Factions with one settlement affording 2 full armies

[Replicant Six]

Not even DEI has fixed this problem. Almost 300 hours in this game and I've yet to find a single mod that fixes those useless single settlement AIs that somehow have the economy to host two full stack armies.

You know the ones, especially if you play as Rome. There's like 6-7 of them just north of you. They don't declare war, they don't do anything but sit at their settlement waiting for you to throw your armies at it.

If anyone knows of any mods that removes this please let me know, I'm so sick of these ♥♥♥♥♥♥ single-settlement factions.

If anything they should be able to have an army of like 10 units max.

[Migz - DH]

If the factions can afford the armies, why not let them have them?

[Icecream1973]

The game is called Total War, just destroy them instead of complaining that they are there :-) Difficulties with wiping these factions off the map? Change your strategy mate :-)
Good luck!

[Graxx]

Playing on what difficulty?They get more money, cheaper units and less upkeep on hard and above. So it's normal they recruit two full stacks, and besides what's the problem with some opposition, the game is easy as it is.

[MANWHATADONGA]

Do what i do play easly and become a legend in my own mind

[Replicant Six]

Originally posted by Icecream1973:

The game is called Total War, just destroy them instead of complaining that they are there :-) Difficulties with wiping these factions off the map? Change your strategy mate :-)
Good luck!

I don't recall complaining about the difficulty :-)
They're actually really easy to kill they're just worthless. If the game is called Total War why aren't they fighting in total war :-)

[Berserk Breton]

There's nothing wrong with a faction spending the last of its wealth and its men trying to put up a fight in my opinion.

Never really seen the merit in this complaint, or its close relative "why don't factions surrender/accept peace when I have them down to one settlement". Surely the game would be worse if this last gasp of resistance was removed.

[MANWHATADONGA]

Originally posted by Uhtred son of Uhtred:

There's nothing wrong with a faction spending the last of its wealth and its men trying to put up a fight in my opinion.

Never really seen the merit in this complaint, or its close relative "why don't factions surrender/accept peace when I have them down to one settlement". Surely the game would be worse if this last gasp of resistance was removed.

Yes seen often one general come back with 19 unit of meceries.

[Replicant Six]

Originally posted by MANWHATADONGA:

Originally posted by Uhtred son of Uhtred:

There's nothing wrong with a faction spending the last of its wealth and its men trying to put up a fight in my opinion.

Never really seen the merit in this complaint, or its close relative "why don't factions surrender/accept peace when I have them down to one settlement". Surely the game would be worse if this last gasp of resistance was removed.

Yes seen often one general come back with 19 unit of meceries.

EXACTLY! The game itself gives a hidden income to all AI factions which I am okay with, and I think the number is something like 3k gold a turn? But yeah I'd agree a faction should try to fight it out and survive as best as it can but even it is not at war with anyone the AI just sits at its base with two full armies.

I think my argument that the smaller AI factions that don't do anything is incredibly valid. Why aren't they going to war trying to take over their neighbors so they can field larger armies? If anything they just need to be made way more aggressive on the campaign map.

[Migz - DH]

Originally posted by Beve Stuscemi:

The game itself gives a hidden income to all AI factions which I am okay with, and I think the number is something like 3k gold a turn?

It's not a hidden income, and all factions, including players, receive it. Had to look up the term the game uses: "Base Income". It varies depending on the campaign.
I liken the Base Income to the income from a ruler's private estates.

[Replicant Six]

Originally posted by Migz - DH:

Originally posted by Beve Stuscemi:

The game itself gives a hidden income to all AI factions which I am okay with, and I think the number is something like 3k gold a turn?

It's not a hidden income, and all factions, including players, receive it. I liken it to the income from a ruler's private estates.

You must not play the game a lot if you don't realize that the AI get a hidden boost of cash, especially on harder difficulties.

Here try reading this. This guy pretty much sums up the AI's hidden income.
https://forums.totalwar.com/discussion/120237/overwhelming-hidden-ai-money-boost

Also you can literally find it in the games files and remove it manually I hear. It's literally a thing you can't say they AI doesn't get free hidden income.

[Migz - DH]

Originally posted by Beve Stuscemi:

Originally posted by Migz - DH:

It's not a hidden income, and all factions, including players, receive it. Had to look up the term the game uses: "Base Income". It varies depending on the campaign.
I liken the Base Income to the income from a ruler's private estates.

You must not play the game a lot if you don't realize that the AI get a hidden boost of cash, especially on harder difficulties.

