Passive ai?

[Ellye]

I'm playing as Poland, and I have a good reputation. Even so, the AI nations whom I have a bad relation with keeps declaring war on me. Teutonic Order mainly, but also Saxony and Bohemia. I've only started one war, and I've been in something around nine or ten already.
One thing I've noticed is that they really tend to declare war when I'm low on troops.

 

[Nimic]

The AI does indeed seem a bit too cautious. I've also noticed that it may take into consideration issues that aren't as relevant when negotiating peace. Just for a quick test, I played the American Independence scenario. I'm now controlling nearly all of the Brit NA possessions, and I probably have 99% warscore just in battles. Still the AI refuses to give me provinces worth around 50%. I suspect this is because they obviously still control the British Islands, and very likely have a sizable army there that they won't send over to me.

 

[gzhindra]

Secret master, you may be right. Originally i accepted a lot of RM, later i limited RM to France, Portugal and England. I had a larger army in Central America (around 15-20K) but only 2 transports. Maybe the ai considered my army in Central America. Still, my fleet was very small (i only built 2 transport from the start until 1700) and both land and naval tech was down by 10 levels compared to the big nations (or even most small nations). Also i had no naval or land tradition.

 

[SpiralPegasus]

I started a game as Venice. May 31, 1453: Good relations, no CB, no matter - Austria declares war. I say "Ooooookay" and restart. Same start date, same Venice, same result. May 31, 1453: Austria declares war.

As for royal marriages keeping you safe, I have this story: 1453 start as Hungary. I stave off distaster in the Balkans, though Transylvania sells out Serbia. (GJ Vlad) I get RMs with all my big neighbors, and I get to the work of building up an economy. A couple years in and I inherit Bohemia. Good luck, right? Nope! No sooner am I waiting on gaining Czech culture when Austria up and claims my throne. Yay, instant CB.

The AI isn't what I would consider passive. As Duuk pointed out when he noticed the AI aiming for the easy colony provinces, its looking for the quick profit. If it can gain in the short term by blobbing over its weaker neighbors, its going to do it by jingo and the heck with stability.

Not so sure about badboy though. Has anyone seen the AI go Scum of Europe yet?

 

[Ludek]

Well usally AI is rational in it's wars but sometimes it goes a bit nuts.

In one of my eraly games as Poland I got eastern germany (also Czech,
Hungary, bit of Austria, bits of Lithuania maybe even whole Lithuania),
anyway I was big. One my my neighbours was Meclemburg (abou 5-7
provinces in size), they got core in my teritory. My army is big ..(40-60
regiments, manpower poll is full )sudennly I got message about declaration
of war from Mecklemburg, I don't think tehy had any signifcant ally (well
maybe he just dishonered alliance). Of course it was no contest I quickly
pacified Mecklemburg and let them go with one prowince lost. Then tehy
wardeclare me again ... after second or third time i got bored and vassalized
them. It could spark more fun if Mecklemnug was allied with major power.
In otehr game or this one .. after i swithed from Poland to France (to help
it to anex it's vassals and improve it position) sudennly I got Wardeced by
Venice (I had one isolated bavariona province they had claim on) afetr 10-
20k of causalities I dot wardelariona from Aragorn .. dragginig Castille,
Portugal into war (all major powers .. well Aragorm was most junior in this
group). i was wardeced repatetly by Aragorn (tehy had all the time cores in
my tertory) barely survinig without loses first 2 rounds of wars (well Venice
got it's pound of flesh) there wers also small fight with England (got Calais)
After i stabized situation with Aragorn and castille (I got Pireneian provinces)
i was Wardeced by Brettony(as I cheked at time of wardec tehy had core in
my teritory) draging in Burgundy but thanks my good tradions (60) and pile
of good/exelnt comaders .. I was easy and initatied my policy of reacuring
Bugundian provinces but still I was form time to time (3-4 times in total)
wardeced by Aragorn even after I doubled/tripled strenght of France.
It aslmost stopped when I forced Aragorn to give up claims in my teritory
(tehy have claims only to 2 provinces) till I honored alliance with Venice(tehy
made nice job of alomost unifing Italy) and went to war with Castille,
Agragorn wardec me and bring in help of Portugal (so I face again all Iberian
nations). Meanwhill I have border with BIG Poland (tehy rival France in
manpower and cash) and tehre was no sible war initiated with expetion of
reuction of Savoy Polish vassal with was started by me (France)

To summrize all of this i think that AI is trongly influced in it's wardeclaing
by nuber of cores they can gain in case of victory comepred to cores tehy
have so small nations are much more likely to start wars even against
muuuch stronger oppponent.
This can be good and fun if tehy have allies like Aragorn and boring like in
case of mecklemburg. Of course it helps if human player limit himself to
alliance to aliance peace deals.

 

[unmerged(62532)]

Well... sometime the AI does make clever decisions yet risky decisions, so I'm not finding the AI to be really cautious in my experience.

Example A: Tibet. The Tibet in my game is getting huge: They are the third biggest landmass in the game, a bit bigger than what Ming starts with. Tibet certainly didn't went cautious to get this size, and they are still fighting wars and expanding. That's in 1530.

