The Ottoman Empire (Turks) is one of the 12 playable factions available for play.
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The Ottoman Empire (Turks) is one of the 12 playable factions available for play.
My first turn went well. I did what the advisor suggested and, after a gift of some fine china, the French happily accepted an alliance with me. All is well. I started researching bayonets, and it seems the Ottomans are pretty bad at that whole 'research' thing. Six turns for plug bayonets! D:
Still, they're rich as hell, so I dont think it'll be too difficult to maintain numerical superiority in most cases.
Russia destroyed the Crimean Khannate on turn 2. Funny how it took me that long just to get an army down there :blankg:
Still, that gave me a chance for a naval battle. My fifth-rate took out their sloop and captured it, adding it to my fleet, which was nice.
Georgia declared war on turn three. Slightly annoying, but I'm doing alright.
On Ottoman units, muselims are even worse than armed mobs. Dont use them. Just dont, unless you have a serious need for some masochist cannon fodder.
Historically, things should be getting worse from there onwards. I briefly looked at the Ottomans, before starting the RTI campaign to figure out what is new in ETW. The Nizam-i Cedit army was fully established only ~ 1835, after the Janissaries were disbanded and destroyed after a revolts against "Western drill".
One thing I found daunting is the sheer number of starting provinces. I prefer to start small, then I can figure out where to invest what as I expand my empire.
Other thant the research, what did you invest in?
I haven't really got a hold on the whole resource thing just yet, so I sort of just spread everything around and waited for something to happen.
I finally managed to snag Georgia with a well timed incursion. I lured their army out by burning their resources, then snuck a force in to take Tblisi behind their backs. Boom, no more Georgia :P
My main problem right now is pirates in my trade theatres. The Ottomans are not exactly your major naval power. You get one fifth-rate...that's it. Otherwise you rely on brigs, sloops and galleys.
I'm not too sure about galleys, myself. They dont really seem to be GOOD for much...although light galleys are pretty cheap.
Interestingly, the Ottoman trade ship (Dhow) says it has three cannons on its unit card, but only one in its stats. Odd .-.
Since this section on the Ottomans is going slow here is my contribution after a few turns into the campaign on M/M and with some info I got here and there.
Starting
The Ottoman Dominion is quite underdeveloped when the game begins. You have to use your money to start your economy. As for research, which is quite slow giving your 3 star scholar and your Absolute Monarchy, it needs a boost, so I think its wise to turn or two towns into schools. The first tech should probably be on artillery, since you don’t really have a line infantry to speak of, but ottomans turn to be big on cannons. Then focus on farms and technology and of course land army tech.
As suggested some where else, an early ottoman army uses artillery for range, and Jannisary Swordsmen to charge the enemy line as soon as they come to musket range.
I found the kurd skirmishers you can recruit in Bagdad made a pretty decent early light infantry.
Some suggest starting an early revolution to get rid of your 2 star leader. I tried that and was stuck with a 2 star president, so not really a gain there, and now I can’t rearrange my cabinet at will. So, it’s a bit of a gamble.
Campaign gets going
On M/M I let the Russians get Crimea and generally keep peace on the western/northern front by giving gifts and make as many trade agreements as possible. I know Georgia, Dagestan and Persia are bound to start hostilities soon and want to keep my focus there, as Persia is a very good place to expand to: no religious unrest and plenty of riches, on the path to the Indian Subcontinent.
I made an army to fend of the Georgian offensive and go on the counter attack, which took a few turns to build up, having to endure enemy raids in Armenia all that time.
Once I was ready I attacked the Georgian capital and bye bye.
Persia declared war, and Dagestan followed. So I started building up in Bagdad, using the Persian raiders to train my troops, while the army in Georgia fends off the Dagestan offensive and in three turns captures it’s capital. From there I went south and captured the poorly defended Persian city. Now I can unite this army with the troops in bagdad and move into Persia. I expect the enemy to be properly crushed.
I haven’t got to that point yet, but if peace holds with the Europeans, I expect the Ottoman economy to really bloom.
I’ve given up on navy for the time being, I’m useless with galleys… and although there is an opportunity to build trade fleet into the Indian ocean from the start to get the early trade ports, I bypassed that, confident that my huge territory will provide the means for war.
