Re: Carthage, as with all large empires (Egypt, Seleucids) is completely inert and does not defend itself.
I have never seen the CAI in any Total War game be able to defend large empires. It is less prominent in S2TW as is, because of the chokeholds and because there is simply not much room for AI factions to become too large, but it is there as well (if you see a clan with 20+ settlements, that's a clan that is ripe for the taking). At least in R2TW and further, the vassals actually attack. Which means that if faction A has 20 settlements and 2 3-settlement vassals, you will have to deal with 3 attackers, 2 of which will be defending small areas. Frankly, the ONLY way I think that in a total war game the Large Empires have some serious measure of defense is by script-spawning armies and forcing them to engage the player.
One way I can see to deal with the issue is to "lower" a bit the actual armies the AI has available and then script one army per controlled province that spawns and attacks the player - and then dissolves at the end of the turn. If an AI faction doesn't control a whole province then they don't get the army.
I.e. similar to the "garrison script" of M2TW but not for settlements.
Originally Posted by
ayrond091
increase difficulty maybe?
In my experience, this makes the AI tougher, not smarter. Sure, the guys defending the town are awesomely powerful and the CAI has large armies... elsewhere. In one R2TW campaign (not with DEI) I managed with some effort to change the faction I control mid-game. I.e. I dropped Bactria and assumed control of Massalia. At that game, Massalia was rather large (13-14 settlements) and at war with Rome and some other minor Gaul faction. Once I take control I see that Massalia had their armies gathered around a place in the middle of nowhere (not close to the capital, not close to the border with Rome, not close to any border). I had to use forced march to reach Marseiles before the Roman armies reached it! Because the AI had all the armies in the middle of nowhere.
I have not played 3Kingdoms yet, so I can't talk about that game, but even in Attila, you would see Roman Empires and Sassassanids being passive and happy to lose their provinces one at a time.
Last edited by alhoon; April 18, 2021 at 01:44 AM.
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