Clarification on AI Difficulty Levels

[saileille]

The player guide is not entirely clear in this, I think...

Campaign AI:

• Are there any bonuses the player/AI gets depending on the difficulty level?

Easy & Medium
The AI does not recruit mercenaries and has a more well rounded diplomacy.

• What is the difference between these two difficulties?

Battle AI:

Enemy units get increasingly higher stamina and morale as the difficulty rises.

• How much higher stamina and morale does the enemy units get in each difficulty level?

Medium battle difficulty recommended, regular units prefer to run rather than fight to the death on
the front line and they will return if they are not being chased off.

• How do easier/harder difficulties affect the unit routing behaviour?

[z3n]

Not really sure why the player guide says it has a more well rounded diplomacy. I think it was supposed to say "AI is less aggressive".

[eyelurker]

Campaign AI wise i never see too much diffrence from dificulty except ai buying mercenary which led to ridiclous last stand where ai will buy all mercenaries at their last holdout because ai cheats with money.

[z3n]

The difference with the CAI is rebels and scripted stacks almost never attack on medium, whereas on Very Hard or Hard they will. This probably applies to normal factions too in some way but we never really conclusively looked for that.

[randy_cat]

About Campaign Ai: as skill increases, the ai cheats by being given more money, Is more aggressive and they cheat in autoresolve when facing the player ( they usually troll you because their units are calculated as stronger than yours, much stronger on VH ). Last, they are more spiteful towatds the player and are more likely to backstab you whenever they can.

About Battle Ai:
As skill increases they are smarter on the field but they also cheat. On hard each unit gets +2 Attack +2 defense, on very hard they get +4/+4 or even +5 i don't Remember well. So the very same unit, let's say hoplitai, will lose to another hoplitai quite badly on VH

[Jimalim]

About Campaign Ai: as skill increases, the ai cheats by being given more money, Is more aggressive and they cheat in autoresolve when facing the player ( they usually troll you because their units are calculated as stronger than yours, much stronger on VH ). Last, they are more spiteful towatds the player and are more likely to backstab you whenever they can.

About Battle Ai:
As skill increases they are smarter on the field but they also cheat. On hard each unit gets +2 Attack +2 defense, on very hard they get +4/+4 or even +5 i don't Remember well. So the very same unit, let's say hoplitai, will lose to another hoplitai quite badly on VH

This is all correct here except for the part about the AI getting smarter on higher battle difficulties. The battle AI itself is the same regardless of difficulty in medieval 2, the only thing that changes is the raw stats boni the AI gets. I believe its +2 Attack +2 Defense Skill + 2 Morale on Hard, and +5 Attack +5 Defense Skill +5 Morale on Very Hard.

Typically you want to play any campaign on med 2 on Medium Battle difficulty for your units to be balanced with the AIs.

I'd personally recommend Hard campaign difficulty so the AI will recruit mercs and be aggressive towards you and other AIs.

[z3n]

VH battle AI in M2TW doesn't directly receive attack and defense bonuses. They receive a stamina bonus to offset the constant running their AI makes them do (they run pretty much everywhere instead of walk).

Of course if two units are perfectly rested the stamina bonus does help the AI a bit in a "perfect" 1v1 battle in which the AI did not run everywhere.


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VH campaign AI, they are not more backstabby or spiteful. I did not code them to be any more spiteful in VH difficulty.