Possible solution to the Stark AI passivity

[Hopelessly Hopeless]

This is the map_regions.tga file.

Attachment 234360

It is used to determine each region's borders and hinterlands, the location of settlements and ports, and that's it, so far as I'm aware.

A region does not neccesarily have to be a single block. It can be sprinkled around much like gratted cheese over a plate of spaghetti.

AI factions will only attack factions they share borders with.

The Stark AI will never attack Joffrey nor the Lannisters, for they don't share borders.

However, what if one or more Stark regions had a few tiles of territory in, let's say, Casterly Rock province?

Like this.

Attachment 234362

Here I gave Moat Cailin some Casterly Rock tiles, low mountain tiles so that they don't get devastated and thus don't ruin Stark's income. I did the same with a few tiles of the King's Landing province and added some Lannister territory in the far north of Winterfell region.

Would that change the AI behaviour? Or just confuse the AI even more?

Even if it somehow made the Stark AI invade the Westerlands, it would be a very inelegant solution. But the pros would outweigh the cons.

I'll try to test it and see if the AI behaviour changes.

[Wowwars]

Good luck i would very much like to have a fun Clash of Kings.

[Chris Perry]

You could try that in a corner of the map, to make it a little more elegant- and put the Arryns next to someone as well.

[Lord AcidRocker]

+ rep to you my good ser if all goes well;

Although i always wondered if it would male them less passive by chanhing their personality type to genghis khan or something on the descr_strat file (if thats the file where you edit the AI playing style)

[Pinkie Pie]

Changing them to Genghis Khan will force them to creater mainly cavalry armies afaik.

[Hopelessly Hopeless]

Attachment 234480

You could try that in a corner of the map, to make it a little more elegant- and put the Arryns next to someone as well.

Good idea. I had considered it, but for that I'd have to make a small island in some corner of the map (water tiles can't be put into regions, so far as I'm aware), and I haven't yet checked the file that controls that.

Update:

Attachment 234481

No, that's not Roose Bolton's stack. I've checked.

On turn twenty-something, that small Stark stack (alliteration inteded) marched south across the Neck. Destination: Joffrey-controlled King's Landing.

Unfortunately, by the point the Starks were going along the Green Fork, the capital was taken by Renly.

They've been camped out there since. Some turns later, the Lannister faction took the capital, but the small Stark stack stood there.

So, observations I can make:

1. My sloppy idea partially worked; the Starks had moved south of Moat Cailin and were marching through Tully land
2. The region changing ownership stunned the AI, which didn't know how to react, which lead in turn to the small Stark stack staying still.
3. ???
4. (Barely any) Profit!

[Korpskog]

Nice experiment mate! Keep doing it until you find the solution we all hope for!

[Scream Bloody Metal]

I like this idea. Keep working at it, please.

[Wowwars]

Well atleast try some other possibilites and maybe the mod team can find out a better solution?

[Hopelessly Hopeless]

Well atleast try some other possibilites and maybe the mod team can find out a better solution?

Obviously the mod team can find a better solution - this was just an experiment of mine

Result: partial success, but a dead end all things considered.

And there's not a lot of other things to try. Maybe adding a couple of bogus settlements in a small island in some corner of the map, that would never change ownership. Then a script that would make a faction get destroyed if only that bogus region remains.

Except that adding settlements in the corner of the map may have unexpected results on the AI. For example, trying to get there and failing because of idiocy.

If all settlements started with a general, it would help things as the AI would not lose time (and valuable generals) rearanging everything.

[Lord AcidRocker]

The mod team will probably not get around something like this until 1.0 is done, which is quite a ways away.

More power to us lesser-skilled modders to try and nitpick at the less important stuff

[Chris Perry]

How about making the regions that you swap tiles around are closer together- ie Moat Cailin tiles in the Lannister territory that is closest to the North.
This definitely has great potential- I have used in in the Vanilla Grand Campaign to stir up massive wars.
I reckon in this case you need to strike the right balance in region tiles, and then sort out the starting armies. Maybe putting the armies in forts close to the border, or just leave them in settlements, and wait for the Ai to make its own decisions, rather than starting with their armies on the borders.

[Hopelessly Hopeless]

In this case that would be the Banefort - which is usually among the most vulnerable Lannister settlements.

The point would be to swap tiles between territories unlikely to fall early without player intervention.