AI in The Last Roman ruins a potentially great DLC

[EireEmerald]

I have been playing as the Roman Expedition for a while now, the only thing keeping me going is how interesting the unit roster is, everything else is just disappointing. The Roman Faction just sits on the west of Greece, doing nothing. I was always waiting for the right moment to declare my independence, and finally did it in Northern France by taking 3 regions and trying to hold them. But every small faction seemed to just follow me throughout my expedition, ignoring any other faction that they may or may not have been at war with. And Rome only really acts when you declare independence, they don't seem to respond to anything else, like rebellions in reclaimed territory. The Langobards just sit there, on their arrival, they don't do anything, they don't attack any Roman territory.

[Glycerius]

If you enable the Romans, most of their armies stay frozen for a long while. They are more a prop to the story than a real faction for much of the dlc, I think anyhow. They don't even get aqueducts, just that Germanic sanitation thing like the other factions, yet cutting aqueducts was key to the siege of Rome during the Ostrogothic Wars, well for its subsequent near desertion for a time.

[Humble Warrior]

Ah, now we see what the DLC is really like. Sounds like the world only acts around the Player. Glad I held off.

[Huberto]

I have been playing as the Roman Expedition for a while now, the only thing keeping me going is how interesting the unit roster is, everything else is just disappointing. The Roman Faction just sits on the west of Greece, doing nothing. I was always waiting for the right moment to declare my independence, and finally did it in Northern France by taking 3 regions and trying to hold them. But every small faction seemed to just follow me throughout my expedition, ignoring any other faction that they may or may not have been at war with. And Rome only really acts when you declare independence, they don't seem to respond to anything else, like rebellions in reclaimed territory. The Langobards just sit there, on their arrival, they don't do anything, they don't attack any Roman territory.

Yes the CAI in Attila also behaves this way , Imo it's #1 problem with game and makes play feel shallow. Not worth $15 for more of the same.

[RGA]

I have been playing as the Roman Expedition for a while now, the only thing keeping me going is how interesting the unit roster is, everything else is just disappointing. The Roman Faction just sits on the west of Greece, doing nothing. I was always waiting for the right moment to declare my independence, and finally did it in Northern France by taking 3 regions and trying to hold them. But every small faction seemed to just follow me throughout my expedition, ignoring any other faction that they may or may not have been at war with. And Rome only really acts when you declare independence, they don't seem to respond to anything else, like rebellions in reclaimed territory. The Langobards just sit there, on their arrival, they don't do anything, they don't attack any Roman territory.

It's not a faulty AI, it was designed that way. Remember, you are the Roman expeditionary force, you are not a separate faction. In my campaign, I captured new lands while the Romans kept sending new troops to reinforce defense in newly conquered territories. When the Moors attacks, they did help me defeating them.

About the Langobards, in my campaigns they always overran the Cisalpine provinces before I could muster enough force to contain them.

[Huberto]

It's not a faulty AI, it was designed that way. Remember, you are the Roman expeditionary force, you are not a separate faction. In my campaign, I captured new lands while the Romans kept sending new troops to reinforce defense in newly conquered territories. When the Moors attacks, they did help me defeating them.

About the Langobards, in my campaigns they always overran the Cisalpine provinces before I could muster enough force to contain them.

Or, it could be faulty AI because it was bad design? In any case, you seem to have had a different experience with the Romans and the Langobards than he did. OK.

But then there's this:

"every small faction seemed to just follow me throughout my expedition, ignoring any other faction that they may or may not have been at war with."

You didn't notice how small factions go out of their way to harass the player, while ignoring their own interests, wars and regions?

[Ritmas]

Or, it could be faulty AI because it was bad design? In any case, you seem to have had a different experience with the Romans and the Langobards than he did. OK.

But then there's this:

"every small faction seemed to just follow me throughout my expedition, ignoring any other faction that they may or may not have been at war with."

You didn't notice how small factions go out of their way to harass the player, while ignoring their own interests, wars and regions?

This doesn't happen to me anymore for a few patches already.

[Darios]

Yes, it is probably the worst aspect about Attila Total War - you do not feel as if you are part of a living breathing world, the CAI treats you as a parasite that has no place on the campaign map and if you are not careful then every faction you come into contact with will ultimately declare war on you and focus ONLY on destroying you to the ruin of their own empire. It's insane...

[Lugotorix]

Finally got down to business and finished the Roman Expedition earlier tonight. The main issue is diplomacy: as they expedition you get shut out of it, and the only way you can make peace is by the opposing faction offering it, and it's really frustrating when the Roman Empire refuses to join your side, especially against their rebels. The Roman Empire will deal with rebellions, but needs some of your support, you can observe the fighting going on in my experience. The Diplomacy interface really needs an option to convince Justinian to join your wars, otherwise it's the Expedition acting independently of the Empire. I've noticed the Roman Empire isn't keen to start wars, against factions like the Suebians and the Bretons, which can lead to them hunting you across the map as you've mentioned, until you have the seven stacks and 10k income required for the victory.

[barry12]

why is the CAI in TW games that were released many years ago better than now?

TBH, Shogun 2 CAI was perfect. Why the hell did they not just copy that straight over? I reckon the province/region system is making the AI make stupid choices about what it needs to defend or not. Just a thought, probably wrong.

[Aurelius Silvanus Tacitus]

Is there any mod or way to fix the CAI? It is just so bad.