FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ragss]

I finished my first campaign tonight Turkish hard, took me about...5 months haha. Here are some screens, the 2 battle ones are just there cause of the mass cassualties...
http://mrbobo.net/uploaded/mtw1.jpg
http://mrbobo.net/uploaded/mtw2.jpg
http://mrbobo.net/uploaded/mtw3.jpg


I also started Byz expert tonight, doing pretty good in it apart from being at war with Italy, Sicily, Egypy and Turkey. Though I just knocked out turkey.

[HopAlongBunny]

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

Looks like you carpeted Europe with the corpses of your enemies; anything worth doing is worth over-doing http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif

Good luck with the Byz, should feel like a vacation after the Turks http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-party2.gif

[PseRamesses]

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

On completion of a game I always feel a bit sad. Actually like a big void in my soul so I always start a new game to fill it, he he

[Lord Godfrey]

Congratulations. Completing a game is always a great achievement. I am always tempted to stop at a certain point because the challenge of the start of a game is no longer there. However, there are new or different challenges associated with the end of a long campaign.

[Sun Tzui]

Congratulations

It's always a thrill when we are rewarded with the final screen...

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

[invalidopcode]

It's probably just me but I always laugh when I see the final window because it looks like the soldier is holding on to a large beach umbrella Of course, after all of that fighting it probably is time for a holiday... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif

[Mouzafphaerre]

-
Congs http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/bigthumb.gif
_

[Nowake]

Congratulations ..


Finnally for me, I got to see the message at the end at last. Always gone only untill 60%.

[VikingHorde]

Hey, what is all that green stuff, oh you won http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-2thumbsup.gif

Congratulations .. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-party2.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-party2.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-party2.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-party2.gif

[el_slapper]

I finished the game at 100/100 only once, with France. But I autosolved a lot, playing only key battles. Did you play them all? If yes, what an accomplishment

Anyways, congrats. I've never been able to master the Turks.

[[DnC]]

Hehe nice one
I, although having played numerous campaigns, never finished one by accomplishing total domination, only 60%.

[Cebei]

On behalf of this victory I hereby entitle you with the utmost title that can be held by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire: Kayser-i Diyar-u Rum meaning "Caesar of the Roman Realm". +9 to all stats.

[Lacker]

Sure is an amazing thing to beat this game. Especially towards the end when they start throwing all the curveballs of returning nations and uprisings etc. I remember the first time I achieved total domination was with the Brittish. The end credits nearly brought tears to my eyes. 'course I'm also a bit of a softie http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif
A

[Ragss]

I miss my 6+ valour armies now hahaha. Im thinking of going to an old save, a few turns before I win, and just building tons of jihads, then destroying all my ribats so I get to fend off 30 rebelions...

[lancer63]

He, he same thing happened to me after I finished my spanish campaing. Took me a couple of defeats as the Sicilians (I think it was them)before I could change gears and understand my SAPs and lancers would no longer be summoned to save the day. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-wall.gif

Congratulations pal those screenshots say how hard it was to finish on top. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Jeff]

Congratulations Those battle screens look awesome, I love seeing all the dead bodies everywhere.

[Ulair]

Way to be cool, Ragss http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/bigthumb.gif

Something I bet I'll never see myself; don't have the time (nor, if I'm honest, the skill http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif )

[Kaiser of Arabia]

I hope you were merciful and killed those 1043 prisoners,
congrats.
-Capo

[VikingHorde]

Quote[/b] (Jeff @ April 23 2004,01:45)]Congratulations Those battle screens look awesome, I love seeing all the dead bodies everywhere.
Jepp, it reminds me of one of my battles as the byz vs. the mongols. Lots of horsemeat for sale that day http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[katank]

yep, I hope you did kill those prisoners.

how could you resist getting the butcher vice? so darn cool http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

I reminisce about my byz mongol experiences too.

literally rings of dead showed precisely the range of my massed treb archers and arbs.

in addition, a nice carpet was made for the forest in which my varangians hid http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

ahh, the joys of mangled horseflesh

[Ragss]

I never took prisoners, every once in a while I would take 1-5 if it was possible...sort of roleplaying what a real murderous leader might do.

How do you beat the mongols so easy as byz? It was tooooo easy as turk with Jan heavy (yeah I let the mongols sit around that long).

[katank]

byz is easy.

guard khazar fortress with gold armor varangians.

if that didn't reduce them enough, defend bridge battle in kiev.

6 pav arbs line the banks. 6 catapults behind 1 unit of byz inf and 2 varangians all serving as plug plus katank general.

when they arrive, missiles go BOOM and they get killed.

alternative solution, use 2-3 spears in very deep formation to guard the bridgehead in hold hold.

line up 5-6 units of naptha. when the khan charges, what khan?

BTW, occasionally, you can get some gunpowder units as mercs which can help slaughter the mongols on the bridge readily.

[Ragss]

I guess my question should have been: Do the byz have any good anty calv by then? IE pikemen, halbardier...It doesnt look like it, but I guess experienced varangian guards can hold their own...is it 1230 they come?

[katank]

pikers are late.

halbs are high but only catholics and russians.

however, there is a bug that allows the swiss variety of both to be buildable by the byz.

getting to switzerland in time and building it up would take so long that you will likely have taken the world by then.

Varangians should win easily in melee vs. mongol cav but eating the charge is painful.

it really sucks to see an entire row of VGs go down in a hardcore MHC charge.

therefore, I would like to use merc italian inf for this duty.

sometimes I use byz inf just because they are cheap, plentiful, and far better than vanilla spears.

or, I use several vanilla spears in very deep formation to hold them.

If any case, crank up the morale upgrades and leave some room for your VGs to flank.

naturally, with basic spears, you get my naptha bomb all option too.

This is only bridge combat.

For field combat, I suggest a thin line of katanks spread in front to counter charge enemy knights to absorb the charge whereupon your byz inf and varangians can waltz up and chew em up in melee.

[Ragss]

speaking of katanks, it seems to me like the byz are going to be pretty sucky in late when all the other factions have late knights, and I still have prog alanoi (err whatever that is) and katanks that havent changed in 200 years...Not to mention verangian wont be buildable.

[katank]

yep, byz kinda blows in late.

that's why you have to use covert ops (from syria) to help eliminate enemy factions then bribe high tech armies, cause rebellions with spies and agents, and also have liberal use of mercs.

they do get all the cool catholic gunpowder weapons though and you'll be surprised at the rabbel that the AI builds even in late.

massed culvs and serpentines will wreck most enemy armies but are not going to do that much against all lancer forces. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif