found old R:TW cd, wanna play again.. have a few questions

[ShoreParty]

I used to play this game non stop. I always had a problem with the AI, though. It was just too easy to beat. Once I got rolling, I never had trouble steamrolling the AI. Now that a few years have passed since I last played, are there any mods out there that beef up the AI considerably? I have played both the RTR mod and Roma Surrectum, and while both fun, they never really gave much of a challenge. So, what should I do? Is there anything out there that will make the game harder? or should I upgrade to MTWII?

[|Sith| Max]

MTW 2 doesnt really make it harder. if you really want to get more of a challenge go fight some high ranking clanmembers in the multi or as you suggested, find a mod that beefs the AI.

[Brusilov]

To make the game more of a challenge don't expand at the start and give the AI time to build up it's economy. Taking on well developed AI factions is more of a challenge.

Alternatively, you can play a 'power broker' in the game trying to settle disputes between other factions, propping up a weak AI faction against stronger opposition.

Also try out the smaller factions in the game. For instance with Roma Surrectum play Pergamum or Syracuse - many players do and enjoy their campaigns. Have you tried playing RTR VIITIC (The Iberian Conflict) where you can play either as Carthage or the Celtiberians (it's a mini-campaign featuring the struggle for the Iberian Penninsular) ? Also try out RTR VII FoE - it's an expanded map featuring western Europe (only form the edges of the Greek mainland).

[ShoreParty]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, its greatly appreciated. I guess what im trying to figure out is which mod gives me the most challenging AI, both in battle, but mainly on the campaign side. I was looking at darthmod... maybe I will try that one. I need something where the AI will build a mighty empire that will actually give me a challenge. When I used to play, it got to the point to where I was putting in cheat codes giving the AI money so they could build armies and give me a challenge.

[Xerrop]

Well Rome offers not that great challenge when your empire is large enough. When you are on a certain point you can steamroll the campaign map without problems. There are two solutions:

1.) In vanilla RTW or when playing a large faction in a mod you should stay passive the first 40 or 80 turns to give your enemies a chance to build an empire and keep their economy rolling (as Brusilov suggested above).

2.) The problem with vanilla RTW is that all empires have nearly the same size. Mods change that by having (more accurate) large empires and small (sometimes even only province) states. Try Europa Barbarorum playing as Parthia or Pontos. Staying alive against the Seleucid empire is a hard task.

But when you beat this hard or nearly impossible task you still face the same problem in the later campaign.

As mentioned above also M2:TW doesn´t change anything about this as they use the same engine and same game mechanics.
Only the first MTW (a different engine and therefore other game-mechanics) had two solutions to counter a boring late campaign - reappearing factions and Civil Wars. But as you may well know, many superb features of older games don´t make it to newer ones.

[tehbuddha]

I hate civil wars, it my my campaign crash D:
or... i think it did.
anyway,
try the extended greek mod, it has a few provincial campaigns which allow you to start as one of the greek city states, like massilia or syracuse, instead of starting with all the greek cities. in a couple of them, you even get a full stack thrown at you nearly straight away, makes for onw hell of a battle

[Xerrop]

I hate civil wars, it my my campaign crash D:
or... i think it did.

Then try avoiding them.
I have trialed my kings brother and even his own first born son for treason. Both were found guilty and have been executed. I must have a look on my faction leader when playing again, maybe he got some bad traits by sending his own son to the hangman.

[leopold 1]

try SPQR it is really a challange if you play with the house rules
i have a relative great empire now and when i look to the macedonians i see gigantic stacks of armies waiting for me to come
in SPQR factions wil wait until you share a border with them and then atak you with all they have

[empr guy]

if your looking for a mod theres always the extended culture mod, im not sure how much better the AI actually is but the game itself is much more challeneging in the beggining, and you can choose to put in landbridges. This means if you leave the AI alone it can build huge empires.