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Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:22 pm
by :FI:TacticalS!
Sure. Don't let the AI manage it. ;) Seriously, I think CA has used my wife's spending habits when they modelled it. :shock:

I love micro-managing so I select the option to manage all my settlements (otherwise you need to have a general in each settlement to do so).

I am currently playing HRE, and after a nice start you find yourself in a mess financially. I'm sure you know all this but here are my suggestions (nothing original btw):

- Always focus on your economy, especially at the beginning. Therefore build all the affordable economic buildings (especially ports and roads) right at the beginning. Later as funds allow upgrade them, and select happiness buildings only as needed.

- Max your tax rate so your settlements have @80-85% happiness rating.

- Establish as many trade agreements as possible.

- Probably early just have 1-2 castles with everything else as cities. I prefer to keep my castles close together, and after each having a barracks try to specialize say artillery in one and cavalry in the other (later as funds permit I eventually build both up equally).

- Minimal garrison using militia that have free upkeep for cities and peasant units in castles.

- Keep exploring the map with merchants for better income sources.

- While you should always be building your military infrastructure at your 1-2 castles (maybe @4 once your empire is much larger), try to limit your troop selection to the most affordable units that can compete with your enemies. Use mercenaries as needed and get rid of them if they cost too much to keep.

- If you find yourself low on funds it is because you have too much overhead (i.e., military), so get them moving and expand your empire! :badgrin:

- If you want to keep Catholic factions off your back, always send a Diplomat right to Rome and give the Pope maps and money as often as possible to improve your relations. When it becomes viable request an Alliance with the Papal States and maintain good relations.

Getting back to my HRE campaign, as mentioned you start out in a good position with regards to the number of settlements and troops. The problem is that you are also surrounded by a number of powerful factions, plus your German-based economy is very sluggish.

I attacked Poland and nearly wiped it out (sorry Macca :(). But then Venice attacked and later Milan and Hungary. My empire started falling apart, I couldn't access decent troops, but luckily it didn't matter because I had no money anyway. :lol:

Well after turning down Milan's proposal to be their vassal, Denmark attacked and made the same proposal. I accepted and instantly received money, new trade agreements, and was able to restore some previous alliances. Finally my economy started moving forward and I was building up a decent military.

Shortly after that there were two quick elections for pope. My first attempt failed but I was successful at the second. So here's the deal for any new popes out there. If you are lucky you can call a crusade against one of your enemies (or allies ;) ). So given the strength of Milan, I choose one of their cities for a crusade. After a bunch of turns, and with the help of France's crusading army, Milan's military might was destroyed and I gave the city to the Pope as a gift.

Btw if you are going to select a city to crusade against make sure it is far away from your empire, or else all these large foreign armies will turn on you after the crusade. Apparently the chaps don't feel like walking back home. :lol:

Well anything useful here mate? Sorry I forgot the real important stuff. ;)

TS!

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:31 pm
by AltarBoy
Thanks Tacts some of the tips helped. :D I found Milan, Poland and Venice to be quite a pain in the butt when playing Russia. Think I'm gonna ask my Alchemist to make a stink bomb. That should do the trick! :lol:

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:24 pm
by :FI:TacticalS!
For those interested in trying a mod, after some peeking around various forums, I intend to give Lusted's Lands to Conquer (LTC) a try next week. Many folks really enjoy his mod, and it will not interfere with upgrading your vanilla version when the next official patch is released.

Today Lusted released version 2.1, which includes a workaround for the newest issue - shield bug - plus latest versions of imbedded mods and other tweaks and fixes. Give it a try folks!

LTC Link

TS!

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:58 pm
by :FI:Macca
Will give it a go when gotsome time. Hope next week...
AltarBoy wrote:Thanks Tacts some of the tips helped. :D I found Milan, Poland and Venice to be quite a pain in the butt when playing Russia. Think I'm gonna ask my Alchemist to make a stink bomb. That should do the trick! :lol:
That is why Russians never realy loved us.

Esp when we captured Moscow....

But we were verrrry friendly :)

M

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:38 pm
by AltarBoy
Still slogging it out with the Russian campaign. Denmark's a problem and I've grown to respect Poland. But it's the Holy Roman Empire (later Germany) that I'm out to get. They sent agents and killed 2 of my family members and a General. Now, I'm out for blood! :lol: But managing the cities is really hard. I heard that you get a whole lotta money on the Egyptian campaign. Maybe it's all that oil they got. :lol:

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:37 pm
by :FI:TacticalS!
Well I think my tactical engagements might be improving. This was the result of a recent battle with HRE and my English troops (late period).

