Bug with ai_hard_strategy in country definitions

[Phi]

Perhaps it is not a supported feature, but a bug is still a bug (even though there will be no fix).

The Bug

Let the content of "common/countries.txt" be given as

ROM="R.txt"
CAR="C.txt"
MAC="M.txt"

Let the content of R.txt be given as

ai_hard_strategy = {
antagonize = {
  id="CAR"
  value=400
}
antagonize = {
  id="MAC"
  value=200
}
}

Let the content of C.txt be given as

ai_hard_strategy = {
antagonize = {
  id="ROM"
  value=400
}
befriend = {
  id="MAC"
  value=200
}
}

Let the content of M.txt be given as

ai_hard_strategy = {
antagonize = {
  id="ROM"
  value=200
}
befriend = {
  id="CAR"
  value=200
}
}

What is now the ai_hard_strategy of ROM, CAR and MAC? You wouldn't assume this:
ROM:

antagonize = {
  id="---"
  value=400
}
antagonize = {
  id="---"
  value=200
}

CAR:

antagonize = {
  id="ROM"
  value=400
}
befriend = {
  id="---"
  value=200
}

MAC:

antagonize = {
  id="ROM"
  value=200
}
befriend = {
  id="CAR"
  value=200
}

Macedonia wants to be a friend of Carthage, but Carthage don't want to be a friend of Macedonia, hence Macedonia gets very sad.

What's the problem?

When the program reads the country-definition of ROM, here R.txt, it don't knows about the country tags CAR and MAC, hence it replaces the unknown countries CAR and MAC with the country ---. When the program reads the country-definition of CAR, here C.txt, it don't knows about the country tag MAC, hence it replaces the unknown country MAC with the country ---.

What's a possible solution?

Without knowing any code, I see three options:
1. Read the file "common/countries.txt" twice. The first time to get all country tags, the second time to get the corresponding definitions.
2. Do the checking, if a tag exists, after reading all country definitions.
3. Add the effect "add_ai_strategy" from EU3:IN to EUR:VV. This wouldn't fix the problem but would make an easy work-around possible (and would create more modding options).

I would be glad if Paradox could fix this bug.

 

[Descartes]

Blimey! I knew the engine was naughty, but I hadn't expected this. Anyway, this proves that the engine reads from top to bottom in countries.txt. We could move countries around to make at least some of the AI strategies work (Rome could be at the bottom).
I would like to point out that this isn't a typical bug, though, since it's caused by your own modding. Still, I would like to see this fixed as soon as possible.

 

[Phi]

Also we can still use "conq_prov", since it requires no country tags.

And yes, it is no typical bug, as it is a bug in an undocumented feature. But perhaps EU3 has this bug too and there it is a documented feature which should work.