Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 61 to 90 of 98

Thread: England

  1. #61
    Member Member stormcricket's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Canberra, Australia
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: England

    One thing I have found is that Sweden isnt named as a province with iron ore in many of the guides. I took it originally for its trade potential and it has repaid my risk many times over. I took Norway, simply because I could and now it along with Ireland and Northumbria produce all my ships. I am keeping an eye on the Spanish who have been building up forces on a couple of my borders.
    I have sent 2 crusades and they have inadvertantly taken rebellious former Spanish provinces, which could have peeved them a bit. I hold Algeria, Nicaea, Anatolia, Lesser Armenia and Trebizond because of those crusades. Wales pumps out lbowmena and Mercia pumps out billmen, they are then transported to either Sweden or Spain for upgrading along with all the Chivalric troops I can produce.
    I am still in the process of getting pikemen but am not sure if they are worth the effort.
    I regularly get the mightiest army and the highest technology announcements, but will need to start consolidating my armies and disbanding old low valour units.
    I now control most of western Europe, the UK the Iberian peninsula and the other provinces named above. I am starting to build a warchest and have over 100,000 florins. Trade is a huge earner for me but my farm income is the biggest one at the moment.
    What I am starting to notice is some corruption and the generous V&V of some of my govenors.
    I do want to ask, are the pike men worth it and how do I control the corruption that is starting?
    "Some mornings its just not worth chewing through the leather straps"

  2. #62
    Arrogant Ashigaru Moderator Ludens's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    9,058
    Blog Entries
    1

    Lightbulb Re: England

    There isn't much you can do about V&V's. As your empire grows big, your governors become worse. It is an attempt of the game to slow you down. You will suddenly get a lot of vices when you own 60% of the map, but I think there is another trigger at 40%. Very high taxes are also said to be bad for your governors, although personally I never noticed a difference.

    I am not very fond of pikemen, except if they are Swiss. The have large units, but to get a full rank bonus you need to make them very deep (flanking!) and their stats aren't that good. They are good for holding short frontages (like gates and bridges) for a long time, though, but for a holding unit I prefer chivalric sergeants. If those aren't available, billmen do a very creditable job as well.

    Welcome to the Org, BTW .
    Looking for a good read? Visit the Library!

  3. #63
    Man behind the screen Member Empirate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Heidelberg, Germany
    Posts
    246

    Default Re: England

    Couldn't agree more on the pikemen issue. In a one-on-one matchup, they're destroyed by lower-tech spearmen like Chivalric Sergeants or Saracen Infantry. Against other kinds of troops, they're even more at a disadvantage because of the cited need for a deep formation: at the very least five ranks, more if you want some replacements for killed men in the front ranks. Of course they don't actually need to be set that deep, but then you're not using their full potential, as the second to fifth rank can help in the fighting. If put into deep formation, however, they don't provide much front and are flanked more easily.
    Swiss Pikemen are much better - they simply have better stats. And Swiss Armored Pikemen (which have VERY steep requirements) are simply invulnerable in most every regard. These two units are probably worth the buildup. But then, you'll probably be able to win the game at least before Swiss Armored Pikemen become available. This is quite similar to the problem with Gothic units for HRE and Italians, Lancers and Gendarmes for the Spanish, and Janissary units for the Turks: the game doesn't make them available early enough for these to be useful anymore.

    For a quick and very, very good summary, see Frogbeastegg's Complete Total War Unit Guide (it's a sticky).
    People know what they do,
    And they know why they do what they do,
    But they do not know what what they are doing does
    -Catherine Bell

  4. #64

    Default Re: England

    I'm not sure what strategy most players of this faction have, but I decided to destroy the French from the very first turn. King William II destroyed the French in a short campaign lasting 7 years. In 1106 the Angevian Empire(English) were attacked by the HRE, large armies cut swathes through the HRE cutting it in half. After a successful mopping up campaign the HRE were reduced to a single province of Bohemia, they faced an army of 3 Spearman. 3 Fuedal Sarges, 3 Archers, 3 Longbowmen, with some Hobilars & RK, boldly marching across a bridge & the enemy pulling back giving me a bridgehead. This gave me the chance to march, straight at them in a killer spear & archer formation, what does the HRE Emperor do run like hell, no more provinces or castle to retreat to, instant death to HRE remaining army.