Early Ottoman troops are underwhelming but those janissary swordsmen are good fighters and cost half the upkeep of European line infantry, you just have to go Medieval for a while. But it gets you the victories you need. You can of course build a more conventional army with the (weak) line infantry you get and take advantage of the military research you have to do anyway. Again, I think this goes with personal style.
Ill be back here and update once I get to India and get the better units down the line.
Update
Not quite in India yet but Persia is gone. The road to India is long and easy enough (M/M).
A funny development occurred, however. I was sweeping Persia with two half stacks, one going inland the other closer to the coast, given the vastness of the territory. The northern army entered Afghanistan in order to conquer Kabul, which would be the last stand of the Persians. However, when the south army conquered the other remaining persian city, Afghanistan emerged as a nation, resulting in the immediate extinction of the Persian empire and, this is the funny part, the teleportation of my north army to Istanbul, in a tactical retreat to the "nearest safe region".
This was a bit of a surprise. I was planning to joint the armies to enter india and steamroll, but now i have to build up again a bit in the east. On the other hand i may need that force in the European border soon, so it may not be all that bad.
Focusing on Persia had the consequence of having friendly terms with most European nations, and having trade agreements with half the known world. If Poland doesnt stirr any trouble ill go back to focusing on India.
On the units front, Jannisary Musketeers and Grenadiers are a force to be reckoned with. I am now researching European Discipline, and i wonder if i will still be able to recruit them after.
Ah, and 24 lbs howitzers are FUN!
If you can anger your upper classes you can get them to assassinate the Sultan (and his cabinet)Quote:
Some suggest starting an early revolution to get rid of your 2 star leader. I tried that and was stuck with a 2 star president, so not really a gain there, and now I can’t rearrange my cabinet at will. So, it’s a bit of a gamble.
and install a candidate of their choosing. (again a gamble you may get a weaker ruler but you may keep absolutism around keep cabinet control.)
starting off russia will soon conquer the crimean sultanate and morroco will take on and eventually conquer the barbary pirates. raise as many troops as you can to reinforce your army facing the russians. recruit a fleet to take on the morrocan fleet. invade and destroy the russian forces if they have not yet invaded you. you can conquer the ukraine and the crimea, push on and take moscow. offer russia peace with moscow to sweeten the deal. your european front is then secure. you should move your troops to take on chechnya and georgea or persia. if war is first begun with persia offer them peace after trouncing their army hopefully keeping your conquests and attack and destroy those two troublesome states.
next look at conquering persia, raising an army in egypt to deal with the morrocans and conquer as much of africa as possible before spain gets to it. invade and crush the mughal empire keeping peace for the time being with the marthraha empire, they'l love love you for taking out the mughals. look at using imans to convert the mathraha empire to islam forcing eventual rebellians that you can exploit by swiftly taking over or aid one in a war of attrition if you looking at outright conquest.
I will contribute my part too. I have reached all the requirement for short campaign by 1742, which means 7 specific region and control 20 (I've got 28). It is M/M. I am now just wait for 1750 and doing some extra conquering to reach for 30 regions so to prove that the long campaign can be done too.
Starting
I realize that the vastness of the empire at the start is a blessing and a curse.You start with 12 region. You need 20 and there is 6 specific region u need to conquer. That is 2 more nonspecific region you need. Your money income is generally sufficient with about 5000 per turn. This means you can support multiple army. This is needed as your large empire is vulnerable to multiple attack. I start of by researching carbines as it gives you a decent cavalry, the Deli horseman. Upgrading a few farms and vineyards and recruitment of a few unit already used up the treasury but it is okay because your income will cover it. The most desperate part is the north.
War with Russia
You start with having a war with Russia. I highly recommend assisting the Crimean Khanate in defending. I manage to do this because Russia (stupidly) sent multiple weak troops to attack. I were able to eliminate the army (with the Khanate's help) one by one until his attack force is gone. Then my main army (the starting one) rushed to Kiev and it is under defended. I got it and negotiated peace. Russia agreed the first Russo-Turkish war ends in my favor. This proves to be valuable. The surviving Crimean would continue to harass Russia. It even claimed tartarnya but lost quickly, but Russia is never my concern then.
