Is it just me, or is Rome AI vastly superior to that of ?

[Owain Glyndŵr]

I noticed that RTW's AI is much smarter than that of M2TW. For example:

-Enemy heavy cavalry tries to go smashing into my flanks rather than charging headlong into a spear wall.
-The AI does his best to keep his heavy infantry in a cohesive formation and actually responds when I try to flank him.
-Missile fire is directed at things that it actually does damage to.
-Skirmishers skirmish instead of standing in front of my line and waiting to get trampled.
-They're smarter on the campaign map-- they build useful buildings in their cities and when I advance on an enemy's city with a large army, I'm often met by an appropriately-sized stack of reinforcements.

Sure, you can still have your general decimated by friendly fire and there's the occasional lag in troop response, but overall the AI is a lot smarter.

[MaceMan]

I noticed that RTW's AI is much smarter than that of M2TW. For example:

-Enemy heavy cavalry tries to go smashing into my flanks rather than charging headlong into a spear wall.
-The AI does his best to keep his heavy infantry in a cohesive formation and actually responds when I try to flank him.
-Missile fire is directed at things that it actually does damage to.
-Skirmishers skirmish instead of standing in front of my line and waiting to get trampled.
-They're smarter on the campaign map-- they build useful buildings in their cities and when I advance on an enemy's city with a large army, I'm often met by an appropriately-sized stack of reinforcements.

Sure, you can still have your general decimated by friendly fire and there's the occasional lag in troop response, but overall the AI is a lot smarter.

Really? Generals in Rome make charging straight into my phalanxes a top priority on a regular basis. I wouldn't know how that compares to Med II, though, since I've only played it once or twice. Might go back and give it another chance sometime soon.

[Xantrip]

Really? Generals in Rome make charging straight into my phalanxes a top priority on a regular basis. I wouldn't know how that compares to Med II, though, since I've only played it once or twice. Might go back and give it another chance sometime soon.

The Rome AI is pathetic. That's the only way to put it. On the campaign map, it has a bizarre fetish for skirmisher units. On the battle map, what Maceman said. Also, the cavalry wander out on the flanks and do nothing. And then they promptly charge your flank guards for no apparent reason.

Even though Darthmod improves vastly on all this, it can't compare to a human player.

Med 2 at least has a serviceable AI, but that may be because I suck at it.

[|Sith| Max]

Really? Generals in Rome make charging straight into my phalanxes a top priority on a regular basis. I wouldn't know how that compares to Med II, though, since I've only played it once or twice. Might go back and give it another chance sometime soon.

ive played mtw2 campaign when i found out GS still did the MP, and i can safely say rtw has better AI. although RTW AI still sucks. Both games where played on Very Hard.

[Banzai!]

Don't be silly.

[roy34543]

I dont know but i distinctly remember getting stacks of catapults.

[Xavier Dragnesi]

I'm not sure if it's just me or something, but I used to think the AI was very very stupid, playing on medium. Then one day, I decided to try it on very hard. It's actually a lot smarter, and it doesn't charge cavalry into spears or stand there doing nothing while their units get slaughtered. I haven't played M2 on very hard, but I can tell that the very hard AI on RTW isn't all too bad.

[MaceMan]

I'm not sure if it's just me or something, but I used to think the AI was very very stupid, playing on medium. Then one day, I decided to try it on very hard. It's actually a lot smarter, and it doesn't charge cavalry into spears or stand there doing nothing while their units get slaughtered. I haven't played M2 on very hard, but I can tell that the very hard AI on RTW isn't all too bad.

I've played on every difficulty level progressively since I bought the game (except easy...started out on medium ), and regardless of whether you're playing on medium or very hard, AI generals always seem to believe that getting impaled on a pike is top form for a commander of their status. Although I do agree with you that apart from the insane morale boost enemy troops get on VH, the AI does actually perform better tactic-wise, if only slightly.

[Haxiel]

I do think RTW AI is better than that of M2. It is the reason I keep coming back to Rome, M2 AI is like playing against a half asleep 5 year old on the battle map, while RTW puts up some challenge. And yes, RTW AI makes actually good moves on the campaign map, at least it uses boats. I remember my Egyptian H/H campaign in M2 where Venice (Starts in what would be Apollonia) captured Tripoli (which would be Lepcis Magna) and I remember it moving generals, reinforcements and priests ON FOOT, ALL THE WAY FROM VENICE. That means they had to go through Anatolia, the Levant and half the African coast. That's just plain retarded.

[daviduk109]

what do any of the mods do for the AI in rome? e.g. rome total realism, or the eb mod? what about the medieval mod, chivalry, does that improve on the AI?

[Entropy Judge]

what do any of the mods do for the AI in rome? e.g. rome total realism, or the eb mod? what about the medieval mod, chivalry, does that improve on the AI?

Unfortunately, in Rome at least, mods don't really affect the AI's battle intelligence - this being, of course, because the AI is hardcoded, meaning that modders can't mess with it. The best they can do (and what the creators of DarthMod did, AFAIK) is manipulate the formation control and the way the AI treats different units to try to make it perform better - and there are still ways to get it to screw up. On EB, if I touch the 3X Battle Speed control while on the defensive, especially if there's an enemy reinforcement army, I don't deal with an army, I deal with handfuls of troops scattered across the landscape in the manner of a drunken ape trying to line up its toys.

[Logik]

S.P.Q.R 7.0 Ai is killer on very VH/VH. I got my butt handed to me by the Romans on more than one occassion and i have been playing RTW for years.The only time i have been challanged in MTW 2 Is when i played the Expanded Americas Mod for Kingdoms.

[|Sith| Max]

I do think RTW AI is better than that of M2. It is the reason I keep coming back to Rome, M2 AI is like playing against a half asleep 5 year old on the battle map, while RTW puts up some challenge. And yes, RTW AI makes actually good moves on the campaign map, at least it uses boats. I remember my Egyptian H/H campaign in M2 where Venice (Starts in what would be Apollonia) captured Tripoli (which would be Lepcis Magna) and I remember it moving generals, reinforcements and priests ON FOOT, ALL THE WAY FROM VENICE. That means they had to go through Anatolia, the Levant and half the African coast. That's just plain retarded.

half asleep 5 year old describes it perfectly.
at least rome's half asleep 10 year old does better.

[C-Rob]

no they don't do any of that.

[daviduk109]

haha! I can tell that about 2 seconds of thought went into that reply. Hope your school exam results turn out better.

[SonOfAlexander]

I don't know about the AI on MTW2, but I agreew ith Maceman, etc. The AI in RTW DOES charge onto phalanxes etc., regularly. I guess you are right about the flanking, although they also change formation when I change things like guard mode or fire at will on one unit which just isn't right.

[Lord Thesaurian]

the only half-way ok AI i know of is in mods made for this (at least in part) purpose.

[daviduk109]

thanks for the considered response. I look forward to trying out the different versions of the game to see how the modders have improved things on the AI front, in rome at least (since thats the only tw game remaining that I can get to work on my pc)