The Still Retarded AI during seiges

[armchair caesar]

I just have to vent this one.

I'm seiging a Gallic town. My Hastatii take out the Chosen Swordsmen after heavy fighting and losses, but there is still the general'a cavalry to deal with. There is one of those annoying winding paths to the town centers, so instead of taking 35min to get a couple cohorts up to the town center, or at all before time runs out (this had happened before lossing whole seiges because my men run around like idiots). I decide to set up a defensive postion and send my missle calvary to lure the general's cavalry right into them.
Well, after about twenty minutes of getting my calvary to say go right like I ordered them instead of left like they did, and literally running into walls while a few stragglers run in circles in the opposite direction, I finnally reach the 'summit'. But the BS does not stop there, it just gets more retarded. I order my missle cavalry to attack the general's cavalry, instead a few horses run right into them, get slaughtered, then the GC pursues them (like I intended), but my missle cavalry would do the exact opposite of what I ordered, getting slaughtered along the way. Hell at one point they tried to retreat right into the GC!! Retarded!
I got so disgusted with the siege I ended the battle and ended the damm game.

Under 'house rules' I have to do every siege. Since then I have been reminded why I always auto-calced on sieges!! (only sieges). But I am forced to play out every siege with a retarded AI it is getting to be dreadfull.

[LordSaradain]

well, this time it was your own units that :wub:ed up not the AI...

But I know what you mean, horse archer factions are my favorite and things like that happen occasionaly(though not too often for me). All you can do is refight the battle or ignore the loss(hopefully you will be able to retrain the unit anyway).
Barbarian towns are painfull, because your units will only walk along the roads and refuse to cross any patches of empty grass to reach their destination quicker. Just follow the roads...

[armchair caesar]

well, this time it was your own units that :wub:ed up not the AI...

LOL! Yes my own units :wub:ed up, controlled by the AI. There is the enemy, solely controled by the AI, then there is me, the human player giving orders to my units...which are altimately controled by the AI. If I order a unit to 'turn left', it is the AI that must make the unit 'turn left'.
In open battle the AI is not bad, most of my orders are followed, and as I have posted elsewhere, the enemy AI seems to be improved in SPQR. But during sieges, it is the same old same old. Only with SPQR I get punished if I auto-calc sieges, which in theory is a cool concept, but in reality is annoying due to a retarded AI during sieges.

[Decimus Equitius]

What I do when controlling my guys during a seige is tell my units to move to the end of the block, then down the street, then just around the turn that they have to take. Then to the square. When they are teamed up I'll set them to column formation so they can run down the street faster. Break down were they have to go to make it easier for them to path find by making all their movements straight lines or straight as possible. You should also set your skirmishers to stand and fight so you can control exactly where they go. Because if you have skirmish mode on then, they'll run where ever regardless of what you tell them. Also set formations to a square so they can turn faster

[Sidmen]

turn off time limits.. On thje battlemap (turn based) press Esc and click on game options, then there is an option to allow unlimited time for battles...

Do this only for sieges if you want, because you can togle it...

[lt1956]

Exactly, its really impossible to play SPQR with time limits, battles are longer and so are sieges. Time limits should be turned off then you will never lose because of a clock or WIN because of it. ;-) The clock is a cheat device they made to make the game faster again!

Also keep in mind the AI will be better with SPQR 6.0 because of the 1.5 patch, But only a little.

[lt1956]

I have no problems with sieges, because I usually stay on the walls and only retreat AFTER the walls are taken. I also block the gates when busted with my men, because I like a realistic siege, not hold up in the middle of the city routine. After all why would we make the game less fun? If they are on the walls there is no stupid AI problems as they are fighting. lol Its all a matter of HOW you play.

[NorthHammer]

i suggest using way points and command units individually (waypoints are done by clicking on a unit, then shift-clicking on the path you want them to follow). I put a waypoint along ever road bend or turn