How do you get war allies to actually help in a war?

[Imnuktam]

I am playing as Menelaeus and Agamemnon is my military ally. I have set the war target to the city you both start at war with right next to his and moved a stack of 20 up there. He has agreed to help and finally sent two armies, one with 10 units and another with 14. Problem is they just sit right outside of engagement range raiding and wont go any closer.

When I siege the city they just walk off and leave. If I start raiding so they can siege and have the city they also just walk off and leave.

The army in the city I am attacking has 13 units with a garrison of 14 units so collectively we would have 44 units vs his 27 and would stomp him, but they simply refuse to move close enough to attack. Leaving me to try and solo the 27 units with my 20 low tier starters.

[valky]

you just don't ..... they do their own stupid sh*t.
If you besiege a city, they 'think' you're about to take it....so they do some other business.
If you don't they besiege for the longest time.....

Allies are pointless and useless - you are basically playing your own faction and some resources of your enemy gets funneled into countering your friendly AI.
Once you got rid of the init-stacks of the AI, thy usually recruit garbage....they can't handle bronze/gold units and will swarm you with cheap low-tier stuff.

Play the game, like you're the only one....don't rely on them. I've beaten 5 campaigns so far and they are next to useless. It's even worse, if you tackle either of the horde-factions ^^ though, they are crazy fun! (best horde-mechanic ever)

edit: anti-player is in a way bothersome....but you can kill them over and over....in a way it's a good thing, as you can kill 'em with ease. The AI can't even handle mythic monsters....in my 2nd Lycia campaign all my sworn enemy ever did, was to move it up/down on the sea! (the Hydra! - that thing is the real sh*t on the battlefield, as it can take on 3+ armies on its own....).
Played all 3 modes....usually on VH

[Imnuktam]

Originally posted by valky:

you just don't ..... they do their own stupid sh*t.
If you besiege a city, they 'think' you're about to take it....so they do some other business.
If you don't they besiege for the longest time.....

Allies are pointless and useless - you are basically playing your own faction and some resources of your enemy gets funneled into countering your friendly AI.
Once you got rid of the init-stacks of the AI, thy usually recruit garbage....they can't handle bronze/gold units and will swarm you with cheap low-tier stuff.

Play the game, like you're the only one....don't rely on them. I've beaten 5 campaigns so far and they are next to useless. It's even worse, if you tackle either of the horde-factions ^^ though, they are crazy fun! (best horde-mechanic ever)

edit: anti-player is in a way bothersome....but you can kill them over and over....in a way it's a good thing, as you can kill 'em with ease. The AI can't even handle mythic monsters....in my 2nd Lycia campaign all my sworn enemy ever did, was to move it up/down on the sea! (the Hydra! - that thing is the real sh*t on the battlefield, as it can take on 3+ armies on its own....).
Played all 3 modes....usually on VH

Thats depressing. Got used to Three Kingdoms and Warhammer where my allies actually felt like allies. I even had random factions fight along side me because it served their interest. Cant even get my brother to fight with me in this when its his next door enemy we are fighting and he has 2 armies larger than his enemies just 20 feet away serving no purpose lol.