Requiem for Christianity

[SmokWawelski]

1310, the year of severe winters and poor crops just rolled over northern Europe. Our people are hungry, generals lose their skills by stationing at forts, and soldiers lose morale. It is years since the last crusade, and even as I write the Holy Father attends his own business leaving us, Poland, the Wall of Christianity alone. Despair creeps into my heart, as kingdoms to the west fall under the swords of Almohads, Hungary falls to Egyptians, and remnants of Spaniards linger as traveling bands of soldiers roaming the central Europe. France, Holy Empire, England, Byzantines, proud Italians, Danes and Boyars of Russia are only the history now.

It seems that the fire of Christianity will fall to the infidel, for there are no heirs to my throne, and many winters have passed since my birth. Thus I write this parchment to record, how the last Christian kingdom shall perish in flames.

This being said, it looks like I will be soon the last Christian kingdom left in the game, maybe except the Sicilians, of which I do not have information. Did any of you notice if the Muslim nation are more prone to attack the Christian nation, or does it not make any difference for the AI, aside from the influence of Pope and Crusades of course?

I am curious, because the whole Western civilization seemed to crumble under the infidel, while I was struggling to keep Poland alive through the Golden Horde years…

[Longshanks]

It seems like it varies from game to game, at least it has for me. Every time I've played different nations became strong and different ones became weak. The only nations who seem to remain constantly weak for me are the Danish and the Sicilians. Neither of them accomplish much in my games.

In the game I'm playing now the Muslim factions got destroyed. Spain took out the Almohads completely. The Byzantines and Egyptians took out the Turks. England(who I'm playing as)and France have beaten up the Egyptians, who are now reduced to a single province and very little troops.

[SmokWawelski]

Well, I am glad to hear that, as in this campaign I need to step lightly among the non-christian nations...

[Tyrac]

In my current game I am playing the english, but as a pure naval and trade power, using tons of agents I watch the Ai to see how it does. I am only taking islands as bases for my fleets. The catholic powers started the game by launching crusade upon crusade, especially the Spanish. Of the muslim only the Turks remain, and it is only 1209. Started in early.

[LordMonarch]

Aye being a Catholic power is easiest. THe Crusades are usually always aimed at muslims which is quite annoying when you are Muslim or even Orthodox.

[Foreign Devil]

But then again the Muslim factions don't have to worry about what the Pope will think- this allows them to wage war more easily than Catholics.

And crusades can be controlled to an extent with chokepoints, which there are more of on the southern portion of the map.

[SmokWawelski]

The same chokepoints can be used to stop the muslim nations... Thank god for Const, and Spanish penisula...

[Portuguese Rebel]

There is no rule here... i've fought various campaigns where the christians wiped out the muslims and vice-versa. Although it seems the orthodox guys allways get creamed if im not one of them. maybe it's because everyone wants constantinople....

[SmokWawelski]

Oh, the irony...

I was protecting the Spaniards for more than 50 years now, since they were the last christian nation left (llok my first post here) besides me, only to get backstabbed by them and attacked in all border provinces. With all my forces away I had to take the bitting, lose over 1K in annual income (for Poland this is a matter of life) and many expensive improvements... Have your enemies close, but your friends even closer...

I guess that you all were right: there is no rule here, and the alliances, bloodlines, politics and brotherhood of religion are useles. The AI only cares about next-turn survival and dos not care about longer-lasting consequences. This is the problem of all games: COMPUTER CANNOT PLAN, no matter what then, humans will be more adaptive and better.