War in the east
Georgia will attack u very soon after the start. Armenia is their target so you better field some defenders. Upgrading the palace would gives u the Tartar horseman, which is an excellent missile cavalry for the present purpose. You also start with an decent army near Baghdad. Recruit some Kurdish hillman and Dessert Warrior to further enhance it. Add a few artillery and you are able to attack Tbilisi. Planning is needed as it will be heavily defended. Try luring the army out by pillaging and then attack the city when the army is defeated. ETW is great in healing your unit as you can do it while besieging. Also replenish your army from Yerevan. You should succeed and Georgia is no more.
However, by then Dangestain and Persia might have declared war on you. The war on Dangestain is almost a welcome as they have poor troops and Chechnya is one of the required region. Persia, however is a significant threat. Fortunately, they only sent troops to pillage the countryside of Mesoptamia, and i was able to defeat them. My army went on the conquer Dangestain, and they turned south to conquer Azerbaijan.
War with Persia
The Persia region is another requirement so attack Persia is inevitable. Luckily Azerbaijan is poorly defended and quickly captured. I plan to have two army to invade Persia. Unfortunately, I found myself short on money due to army upkeep. I then sent half an army to Persia. This army is defeated but it also hurts the Persian army. And my income rise back again as the army is diminished. The army from Azerbaijan then attack Isfahan and defeated the city garrison. Persia region is mine eventually. I continued to attack Baluchistan so to prevent the Persian from harassing. After the conquest, Afghanistan become an independent country and Persia is no more. Although the Afghans declared war on me a fe turn later, they are too poor to be a threat. I quickly sent my army back to the west for the war in Europe.
War against Austria
It is 1718 when i finished the Persia campaign. The game ends in 1750 and I still have 4 regions in Europe that I need to conquer. Two of them, Hungary and Vienna, is in the hand of Austria. I therefore again build up my army for an invasion. At that time, Austria is allied with Britain but at war with France and Prussia. I can peacefully build up a new army consisting of Elite troops such as Janissary Musketman and Grenadier, Howitzer and Deli Horseman. With the old army back from Russia, I am ready to attack Austria on 1725. I declared war and then Britain and some German state is with war of me because of the alliance.
Your Bosnia region is directly in contact with Hungary. However, I recommend attacking Croatia first. it is lightly garrisoned and should be conquered easily. Then 3 required region (Venice, Vienna and Hungary) would be in proximity. I allied with the Prussians and they proved to be useful. After Croatia is fallen, Austria sent his garrison in Hungary to pillage: a big mistake. My army eliminated it and assaulted Hungary immediately. Hungary is fallen before Austria can say 'no'. Without the support of Hungary, I am safe to siege Vienna. Knowing that they got no help, they sally forth and is defeated. I now got Vienna by 1729. The Austrian are still annoying and I went on the conquer Transylvania and Prussia got their another region. Austria is officially good-bye.
And interesting note is that Russia declared war on me and claimed Kiev back. But my army from Persia just arrived and take back Kiev. I decided that Russia is still too strong for my content and therefore I rushed to Muscovy and attacked. It is not fortified and my experienced army take short work on the Russians. Muscovy is mine and after settling the unhappiness, a started to tax them. The region wealth is very high! >8000. Together with Austria's tax, my treasury is now spilling.
Venice and Poland
Now I am 2 region short of the requirement: Venice and Galicia . I reckon that attacking Venice would be nice as they have no alliance. A assaulted Venice by 1735, after I have settled the unhappiness of the conquered region. It proves to be a little difficult because they have a high concentration of army near Venice. I have to directly assault Venice to avoid their reinforcement. They have a full good army in the city. I got my victory with heavy lost. Meanwhile, i directed another unit to Morea and got their city. Bye-bye Venetians.
Now it is Poland turn to taste the ottoman army. Poland have a large army but they are of poor quality infantry. I have two full experienced army at disposal in Europe. I decided I will attack their capital and Galicia at the same time. In fact, because Warsaw is unfortified, I was able to get it quicker than the fortified city in Galicia. Nonetheless, it is fallen with minimal lost.
