mod.

Real Experience Mod tries too hard to be different making things unecessarily difficult for no apparent reason other than "being different"... within a few turns you'll start noticing things that don't make any sense, replenishment and recruiting issues due to unknown "events"

Wars of the Gods Mod I tried last month but quit about 50 turns in, I kinda forget why, maybe I should give it another go I see it's been updated.

And I really like Nordo's overhaul and his units, but campaign is a bit too vanilla for my taste.

**Bran Mac Born** · February 09, 2019, 02:42 AM

Sagat- try out some of the sub mods for Wars of the Gods to tailor it to your playing style-remember the Campaign is made to be played on Hard or Very Hard difficulties. I did an overhaul to the Cai and Bai in the last update. So try it out with a smaller faction.