    My army from Sweden and Norway swept down through Denmark, destroying the Danes.

    I had a very fun battle in Ile de France with a large French army, who just happend to charge stupidly across a bridge, where 3 archer & 3 longbowmen units where overlooking the bridge. The foot of the bridge was guarded by a unit of spearmen backed up with some UM, with 1 RK & 2 Hobilars in reserve. My archers slaughtered them all on the bridge, I love watching the replay of it. Thats what you get for having a stupid French Prince as a general.

    Well it seems the Holy Father is hiding in fear under his cassock as the Itallians are rampaging across Italy. It took 2 turns to destroy the Italians and Corsica & Sardinia are now rebel. I'm now going to march into Iberia, smash the Spanish, Aragonesse & boot the Alhomads out. The Byzantines are attacking my Polish & Hungarian buffer allies, so I do the right thing of helping them out. It seems the Sicilian factions has collapsed & by a quirk I get all their territory

    I'm going to be trying out the BKB mod from now on see if its more accurate & more interesting. I don't know if the XL mod or med mod are any good, but will be willing to try them out.

  5. #65
    Man behind the screen Member Empirate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Heidelberg, Germany
    Posts
    246

    Default Re: England

    You actually got the Sicilians' territory on their demise, did I get that right? I must have played this game a thousand hours, but I never got any land from a destroyed faction. This can happen, I have heard, when you've married some princess of theirs and their king dies without heir.
    People know what they do,
    And they know why they do what they do,
    But they do not know what what they are doing does
    -Catherine Bell

  6. #66
    Survivor of Grunwald Member ciprianrusu's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Third planet from the sun.
    Posts
    89

    Default Re: England

    I have a question. What is your advise regarding the use of the longbow or the use of the arbalesters(pavoised arbalesters)? Wich type of weapon is more suitable in an English campaign. I have also the welsh longbowman available.
    I'm playing the XL Mod and i'm also able to build Sherwood foresters. Are they any good?
    Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

  7. #67
    Man behind the screen Member Empirate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Heidelberg, Germany
    Posts
    246

    Default Re: England

    IMO Arbalesters are better than Longbows for their main job: Delivering withering missile fire. They have the same range, but far better killing power; Londbows are armor-piercing, but not very effectively so. Arbalesters are far better at destroying armored units. On the other hand, they need thrice as long to reload. Pavise Arbalesters, moreover, are slow to get around the battlefield. Still, while Longbowmen will on average kill only two men or so out of a regiment of heavy foot (per volley), you can rely on the Arbalesters to kill five or six, sometimes even a dozen in one volley. This delivers a far greater shock to the regiment than being whittled down slowly over time, especially when you concentrate fire by many regiments of Arbalesters. The faster reload time of Longbowmen means they can fill the air with arrows, leaving the target no time to breathe, but it also means they run out of ammo far more quickly. Arbalesters can keep shooting the whole time even in drawn-out battles that involve a lot of missile dueling or maneuvering for position. Arbalesters are also better armored, so they cannot easily be destroyed/routed by a cavalry charge; Longbowmen are quite vulnerable to this. But Longbowmen make much better flankers: Their melee attack is decent enough, and they have armor-piercing axes for close combat. This makes them valuable even once their ammo is gone.

    You should probably employ both troops in your armies, e. g. two regiments of Longbowmen, two of Arbalesters. Arbalesters deliver steady killing power against heavy armor, while Longbowmen quickly destroy lightly armored or unarmored targets. Both combined can keep up the fire and thus undermine the morale of a single target unit very quickly. Once their arrows are spent, the Longbowmen can be deployed as a flanking reserve, while the Arbalesters keep shooting.

