My problems with the money scripts.

[dallen]

First, let me say how much I love this mod.

Second, let me gripe a bit about the game's use of money scripts.

Total War games like to use a "Money Debt Script" which allows the computer to give AI factions a sum of money once they fall too far in debt. The standard monetary infusion is 10000 units once the AI slips below 5000 "gold pieces" in debt. This allows the AI faction to pay off its debts and have half left over to spend on a few building upgrades and a handful of fighting units. This, in effect, gives the AI a helpful push towards expanding its faction's empire after hitting a slowdown or losing territories.

In "Third Age", the script kicks in when the AI is only 1000 units in debt. It doesn't sound like a big difference, but it fundamentally changes the game economics. Because the debt threshold is so small, it effectively eliminates AI recession due to overspending. Once the AI buys a few too many fighting units than its economy can support, boom, it's rewarded with 10000 gold, 90% of which is now disposable income. The AI then buys more units and guarantees that the debt script will kick in and reward it every turn. The "Money Debt Script" turns into a money machine that will constantly reward AI overspending. There is now no economic downtime for the AI which will spend and spend and attempt to steamroll the player with spammed armies.

The "Losing Money Script" is another issue. At turn 60, the computer will check the AI economies each round and add around 400 gold pieces (it varies among factions) to the faction's "King's Purse" (the guaranteed income each faction receives each turn based on the game's chosen difficulty level) if the AI is more than 5000 in debt. Those factions with stacks of armies and few cities to support them will see their incomes grow and grow.

There are also other scripts which reward AI failures. If an AI loses an important city, a script will give it a shiny new army and a sizeable cash infusion. The new army will generate additional debt which will then cause the other scripts to kick in.

It frustrates me being unable to strangle a faction's economy. You would think that taking a faction's capital city would hurt it, but it only seems to strengthen it. I don't mind a challenge if it's at least slightly realistic and logical, but the money system in this game is just a kick in the ass.

[Harabec]

Then change it.

[Scorpius Centaurus]

Second, let me gripe a bit about the game's use of money scripts.

It frustrates me being unable to strangle a faction's economy. You would think that taking a faction's capital city would hurt it, but it only seems to strengthen it. I don't mind a challenge if it's at least slightly realistic and logical, but the money system in this game is just a kick in the ass.

I understand your frustration and I agree with you, it is very unfair. What I have done is removed the money scripts and replaced them with the money script from PB's RR, it is far more realistic. The A.I is awarded money each turn for each settlement they have, with bigger settlements giving more money. This way you hurt the enemies economy when you take one of their settlements, they actually get weaker, not stronger.

[dallen]

"Then change it."

-umm, thanks for contributing to the discussion...



"What I have done is removed the money scripts and replaced them with the money script from PB's RR, it is far more realistic."

-Thanks Scorpius! If you say it's a good script, then I'll certainly give it a try. In the vanilla game I'm often struck speechless by the wonky outcomes of the unusual money management system, and I'm left pondering its logic. But that seems to be the way they wanted to go with it...