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unmerged(12270)

Corporal
Dec 3, 2002
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As the topic says, does the current AI (on any difficulty) now go after lost morale VLs if I capture them with fast cavalry (or anything really)?

I played the game long (in 2010), but eventually my interest died as the battles became trivial when I was able to just capture the VLs and evade battle.
The AI neither garrisoned remote VLs nor showed any interest in reclaiming them. I got horribly butchered when trying auto-resolve in any battle (and those I would have won just by battling without even going for VLs, I would suffer huge casualties), so I couldn't proceed using auto-resolve either - so eventually I just gave up.


If not, what restrictions do you use to play by the ai's limitations? For example "must capture VLs in order, starting from the closest" or "must use only infantry to capture" or something?
Already I didn't try to exploit magic (travel spells or otherwise try to break the battles by using them).

The battles are all about capturing VLs so it's somewhat hard to just say "don't capture any VLs".

I guess if there was a mod that disabled morale deterioration from VLs it'd be better in the end compared to this.

Another letdown was the passiveness of AI factions on the strategic map - basically after conquering the minor factions, I could just wait out for years and years and gain in power, and the Saxons would do nothing....nor would the story progress. There was no sense of urgency, you had all the time in the world to strengthen yourself. I felt that I was obliged to attack ASAP so as not to "exploit" this, and that felt very awkward and wrong.


Just disappointed that these sort of AI problems (that wouldn't have been hard to fix at all) ruined an otherwise good game for me.

Do any of the expansions or the sequel try to fix these issues?
 
From my now 50 hours of KA play I'd say the AI sort-of looks out for its VL. Once you've engaged their main body in combat its easier for you to sneak off a cav detachment to nip their backyards, unfortunately. But I've managed to lose a VL now and then to the AI. Too bad they seem reluctant to stack a good hero with some Chain Lightning on a horseback to take your VL.
 
I think they do babysit VL's if the AI considers it is able to or possibly behaviour is different according to the "level" of the opposition. I'm using I imagine the latest version as I just bought it on a deal the other day. I blundered into Suffolk and ran into a doomstack consisting of three L16 heroes with Sentinel (i think they're called, A18,D24 anyway, monsters) cavalry, another three sentinel cavalry and assorted Lionharts and Crusaders. They took three VLs and left me with one which they ignored. If I sent my cavalry anywhere near their VL's they sent one of these Sentinels after it like an exocet missile. If I tried to dash to a convenient forest hex to hide up in the hope of stealing a VL later they would notice immediately and send a Sentinel to patrol up and down between their nearby VLs such that it was impossible to grab one. If I ran away it would return to the main army, If I tried again it immediately returned. There was one forest hex right between two of their VLs I got my cavalry into. That really upset them - they sent two Sentinels to patrol both of them. They made quite sure I could not grab a VL without fighting for it (which I couldn't do against those units) no matter how I tried to trick them.

As for your other question, clearly if this Saxon doomstack decided to invade me it could wipe out my entire kingdom since I have nothing that can stand up to it at the moment, so I'm guessing it stays put untill you venture into Suffolk (or presumably Norfolk) when you think you're strong enough to defeat it. Interstingly I took Essex (which is part of the Saxon kingdom) and even after it chased me out of Suffolk back into Essex, it just turned around and went back to its castle in Suffolk and left me in charge of Essex. Same principle as RPGs where monsters don't come out of dungeons and chase you down - you go to them when you decide to and they attack on certain conditions plus you can always run away and they stay put.