Does anyone else have issues getting guilds?

[Yomamashouse]

I have been playing as the english, germans, and other northern europeans and trying to attract the headquarters of as many guilds as possible by building the right buildings, training the right units etc.....

But ever since my first game as the english, all subsequent games have resulted in me getting to nearly turn 100 with no guild headquarters. I can't tell if the AI has them, but I have an understanding of all the triggers and have been pumping out units and buildings and performing actions like a crazy person, specifically to attract guilds.

Another strange occurrence is that it will take ages for a guild to appear, but all of a sudden over two turns I will get a basic guild and then a master's guild. Then 80 turns later no headquarters.

Does anyone know why the guilds are behaving so strangely?

EDIT - Also, is there any way in which the AI get bonuses to guild points? Because I would like to eliminate that.

[tudor93]

keep in mind that settlement LEVEL matters !
for example if you have a city (the settlement is named 'city' after you construct the first level of stone walls (at population 9500)) and you pump merchants from there every turn and build the markets you still won't receive a guild HQ offer because HQ can be built in Large/Huge cities (those with population above 19000) only if I'm not mistaken
so yep, if you still complete missions, build the right buildings, recruit the right agents/units, have the required level for that settlement and still no HQ offer then that means that the AI has it

[Yomamashouse]

That explains it! I never noticed that the two sequential upgrades coincided with me upgrading to a certain settlement level. So I could have 1000 points but be waiting on large or huge city level?

[PapaRosario]

I don't believe the AI receives any bonus in guild points.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

theologians_guild city requires factions { northern_european, middle_eastern, eastern_european, greek, southern_european, }
{
capability
{
religion_level bonus 2
}
material wooden
construction 1
cost 1000
settlement_min city
upgrades
{
m_theologians_guild
}
}
m_theologians_guild city requires factions { northern_european, middle_eastern, eastern_european, greek, southern_european, }
{
capability
{
religion_level bonus 4
}
faction_capability
{
religion_level bonus 1
}
material wooden
construction 1
cost 2000
settlement_min city
upgrades
{
gm_theologians_guild
}
}
gm_theologians_guild city requires factions { northern_european, middle_eastern, eastern_european, greek, southern_european, }
{
capability
{
religion_level bonus 6
}
faction_capability
{
religion_level bonus 3
}
material wooden
construction 1
cost 3000
settlement_min large_city
upgrades
{
}
}

First two levels require a city. Third level requires at least a large city. Just skimming through EDB, it seems that all of the guilds have these same requirements.

[tudor93]

That explains it! I never noticed that the two sequential upgrades coincided with me upgrading to a certain settlement level. So I could have 1000 points but be waiting on large or huge city level?

exactly, rosario confirmed
for example I have a city in my current campaign with merchants guild HQ, I started recruiting merchants from there since it was just a town and when I upgraded it into a city I immediatly got an offer from the merchants guild

[Liandro]

I still don't understand why the hell we have Unit upgrading guilds other than swordsmiths, cause the Archer is useless for non archers, the Horse useless for non-mounted units, yet the swordsmith does it all (and don't you dare change it, because they all use swords at some point, except those nasty longbowmen who use a mallet), why would anyone want anything else aside them? Merchants, Theologian, Thieves, Explorers, and Masons guilds are alright, tho the Mason is few and far between offered for cities, but crops up in Castles like a plague of ants in a picnic.

[jado818]

I understand where you are coming from.. I only go for swordsmith guilds in castles..

I could be wrong.. but its my feeling that its better to build a guild you don't want then destroy it rather than just declining a guild offer.

I think you lose more guild points by destroying a guild house than by declining its offer to be built.

[tudor93]

I could be wrong.. but its my feeling that its better to build a guild you don't want then destroy it rather than just declining a guild offer.

I think you lose more guild points by destroying a guild house than by declining its offer to be built.

so in your opinion it's better to lose more guild points ?

[PapaRosario]

^Well you only can get one guild offer per turn. If you're constantly getting offers for guilds you don't want, it stops you from getting offers from guilds that you want. So losing guild points is actually a good thing if it's a guild you'd never want.

[tudor93]

oh, now I see what he meant
yes, it does make sense now .... thanks Rosario