Your army
I am still getting a hang for the new battle system. But now most of the battle are victorious. The ottoman army is a bit poor actually, but not ineffective. At the start of your tech level, U can only have one line infantry ( i think it is spelled Israyleis). They are not as good as their European counterpart (They cannot dig trench while your 'mob' musketman can). Other infantry are very poor that they can never stand alone. You can use it to fill up the army to make it look big but that is all. Your Janissary Melee unit is decent, but in a time of musket they are too helpless against missile fire. You must support your infantry with Deli horseman. Although the game said it is an irregular cavalry, they are cost-effective and flexible. They have carbines so that they can fire bullet. Not very good against infantry (The counterfire would kill more), but good against other cavalry and in support of other troop. Their charge is not bad either but avoid a direct charge to regular infantry.
Later, as you develop your tech, You will get the Janissary musketeer, grenadier and hand mortar. They will form the core of your army. I special mention needed to be made on the hand mortar. I think they are very effective, having the power of a grenadier with the range of a musketeer. A standard crossfire would make big losses as it seems they have longer reloading time, but they create havoc if used nicely.
Artillery is the center piece of ottoman army. Make sure you research artillery tech and unlock Artillery and Howitzer. The canister short do real good damage in close range while the Howitzer can sent exploding shell, and later, Carcass shell. They are very good in supporting your army, particularly when they kill of the general from afar :p
I haven't tried the late game unit, Sipahis and Nemid-I Cedit infantry. They take too long for research so I didn't used them. I think I will report back if i have used them.
Your navy and trade
You start with a fifth rate as your only frigate. Your navy is bad in the start. But you can always build up a strong navy, if you have to money. You have a trade port in the Persian gulf so make a trade ship to Madagascar and grab a trade slot. You won't able to deal with the raiding pirate however. Someone else would have to deal with it. I also sent another fleet to Ivory cost and grabbed another trade slot. They are not very important as you tax is the main component of income but more money is always welcome. Generally, your navy is not much needed if no one is raiding your trade route, but always be ready. Upgrade your drydock and research tech for better ship. if you don't have the tech or money, don't worry. Actually, galley and light galley are excellent ship. They are surprisingly highly effective. I think that is because 1. They are very agile and fast 2. their cannon is in the front and the cannon more powerful than the cannon of frigate (I often see galley fire causing explosion!) 3. They are small so that cannon fire miss them more frequently. When i first counter galley from Morocco, i thought they are no big deal a bravely went into war with 7 frigate vs 22 galley. I nearly lost the battle and eventually left with one fourth rate and one Brig. And i didn't sink one galley as all of them surrendered. I added 9 galley to my navy and i start to use them to the full effect. Later, in the naval battle against Venice, my galley did all the sinking before my ship-of-the-line get to the front line. Value galley highly for their cheapness and their effectiveness. In larger battle, they are valuable support to your ship-of-the-line. Near the end, i sent my ships to rob the trade of Britain in East Indies.
Economy, Research and diplomacy
The ottoman is slow in research in the beginning. It is wise to build another college. You need to demolish some building in order to build one in the start and make sure you build it in region with high happiness. I stupidly converted a coffee shop in Anatolia into a college and with two college i was having hapiness issues. After several conquest, i got college in Georgia and Persia, and then i built one in Rumelia, Mesopotamia and Eygpt. This bring 6 college and my industrial and enlightenment tech is on par with advance country while my military tech outpaced them by several tier. Conquest seems to be the key to development.
You rely on tax greatly. Therefore, do not have a tax rate too high for the noble. That way, the region wealth can properly develop. Also, conquer rich region such as Persia, Muscovy, Venice and Vienna quickly. Trade is secondary but try open any trade agreement and get trade theater slot.
Diplomacy in ETW is greatly improved. Now country would form blocks. Ally with the french is good as France is prone to declarwar on Austrians. I didn't allied to France but to Prussia. Prussia shares almost all enemy with you: Austria, Poland and Russia. They start out weak so helping them is helping you. Britain would probably be mad at you for allying with France so don't bother. In India, i think it is better to ally with Maratha Confederacy instead of the Muslim Mughal. They would lose the war against Maratha. You have no worry on your eastern border once you eliminated Persia no matter you allied to who however. Again, the Crimean Khanahe it useful in the north. The same cannot be said to the barbary state. Expect it to be overpowered both at sea and on land.
I hope I can help with all these experience to other gamers who are trying as the ottoman. Good luck
Good guides from my esteemed colleagues above ^
Just want to add a bit from my (ongoing) world domination campaign.