Example B: Me as Sweden. I'm ranked #1 in the world and I have a big empire, but not gigantic, with only 10 badboy points. I have got so far in two wars against Bohemia, on the behalf of my life-long ally Saxony, which resulted in a shrinked Bohemia (Still larger than game-start Bohemia though).

Well, after Bohemia secured Hamburg (With 4 territories with one in my backyard and a surprising 10k army in total) and Lithuania as ally (Empire about the same size as mine and twice the land tech I have), Bohemia declared war on me. I eventually won the war (With the help of Saxony and of my allied vassals), but it took over two years, and I lost 6 territories in total at the worst point, and burned out most of my ducat reserve (Went from 32 to 46 regiments in order to eventually win), and only managed to save one of my vassals in extremis. It was certainly a great attempt by Bohemia, and was one of the funnest war I've done so far, and one I probably would have lost without Saxony's outstanding help as usual.

Fact is, Bohemia alone wouldn't be a match at all for me, but once it secured Hamburg and Lithuania as allies, together they had a good chance of winning, and the AI did actually declare war then. It still wasn't really a "cautious" move as none of them individually were able to match me (Except for perhaps Lithuania, but it's Bohemia that declared on me).

 

[lenny]

If you want to get attacked by the AI, all you need to do is mismanage your nation a bit and then give the AI a CB. As Burgundy, having expanded a bit at the expense of 1 province minors, I was attacked by France when I pressed the issue in a boundary dispute, and my initial army of 25K was not at all prepared for that. (Luckily, I had some left over manpower from being emperor earlier and full covers of gold to raise new regiments and hire mercenaries, because Austria and the Palatinate joined the fun as well.)
Or as Brandenburg, planning on a trading game and thus neglecting the buildup of my army, Poland decided I was a tasty target. But, le miracle de la maison Brandebourg happened early, and while I was able to fight off the initial Polish invasion, Bohemia and the Teutonic order attacked Poland.

 

[unmerged(36209)]

Problem is that most players do not "mismanage" their countries Most keep max limit land troops, and they would like to see some challange from AI

 

[gzhindra]

It seems to me that the ai is reluctant to declare on major powers. Since i had fairly good relations with England Portugal and France, there was no one else who would Dow on me. I did get a lot of alliance offers though, particularly from Venice which i ignored.

 

[unmerged(4004)]

I can safely say that the AI will declare war if it thinks it can win. I played an early game as Tver and was allied to Novgorod with a royal marriage to Muscovy. Novs declared war on Yaroslavl, I joined in, and I was somehow able to annex the Yars while their army was off sieging one of the Novs provinces.

I figured I was safe with my alliance and RM to the two big Russian states. But as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend." Muscovy decided to backstab me despite good relations and a RM. Novs dishonored the alliance and left me hanging. Little two province Tver against mighty Muscovy. Game over, man.

I had another game as Muscovy where I had just finished a successful war against Persia but was low on manpower and troops. No sooner had I made peace with Persia than Sibir attacked me. Fortunately my allies (my vassals Kazan and Novgorod) stood by me and held off Sibir's armies until I could reinforce my armies.

So yes, the AI will attack the human if it thinks it has a chance of winning.

 

[unmerged(503)]

:rofl:

I have one thing to say to this thread..

12th War of Austrian Aggression.

 

[pilis]

Personally I want the ai to built up there troops before they declare war.
And rebuild in general


example 1, playing Russia did go to war against Lithuania did completely destroy their entire army and did get 5 provinces in the peace deal, the day after the peace did go out they did declare war again this time with a total army of 5 regiment vs. my army of 60, did completely crush them again next time the truce did go out they declare war again and so on in the end they did have two provinces left, when no more declaration of war did come.

example 2, playing castile just colonisation America and so on when Portugal did stand in my way to bridge my territory together did go to war against them to conquer does provinces did win the war but as soon the truce was over war again and so on, I can’t stop the ai from declaring war all time until they are destroyed, they will just declare war over and over again, after that first war

This has happened almost every time to me.

The worst time was when novograd did declared war against me without any regiment they did buy mercenaries the first day to the total number of 3k troops, they did only have novograd left I have taken the rest of there territories

 

[Secret Master]

Well, I'll give the AI credit for not being passive in my new game as the Ottomans.

Started the game on Very Hard and began the usual "Annex all the Christian, Balkan Minors" opening strategy that served the Ottomans well in other EU games. Hungary, true to the way I would play her, DOWs me the first chance she gets to stop my early expansion. Unfortunately, I whip the AI badly and take some of her provinces.

In five years, Hungary tries again, and I take some more land.

This process repeats itself seven more times during the period between 1470 and 1513. Each time Hungary is badly mauled. In the later wars, Hungary's military strength is significantly less than mine. Even worse for Hungary, my military tech is way ahead of theirs (thanks to Urban, my 6th level army reformer). Yet, they keep coming back for more.

I suppose that Very Hard might have something to do with this, but I am at a loss to explain this behavior in relation to past behavior.