@Apocal 's tests have some pretty bad snowball scores; 89, 116, and 67. Can you upload the what the maps looked like?
Just finished a 10 hour run at normal fastest speed (is it x3?) to make sure going faster had no impact, have the save if wanted. First time I've seen Vlandia totally wiped out.
1.57 | Test 2 20 yrs | Test 2 20 yr Strength |
Aserai | 23 | 7044 |
Battania | 46 | 10012 |
Khuzait | 44 | 10046 |
Northern | 7 | 3887 |
Southern | 12 | 3406 |
Western | 23 | 6077 |
Sturgia | 19 | 7046 |
Vlandia | 0 | 604 |
Snowball score | 62 | |
This is something I have been always curious about... I usually use x20 time speed multiply but it looks like not much changed in your test.
It seems we will get a bit higher average snowball score at 1.5.7 compared to 1.5.6 somehow. Maybe around 65.
Maybe trying to have longer wars (and more logical tributes, kingdoms which lost territories do not want tribute now mostly they pay) effected it badly. Will check it.
I will collect all test results soon. More samples are better.
It is weird because there are some great campaigns where snowballing is really low, while other campaigns where snowballing is much worse than ever, strange...
I have the feeling that aside from longer wars (actually something positive in my view because too short wars are probably as bad as snowballing), maybe it is something related to new recruiting system. All factions having now more cavalry units which are not easy to get (except for Khuzaits who get them at tier2), could mean that factions which are winning wars, are able to amass more cavalry units than these ones which are losing battles and having to create new recruit armies with tons of infantry.
I have also noticed that there is something with the current formula for declaring war which probably brings a bigger snowballing. Kingdoms losing some battles and getting a bad strength:fiefs(prosperity sum in 1.5.6) ratio, are getting tons of war declarations. What I am usually seeing:
1- Khuzaits declare war on SE and they are fighting a 1vs1 war.
2- Khuzaits are able to win 2 or 3 field battles, and the SE strength power goes drastically down.
3- One or two new kingdoms declare war on SE.
I am not sure how could this get changed though... First, because it makes sense that other kingdoms try to take the chance to attack a weak kingdom, second because it is good for making kingdoms with much settlements looking more appealing to attack.
Concerning war length and snowballing, before 1.5.6 we had a pretty good system which worked in this way:
- Vlandia and Sturgia start at war.
- Battania declares war on Sturgia.
- Sturgia rapidly makes peace with Battania while Vlandia war lasts for a long time.
Then in 1.5.6 we had something like this:
- Vlandia and Sturgia start at war.
- Vlandia and Sturgia make peace for no reason after some few days, even when they were fighting an 1v1 war.
- Vlandia and Sturgia declare war to other kingdoms.
In 1.5.7 we have a similar system than in 1.5.6 but now most of wars last for longer, even if a kingdom is fighting against two. I liked a lot when in 1.5.5 some kingdoms had a rival kingdom which they were usually at war. It was something like:
- NE was usually at war with Khuzaits.
- WE was usually at war with Battania.
- SE was usually at war with Aserai.
- Vlandia was usually at war with Sturgia.
I am not sure if it was just coincidence or if we had something in the code which made this happen, and I liked it a lot.
Anyway, I think that War/Peace declarations should work in this way:
- If there is an 1v1 war, kingdoms rarely try to make peace, except if one of them is losing really hard or, after some relevant time past +50 days or so).
- If a kingdom is at war, it rarely declare a new war.
- If a kingdom is fighting an 1v1 war and gets a new war declaration, the kingdom should try to make peace with one of them ASAP.
This looks easy to say but probably really hard to code
, but if possible, it would be great.
Anyway, I personally would like to see less wars and a slower pace. I have no problem if kingdoms would be in peace for 30-50 days, and we would have less war declarations and an overall slower pace (the passive troops XP cheat for the AI would have to be nerfed for +tier3 units, otherwise kingdoms in peace could be able to amass full elite armies).
Thanks!