From easy to expert in STW.

[webwing]

I played Shogun a few campaigns in Normal mode and after that switched to expert mode to have more of a challenge.
What a change, especially in the battles. Although I find the battles a lot tougher to win I just cant figure out what exactly is the AI advantage, what is it that makes them become so much “stronger.”
I experimented then with the custom battles setting everything the same in expert mode. I played more than a dozen battles but still the troops wont root and my general always seems weaker than the opposition.
But what objectively is the difference in each mode?

Thanks.

[King Edward]

Well if its the same as MTW the difficulty setting effects the moral of your enemy, the harder the setting the higher moral bonus you opposition have.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

On expert the AI's troops get +2 Honor which is +4 morale +2 attack and +2 defense.

[HicRic]

Sasaki Kojiro, is that true? I've always been told that on Expert the AI units just get +4 morale, I didn't think they got any attack/defense bonus.

On Hard (and expert) the AI tries as hard as it can in the battles. On Easy, it holds back.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

In shogun they get +2 honor, in medieval they just get +4 morale.

[webwing]

Thanks for the replies.

Well, so in custom battles where the default is +2 honor the AI actually gets +6 honor http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif

That´s why they never give up

I´m practicing a lot in custom battles with expert mode, before I go back to the full campaign again.
Unfortunately my general runs away whenever it gets in touch with the enemy, even if I'm winning...

My last experiment I kept as simple as possible and was both me and the AI with:

2 - Yari Samurai
1 - Yari Ashiguri
1 - Archers

Expert, no time limit.

Both generals were with the Ashiguris always.

As the defender it was not so hard to win the battles.
As the attacker things where harder. The AI was hidding in the woods and I had to provoke to have it come out to face my Samurai which were with hold formation, hold position.
I flanked the attacking unit with my other samurai. After doing this a few times and both archers out of arrows I carried on with the same tactic and finally the ashiguris and the AI general come out to attack what was left of my two units of samurais. There were also a bunch of enemy archers and samuri left that followed the attack too. Well I then flanked them with my archers and ashiguris but a few seconds later my general was running away I had tactical advantage and numerical as well so I´m not sure what I should have done. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-confused.gif

[]`s

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Ashigaru general is a bad idea...if you have one make sure that he is surrounded by freindly units on both sides.

[PaolinoPaperino]

If you can, keep always some arrows to use against YA, while the fatigue has not to be ignored. If you can, at the end of a battle, use the remain small units (20 men or less) for flanking actions, blocking the enmy with the bigger unit you can use.
Keep the general close to the melee (he improoves the morale to the friendly units, in a small range).
If you start a melee fight don't deploy the units in 2 rows, but try with 3 or more.
If you attack a hill, try to force the AI to charge down, and avoid a frontal fight. While the enemy units is approaching, try to pull back as fast you can your unit (the one you think the enemy will charge into), then order to the flanking to do a burger. As the melee starts, then recall the first unit. To attract the AI to charge your unit in the middle deploy it a bit ahead of your first line.

To avoid to tire your troops too much:
-never made them running;
-let them march in deep row formation, then deploy better when you approach the enemy.