Tsardoms Total War - 1448 Campaign Release

[b0Gia de Bodemloze]

Hello Team,
I don't know if it's the right place but it's missing the icon for printing press at least for Knights of St John

[Mr. Blob]

I've started Serbian campaign, enabling garrison script and raids as per campaign starting prompt. When I've sieged Hungarian citadel, north of my capital, garrison script kicked in and autogenerated 16 silver chevron defenders (there has been 4 units present) and additional army next to it with 14 or 15 units in it.

I am genuinely for garrison scripts to help on AI, but I think you have overdone it, to put it mildly. For the next release please consider reducing garrisons.

[Wallachian]

Which citadel would that be? Belgrade?

[Mr. Blob]

Yes. Serbia starts in war with Hungary, the elite Hungarian army on turn 1 immediately starts the siege of Serbian fortress in the north, does not attack Ottomans at all. Serbia is sandwiched between two colossus. It needs that citadel to stay alive, to fend off the Hungarians.

[N2D]

Buff and Shine submod of Broken Crescent has improved/challenging AI, but overall balance of the mod is also kept in check by hard to maintain public order.
Also heard good things about Third Age AI (which is very aggresive and challenging - I would love to sprinkle Tsardoms AI with some aggresiveness)
Forum user Jurand of Cracow should have better input on these topics compared to me, if he is still active.


After few weeks of playing, my biggest observations with current AI are:
- AI not using enough power to attack (always aims to get a close battle), while reserves are nearby
- Hoarding powerful armies where not needed (for example Black Armies of Hungary sitting in a fort over Uljak, while I am sieging Belgrade for multiple turns)
- AI does not use armies in proximity to defend sieged cities properly very often or moves one step away so it misses battle deployment
- AI prioritizes forts inadequatly
- After some defeats, AI like resigns and stops trying to retake core lost lands, even though powerful enough to do so
- Leaving big cities undefended with 1 stack - very easy to take a general, fleet, hire an mercenary army and take core cities - like Bursa, Thessaloniki, which AI struggles to retake
- Very easy to get ceasefire and payment (especially from Ottomans), even when my city is sieged and gonna fall and I have no possibility to assist it
- Some factions behave very strangely - f.e. Epirus is always passive, Knigts of St. John seems buggy, stuck and prefer attacking christian nations
- I know why crusades/jihads by AI are disabled, though in my opinion it is fun and challenging experience - an option would be amazing

Overall, AI is mediocre, not bad, but with some tweaks or other campaing AI, the potential is sky high.
Mod feels amazing though, very fun experience, you have done wonders with limited M2TW old engine. Actually feels like a modern game, nothing comes close.

[Wallachian]

Thank you for the feedback! much appreciated.

Yeah we implemented some new AI tags right before launch which solved some problems but caused others. We actually use the Third Age Mordor AI tags for the Ottomans.

Interesting about the Buff and Shine mod.

I am really not sure how we are going to fix most of the above mentioned issues. We are aware of most of them.

[N2D]

Thank you for the feedback! much appreciated.

Yeah we implemented some new AI tags right before launch which solved some problems but caused others. We actually use the Third Age Mordor AI tags for the Ottomans.

Interesting about the Buff and Shine mod.

I am really not sure how we are going to fix most of the above mentioned issues. We are aware of most of them.

Actually Ottomans AI is somewhat decent, the main problem with them everytime you are in trouble, they accept ceasefire and may even pay you circa 5000 florins. If they are beaten too often they "give up" and f.e. if you take Bursa they do not care much, even though it is very important economic city for them.

I think some factions have more difficult diplomacy based on AI - f.e. Bosnia or Venice - which in my opionion is good. Overall some tweaks to diplomacy would be beneficial, as well as giving more willingness to attack to more factions (some stay very passive through the whole playthrough and do nothing)

From my actual playthrough - this screenshot captures some of the points mentioned earlier - AI could potentially defend the city, but chooses to stay a bit away. Also forts messes with AI quite a lot - earlier I moved all my armies to Blagaj region and Serbia attacked from the north - the attack was 2 turns wandering without sieging or fighting (easy to get ready), showing armies and then sieging fort (Srebrenica) - taking it with massive army (I had 1 unit there) and then returning armies to their core regions - even though they could overrun my cities. The first point of not defending cities even if possible happens even in regions without forts - army just stands away a few tiles.


