The AI don't build forts

[Doge]

The permanent forts feature was one of my favorite additions in Kingdoms, and I love it in DLV, but in my campaigns, I seem to be the only one building them. My only explanation is that maybe I haven't progressed far enough into the game for them to become common - I've made it to turn 50 or so, and I usually don't get much further than about 80 before an incompatible-yet-irresistible update comes out..

I was just wondering if anyone else has shared this experience. If that's the case, it's probably not possible to "coerce" the AI into building more? Is it possible to add permanent forts at the start of a game by adding a line like this to the descr_strat? (From the Britannia Campaign)

region Gwynedd_Principality

farming_level 0
famine_threat 0

fort 74 62 stone_fort_b culture northern_european

That'd be a cool way to make the historically "castle-packed" regions like France and Britain more fun from the get-go.

[Aszrayel]

In the first kingdoms based version (5.0) of DLV I seem to recall the AI building forts I think. Since then I haven't seen the AI build them. Maybe it was taken out of the AI because it was a possible drain on the AI's treasury or they weren't using them properly? I've read in threads that in some CAIs the AI would build them and put units in them but then the units would just stay in the forts the entire time and so the upkeep was also a drain on the treasury as well.

[upthegreens]

I'm still playing 5.0, and on my French campaign the Flemish AI built 5 forts in the province west of Hamburg due to a back & forth struggle with the HRE. Also the Danes built one by the road to Arhus. Maybe the trigger is based on the continued military presence of another faction on the AI's land, which would make forts only pop-up where there wasn't a quick conquest. I've never seen any in France/Italy.

Maybe not useful for 5.2, but hope that helps.

[repman]

Problem is the AI got stuck in forts so it's not included in DLV AI handling. Astonished that still some factions build forts

repman

[gubbs]

TBH its not a bad thing: The Ai doesn't seem to have too many issues producing huge numbers of military units in a single turn.

The most effective way to counter this without going bankrupt is building forts all over the place (at least 3 per city) and filling them with x2 units of heavy cavalry or infantry mercs.

Free storage!

I use a system if interconnecting forts so equidistant on the roads between each city is a line of forts, essentially allowing the player to react to a threat without leaving units out (and having to pay maintenance) each build-up movement turn.

Forts also make you more or less solid defensively as each city with its web of inner forts and highway network can call together a half stack of quality troops in a couple of turns, which is often the difference between loosing territory and stopping the incursion dead in it's tracks.

Anyway, yeah, we don't want the AI using forts to that extent, its hard enough for Pete's sake!

[Doge]

Problem is the AI got stuck in forts so it's not included in DLV AI handling. Astonished that still some factions build forts

repman

Thanks for the reply! So I was musing on this a bit further. If the AI won't build forts, if I decided to mod in a handfull of forts onto the campaign map to spice-up some of the "empty" areas of the DLV map, like southeast France or the Balkans, and fill them with rebels at the start of the game, how would the AI react? If forts aren't in the "AI handling", does that mean:

a) The AI will ignore the rebels in the forts
b) The AI would attack the rebels and then abandon the fort, or
c) The AI would attack the rebels, and then get stuck in the fort?

Thanks!

[Domnul Ceaşcă]

I think c) is the answer to your question.

[repman]

Probably c)

repman