Here try reading this. This guy pretty much sums up the AI's hidden income.
https://forums.totalwar.com/discussion/120237/overwhelming-hidden-ai-money-boost

Also you can literally find it in the games files and remove it manually I hear. It's literally a thing you can't say they AI doesn't get free hidden income.

The thread you posted a link to only discussed a complaint about how the AI in the game they're discussing seemingly has a lot of income. There is no discussion of how that occurs other than the "faction basic Income" being mentioned, so the thread didn't sum up anything useful. It certainly didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, and I wouldn't suggest anyone else read it if they're trying to learn more about income in TW:R2.

As for difficulty bonuses, yes, naturally, there are differences at each difficulty level. The income tax percentage (rom_tech_civil_economy_tax_mod) is one such modifier, but that's not a hidden source of income; it just changes an efficiency. If you weren't aware, you can find many, many other modifiers in the campaign_difficulty_handicap_effects table via PFM.

[Replicant Six]

Originally posted by Migz - DH:

Originally posted by Beve Stuscemi:

You must not play the game a lot if you don't realize that the AI get a hidden boost of cash, especially on harder difficulties.

Here try reading this. This guy pretty much sums up the AI's hidden income.
https://forums.totalwar.com/discussion/120237/overwhelming-hidden-ai-money-boost

Also you can literally find it in the games files and remove it manually I hear. It's literally a thing you can't say they AI doesn't get free hidden income.

The thread you posted a link to only discussed a complaint about how the AI in the game they're discussing seemingly has a lot of income. There is no discussion of how that occurs other than the "faction basic Income" being mentioned, so the thread didn't sum up anything useful. It certainly didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, and I wouldn't suggest anyone else read it if they're trying to learn more about income in TW:R2.

As for difficulty bonuses, yes, naturally, there are differences at each difficulty level. The income tax percentage (rom_tech_civil_economy_tax_mod) is one such modifier, but that's not a hidden source of income; it just changes an efficiency. If you weren't aware, you can find many, many other modifiers in the campaign_difficulty_handicap_effects table via PFM.

The whole post is literally about how a single settlement AI faction can host 4 full stack armies. The money it gets from the one settlement should not NEARLY be enough to have that many units. How does this not prove there's a hidden income? It's a real thing.

[Migz - DH]

Originally posted by Beve Stuscemi:

The whole post is literally about how a single settlement AI faction can host 4 full stack armies. The money it gets from the one settlement should not NEARLY be enough to have that many units. How does this not prove there's a hidden income? It's a real thing.

I would never accept rants like the one you linked as proof of anything, and I think that this is a dead-end conversation.

Regarding your original post, yes, there are a few mods that might do what you want. Search for "Base Income" mods in the workshop, and try one out.

[Berserk Breton]

Originally posted by Beve Stuscemi:

Originally posted by MANWHATADONGA:

Yes seen often one general come back with 19 unit of meceries.

EXACTLY! The game itself gives a hidden income to all AI factions which I am okay with, and I think the number is something like 3k gold a turn? But yeah I'd agree a faction should try to fight it out and survive as best as it can but even it is not at war with anyone the AI just sits at its base with two full armies.

I think my argument that the smaller AI factions that don't do anything is incredibly valid. Why aren't they going to war trying to take over their neighbors so they can field larger armies? If anything they just need to be made way more aggressive on the campaign map.

Now if you argue that they should better simulate an economy you'll find me agreeing there. Unfotunately for a variety of reasons you find that in strategy games (where you even vaguely start approaching an 'economy' with enough moving parts and randomness to interest a human being) there will often not be a corresponding AI for each faction playing as well as a human being with the same rules and mechanics - this is not limited to Total War, you see it in other strategy games, too. I'd love to see that but it feels like its another conversation.

As far as the few settlements + army thing is concerned, I would fully expect a ruling elite that has just had its empire rolled up to have amassed what wealth and resources it can for a last stand. Standing armies have been wiped off the payroll (often before the cities have been taken) and refugees from all levels of society with tales of horror and anything they can bring will have rallied at the power base. So it stands to reason there will be some possibility of resistance - there is often such a sticking point somewhere when a force conquers a lot of ground, although probably just as often (as in this game) it is brushed aside by the side with the superior numbers/equipment/aggression/command.

Even setting that aside (for instance you might say what about when it's not the last settlement in a war, but just a small faction in the first place?) what would he the end game be, here? In the absence of a rewrite of campaign AI - something I doubt we're getting soon - removing this would have only one effect: slightly fewer battles, less resistance, and a less interesting finale or "last stand" when vanquishing a foe.

I can totally see why you would want this to *not* happen, but I think it's probably better when it does.