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TS!

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:27 am
by AltarBoy
I've been trying out different factions. Denmark has some of the fiercest troops around. I built only foot soldiers and rarely use horsemen. I came up against HRE troops three times bigger than mines. Left the archers on the castle walls and sent out my spearmen to tackle the rest. They turned tail and ran! :lol: I still find managing money to be the biggest headache of all.

Medieval II Total WAR: KINGDOMS announced

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 10:59 am
by :FI:Macca
LOOK HERE

Key Features

· Four new, epic campaigns – The Americas, Britannia, The Crusades, and The Teutonic Wars.
· 23 playable factions including Aztec and Native Americans.
· Over 150 new units, including the devastating Greek Firethrower
· Control multiple armies in battle – command reinforcement armies.
· New hero characters with powerful new battlefield abilities
· A huge array of historical characters and events.
· Build permanent forts to garrison troops or seize control of key strategic points
· New technology trees influenced by Religion and Prestige
· New Mission types
· 6 New Multiplayer scenarios and 20 new Custom Battle maps
· Compatible with the new Hotseat multiplayer mode

Campaigns


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7 playable factions – Spain, The Aztecs, Mayans, Apachean Tribes, Chichimeca, Tlaxcalans and Tarascans.
The Americas…a land of mystery, great riches and exploration, but wrought with treacherous terrain and terrifying inhabitants. Cortes arrives in 1519 with a small, elite force of conquistadors and must rely on his motherland of Spain for the reinforcements and supplies that will help him survive and explore these new lands. Earn the support of Spain to help you explore the mystery and riches of the New World, or take control of the Aztec or Native American factions and call on the Gods and your vast armies to see off this new threat.

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5 Playable Factions – England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Norway.

The year is 1258 and England has emerged as a superpower, with a firm grip on the provinces of the British Isles. However, as the English, your forces are spread thinly with the threat of rebellion looming large. Wales and Ireland are poised, ready to rise up and exploit the exposed English provinces. The Scots meanwhile, are squeezed between England’s expansion to the North and the growing Viking presence that threatens their shores. These five kingdoms are set to battle for supremacy in a fast-paced, war strewn campaign that delivers huge battles for high stakes.

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5 Playable factions – Kingdom of Jerusalem, Principality of Antioch, Egypt, Turks, Byzantium.

Recreate the epic Crusades in the Holy Land, leading the Crusade States to reclaim Christendom or the defenders of Islam to drive out the infidels. It’s 1174 and the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Principality of the Antioch are united in their struggle for the Holy Land against Egypt, the Turks and Byzantium.

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6 Playable factions – Teutonic Order, Lithuania, Denmark, Novgorod, Poland and the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1250, Northern Europe is locked in a bitter struggle between Paganism and Christianity, once ordained as a Crusade, it is now an unholy slaughter by the dreaded Teutonic order. Take up the black cross and carve out a new empire in the North. Construct mighty fortresses, train powerful Knights to destroy all that lies in your path, or adopt the cause of the Pagan factions and seek to withstand the vengeance of the Order, inspired by your powerful Gods.

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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:14 am
by AltarBoy
Wow! Gotta get this! Gonna play Indians and run Custer all the way to Belgium! :lol:

Altar-"Me Tonto, you Horse."-Boy.

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:58 pm
by :FI:TacticalS!
Yes, Yes looks great and all. Just that after rushing MTW2 for Christmas with significant bugs, and they still haven't released the long awaited patch (almost 5 months), makes me less than excited for this new add-on.

Concerned about this new feature too "New hero characters with powerful new battlefield abilities." Now I can see how this could work well, especially for legendary generals but I don't want something so silly/unbalanced like LOTR series. TW needs to carefully implement this feature.

Finally, back to having specific (and smaller) campaign/goals (i.e., Glorious Achievements). Great! Was getting tired at the odd Grand Campaigns - I mean Scotland couldn't have taken over the entire known world, could they? :-k

No doubt I will pick this up, but it will be after it is released and the community confirms it's playable. I waited a little bit for MTW2 and got lucky by playing a mod (LTC) that made it enjoyable for me.

TS!

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:55 pm
by AltarBoy
I mean Scotland couldn't have taken over the entire known world, could they? Think
Apparently you haven't drank their Johnny Walker. Scotland took over this island when they mixed it with coconut water. :lol: