What's Up With the Full Stacks?

[Sextus Molestus]

I'm playing a Roman campaign on Medium campaign difficulty, Easy battle difficulty (thank god). I try my best to use a Roman legion format for my armies, like the one seen in Decius Mus' army at the start of the game. Therefore, it takes me a while and worse, quite a lot of money, to train one of these new "legions".

After taking all of Italy and Sicily, I turned my attention north. I took Mediolanium, Genua, and Patavium from the Independent Gauls, and then noticed a full stack German army standing on my borders in the Alps. I got map information from them, and it seemed they created quite a vast empire indeed, and Gaul (not independent) was their protectorate. I decide, rather than expand into Gaul as was my original plan, I would fight these Germans now.

The war was long, and Germany's ally, Thrace, constantly sent armies to my eastern borders. Both of the factions continued to send full stack after full stack. I could hardly keep up with them, especially since my "legion format" requires me to send back armies to Italy to retrain them. Eventually, though, I perservered, and I took all of Germany's territory save one region that I intend to use as a buffer between me and Scythia (from what I hear about them, they're scary; they also have the second biggest military in my campaign, seleucids have the biggest).

After taking some of Thrace's settlements during that same war, to create a straighter eastern border, I managed to get a Ceasefire that they're sticking to. However, plague is persistent in that region, hopping from Aemona to Aquincum, back and forth, back and forth, and it's really annoying how it just won't leave.

I decided to finally take over Gaul, to spur my economy. Wouldn't you know it, the Independent Gauls also planned to attack me, and beat me to it, taking a settlement in West Germany. I now have four legions. One is full strength and heading up to Germany to beat back the Gauls and then go on the offensive. Another is beseiging Salona, but I'm reluctant to attack because there's a full stack inside, and I don't want to take immense casualties, so I'm waiting for them to sally or starve. One has the plague and is waiting for it to go away in Italy before I send them into a city to retrain.

My last one I sent to Emporion; they took it easily enough. I secured an alliance with Carthage, who had all the rest of Iberia, on that turn. Next turn, we're at war, because they felt compelled, after so many years of not doing it, to blockade me. In response, I took my immense navy and blockaded nearly all their island and African ports. I sent my relatively full strength army out of Emporion to begin conquest of Iberia, and, wouldn't you know it, the next turn, four 3/4 stacks show up, and 2 full stacks are on their way. What the hell?

My question after this long rant is: Why are these factions making so many full stacks on Medium? Germany and Thrace were relentless with their full stacks, so much so that the cities I took from them had zero recruitable population. Even the Independent Gaul army that took my German settlement was a full stack! I'm not saying they shouldn't have any, but why do they train so many???

I guess this was more of a rant than a question, in retrospect. How's this: What do you suggest that I do? I'm planning on using force diplomacy to take all of Germany's money; I don't consider it cheating because we reduced them to one settlement and won the war, and could wipe them out in an instant - I think of it as war reparations. With this money, I'll build a fifth legion that will finally do the job I've been waiting so long for - take over Gaul. The legion at Emporion will stay on the defensive in the city, trying to stem the Carthaginian invasion (they likely won't want to take over Gaul without first taking all of Iberia,right?) I don't know what's in store for the legion besieging Salona, but likely it will be a defensive mission (wouldn't want to get to close to my only allies, the Macedonians, and compromise it, would I?)

[Zarax]

That's the AI bonuses for you, you can disable them from EDB.

[Vercingetorix_Defeated]

You'll get a decent number of them even with bonuses disabled (which I currently am playing my campaign with)

Remember though, even barbarian factions could be quite populous, and the Germans and Gauls severely outnumbered Romans on several occasions. Their troops are lower quality though, so you should be able to repeat history and defeat them regardless.

Also, before trying force diplomacy, just try normal diplomacy. I asked Germany to be my protectorate twice: the second time they agreed, and I got 160 000 denarii the next turn from them.

And I hadn't even fought them One of my legions had put one of their two remaining settlements under siege, that's all it took.

If you want to decrease the number of AI troops, go into the export_descr_unit file and increase the upkeep cost on whatever units you don't want to see around as much.

Historically, barbarian armies could not stay around for long, and had to disband after a few months or even weeks. You could give them a high upkeep to reflect that.

[Sextus Molestus]

That's the AI bonuses for you, you can disable them from EDB.

I apologize, but I'm completely incompetent when it comes to this. I remember the AI Bonuses option when I was first installing the game (I think) - can I edit them without reinstalling? If so, how exactly do I do so? Also, will this take effect in my current campaign or do I need to start a new one?

