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View Full Version : how am i doing for time?



Navaros
04-07-2004, 02:42
i know this game ends in a certain year and i am trying to conquer 100% of Europe before then

right now i am at war with the French

i have Cyrencia and all the land left of there up to and including Provence and Aquitane. the French still has some big armies that i can see and probably many more that i can't see. almost all of my armies are camped in Toulose, Aquitane, and Provence

the French used to have the strongest military but i've been kicking their butt so now it tells me Egypt has the strongest military. i've taken Egypt a few times but at the moment am not really strong enough to take Egypt and the provinces that continue in that direction

am i doing well for the amount of time that has passed?

do i have enough time left to conquer 100% of Europe?

kiwitt
04-07-2004, 02:51
About 30%. You still have over 200 turns to go.

BalkanTourist
04-07-2004, 05:01
Sorry to disappoint you, but you are not doing too well. Almos are very strong in Early and High era. So you need to take full advantage of that. As the time passes, other fractions will go stronger and will pass you technologically. So you need to make the most of it early in the game. I finish my total domination games around the time the Horde arrives +/- 20 years or so. Even with catholoc nations. If I am catholic I'll stay put and try to fight rebels or bribe them if they are other factions civil war rebels. Everyone says Polish are really hard to play. I am playing them right now. It is year 1210 and I have:
Poland, Sylesia, Prussia, Pomerania, Volhynia, Wallahia, Moldavia, Crimea, Kiev, Khazar, Pereslavl, Chernigov, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Saxony, Brandenburg, Normandy and Leon. Pretty big, huh? To my standarts I am behind, what I'd have with other nations. I also have at least a ship in every sea of the map. That's 21 provineces I own and I started with 2. I fought another faction just twice. First the HRE were having problems with France and they lost Saxony when the had a civil war. I bribed the general and got Saxony. Then they disappeared, and when they reapered they chose Saxony. I beat them before the Pope could excummunicate me (2 turns). Then I was allied with the Danes. We bouth attacked Norway. I've been trying to conquer it 3 years in a row. I only used Highland clansmen to make it harder. So I sent 300 of them vs 180 vikings. I lost twice. Third time I sent another 300 men Scottish division. The Danish King decided to help feeling sorry for my Scots I guess. So he attacks with his Royal Knights and His son's. Well, those wild Scots decided to turn against the Danish and backstab their king (or was it my decision http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-curtain.gif ). TREACHERY. I hit them right as they were fighting against the vikings. Then I took Norway for my self. I missed one heir though. So I was in war with the Danes for one more turn (they had Sweden as well). Luckily the last heir was in Denmark where I had a 4* assasin and killed the poor thing the very next year. So they turned rebels and I bought them off. Scotland I received through marriage with an English princess (along with a nice 7* general). Leon and Normandy were also civil war rebels that liked my business proposal. Now they're happy and so am I. Mind me, but I am going to be cheap and assasinate the GH Khan when he arrives, so I don't have to deal with him, plus I kinda want his armies for my self (well, some of them, as the Polish are not rich enough to buy them all). Sorry, I got carried away with my current campaign.
Bottom line: If you play any non catholic faction (except the Turks as they grow stronger with time) rush Expand as much as you can, cause it'll be hard when they get their better units. If you are a catholic nation don't worry about time, cause you'll have a chance to win the game in Late.
And yes, you can still win this one, but be a bit more agressive

JAG
04-07-2004, 05:38
Nav you have ageeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees to go yet - keep it up.

Navaros
04-07-2004, 05:51
i started being aggressive but right now i keep losing provinces to crappy French armies cuz they invade me by sea (or so i've been told)

they keep dropping in everywhere and i kill them a few turns later. but the buildings i lose during that time really hamper my tech tree and i often have to do most of the tech tree again from near-scratch

i've been trying to sink their ships but they have ships EVERYWHERE and my dhows build slows as molasses for some reason

is there an easy way to wipe out all their ships at once?

can you guys give me some advice about how to get a massive aresenal of my own ships EVERYWHERE so this BS stops happening? and sometimes i can not even move into NEUTRAL WATERS in an adjacent sea at the start of a turn. why is that?

