Annoying (yet sweet) AI...

I have noticed something remarkable about the campaign AI. Really, it's new to me.

I was playing with Russia, as always, the other day, and I came to a crossroads. There were 2 bridges to cross to get into Austrian territory, and when it finally was my turn I noticed that the austrian AI had placed one gentleman on each bridge, making it impossible for my army to cross either of them.

First I thought that they had only moved there by coincidence, but when they hadn't moved after three turns I decided to move my army away to go around somewhere else. 2 turns later, when my awesome army was in a safe distance away, they moved their gentlemen and moved their own armies over the bridges

This was, of course, incredibly annoying, although I couldn't avoid being amazed by such a tactical move from the AI's part. In fact they inspired me to use the same tactics. Then the only threats making an army advancement will be agents assassinating the gentlemen.

Cheers, CA, for a somewhat amusing AI ^^

Can't you push away gentlemen with your armies? I thought you could when moving onto them as if attacking another army.
Anyway, I agree that I saw something similar in the Egypt campaign: my army was approaching Damascus for its final conquest and ended up surrounded by mountains, three ways it could go into Ottoman territory...
next turn, the Ottomans had moved armies into all three exits to block my advance (the armies weren't really large enough to stop me, but the locations they were put were quite well chosen).

Originally Posted by daniu

Can't you push away gentlemen with your armies? I thought you could when moving onto them as if attacking another army.
Anyway, I agree that I saw something similar in the Egypt campaign: my army was approaching Damascus for its final conquest and ended up surrounded by mountains, three ways it could go into Ottoman territory...
next turn, the Ottomans had moved armies into all three exits to block my advance (the armies weren't really large enough to stop me, but the locations they were put were quite well chosen).

Yes. If one selects an army and hovers the mouse over an agent blocking passage, the regular cursor turns into an 'attack cursor' allowing one's army to 'push' the agent aside.

Yes the AI uses exploits.

If it is the same as Empire you can not move past them but you can attack them and occupy the space...then continue your move.

It's like they're the bridgekeeper from Holy Grail:

"Answer me these questions three, ere the other side you see!" <evil cackling laughter>

Originally Posted by Dizoakius Maximus

It's like they're the bridgekeeper from Holy Grail:

"Answer me these questions three, ere the other side you see!" <evil cackling laughter>

What's the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow you RUSKIES!

Cool. I didn't know you could push away gentlemen thanks for that. Anyway, I still think it's sweet that they try to exploit these things. Makes more use of my spies then although, I don't think I've assassinated so many generals in a TW game EVER! ^^ it's definately more worth assassinating generals in NTW imo.

Its way too easy to assassinate in this game.

That is not right. I've seen an old monk in ETW, he was like 80 or something, blocking a mountain pass and my armies had to make a 4 turns detour to get across.

The CAI is actually extremely good in NTW from what i've noticed, probably due to the fact that BAI and CAI was seperated in the new engine, while ETW overall sucked, the improved games on the engine can take advantage of the seperation and CAI and BAI's quality can be vastly different. I suppose CAI is a lot simplier than BAI, as where the BAI has done so-so in improvements, CAI seems to be much much better.

Main example of improvements for me so far has been Spanish attempts at taking Gibraltar, they twice attacked with two stacks at the same time, attempting to overwhelm my fort (though the BAI failed them, heh). Naval invasions and appropriately aggressive France (they've raped Austria in my campaign) are other examples.

Originally Posted by Markam

The CAI is actually extremely good in NTW from what i've noticed, probably due to the fact that BAI and CAI was seperated in the new engine, while ETW overall sucked, the improved games on the engine can take advantage of the seperation and CAI and BAI's quality can be vastly different. I suppose CAI is a lot simplier than BAI, as where the BAI has done so-so in improvements, CAI seems to be much much better.

Main example of improvements for me so far has been Spanish attempts at taking Gibraltar, they twice attacked with two stacks at the same time, attempting to overwhelm my fort (though the BAI failed them, heh). Naval invasions and appropriately aggressive France (they've raped Austria in my campaign) are other examples.

It's definitely improved, but I think a lot of that is the lack of colonial theaters. The AI was never good at dealing with three theaters, and once the player got some good colonies he was invincible due to the resources advantage.

The AI did the same in my game, though it was when I sended a spy over to them, a few units on each bridge.
I could pass by spying on them and than walk out of the army again.. still.. clever to do this!

I have still to experience a naval invasion though. I thought this should have occured by now. Especially since I've gone from N/N to H/H. Is this normal? and also I wish they could rip the AI from NTW and stick it into ETW. That'd be sweet. I like ETW a bit more thanks to the sheer size of it, although ever since DarthMod came along the AI problem ain't an issue in ETW any longer.

That is some cools stuff, altho I dont like the unrealistic fact that 1 single genetleman can block a whole army :o
Other than that it is some realy cool stuf!

A single gentleman can only block exceedingly polite armies.

The AI is quite clever in NTW. To save me making a new thread I will just post it here.

I took out a British cannon unit's cannons so it had none left. What did it do? The typical 'Empire' move of just charging at my lines with 8 swordsmen? No. It found another allied cannon team who's crew had been killed and manned those cannons to continue shelling my lines! What great BAI.

As for Gentlemen, I used to hate the buggers. Blocking me out of roads and bridges. That was until I found out all it takes is an Attack Move for them to move... I felt like such a fool...

Originally Posted by The Gallant Forty-Twa

The AI is quite clever in NTW. To save me making a new thread I will just post it here.

I took out a British cannon unit's cannons so it had none left. What did it do? The typical 'Empire' move of just charging at my lines with 8 swordsmen? No. It found another allied cannon team who's crew had been killed and manned those cannons to continue shelling my lines! What great BAI.

As for Gentlemen, I used to hate the buggers. Blocking me out of roads and bridges. That was until I found out all it takes is an Attack Move for them to move... I felt like such a fool...

LOL! Is that what they do? xD I've always wondered how the hell they still can pound my lines with cannons although I seemingly killed their cannon teams well, I never thought so long ahead as to check this out. Thanks for the intel, and yes! Sweet AI. ^^ although I didn't think you could re-man abandoned cannons then again I never really tried

Yikes ^^