I'm really loving new AI priorities

[Skyfus]

My second time trying to do a Papal States game, because the first time I was somehow rivalled by Lithuania (and there's another mission for being friendly with them). This time it's Teutons.

I just... come on, my dudes. Why is this a thing? Why is a Catholic monastic order rivalling the seat of power they invoke whenever a battle starts?
Edit: formatting

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Even if you skip over the historical implications of this, it's cancerous from a gameplay perspective, too.

The game and wiki give meaning to the word "rivalry". That meaning is utterly betrayed by situations like this. What land or interests are you fighting over, exactly, that merits rivaling a distant nation that would otherwise have no CB interactions for decades?

 

[Skyfus]

Trying out a Savoy>Italy run because the pope went kinda badly when I got pulled into three different wars by allies, check out my rivals this time:

stuff like this makes me think I'm not crazy when I theorize the devs specifically bias AI attitudes to put us in the most precarious position they can manage

 

[Richard-monagha]

I have been finding it strange when it comes to starting rivals also. Like much weaker states making you a rival or distant ones. Just started a Austria game and my rivals look like this. I can't rival any of them back either so as soon as first month passes won't have any. At least I can try and ally/RM Aragon and hope for the PU from them as they normally rival player Austria in 99.9% of my restarts when I last tried to get Aragon as a ally to try and PU them.

 

[st360]

stuff like this makes me think I'm not crazy when I theorize the devs specifically bias AI attitudes to put us in the most precarious position they can manage

They do. Its been a few years so maybe they changed this specific example, but player Poland gets totally different rivalries than AI Poland. I once got angry and restarted around a 100 times and its nakedly different.

 

[mattkunz]

They do. Its been a few years so maybe they changed this specific example, but player Poland gets totally different rivalries than AI Poland. I once got angry and restarted around a 100 times and its nakedly different.

Players getting different rivals than AIs on the same country on game start, doesn't necessarily mean, that the AI treats player countries differently, than AI countries, when choosing it's rivals. At game start players are obviously singled out, by being the last ones to set their own rivals. If e.g. having a common rival makes the AI less likely to rival someone (seems sensible) changing the order in which rivals are chosen could change, which rivalries are likely to appear.

 

[JacobiteJames]

Even if you skip over the historical implications of this, it's cancerous from a gameplay perspective, too.

The game and wiki give meaning to the word "rivalry". That meaning is utterly betrayed by situations like this. What land or interests are you fighting over, exactly, that merits rivaling a distant nation that would otherwise have no CB interactions for decades?

They support the anti pope duh