Was EB meant to keep the AI stocked throughout the campaign?

[Destraex]

As you all know RTW campaigns can be a little hard to begin with.
I am interested in thre long term AI build and army sustainability

Does anybody know if when you conquer your immediate neighbors the AI becomes stale and dormant or does the pressure and challenge continue throughout. The AI being balanced enough to build an empire and good armies to go with it

[The White Knight]

I suspect the 'EB background-script' is designed to give the AI-factions bonuses from time to time. I also recall a poll being post here, whether EB should give the AI bonuses or not, and most people voted yes.

[Pritzl]

Actually, most people voted "within reason"... :wink:

[Shaun]

nut giving the AI a small cash boost from time to time makes it a bit harder, therefore a bit more enjoyable. With the money the AI gets from a small cash boost the AI will be able to keep up a bit or pressure on you.

[Khelvan]

We don't create units for the AI, but we have taken measures that we hope will prevent it from completely running out of money all the time and completely de-populating cities. So far, they do not appear to be working properly, but that's why we're beta testing.

[Destraex]

excellent, well its certainly making it interesting thus far

[Pritzl]

Khelvan, haven't had too much time to dive too deeply into the campaign, but one thing puzzles me... if the player starts off with a requirement to disband half his units to survive, why give them to him in the first place? Just wondering what the reasoning behind that is.

[DavidtheDuke]

I believe this is to used as a all-out conquering force from the get-go, where you're in debt a few turns before you conquer the settlements. That's what I did with Germania anyway.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

It balances the AI too. You as the human player would have it a whole lot easier if you had to fight greatly reduced forces at the start.

[Pritzl]

That's the thing David, I was looking forward to EB finally breaking the vicious steam-roller cycle. i.e. I wanted to sit back and play it from a historical perspective and really immerse myself in the historical goings on around me. Even the Romans didn't just start on a rampage across the known world, they looked out for their interests which, sometimes, led to conquest. To do that, you have to disband almost half your units or start steam-rollering neighbouring factions. Heck, EB is the first mod of RTW where I actually respect the rebels' right to exist since they now have all that associated history. Yes, EB is challenging, damn challenging, but not quite in the way I had hoped. Then again, I haven't been playing long so maybe it's just the Carthiginians that suffer from this?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

To be honest I think the Carthies are one faction that is severely underdeveloped. They don't have as many traits, fully developed unique buildings, they were the last to get accurate family members, they still have gaps in building descriptions, etc. We need more help on them for sure. Numerous other factions are much more immersive, imho. Definitely try a Celtic one, or the KH or some other successor one. Ptolemies are a little lacking too though, but they've got some really good things. Romans have had tons of time put into them too. Sweboz are really good but for building descriptions and some more traits maybe.

[Kushan]

I wanted to sit back and play it from a historical perspective and really immerse myself in the historical goings on around me.

In a way you are. We do try to portray a historicaly accurate military situation, aka realistic setup of military forces at the beginning of the campaign. Take Carthage for instance, historically they were presented with some what of the same situation. Do they go bankrupt, disband forces buld up econimically, or do they go out and conquer places like Iberia, to gain that extra income. Which is historically what they did.

Although the setups are still WIP.

Kushan

[Pritzl]

Interesting... So, you're saying it's just my bad luck I chose Carthage? Which faction would you suggest then for a more 'sedate' game?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Well, certainly I'm biased. :laughing:

But we just haven't had people pouring trait after trait and description after description into Carthage like we have for KH, Romani, Aedui/Averni/Casse, even Pahlava, Baktria, Epeiros, and Makedonians. They've got some good stuff for sure, but not in the amount that is done for some other factions. We'd love for very interested persons to help us out more too if they have the resources in books, time, and skill.

[Pritzl]

Originally Posted by Teleklos Archelaou

We'd love for very interested persons to help us out more too if they have the resources in books, time, and skill.

0 out of 3 for me so I guess I'll just shut up and play.

[Epistolary Richard]

Originally Posted by Pritzl

That's the thing David, I was looking forward to EB finally breaking the vicious steam-roller cycle. i.e. I wanted to sit back and play it from a historical perspective and really immerse myself in the historical goings on around me.

Actually, you'll find it remarkably difficult to steamroller (or at least continue to steamroller). The start position of many smaller factions leaves you a choice either to turtle and disband or to immediately expand into a couple of other provinces. Once you've taken those, though, from my experience you're running out of troops or money or, most likely, both. Playing as the Romani I found my expansion must slower (and sometimes reversed) than in vanilla, and capturing a new settlement often requires stopping and consolidating (putting roads and governments etc. in place) rather than rolling on, otherwise the settlements you capture are hard to control and of limited worth.

[Ranika]

A lot apparently find the Casse pretty immersive. The tough decisions; the myriad of early risks; the inability to 'steamroller' without going bankrupt and potentially getting wiped out. But, as said, setups are quite WIP. Things will work better in future builds.

[Leão magno]

though initially frustrating, playing as the Poeni will repay you in the long run since you will find yourself bankrupted, with no army and figthing Epiros and or Rome ... I enjoyed the pressure tough I still find it too easy to survive and became the victorius

[SomeJedi]

If you're finding the AI to be too difficult, then just reload the game and ignore the background script for a few turns and take out the enemy (sans bonus=easier). Afterwards, turn the script on.


I'm at 193 BC. The game got insanely hard at 210 when the Sweboz came down on me with never ending armies.

The games faction expansion is great. Hellnon, Ptolemoaioi, Getai, Hayastan, Sweboz, Averni, and **** just about every one is still fighting, save 2 protectorate faction. The ones I mentioned above are doing the best and have expansion of Ptolemoaioi took over all of N.Africa. Hellnon have conquered almost all of modern day turkey area (the place to the left of mainland greece)

My only complaints- Carthage is weak and never attacks and the Casse don't leave their island for nobody or nothing!

[SomeJedi]

*the place to the right of mainland greece.

I type so incredibly fast that spelling errors and stuff of that nature pop up once an awhile. I can type like 5000 wpm.