You'll get a decent number of them even with bonuses disabled (which I currently am playing my campaign with)

Remember though, even barbarian factions could be quite populous, and the Germans and Gauls severely outnumbered Romans on several occasions. Their troops are lower quality though, so you should be able to repeat history and defeat them regardless.

Also, before trying force diplomacy, just try normal diplomacy. I asked Germany to be my protectorate twice: the second time they agreed, and I got 160 000 denarii the next turn from them.

And I hadn't even fought them One of my legions had put one of their two remaining settlements under siege, that's all it took.

If you want to decrease the number of AI troops, go into the export_descr_unit file and increase the upkeep cost on whatever units you don't want to see around as much.

Historically, barbarian armies could not stay around for long, and had to disband after a few months or even weeks. You could give them a high upkeep to reflect that.

It's not that I want them to go away entirely, but if a full-strengthed well-equipped legion can't even move out of Emporion because there are so many Carthaginian stacks there, I find something about that wrong. I just want less full stacks, not them to be eradicated completely.

I'll try regular diplomacy, but one problem I've had with that is that after the AI declines an offer, and doesn't make a counter-offer, which is often, I can't negotiate with them at all for the rest of the turn. Is there a certain number of times you can use force diplomacy per "session", by the way, or can you use it an infinite amount of times? Such as if I want to keep a lasting peace with the Thracians or Germans but they retardedly keep attacking me, sometimes force diplomacying a ceasefire won't work.

[Grimbold]

You'll get a decent number of them even with bonuses disabled (which I currently am playing my campaign with)

Remember though, even barbarian factions could be quite populous, and the Germans and Gauls severely outnumbered Romans on several occasions. Their troops are lower quality though, so you should be able to repeat history and defeat them regardless.

Also, before trying force diplomacy, just try normal diplomacy. I asked Germany to be my protectorate twice: the second time they agreed, and I got 160 000 denarii the next turn from them.

And I hadn't even fought them One of my legions had put one of their two remaining settlements under siege, that's all it took.

Dude explain me how the hell do you manage to get 160.000 Denarii from one of you protectorates?! Did they gave it freely to you? Did you ask?

I've used force diplomacy to make some factions proctectorates and right after i try to make them give me money even at 5.000 denarii they immediatly break the alliance.

So, do explain me!

If you want to decrease the number of AI troops, go into the export_descr_unit file and increase the upkeep cost on whatever units you don't want to see around as much.

Historically, barbarian armies could not stay around for long, and had to disband after a few months or even weeks. You could give them a high upkeep to reflect that.

Dude explain me how do you get 160.000 denarii from your protectorates. I've used FD to make protectorates give me money and even at small amounts like 2-5000 they refuse and immedialty break the alliance.

[Zarax]

Bonuses are only reduced by the installer, and are still quite sizeable.

[Vercingetorix_Defeated]

Bonuses are only reduced by the installer, and are still quite sizeable.

Hmm, so I have to change em in the export descr building file if I want them to go entirely, eh....right now its ok, if I start facing too many hordes I will do that.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Zarax]

You may also want to delete the tax bonus from the colonies, it's way too much money.

[Zarax]

in export_descr_building.txt near the end you will find the founding/victory monuments.
locate them and delete all the lines with the bonuses.
Remember to backup the file before!

[Sextus Molestus]

Shoot, I already reinstalled the game and checked "Reduce AI Bonuses". I'll check that file to see if said bonuses are there. Hopefully it'll work for my old save file, which survived the reinstallation.

[Vercingetorix_Defeated]

Shoot, I already reinstalled the game and checked "Reduce AI Bonuses". I'll check that file to see if said bonuses are there. Hopefully it'll work for my old save file, which survived the reinstallation.

I think the easiest way to do it is to just use the find and replace feature in wordpad, in the file "export_descr_building.txt" and find and replace "income_bonus bonus 20" with "income_bonus bonus 5", for example.

After looking through the file, I agree completely with Zarax that the AI gets way, way too many bonuses. No wonder I've had to kill 25 000 Seleucid foot soldiers and they still have full stacks everywhere

Dude explain me how do you get 160.000 denarii from your protectorates. I've used FD to make protectorates give me money and even at small amounts like 2-5000 they refuse and immedialty break the alliance.

Protectorates automatically give you any surplus money they have at the end of a turn.

Unfortunately, most factions had no surplus at all and spend any money they have on recruiting, building, etc. This is why they have such ridiculously large armies as the OP mentioned.

Luckily for me, Germania had the most money of any faction in the game. I have no clue why they had so much, but they had around 160 000. At the end of the turn, I automatically got all of it.

Of course, that campaign which was so fun was then ruined by the Scythians and their invasion of the Universe. Stupid scythians... I think I'll go exterminate their settlements, to pay them back for ruining my first awesome XGM campaign.