I just report what I observe, I understand it is not an easy fix, you have done tremendous job with the mod and surely understand "backstage stuff" better than me. Fort bugs trouble a lot of mods thanks to the archaic base game core mechanics.
Implementation of Buff and Shine approach with harder to keep public order (more units must sit in cities) would require a lot of rebalancing and I cannot weigh on pros and cons of time investment, and if it would be even helpful. Mod is still enjoyable though.
Buff and Shine is also less detailed than Tsardoms.
The best AI I remember was probably SSHIP, though it is years and it might have been submod for it. After Tsardoms, it is hard for me to comeback to less detailed mods (even though they are still awesome).

[Antiokhos Euergetes]

What further research needs doing still?

[Wallachian]

What further research needs doing still?

Well we would love to get help for factions which don't have many events or emerging characters. So feel free to take any of those factions, for example I don't know maybe Bohemia or Milan and start writing events, characters and things we could add in. Like we have for Florence for example.

[Antiokhos Euergetes]

Okay then should be plenty of interesting events concerning Milan and Bohemia

[Fahnat]

[Sir.Cojocarius]

Your video is amazing. So excited to try out this campaign and later the updated 1345 mod. All respect for the ambitious team. This is hand down best mod for MW2 out there in my opinion.

[shadowtwinz]

I very much enjoy the new campaign New Units and different factions. The variety of units, unit textures armors im very much pleased to see this variety. Also, primarily not relying on levies on the early game was good decision.

The genoese post is available for every faction to construct ? In Ragusa settlement playing Bosnia faction.

[thenovafiends]

Only recently discovered Tsardoms. Probably shaping up to be one of my absolute favorites; I love the combination of historical accuracy and polish. The whole thing is great! What I am wondering is if I should hold off playing the 1345 Campaign until it has been updated with the new features.

[Kranos]

Broken Rampart Interactive - YouTube


Rampaned has started a crazy project, an indie game basically in lack of Medieval III. Maybe you guys can collaborate with him!

Link to Discord: (35) Discord | #❗・server-rules | Project Renaissance Community

[Sarkiss]

apologies if it was mentioned elsewhere already. is there a reason permanent stone forts have been replaced but wooden ones on the campaign map? was a little surprised (https://youtu.be/pT35gF2ZNOs?si=rDw99utBQxPLeRJ7&t=18) as original Tsardoms featured PSFs iirc? thanks for the awesome mod, loving it!

[Globus Cruciger]

You guys should do another campaign, maybe start date around 1209-1225 where Nicaea, Latin empire(Constantinople), Latin kingdom of Thessaloniki, Epirus, Morea, bulgaria, some anatolian beyliks, Bulgaria, cumans, Wallachian, Moldavians, Hungarians, Serbians, croatians etc do a prequel 😆

[Kranos]

a bit of questions about relations reports:

-does marching armies in an allied territory with military access given still affects your relations with your ally? (in my case it did..)
- does marching priests in other factions territory affects your relations?
- a rejected ransom does affects your relations?
- what kind of payments and in what way or when will improve your relations? In my case they are never even accepted
- does raiding ports affects your relations with factions you are not at war with or even with your ally?

[zig&sharko]

You guys should do another campaign, maybe start date around 1209-1225 where Nicaea, Latin empire(Constantinople), Latin kingdom of Thessaloniki, Epirus, Morea, bulgaria, some anatolian beyliks, Bulgaria, cumans, Wallachian, Moldavians, Hungarians, Serbians, croatians etc do a prequel 

I vote after your idea, but also you can try Tierra santa mod, also you have campaign byzantine mid XIII century