Player France, AI Italy and the Italian unification - Patch 17-Aug

[bwiser]

Dear Loki et al,

as I just started my new game with France its important role in the Italian unification came to my mind.

Here a couple of questions:
1.) Is the event chain only working for AI France and AI / Player Italy or is also Player France / AI Italy doable - I mean me helping Italy out in their fight against Austria?
2.) If 1.) = yes - how can I best help Sardinia Piedmont to form Italy and beat Austria? What shall I take care of in order to not fall out of the event chain?

I tried to look at the event script, but I do not have a clue what is happening there.

Once again - your help is highly appreciated !

[loki100]

Hi

it doesn't affect France in the sense you'll get the offer of a defensive alliance some time around 1857 and its up to you how you deal with the fall out.

A player Italy will gain in that Garibaldi no longer stays stuck on Sicily. AI Italy will unify south of the Po by the second process (this is all but guarenteed for 1865/6) and will then declare war on Austria for Lombardy and the Veneto if Austria is in serious trouble.

The problem with the 1859 war is actually Austria. The AI tends not to take hints to go to war and it didn't seem right to hard code this in. With Christophe, a few events have been tweaked to give the AI more interest in war (this is one, Prussia with France is another) but its a bit opaque as to the what shifting these settings really does to the AI's evaluation.

In truth, be careful if the war breaks out as Austria is probably too powerful. You'll need to fight on the defensive and hope to exhaust them, also I'd suspect they can attack you through Bavaria so its a war you may be glad to avoid. The problem is that Austria's manpwer is substantial (as it should be) but not really reflective of the problem they had of less than enthusiastic nationalities. On the plus side, the war will end if Piedmont or France occupy Milan (with the transfer of Lombardy and you get Nice-Savoy).

So I don't think, as France you can break the event chain, but you may well find that Austria backs down rather than fights. If so let Piedmont do its own thing but step in if Austria responds to it overrunning the south.

[bwiser]

that sounds very promising. If needed I will fight tooth-and-nail side-by-side Vittorio Emmanuelle II against the illegitimate occupier. I'll keep you posted how things unravel ....

I hope that I will survive Austrian stacks when it comes to war and I will have a lookout to Bavaria.

Loki - thanks for your explanation and improving the Italy-event-chain so well

[Erostratus]

Loki I happen to be on the other side of this as Italy, now three years in. I know in your aar you had a defensive treaty with france. Was this a good idea. You believed it kept the event from firing naturally. Should I just be on good terms with france and wait for the event or do the same as you? Just asking thanks

[loki100]

Loki I happen to be on the other side of this as Italy, now three years in. I know in your aar you had a defensive treaty with france. Was this a good idea. You believed it kept the event from firing naturally. Should I just be on good terms with france and wait for the event or do the same as you? Just asking thanks

I'm pretty sure now I was wrong, in that it was a only lot later did I understand the AI's unwillingness to go to war unless forced. There is no way can a pre-existing defensive pact block Piombieres so it should make no difference.

The issue is to convince the Austrian AI to do something stupid ... which is what the DoW was. They could have survived the (limited) unrest in Lombardy and carried on as before. Worth bearing in mind that a lot of the Milanese bourgeousie had no problem with being part of the Austrian empire ... they saw it as meaning they had access to a much larger market than would have been available in an independent Italy. Truth is in game (and reality) apart from bruised pride, Austria has nothing to gain from war and something to lose if war starts. One of many instances were computer AIs are simply too sensible.