Improving campaign AI

[Ironlich]

Hello, do you guys know of any files which improve the campaign AI in terms of units trained and buildings? I wish the AI was able to build up a better economy...

[Axalon]

It is possible to improve various aspects of AI-performance in MTW1 (case in point - Redux1000+ betas), but it is hard to do so, as it typically requires tons of work. To be plain, there are no quick fixes for the AI-performance, never has been any for MTW1. If there had been, we would know all about it at this point...

The point of improving the AI-performance on economics, I imagine, are the overall goals of more active and powerful AI-factions within the game. That actually translates to having plenty of troops available rather then plenty of cash, to then buy troops with. No faction will ever win due to the abundance of cash, but they can, and probably will, win due to controlling loads of troops that can and will vanquish their foes... Just saying. Anyhow, as long as we keep the existing CA-designs on buildings, troops and costs etc. etc. - it wont help or change much - even if we did manage to change the AI-performance somehow. Its all interconnected... The only way Redux has managed to achieve that overall superior AI-performance in say - factions or even economics specifically - are to throw the CA designs out the window and have things re-build and re-designed from scratch. That is basically what it takes to get anywhere with the AI... As long as we keep the game intact as devised by CA, we will continue to have poor AI-performance because those very designs are a major cause for that crappy AI-performance to begin with. I say that after a decade of tinkering back and forth with them damn files.

- A

[Ironlich]

So i managed to improve the game substantially by giving high priority to economy and happiness buldings ( expecially farms, mines, watch towers and militia ). I also gave high priority to strong and cost effective infantry units like halbardiers, armored spearmen, byzantine infantry, saracen infantry etc... and low priority to weak units like basic archers, cavalry archers, unarmored units etc... it proved to be effective on the ai's campaign behaviour.

[Daminios]

Great news Ironlich ! ........I am very interested .
Please tell us more about the improvements you have noticed in your campaigns .....
I presume your modding MTW VI ?
cheers mate & I hope you hang around for a long time ..... like Axalon

[Ironlich]

I will just upload the files. Copy and paste in your main MTW folder, replacing the existing ones.

Tested with MTW Gold 2.01

The AI will now actually build up farms, watch towers, castles etc... and it will train more quality troops.

PS: since i was unable to remove paesants from the training panel, i just set their cost to an extremely high value ( like 100.000 florins ). Seems to work just fine.

[Daminios]

Thank you so much Ironlich .
I look forward to trying the changes you have made in my VI games .
I wonder if it would work in my Hellenic mod ?
Anyway , i have read over the years that by reducing the number of nations also makes for a muvh better challenge .
Cheers mate and keep us informed on your future ideas and testings .

[SteamWar]

Ironlich's files (thank you)
with changes made to
PEASANTS, 200 men for 100f, instead of 100.000 florins to avoid seeing them at all,
(yes, undeveloped castles can only build peasants)
Testing how this plays out, 200 peasants is better than 50 trained in a year , so should make them more worthwhile.
Noticed maintenance on original mod 2f, (vanilla is 3f)left it alone.


Castles, no shortcuts in build from one stage to the next (from JoBeare MTW Pagan Princess Mod} no other changes


Opps cannot attach files....


Open up Ironlich's files (I gather which are already installed in your Medieval fldr) in GnomeEditor and make the edits to peasants in
crusaders_unit_prod11
in crusader_build_prod13
paste this in the section 7 Building conditions and save


"{}, {CASTLE},{ CASTLE2},{ CASTLE3},{ CASTLE4},{CASTLE5}, {CASTLE6},{ CASTLE7},{ CASTLE8}, {CASTLE9},{ CASTLE10},{CASTLE11,GUNSMITH},{{CASTLE11}, {CASTLE12}}{ CASTLE13,FOUNDRY2},{ CASTLE14,FOUNDRY3}"

hold up attachment Icon found, (keeping GnomeEditor instructions in case you want to do it that way...):

CRUSADER_BUILD_PROD13.TXTCRUSADERS_UNIT_PROD11.TXT

[Ironlich]

Not only that, i did many things with those 2 files, like give all units about -2 attack + 2 defence + 2 morale. This way battles seem more balanced... I adjusted the cost and the upkeep for some units ( like regular pikemen now being very cheap ). I think i did a nice job with litte editing.

[Axalon]

Obviously, you guys have ignored the contents of my first post... Oh well, if you want to disregard
previous experience on the matter, then that's your headache and problem. I'll leave you to it.

- A

[CountMRVHS]

What specific advice did you offer in that post? You suggested that troops were more important to AI performance than cash, and then suggested changing the 'design' from scratch, but in neither case did you give details. Unless I'm mistaken I can't see any examples for the other posters to 'ignore'.

I mean, I'm curious why you think their efforts will lead to problems & headaches - and, as this is a modding forum, any modding-related specific advice would be very welcome!

[Axalon]

Obviously, you have not read my (first) post properly - if you had, you would have soon discovered that it is filled with general advice, all over actually. All of which has been essentially ignored/disregarded here by Ironlich (and the other posters too). As for problems and headaches... If some people actively decides to disregard or ignore (forwarded) previous experiences, mistakes and discoveries on this (or any) matter - then it is hardly my problem or headache, its theirs.

Anyways, I'll leave you to it.

- A

[CountMRVHS]

That's just it - I didn't suggest you failed to offer *general* advice; I said that you didn't provide any *specific* advice. I mean, specific advice is more helpful than general, right?

Here's your post -

It is possible to improve various aspects of AI-performance in MTW1 (case in point - Redux1000+ betas), but it is hard to do so, as it typically requires tons of work. To be plain, there are no quick fixes for the AI-performance, never has been any for MTW1. If there had been, we would know all about it at this point...

The point of improving the AI-performance on economics, I imagine, are the overall goals of more active and powerful AI-factions within the game. That actually translates to having plenty of troops available rather then plenty of cash, to then buy troops with. No faction will ever win due to the abundance of cash, but they can, and probably will, win due to controlling loads of troops that can and will vanquish their foes... Just saying. Anyhow, as long as we keep the existing CA-designs on buildings, troops and costs etc. etc. - it wont help or change much - even if we did manage to change the AI-performance somehow. Its all interconnected... The only way Redux has managed to achieve that overall superior AI-performance in say - factions or even economics specifically - are to throw the CA designs out the window and have things re-build and re-designed from scratch. That is basically what it takes to get anywhere with the AI... As long as we keep the game intact as devised by CA, we will continue to have poor AI-performance because those very designs are a major cause for that crappy AI-performance to begin with. I say that after a decade of tinkering back and forth with them damn files.

- A

You're saying here that the game isn't designed well, and you have to overhaul it from the ground up. That's a fine starting point, but it's hardly actionable advice!

Suggesting that I "obviously" didn't read your post is just dismissive and nonsensical. My point here and elsewhere is that you would better serve the community by offering some of your extensive experience rather than giving vague comments and then bothering to post that "Oh well, you guys made your bed; now lie in it!"

At any rate, I wish you good luck in your modding, and hope that you don't take the non-responsiveness of some forum people as a personal attack on you.