    Also try to keep in mind what kind of troops the enemy has. Against lightly armored enemies, especially in the deserts, Longbows reign supreme. Against knights and Men-at-Arms, and especially in the rain, Arbalesters are unbeatable. Against moving targets, Arbalesters are better because of the flat trajectory of their bolts, but against stationary targets (--> bridge battles) Longbowmen are very good.
    People know what they do,
    And they know why they do what they do,
    But they do not know what what they are doing does
    -Catherine Bell

  8. #68

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Empirate
    IMO Arbalesters are better than Longbows for their main job: Delivering withering missile fire. They have the same range, but far better killing power; Londbows are armor-piercing, but not very effectively so. Arbalesters are far better at destroying armored units. On the other hand, they need thrice as long to reload. Pavise Arbalesters, moreover, are slow to get around the battlefield. Still, while Longbowmen will on average kill only two men or so out of a regiment of heavy foot (per volley), you can rely on the Arbalesters to kill five or six, sometimes even a dozen in one volley. This delivers a far greater shock to the regiment than being whittled down slowly over time, especially when you concentrate fire by many regiments of Arbalesters. The faster reload time of Longbowmen means they can fill the air with arrows, leaving the target no time to breathe, but it also means they run out of ammo far more quickly. Arbalesters can keep shooting the whole time even in drawn-out battles that involve a lot of missile dueling or maneuvering for position. Arbalesters are also better armored, so they cannot easily be destroyed/routed by a cavalry charge; Longbowmen are quite vulnerable to this. But Longbowmen make much better flankers: Their melee attack is decent enough, and they have armor-piercing axes for close combat. This makes them valuable even once their ammo is gone.

    You should probably employ both troops in your armies, e. g. two regiments of Longbowmen, two of Arbalesters. Arbalesters deliver steady killing power against heavy armor, while Longbowmen quickly destroy lightly armored or unarmored targets. Both combined can keep up the fire and thus undermine the morale of a single target unit very quickly. Once their arrows are spent, the Longbowmen can be deployed as a flanking reserve, while the Arbalesters keep shooting.

    Also try to keep in mind what kind of troops the enemy has. Against lightly armored enemies, especially in the deserts, Longbows reign supreme. Against knights and Men-at-Arms, and especially in the rain, Arbalesters are unbeatable. Against moving targets, Arbalesters are better because of the flat trajectory of their bolts, but against stationary targets (--> bridge battles) Longbowmen are very good.
    I wonder why many human players pick arbalests only when England's their faction and not have any longbows in their army. Most of the battle replays I watched involves 30+ minutes of arbalest shootouts, bores me to death.

  9. #69
    Man behind the screen Member Empirate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Heidelberg, Germany
    Posts
    246

    Default Re: England

    That's probably because you would lose fielding Longbowmen against Arbalesters in MP. And nobody likes to lose...
    The missile duel is, sadly, the only viable way of getting rid of a cautious player's missile troops, and get rid of them you must.
    People know what they do,
    And they know why they do what they do,
    But they do not know what what they are doing does
    -Catherine Bell

  10. #70

    Default Re: England

    But aren't Longbows supposed to fare better when they're in a missile duel because of their rate of fire?

  11. #71
    Enlightened Despot Member Vladimir's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    In ur nun, causing a bloody schism!
    Posts
    7,906

    Default Re: England

    Not against the heavy armor AND pavaise.


    Reinvent the British and you get a global finance center, edible food and better service. Reinvent the French and you may just get more Germans.
    Quote Originally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars
    How do you motivate your employees? Waterboarding, of course.
    Ik hou van ferme grieten en dikke pinten
    Down with dried flowers!
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



  12. #72

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Vladimir
    Not against the heavy armor AND pavaise.
    Dam that sucks.

