(Rant) Problems with AI France

They do well enough early game, taking back their cores from England and all. However mid-late game they pale in comparision to Spain and Austria's sheer army quantity even if their quality is better. Spain and Austria have 100k+ while France only have 80k at most and to make it worse France only gets useless allies like Provence, Scotland, Brittany, and random minors threatened by the player/their rivals. As results by 1600s the French region tend to either explode or colored yellow and white and even GB sometimes jump in too. The only exception is when they ally the Ottomans, but said alliance is easily broken whenever the Ottos get into debt. And lord have mercy if Austria gets BI which seems to be the norm now that Burgundy almost always rival France, they will be completely wiped off the map by the late 1500s. Even when I'm playing a very isolationist GB where I gave them their cores, they somehow find a way to screw up.

Although I did saw some competent France (even if that was mostly due to luck such as Castile rejecting the wedding, Burgundy getting inherited by random HRE minors, or Hesse becoming emperor) that actually expanded into Iberia, HRE, and Italy, most of the time they just get completely owned instead. I don't think nerfing Austria/Spain is needed, this can be fixed if AI diplomacy is improved and for big nations to also prioritize seeking alliances for protection (as I don't think Liege and Switzerland can defend them from massive hulking Austria), and for the debt malus for defensive CtAs to be reduced, as this is where France (and us players') usual big alliances with Ottos/PLC/Denmark fall apart.