Computer AI

[mwe1967]

Hi all, played this game a couple years ago but quit. Recently dusted it off this past weekend and got back into it and having a blast! Only have the Sword of Islam and Old Gods DLCs but just bought Sons of Abraham yesterday. However now I remember why I quit...

Does the Computer AI operate all the other countries with the player as the primary target? Seems like as soon as I get somewhat stable I get war declared on me by another king who brings in 3 allies with him. I would like to think that each computer AI opponent would treat me the same as every other AI. I started off as a Duke in East Francia but died early and my heir was my father who was King. So I became king and after some internal struggles as soon as things got stable I get attacked by multiple kingdoms allied against me. I would like to think it's because of poor decisions on my part or something and not because the Computer AI simply prefers to go after the player when there could be other easier computer AI targets.

 

[Asiak]

Does the entire world focus only on you, no.

But will there always be aggressors, not every play through but often. In this instance I wouldn't necessarily point to either the AI or you to blame. Though I would ask where your own alliances were in that moment? And yes after you were done with the internal stuff you should have poked your head out and looked to the external stuff.

But really it starts in the beginning. Let me guess you chose the 867 start date? In the 876 start date every christian and his mother is a Karling. And yes they infamously do tend to either tear each other apart or form alliances and tear everyone else apart. This combined with the horde of Vikings to your north makes 876 chaotic to say the least.

Related to this I would ask why they declared war? Probably a de-jure war or more likely one of them had a claim on the kingdom you usurped. Normally this is a danger you encounter later when sending kids out with marriages. But with 876, 876 is literally the messy land of Charlemagne's kids and grandkids where everyone has a claim on everyone else and they can all ally each other.

Will there be attacks yes will it be all the time, no.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

Hi all, played this game a couple years ago but quit. Recently dusted it off this past weekend and got back into it and having a blast! Only have the Sword of Islam and Old Gods DLCs but just bought Sons of Abraham yesterday. However now I remember why I quit...

Does the Computer AI operate all the other countries with the player as the primary target? Seems like as soon as I get somewhat stable I get war declared on me by another king who brings in 3 allies with him. I would like to think that each computer AI opponent would treat me the same as every other AI. I started off as a Duke in East Francia but died early and my heir was my father who was King. So I became king and after some internal struggles as soon as things got stable I get attacked by multiple kingdoms allied against me. I would like to think it's because of poor decisions on my part or something and not because the Computer AI simply prefers to go after the player when there could be other easier computer AI targets.

Everyone gets dogpiled in this game - you just tend to see it more easily when it happens to you. It's very easy for a neighbour with a claim who is married to another couple of kingdoms to drag a massive alliance against you, but then again it happens the other way. I've started a war with a neighbour and brought in 4 or 5 kingdoms with a call to arms. I've seen it happen to other kingdoms near me as well, but only because I was looking that way and zoomed in close enough to see the armies rather than all the way out on a "strategic" view.

 

[mwe1967]

Don't think I had any alliances at the time and yes I started in 876 or 867 whatever it is. I started as a vassal Duke to my father the King of East Francia. I was also 2nd in line and I was fine with that so I could have time to learn and get back into it. I got married and tried to have kids but died young and my heir was my father who was King so I became the King. Didn't see any possible marriages to make any alliances and was dealing with internal stuff for a few years and as soon as it got stable I got attacked by the King of West Francia I think it was who had a claim on East Francia and was allied with Kings of Italy, Aquataine and Navarra. Wasn't really having much problems with Vikings in the north except for occasional minor raids. I guess not having any allies was the first mistake.

I just hope that the Computer AIs don't prefer to target the player instead of other computer AI opponents and that they all act independently. My big question is, if my first duke had lived would my computer AI father have gotten attacked at the exact same time as I did for the same reason? Or did that happen because I took over? Guess I'll never know but I'd just like to know that the Computer AIs all make decisions in the same way regardless of who the player is.

 

[_Perun_]

You were in a wrong skin in a wrong moment. East Francia is the primary target for West Francia.

My advice is to get use to the game's mechanics playing some other characters in a relatively peaceful place (far from the mainland western Europe).

 

[Asiak]

No it didn't happen specifically because you took over. He had a claim to the throne who was sitting there at the moment didn't matter he just had a claim and wanted the throne.

Your father might or might not have gotten attacked at the exact same time for the exact same reason. Chances are yes eventually he probably would have gotten attacked a strong neighbor with a claim. But with the exact same time / reason the game is to random and filled with variables to say.

 

[mwe1967]

Thanks all...I'll look and see if he had any other easier claims he could have chosen to pursue. I've already played as King of Ireland and England a couple years ago which was easier than being on the mainland so this time I wanted to play as a German and see how far I could go with that. Will keep on fighting...raised all my troops spent all my money to hire some mercs and pushed back the first wave. Second wave came in and I borrowed 300 from the Jews to hire some more mercs, dismissed and re-raised by troops and fought off the 2nd wave but now the 3rd wave is here and don't think I'm going to be able to fight this one off. Got about 1500 troops left, totally broke and there's two armies of 3k and 4k from two different kings taking my stuff. Maybe I'll get lucky and my plot to kill the West Francian king will succeed or they get attacked by somebody else. And I need to make sure I have allies from now on....

 

[mwe1967]

Ok, so the 61 year old King of West Francia has a strong claim on East Francia and declared war on me. He also has strong claims on the Kingdoms of Italy, Aquataine, Navarra and Bavaria. It just so happens that those kings are all allied with him in his war on me. So why did he pick me to target?

To get to me he has to cross Lothringia but Aquataine is closer to him being his direct southern neighbor. Navarra is just a one county kingdom so that would be a much easier and quicker target and is also closer being just south of Aquatine. The King of Italy is also King of Bavaria. Correct me if I'm wrong but could he declare war on him for both of those kingdom titles and fight one war for two titles? Not sure about that one but if so then that would be a better target. In any case it seems like the more logical choice would be for Aquataine or Navarra before East Francia. This just leads me back to believe that the Computer AI prefers to target the player over other more logical choices.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

At start, west francia, bavaria, and east francia are all Karlings. They have a claim on Lombardy (IIRC, otherwise one develops by event) which then becomes Italy. Aquitaine usually falls out of West Francia (or France), and Navarre is "easy" for them to pick up.

The AI prefers not to attack kinsmen, especially ones they have alliances and non-agression pacts with...

 

[Dragatus]

If you want to play a German I would recommend any of the dukes within the Holy Roman Empire in the 1066 start date. It's a safe start and good for getting reacquainted with the game.

And no, the AI does not gang up on human players. What happened is just that the other Karlings all made alliances with each other, but you didn't have many close relatives eligible for marriage so you got left out. And now you're the only one left that they can attack.

 

[Dr Gonzo]

Ok, so the 61 year old King of West Francia has a strong claim on East Francia and declared war on me. He also has strong claims on the Kingdoms of Italy, Aquataine, Navarra and Bavaria. It just so happens that those kings are all allied with him in his war on me. So why did he pick me to target?

You have identified why you were the target here. You were the only kingdom claim target he wasn't already allied with. I'd probably have done the same thing myself if I were the King of Francia. Why would I go through the whole drama of cancelling my alliance etc. to attack one of the other kingdoms already allied with me when I have a nice fat target with no alliances already available?

The lesson to be learned from this is to at least make NAPs if not full alliances with any nearby big factions you aren't planning to target yourself, in order to avoid being their target. Especially if they have claims on your titles.

I also believe that the AI takes the number of counties to be gained from a war into account when assessing who to target and which cassus belli to use. k_germany is a big prize.