  13. #73
    Man behind the screen Member Empirate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Heidelberg, Germany
    Posts
    246

    Default Re: England

    I had a modicum of success in MP fielding Longbowmen on top of my usual complement of four PavArbs. They provided me with a means of supplying greater firepower and, valored up, still packed a punch in melee (using them as flankers or gapstoppers). Still, the epic English Longbowmen, victors of Crecy and Agincourt, as mere support troops, reserve and gapstopper, didn't appeal to me much...
    People know what they do,
    And they know why they do what they do,
    But they do not know what what they are doing does
    -Catherine Bell

  14. #74
    Survivor of Grunwald Member ciprianrusu's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Third planet from the sun.
    Posts
    89

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Empirate
    They provided me with a means of supplying greater firepower and, valored up, still packed a punch in melee (using them as flankers or gapstoppers). Still, the epic English Longbowmen, victors of Crecy and Agincourt, as mere support troops, reserve and gapstopper, didn't appeal to me much...
    According to the last researches it seems that the decisive factor in the english victory at Agincourt wasn't the longbow as a weapon itself (they tested a longbow arrow against an armour like the ones that were used in those days, and the arrow head simply bended) but the longbowmen and the fact that they were lightly armored. The main part of the english army was comprised of longbows (they were commoners) who were lightly armored and could move quickly on the battlefield. The french army was made up mostly of heavily armored knights. As you know, a captured enemy knight was a valuable asset after the battle. As the battle begun, whit the few english knights in the middle of the english line, the french knights all rushed in that part of the enemy line. There was a melee there, and french knights toppled one on another, the ground was soft, and made their movement more difficult, many of them just fell on the ground in front of the english line. The longbows who were on the flanks simply surrounded the heavy dismounted french knights and started hacking whit their knives and swords.
    And this is how the longbow won the battle (or so say some historians)
    Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

  15. #75
    Man behind the screen Member Empirate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Heidelberg, Germany
    Posts
    246

    Default Re: England

    You may be right there, ciprianrusu, or you may not. It is still hotly debated among historians what were the major factors that made the English victory possible. I didn't want to get into another Agincourt discussion. It's a fact that many people hold the Longbow (being, ostensibly, a superior weapon of the time) responsible for the outcome of that battle, so it's kind of a modern legend, regardless of the historical truth (if there is such a thing). This is the reason why it felt kind of cheap to use Longbowmen as mere support troops. Please, don't start another "truth about Agincourt" discussion here, folks, we had one or two of those in the past...
    People know what they do,
    And they know why they do what they do,
    But they do not know what what they are doing does
    -Catherine Bell

  16. #76
    A very, very Senior Member Adrian II's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    9,748

    Default Re: England

    Early, Expert

    I think it is best to clobber the French from turn One and never stop until they are eliminated. Why? Just because they're there, and you can, and the money is great. Start with Brittany (isolated) and Flanders (commercial and strategic hub).

    You will of course be excommunicated.

    The ensuing Spanish invasion in Aquitaine and two Spanish Crusades (the first into Aquitaine, the second into Toulouse) are good training grounds for your generals. You don't get many high-ranked generals (in France or elsewhere) and since the English Princes are a pathetic lot you need to work on some star generals against serious armies. After that, Aragon and Navarre are cake.

    Wales (bribe) and Scotland (four Town Watch + three Archers out of Northumbria will do the job) take care of themselves.

    Never ever lose sight of Flanders which will be the strategic (geographic as well as financial) bottleneck of your campaigns.

    And hey, conquer the world before High is over. It's been done before.
    The bloody trouble is we are only alive when we’re half dead trying to get a paragraph right. - Paul Scott

  17. #77
    Believer of Murphy's Law Member Sensei Warrior's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    New York, USA
    Posts
    549

    Default Re: England

    MTW/VI Early, Normal, Hard

    I'll toss in my two cents. This strat works in Norm, and Hard. It seems like it would work for any difficulty, but you'll need to tweak it in the higher ones for lack of money. I opt for more of a blitzing turtle strategy.

