My current campaign in 4.0.11
Playing as the Germans and really enjoying it. The AI has pulled a few things on the campaign map that I would not have expected.
I started by hammering the Gauls and pushing them back, until they had almost no provinces left in modern France. But I deliberately used them as a buffer zone between me and the much stronger Romans. Until I started to push the Gauls back, they were holding their own against the Romans, but once I captured most of their provinces, the Romans gradually made headway against them.
As is always the case when playing the Germans, the Macs came motoring up from the Balkans and attacked me for no particularly good reason. Although they now had at least one province bordering with the Romans, it would be many turns before the two factions finally decided to go to war (!).
I made an alliance with the Romans, as we both realized we had a common enemy in the Gauls. The AI was smart enough to make an alliance between the Romans and Iberians - who were beginning to appear from the south-west - as it must have realized that it could not afford a war on two fronts (with the poss. of 3 fronts if the Macs decided to attack).
I managed to keep the Macs at bay by using some of my best troops, although they kept attacking relentlessly.
Between us, me and the Romans gradually wiped out the Gauls until they had virtually nothing, and I now had a long common border with the Romans. We were still allies though, and I made large garrisons with some of my best troops - leaving the centre of my empire virtually undefended - along most of this border with them. I knew I could not afford on war on 3 fronts. And the AI must have been smart enough to know it could not afford to attack me yet as I was too strong in the border towns. Both the Romans and I made an alliance with the threatening looking Iberians. I was smart enough to know that it was a kind of insurance against the Romans attacking me, as it would vex the Iberians if the alliance was broken due to a Roman attack, and the Roman AI must have calculated the same for me. Plus neither of us could afford a war on yet another front. And the Iberians were also helping keep the Gauls under wraps - what was left of them. I calculated a scenario of playing off all the local factions against each other to give myself the best chance. Eventually, though, I had to move some of my best garrisoned troops away from the Limes Romanicus (or whatever it might be called in Latin) and use them against the Macs. Not long after this, the Macs decided - finally! (as this was part of my overall strategy of keeping the Romans in check and the Macs at the same time) - to attack the Romans. My strategy here worked too, as the Macs now suddenly started attacking me much less as they must have turned their attention to the expansionist Romans. It even allowed me to win a province back off the Macs. The downside was what I had feared - the Romans within 2 or 3 turns attacked my much more lightly defended border towns with a couple of large stacks. I knew there was no remedy, so I disbanded the garrisons and razed the buildings, retreating the governors northwards. I fought a couple of battles against them but they had massive number advantages, so I continued my policy of disband and burn, while setting taxes to max, figuring the Romans would inherit a number of poorly-developed towns and cities with riotous populations. Within 2-3 turns, with a combination of sieges and abandonments by me, the Romans had steamrollered into almost all the provinces I had taken off the Gauls. At the same time, their attack on me had broken both our alliances with the encroaching Iberians. I moved all my best troops to my capital in an attempt to defend to the death my heartland and the provinces where most of my best troops can be made, hoping that now the Romans have had a slice of me, they and Macs may mutually destroy each other (I've noticed the AI sometimes relents after it's taken a decent chunk of territory off you). I've tried to make peace with the Macs, hoping it will give me chance to regroup and so we can form an alliance against the Romans, my greatest current threat, but they won't have it.
So it remains for me to try to defend my heartland against two civilized and two non-civilized factions, three of which are at war with me, and one which is certainly not likely to stay neutral forever.
Overall, I've been quite impressed with the campaign AI and the calculated diplomacy, alliance and aggression decisions it appears to have made.
On the down side, I noticed some bugs - cities or factions being listed in the fog of war as being neutral or allied, when in fact they were at war with me (you can see this on the screenie). And sometimes I've noticed the AI suddenly changes a stance of hostility to neutral towards you for no apparent reason.
The linked screenie shows the situation a little before the Romans steamrollered me.
http://img101.imageshack.us/my.php?i...aignmap7hg.jpg
The second JPG shows a campaign map graphical glitch I noticed (note the city).
http://img74.imageshack.us/my.php?im...cglitch2ch.jpg
The third JPG shows a battlemap AI flaw - I move my army up to punch a hole in the centre of the enemy army formation, but the AI just holds its long line and allows me to do so! No flanking here.
http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?i...naiflaw8ge.jpg
Cheers! Germanicus91
PS - forgot to mention that I really like the new MM map, especially as it gives the Germans more provinces, resources AND good troops in the Scandinavian regions :-)
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Originally Posted by Hippias
