exploit ploys of a financial nature

[NorseThing]

I was playing a vanilla version of M2TW as Milan. It got me to think a bit about the starting decisions of 'buying' settlements from the other factions. The biggest problems seem to be the the HRE ownership of Bologna and Vienna that can be bought promptly. Then there is the French / English conflict with Caan and Angers and Rennes. This and many other deals are available on the first turn to be made against an AI faction flush with startup money. If this was the real world, the AI would be considered incompetitant to handle their own affairs.

Then there is the 'ploy' of paying cash today for a tribute that ties the AI faction with a treaty that AI is incapable of seeing thru to the end and thus suffers the loss of faith and cannot any longer be trusted. Perhaps you make it a part of a trade agreement to help the human player to think it is just good business.

There are more such ploys. I am certain of that. We claim the AI is stupid, but then we take advantage of the stupidity of the AI process to exploit our games. It seems a bit llike cheating at solitaire. Well it is cheating at solitaire.

So who resists the urge to play Monte Hall in your own version of "Let's make a Deal"? Yes, I know that there are modifications that make these deals less likely, but this is really about self control and imposing your own rules on how to enjoy the game. If all of the factions were played by real humans making the decisions, then these deals would never happen.

Maybe I should write an AAR that makes fun of all the exploits. A kind of written farce just for use at TWC. If so -- how about contributing to the cause with your favorite and outrageous exploits of a financial nature in this thread? Be specific. Be general. But, by all means give us your exploits. True confession time. The man with pointy hat will absolve you if you confess before all.

[King Athelstan]

I'll be honest. I don't exploit the game (much). I play on VH/VH, and I try my best to keep it fair. I have of course quicksaved, then quickloaded a time or two when I wanted my spy to enter a city, but that's not that much of an exploit. Buying and selling cities is something I've never done, though I have done one thing: instantly-exiting the battle when enemy sallies out, causing a draw and the continuation of the siege. This has happened when I want to wait one more turn for reinforcements to show up, or just can't be bothered playing the battle.

That's more the game mechanics than AI though. I guess the biggest exploit there was me besieging a city, and bringing my cannons to the edge of the square and let them pummel the enemy into dust, without them charging out. Saved me many casualties in my Teutonic Campaign

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hasn't always gone superb though

Of course, this exists

[NorseThing]

Wow -- I never have done that with cannons, though I admit to luring a general out of the square by peppering with arrows though (with the intention to then break the general and end the battle). I also have done this so other units would leave the square and then break and retreat back to the square only to receive arrows in their backs upon the retreat. Truly more of an exploit though I am really wanting the financial exploits.

Another one does come to my mind. The merchants can be pushed off a resource by a military unit. I know about the surround with not retreat ploy, but this is a bit different. If you have a merchant that is about the same trading experience as the AI faction merchant, it can be a risk to directly attack the AI merchant with your identical quality merchant. By pushing his off the resource and then putting yours on the resource you but some time to gain experience while his merchant does nothing but wander. Maybe a ploy or not. I do not know.

But thanks for your response!!!

[King Athelstan]

Oh, and adding to that! While I havem't done it myself, you can place 20 merchants in that army you just placed on that resource, and they'll all start trading it. Very useful for lone gold resources etc. Of course, all will dissapear if the army turns rebel, but might be worth the risk

[Jurand of Cracow]

The merchants can be pushed off a resource by a military unit. I know about the surround with not retreat ploy, but this is a bit different. If you have a merchant that is about the same trading experience as the AI faction merchant, it can be a risk to directly attack the AI merchant with your identical quality merchant. By pushing his off the resource and then putting yours on the resource you but some time to gain experience while his merchant does nothing but wander.

It can be done even without a military unit - just send a merchant to a currently not-visible resource to push out an AI merchant standing there.
If you're interested in some more exploits - I've described a few here.

[Iosif Stalin]

I think I bought a settlement just one time, though I don't remember which settlement or who I was playing as. I had some kind of good reason but I don't remember what it was. I wouldn't just buy settlements willy-nilly because it would make winning the game too easy. I don't really do exploits, it's just not my way. I like to win fair or I feel like I haven't earned it and that takes the fun out of it, and if it's not fun then it defeats the whole point of playing.

I think I remember why I bought the settlement that one time. I think it was one of my cities/fortresses that I lost in a war, and then my ally took it from whomever took it from me, and I really wanted it back but didn't want to have to attack my ally to get it. It's hard enough to get allies in this game at all, because all the AI countries always hate my guts. So I offered them a substantial amount of money for it. It seems like the kind of circumstance in which buying a settlement is an acceptable course of action.