    Send emmissary to bribe Wales, and your princess to ally with HRE. Do not ally with France as you will be taking it soon enough. Longbowmen in Early is good, very good. Build up your most profitable farms and basic units. Basic units meaning Urban Militia, Spears, Archers, and Hobilars on the mainland. These units are going to be your workhorses in the beginning years. Start turning Wessex into a shipping provence. The other provences should be geared to money or making fyrdmen or what not. Aquitaine should start a constant production of Hobilars.

    The Welsh are bribed and you should be close to getting your first prince. When you do, and if he isn't a complete dud (AKA Inbred or some such nonsense) move him and some troops to pacify Scotland. I do this to gain Clansmen which are decent, cheap troops. Wales should be built up to Celtic Warriors and Longbowmen. While this is going on try to build up mainland units, not to many but more than what you have. Conquer and pacify Scotland and move your Prince and his little force back down to Wessex.

    A number of years has gone by and IIRC it is usually around 1100 when I make this move. You should have a moderately size force on the mainland consisting of Spearmen, Archers, Urban Militia, and Hobilars. This should include some respectable generals such as Tancred de Normandie. On the island you should have the King, the hopefully married Heir you are trying to groom, another prince and a sizable force of Archers, Fyrdmen, Urban Militias, and your Longbowmen. From here, move the force in Wessex to Flanders, and move each force in your mainland provence into one of the French held provence. Attack the provences and assault the castles.

    If the Pope hasn't said anything wipe the rest of france away. Then after you secure your new lands, its on to Navarre and Aragon. Now, is the time to sit back and relax. Secure your borders, your Heirs, your shipping/trade lanes, and your defenses. Invariably either HRE or Spain will want a piece of you. If its HRE take a moment to shorten up your Eastern Provences, If its Spain grab a large chunk of the Iberain Pennisula.

    From here do whatever you like since the game is pretty much yours. You have carved out a sizable kingdom, with high quality money making provences, provences with iron, and even some with high zeal. From here you can seriously turtle up, make a grab for Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Crusade your way to the Holy Lands, or whatever you like.

    This is generally my opening move. It is influenced by some personal rules such as: Doing what the Pope says thus the reason for the long build up followed by burst attacks on Catho regions. I won't cross allies until they cross me. I won't ally with Muslims. I want to secure the entire British Isles.

    I also like to use unique units. Fyrdmen are the equivalent of Feudal Sergants but cost less. Celtic Warriors cost more than Peasants but cost less to maintain and are much sturdier. Clansmen and Gallowglasses are sturdy decent troops that are great to Crusade with. In the end England I think has one of the most cost efficient unit rosters in the Early Era, and if used properly can even gain what Adrian II suggested: World domination by High. Of course if you don't then who cares because you'll get Longbowmen and Billmen as replacements for Fyrdmen and Celtic Warriors who disappear after Early.
    Every weapon has evolved from the same basic design, either a rock or a sharp pointy stick.

  18. #78
    A very, very Senior Member Adrian II's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    9,748

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Sensei Warrior
    MTW/VI Early, Normal, Hard

    A number of years has gone by and IIRC it is usually around 1100 when I make this move. (..)
    On Expert mode, by this time Aquitaine would have been overrun by the Spanish whilst Toulouse would be occupied by 121 imperuous Aragonese Royal Knights...
    The bloody trouble is we are only alive when we’re half dead trying to get a paragraph right. - Paul Scott

  19. #79
    Enlightened Despot Member Vladimir's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    In ur nun, causing a bloody schism!
    Posts
    7,906

    Default Re: England

    Agreed!

    In MTW, rushing is the way to go. Kill the French royal family!


    Reinvent the British and you get a global finance center, edible food and better service. Reinvent the French and you may just get more Germans.
    Quote Originally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars
    How do you motivate your employees? Waterboarding, of course.
    Ik hou van ferme grieten en dikke pinten
    Down with dried flowers!
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



  20. #80
    Believer of Murphy's Law Member Sensei Warrior's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    New York, USA
    Posts
    549

    Default Re: England

    I have never tried Expert anything. I might be able to handle the Campaign, but my tactical skills leave a bit to be desired. Things happen that fast in Expert? I mean 1100 is only 13 years into the game.