BalkanTourist
04-07-2004, 06:24
Always have at least one province at start designated for building Navy. For Almos I chose Tunisia, since dhows (sp?) get +1 valor there. Be the first one to make ships early in game. That helps with trade too. Cover every see. Once you do that make strike forces of better ships (later in game) in strategic seas to protect your routes. Also, as you concuer, designate new ship building countries so that you are not limiting yourself to producing ships in one are and doing so once every 3 years. If you have 3 ship builders, you'll get 3 ships each year, right? Honestly, correct me guys if I am wrong, but Naval superiority gives you ultimately the victory as it ables you to be more mobile and concentrated.
Just an example for you Nav, a ship or 2 in any of the seas near Spain would cost you 1300-1500. That's a lot cheaper and convenient than having a good amount of troops defending each province from amphibius attacks. I simply cannot stress how important Navy is in the game. I know battles are decided on the battle fields, but the Navy will give you that victory in the whole war.

nick_maxell
04-07-2004, 06:36
you cant get into some sea spaces b/c you don t have deep water vessels I guess - you will get them with upgrades to shipyard and for any ship it takes 3 turns to complete. To get rid of enemy navys, build in sheltered waters and attack with a bunch of them at once - dominating the seas is one of the keys winning the game. If you have one ship in the space adjacent to your province - they have to sink it first to invade which gives you a headsup and you wont get surprised anymore - just as czar ivan said




http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif

nick

Bhruic
04-07-2004, 07:01
I wouldn't say you are doing bad, but Ivan is correct, the main advantage of the Almohad is in Early, and that's the best time to break out. The Almohad Urban Militia are one of the better foot units you can build. Effectively, they are Feudal Man-at-Arms, but with 1 better armour (although lacking Elite Unit status). Considering that you should be able to take the Spanish and Argonese early, you should have 4 provinces with Iron in them. Plus, Granada (I think it is) will make them with +1 valor. Using them, plus desert archers, plus Saharan Cavalry (which you can make at +1 valor as well), and you have a decent army able to stand up to almost any Early army.

As for shipbuilding, I find that I need to try and have 2 provinces constantly building ships to have a decent chance at gaining naval superiority. I'm usually too busy early on with land battles, however, so I find I have to play catch up. If you focus on them earlier, it might not be so bad. For now, try not to leave any of your ships isolated, they'll get picked off easier. As well, I find that it's better to have a faster ship than one with better attack/defense. But naval battles are still a closed book, for me, so who knows?

I'd recommend taking on Egypt, however. Egypt has numerous extremely prosperous provinces (even if you can't get trade going), and you'll need that money to fund your expansion.

Bh

Gregoshi
04-07-2004, 08:01
Eh, is this a good time to start preparing Navaros for the massive rebellions that may be in his future?

Kommodus
04-07-2004, 16:38
A lot of good advice has been posted on this thread, it seems. True, you haven't been as aggressive as you could have been, but this will keep the game interesting for a longer period of time, as there will still be powerful AI factions later on. If you crush everyone in a quick blitzkrieg, there's no challenge left for later. In video games, I believe that fun is more important than victory.

Definitely gain control of the seas; this gives you a lot more flexibility and is crucial to victory. Build ships in several provinces at once, and create good-sized fleets before taking them into enemy waters. By attacking smaller enemy fleets with larger ones, you can sink far more ships than you lose, and your fleet captains will build up their command ratings, which gives you an even better chance in future battles.

Also, you'll need lots of money to build the fleets and armies you need. Egypt would be a good place to get it; be sure to take Palestine, Tripoli, and Antioch, since they'll bring in lots of cash. While you're at it, though, try not to lose too many provinces to those French; too many defeats will lead to loyalty problems and even civil war.

katank
04-07-2004, 17:12
I too believe in fun factor.

my formula has been merc rush supplemented by starting forces and overwhelm two or 3 nearby factions in 15 years or so.

then, consolidate, disband mercs and peasant garrisons.

ship building in 6+ coastal provinces means naval superiority no problem. while so many keeps and ports and ships costs alot, it pays off enormously when I have ships from baltic to the black sea and huge trade from that.

however, playing this way lost its flavor as soon I'm matching gold-gold lancers with enemy peasants and vanilla spears.

when I can afford to charge my cav at their spears and break em with minimal casualties, the game ceases to be fun.

so just keep it up.

ships are important though so build some.

BTW, the muslims have the easiest access to deep water ships. baggala is available in early and requires only dockyard which is keep level.

so get into the atlantic and then you deep water ships can raid his coastal ones