Agents and other conundrums

[ScarletSorceror]

Just started playing MWII (vanilla) after having played Rome Total War and Barbarian Invasion previously. My first impressions were very good - the graphics in particular are wonderful with the soldiers having varying designs on their clothing. Can anyone help me with the following problems though ?

1) Inquisitors - appear wherever Catholicism is low and burn commanders with low piety (which is most). Am I right in thinking a priest in the same stack or town/ castle will protect your generals ? Inquisitors don't seem to attack or go for the (relatively cheaply) replaced priest first.
2) I'm having real problems in Jerusalem. I have two level 9 Imams on my turf and the best efforts of three clergy and an abbey aren't cancelling them out. I've bought an assassin but his 5% assassinate chance is next to useless. Any way of getting rid ?
3) Plus why are all AI agents so strong and mine so weak ? I don't like the changes in assassin percentages from Rome Total War. There unprotected assassins on your territory were easy marks but in MW II enemy agents are virtually unkillable. I'm guessing higher level taverns for assassins and religious buildings for clergy would produce better agents but at the beginning of the game this isn't practicable. Also far too often the attack fails but the assassin survives. The campaign map becomes littered with supernumerate merchants, priests, spies, assassins, diplomats and princesses.
4) What algorithm do they use for faction births ? I can go for years without any of eight young couples producing any prodigy - even those that aren't effeminate or with Mistresses. Then lots can come in a very short time. Similarly character traits and companions seem to be very weighted towards the negative. Not infrequently family members do a settlement more harm than good. How can this be improved ?

Thank you in anticipation,

Sorceror.

[Adamat]

To answer your first question, inquisitors can also denounce your priests so it really doesnt make a difference. Inquisitors are like super-assassins against generals and priests with low piety. I don't really have the knowledge to answer any of your remaining questions, sorry

[Macunaíma]

1 - Inquisitors never caused me that damage, but I guess you could try to assassinate them, as a desperate measure. I guess improving your relations with the Pope would help.

2 - I guess you should keep trying. Give your assassin skill through killing less important targets and then try to kill the imams. Also (I'm not sure about this), see if your priests can try to burn them at the stake.

3 - Another thing I've not seen before. Have you checked the enemy assassin's subterfuge? If it is high your chances to kill him with a lower subterfuge are low.

4 - I don't know about algorithms or that techical part of the game, so I don't know how to answer this question.

Sorry if my response didn't help much :/

[Bringer Of Storms]

1. Inquisitors stop for no one. As far as I know, piety is all that helps.

2. Use Assassins.

3. During my Roman campaign, (Byzantine) Constantinople had an Assassin Guild. When The building reached it's max my Assassins came out with a minimum of 7 subterfuge, and on occasion with an assassin with a full 10 subterfuge. Pope assassinating was childs play.

4. I know nothing of the algorithms, but what I do know is that the game will try to keep a ratio of 1:1 Family Members to Settlements. So if you have 6 family members and 10 settlements, the game will begin to offer adoptions. That may also have an effect on how often children are had, or how often brides are presented. One thing that has to do with children as well, is traits that say how fertile one may or may not be. As far as your Family Members having bad traits, often the children of a certain general will carry some of their parents traits. If a family member has a lot of negative traits, it is quite possible that their children will as well. Time to send them on a suicide mission and cut that bloodline. ;P

[Silverheart]

If you recruit more and more assassins you´ll eventually be offered Assassins Guild houses, which train them into better killers with higher subterfuge and chance of success.
If you just keep recruiting them, and make sure to have a few cities standing ready to accept their Guild house offers, you´ll be sitting with Master guild houses and possibly even the Headquarters, both of which grants improvement to ALL your newly trained assassins.

You may still want to send your new assassins to kill some easy pickings, such as rebel captains or low-level princesses/diplomats, to give them some extra skill and experience before sending them to your main targets.

[ScarletSorceror]

Thanks for the replies. As common in Total War I am juggling maintaining a strong military with saving vast sums of money to pay for final level city/ castle upgrades and keeping my populations molliified in the process. Tricky.

BTW anyone seen the UFO Enemy Unknown "How to..." Guides on YouTube (yes that UFO Enemy Unknown - the one that's about 15 years old) ? After 12 minutes in on a Terror Zone the narrator, who is playing appallingly badly and getting trounced, quits and presses restart. I'll have to see if Total War has anything similar.

S.x.

[Avatar]

Thanks for the replies. As common in Total War I am juggling maintaining a strong military with saving vast sums of money to pay for final level city/ castle upgrades and keeping my populations molliified in the process. Tricky.

Well, theres one way to raise decent sums of money, although it results in a horrible global rep. Sack, pillage and burn

But seriously, work on your trade and public order buildings, it works out in the end.

It takes a while for the final city building to become available, so theres plenty of time to save up.

BTW anyone seen the UFO Enemy Unknown "How to..." Guides on YouTube (yes that UFO Enemy Unknown - the one that's about 15 years old) ? After 12 minutes in on a Terror Zone the narrator, who is playing appallingly badly and getting trounced, quits and presses restart. I'll have to see if Total War has anything similar.

S.x.

To be fair, if its the early stages of the game and a Snakeman terror site popped up, I'd be pressing restart as well. Chrysallids were seriously evil for new players to face.