    Forgive me for being naive but wouldn't the build up of forces in Aquitaine deter the Spanish or at least give you a fighting chance? As for Toulouse I guess I would have to build alot more Spears.
    Last edited by Sensei Warrior; 12-27-2006 at 00:32.
    Every weapon has evolved from the same basic design, either a rock or a sharp pointy stick.

  21. #81
    A very, very Senior Member Adrian II's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    9,748

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Sensei Warrior
    I have never tried Expert anything. I might be able to handle the Campaign, but my tactical skills leave a bit to be desired. Things happen that fast in Expert? I mean 1100 is only 13 years into the game.

    Forgive me for being naive but wouldn't the build up of forces in Aquitaine deter the Spanish or at least give you a fighting chance? As for Toulouse I guess I would have to build alot more Spears.
    Expert mode is not that hard, Sensei Warrior. Why don't you give it a try?

    If you start in Early, you'll learn as you go because you start out with small armies and small battles. Build watchtowers to know thine enemy. Never lose Aquitaine which provides you with those essential Hobilars. As soon as you win a battle, send your Hobilars after the stragglers to kill (or capture, if you need the money) another 50-100 enemy troops. Always defend with your back against the wall (i.e. your edge of the battefield) so that if you win your Hobilars can do maximum damage to those runing enemy units.

    And yes, you would need lots of spears to 'liberate' Toulouse from the Aragonese.
    The bloody trouble is we are only alive when we’re half dead trying to get a paragraph right. - Paul Scott

  22. #82
    Enlightened Despot Member Vladimir's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    In ur nun, causing a bloody schism!
    Posts
    7,906

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Adrian II
    And yes, you would need lots of spears to 'liberate' Toulouse from the Aragonese.
    Agreed. Sensei, just remember weapon/counter weapon. Those watchtowers help with that a lot and play smart.


    Reinvent the British and you get a global finance center, edible food and better service. Reinvent the French and you may just get more Germans.
    Quote Originally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars
    How do you motivate your employees? Waterboarding, of course.
    Ik hou van ferme grieten en dikke pinten
    Down with dried flowers!
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



  23. #83
    Believer of Murphy's Law Member Sensei Warrior's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    New York, USA
    Posts
    549

    Default Re: England

    Words of encouragement from the Masters. Well, you have inspired me, I will start up a game tonight when I get back to my comp and will bravely try expert.

    I always start in Early, so thats not a problem. Rock, paper, scissors, no problem there. Play smart, well that might be a problem, but I save the game every year so worse comes to worse I'll replay a year here or there when I really muck up the works. Thanks guys.
    Every weapon has evolved from the same basic design, either a rock or a sharp pointy stick.

  24. #84
    Member Member Geezer57's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Wichita, Kansas USA
    Posts
    890

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Sensei Warrior
    I always start in Early, so thats not a problem.
    Maybe not for this very next campaign of yours, but you should soon consider a Late or High period game. The Early unit rosters tend to be full of basic vanilla type troops, which I find less interesting. Later period battles can have you facing hordes of older troop types, or elite newer types, or a mixture of both. Much more variety to keep things interesting.
    My father's sole piece of political advice: "Son, politicians are like underwear - to keep them clean, you've got to change them often."

  25. #85
    A very, very Senior Member Adrian II's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    9,748

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Sensei Warrior
    Rock, paper, scissors, no problem there. Play smart, well that might be a problem (..)
    None of us here is a genius - if we were, we wouldn't piss away our talents on a computer game!

    In my experience, the important thing in M:TW battles is.. well, experience.

    As a player you can calculate your campaign moves, but there is little room for calculation on the battlefield. Instead you develop intuition.

    The more you play, the more you will get a 'feel' for the right decisions. You will discover, for instance, that you can attack a Spear formation head-on with Hobilars and send them running, on condition that the Spears have low morale and are far removed from their commander and their line of battle. This will cost you a few Hobilars, but the remainder will have increased Valour so they can operate more freely in future battles.

