How to make the AI use bigger stacks and garrison troops better?

**Jackbob** · August 26, 2007, 02:23 PM

Hi. The AI in vanilla tends to split the armies into many small stacks instead of keeping the field armies massed together. How can I change this?
My second question is about the AI dumb logic behind garrison strenghts. In my games (playing with my own mod), HRE will always fill up Bologna while leaving the German cities almost ungarrisoned and the Moors will always fill up Fez and don't worry much at all about expanding. Other factions which do the same are Rus and Aragon and perhaps some more. They all do the same, garrison a full stack in one city and expand slowly. What is the scource behind this?

The first issue is just a case of ordinary dumb AI, this second one really hurts the game. Help will be appriciated.

**bungus** · August 26, 2007, 03:51 PM

Have you tried playing any of the AI mods? Ultimate AI, darthmod, and lusted all made improvements.

For the second problem you could use a garrison script. you paste them into the compaign txt file. They give the AI extra units when under siege. But the more complicated ones add a minute or two to the time between turns

**Jackbob** · August 26, 2007, 04:06 PM

Well, I guess I'll check the mod's suggested. But I still would like to get a general idea on changing strat AI (regarding stack size, army composition and such), so if someone has time and energy I would appreciate a little help.

For the second one, the problem is just that the AI chooses to put huge garrisons in several cities while leaving others almost empty. I don't really want the AI to use or aquire bigger garrisons (I think that field armies should be the main pritority for the AI), I just want to know what the source behind this problem is.

**bungus** · August 27, 2007, 01:55 PM

I don't know but I'm guessing that if these people took the time to make all these garrison scripts, that the problem is hardcoded.

**Turbo** · August 28, 2007, 03:19 PM

A garrison mod is the only way to go as there is only minimal garrisons even with UAI and other mods. UAI and others are an improvement over vanilla but still don't leave adequate garrisons.

I suggest using Klink's garrison mod. It does slow down the turn execution some but the game play and challenge make it worth it for me.

**Jackbob** · August 29, 2007, 12:31 PM

Hmm, OK. It kinda sucks to have a hardcoded problem. Thanks anyway.

**Turbo** · August 29, 2007, 01:01 PM

I know what you mean. You would think that having the AI keep good garrison would be an obvious thing in AI programming. Barring that you would expect that playtesting would have picked this up. Problem is that CA is lacking in both areas, particularly playtesting.

One of the reasons why I never buy a CA product until the first patch comes out.

**Jackbob** · August 29, 2007, 01:29 PM

I'm always a little excited when a Total War game comes out so I most often buy them as fast as I can, but the excitement is always pretty soon turned into frustration over bugs and stuff. The games are still good of course but CA should really listen to fans and maybe look at other games which have succeded better where CA have not, for example the Paradox titles should be a good scource of inspiration when designing strategy maps.