    Losing battles is a learning curve, too. I will never forget how I learned to play chess in high school: by losing, oh, one thousand chess games against a class mate who was a Junior National Champion of chess...
    The bloody trouble is we are only alive when we’re half dead trying to get a paragraph right. - Paul Scott

  26. #86
    Believer of Murphy's Law Member Sensei Warrior's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    New York, USA
    Posts
    549

    Default Re: England

    Well I figured this fits in the guide section, I did start a new game, GA in Expert. Its the mid 1120s and I have all of the British Isles and Ireland conquered. I have all of the mainland south to Aragon and Navarre. To the East I own the Friesland, Lorraine, Burgundy, Provence (?), line.

    I dominate the Northern Sea and in the Med, am very close to connecting a shipping lane to the Crusade lands. So far I am making a pretty penny in trade and have pretty decent farming.

    I am allied to Spain (which is huge) and whats left of the HRE. Have 4 stacks of units in reserve to my defensive border.

    Both Kings that have reigned William II and Edmund have an Influence of 10. Edmund has pretty good stats, but the Heir Apparant (another Edmund) has Incredible stats, they're disturbing.

    This is what I did. I allied with HRE and Spain. In 1090 I attacked Flanders, Brittany, Il de France, and Toulouse. I won all but the Il de France battle. I underestimated that one pretty badly. In 1092, was warned off by the Pope so was content to keep Brittany, Flanders, and Toulouse and wait the 10years building up.

    During this time I bribed Wales. When I attacked again in 1103 I swept the rest of France. The minute I was finished with France I was attacked by HRE. Not to long after the HRE Emperor died and my emmisaries told me he wasn't well liked by his Generals. I scraped up what units I had and attacked HRE's 4 Western Provences. After HRE lost those Provences the Generals rebelled and HRE was reduced to 3 Provences. They are regaining them, but terribly slowly and I think they are pretty much out of the Picture. I re-allied with them just in case.

    I love engineering the downfall of an Empire.

    Since then I have been building ships from Provence to Crusade, and in the North to establish trade. From the beginning I concentrated on the typical, Aquitaine pumps out hobbies and I developed them economically, Anjou built basic units then economics, Normandy economics, Wessex ships and then economics, Mercia was spear and then churches (this is where I am going to build a Cathedral), Wales is getting Bows and sword, Northumbria basic units esp. spear, Scotland just a fort. All of the French Provences I have built economy.

    Just recently I shipped an army of Fyrdmen to eradicate the Argonese and claim Navarre and Aragon. I just claimed Ireland. Now its the Crusading buildup. I am building or building up to Clansmen, Fyrdmen, Hobbies, Gallowglasses, Celtic Warriors (I use them to garrison provences), and Archers of course.

    Next I am off to Crusade my way through those GA points. I have been playing pretty safe, following everyones good advice. In truth the only thing that seems pretty tough is the battles. Man with the comps morale bonus there is absolutely no room for error. Even the opponents peasants seem not so rancid, at least they stick in the fight for a bit. I rather not admit that the Il de France battle I lost was due to underestimating the large Peasant force and ended up being overwhelmed . I didn't make that mistake again.

    Well thats it for now. If anything else crops up I'll pop in and add my 2 cents.
    Every weapon has evolved from the same basic design, either a rock or a sharp pointy stick.

  27. #87
    A very, very Senior Member Adrian II's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    9,748

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Sensei Warrior
    Well I figured this fits in the guide section, I did start a new game, GA in Expert. Its the mid 1120s and I have all of the British Isles and Ireland conquered. I have all of the mainland south to Aragon and Navarre. To the East I own the Friesland, Lorraine, Burgundy, Provence (?), line.

    I dominate the Northern Sea and in the Med, am very close to connecting a shipping lane to the Crusade lands. So far I am making a pretty penny in trade and have pretty decent farming.

    I am allied to Spain (which is huge) and whats left of the HRE. Have 4 stacks of units in reserve to my defensive border.
    And this is the guy who couldn't play in Expert mode!

    I have one last suggestion for you, before you definitely become better than me. Take care to raise good generals and heirs. Raise their stats by letting them fight rebellions, make them Stewards and Builders, give them 'Scant Mercy' (increases Dread) but stop right there because if they get 'No Mercy' it gives them a 1- morale penalty.

    Now Sensei Warrior, off into the breach!
    The bloody trouble is we are only alive when we’re half dead trying to get a paragraph right. - Paul Scott

  28. #88
    Enlightened Despot Member Vladimir's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    In ur nun, causing a bloody schism!
    Posts
    7,906

    Default Re: England

    Sensei: I would like to echo your sentiments on:

    Man with the comps morale bonus there is absolutely no room for error.
    There have been many times on Expert when I've though: "What's wrong? You should be beating these guys!

    Don't underestimate the bonuses on that level and learn everything that gives them a penalty, i.e. 50% strength, worried about flanks, etc. You'll need it.
    Last edited by Vladimir; 01-02-2007 at 00:38.


    Reinvent the British and you get a global finance center, edible food and better service. Reinvent the French and you may just get more Germans.
    Quote Originally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars
    How do you motivate your employees? Waterboarding, of course.
    Ik hou van ferme grieten en dikke pinten
    Down with dried flowers!
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



  29. #89
    Believer of Murphy's Law Member Sensei Warrior's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    New York, USA
    Posts
    549

    Default Re: England

    Adrian II. No sweat building up my heirs, before Edmund died the heir was my best general. My current king who was the heir Edmund that I mentioned is an 8* General, Magnificent Builder, Great Steward, and Scant Mercy. He was posted by the Italian border when they decided that I was getting to big for my britches. The next heir I might have problems with since I cannot imagine the King is going to live long enough to let my heir get some worldly exp.

    Vladimir. I think I fought more battles in this game than any other. The learning curve between Hard and Expert is huge. I've had Hobbies rout because they were taking fire from 2 or more units of archers, something I've never seen them do before. I saw another unit of hobbies evaporate when they connected with a unit of Urban Militia, another new one. I have seen the enemies Peasants last on the field long enough for help to come or smack my attacking unit so hard that it ended up being a hollow victory. I've become very rigid about supporting missile fire, flanking, and elevation in addition to the rock paper scissors.

    To catch up, its mid-1160s and I've finished the Crusade objectives, which was easy once my trade network was in full swing. My only problem is Spain, Egypt, and the Turks are all at war with me, Spain right out of the blue. Spain absolutely will not accept a ceasefire so I'm going to have to come up with something else. I really don't want to take them over. The Turks and Egyptians I wouldn't care to much about, I'd use them to train the troops, but my trade income has taken a huge hit. I've got Mercia queued up to build a Master Spear and a Cathedral , and Navarre and Aragon building Metalsmiths , I can't wait to ship out some uber-billmen in High.
    Every weapon has evolved from the same basic design, either a rock or a sharp pointy stick.

  30. #90
    A very, very Senior Member Adrian II's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    9,748

    Default Re: England

    Quote Originally Posted by Sensei Warrior
    The next heir I might have problems with since I cannot imagine the King is going to live long enough to let my heir get some worldly exp.
    A familiar problem. As long as the heir starts his reign with three Influence and you take care to keep him in the center and make him a Builder etcetera to increase his Influence, he will not have to fight for his survival. Usually, though, a non-fighting ruler tends to get rather less valiant heirs. In the end your line of Edwards may decay into a bunch of couch popatoes. You will still get the occasional Mighty Warrior whom you can shlepp onto some safe little battlefield to give him Skilled Attacker or something. But your 8-star days will be over and you had better start marrying off your daughters to your best generals.
    The bloody trouble is we are only alive when we’re half dead trying to get a paragraph right. - Paul Scott

Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Single Sign On provided by vBSSO