With a target of 40 unspecified provinces to hold, the world is literally your oyster. Starting out, my strategy was to become a great caliph, ruler of all the Muslim world. Key elements of the strategy where:
-To placate the north and north east of my territory, focusing on peace and trade with Europe (most specificaly Austria, Poland and Russia)
-Expanding first into Georgia & Dagestan, then through Perisa and on into India, absorbing Mughal territories
-After consolidating in India, I would focus on expanding west, absorbing the Barbary states and Morocco
On Governance & happiness:
One of the features new to ETW is different political systems and gameplay effects. The Ottoman empire is ruled by a pretty redundant Sultan (2 stars) and a cabinet of semi competent ministers. Monarchies have no choice over their ruler (other than by revolution of the nobility), but are pretty much free to make as many changes to ministers as they like (as long as you don't fire EVERYONE and run out of replacements). Ministers also serve for life, so if they are good at their jobs, you will reap the benefits of their competance for quite a while (at least 20 years on average). Exploit this by shuffling your cabinet and getting the best out of all available ministers.
Industrialisation and tech development will however increase the unhappiness of the masses. Monarchies have a penalty to the happyness of "the proles" too, so you will need to take steps to mitigate discontent in your most developped regions, hand in hand with development. Madrassas, in spreading the "opium of the masses" provide a happiness to the working class and Coffee houses also provide bonuses to the happiness of both working and ruling classes.
It's probably a good idea to plan ahead, if you want to remain a monarchy expect to have to recruit garrisons for your major regions (without dragoons for police duty) and run with falling taxes for the working class. Personaly, I planned when to have a revolution and factored it into my ongoing plans (after conquering the Mughals).
A few recomendations for the conduct and planning of a revolution:
-a revolution takes 3 turns of rioting in your capital province to happen, and 1 turn of victorious revolution to be enacted.
-you should aim not to be engaged in combat with other nations during a revolution as you will lose control of any units outside of the capital region whilst playing as the rebels.
-you should remove any troops from the capital to make capturing it with your revolutionary army easier
-to promote discontent: industrialise (the presence of a traditional or modern university will help alot!), remove pleasure increasing buildings (madrassas & coffee houses), raise taxes and reduce garrisons.
-in provoking discontent among "the masses", endaevour to minimise the same feelings throughout the rest of your empire by tax control, exemption and garrisoning. Ideally, only the capital region should strike. Otherwise, you could provoke rebelions in other territories that will be messy to put down.
-consider the negative penalty to existing relations with other countries if you move away from the same ruling system as theirs.
On trade:
As mentioned above, I aimed to treat as much of europe as possible as cutomers for my trade and goods. In fact, where i am now in the 1740's, Britain, the Netherlands and France all have massive pirate fleets feeding off each other's trade with me on the atlantic routes! Remember that long standing trade improves relations over time, i am now at least friendly with all major European powers.
The ottomans have several starting advantages and opportunities:
1, you can build cotton plantations in Syria, Mesopotamia and Egypt to trade this resource with Europe off the bat
2, You have a lot of territories with a lot of coast line and can afford to go trade port crazy (although more than one in each region might disadvantage population growth -especially in Gaza and and Syria)
3, which means more possible trade routes than there are factions from a very early stage -goods to market :)
4, other than the UP, you are the closest in the European theatre to the East indies. Your port on the mesopotamian coast that can send trade ships to Madagascar and the East indies quickly -make it yours!
The downside?
1, your trade ships (Dromons) are weak, very weak and will get pasted by as much as a merchantman.
2, your mediteranean ships and trade have to go through the straights of gibraltar -avoid war with Morocco, Portugal or Spain before you are in a position to assert your "authoritah" over their waters.
3, having to set out from greece, your early trade fleets will be disadvantaged in terms of getting to trade nodes first -you should still be able to claim at least one node in each western theatre though.
On research:
Being a monarchy, you have penalties to research, but having so many large cities means you can counter-act the effect by building observatories everywhere. You also only start with only one school in Anatolia (Konya). I added one in Mesopotamia (Mosul) and Egypt (Asyut), and would recommend developping one of the towns that emerges in Rumelia asap as otherwise your enlightenment tech will be stunted untill you build a modern university there!
First few turns:
Starting out, you have a lot of fairly poor territories, but an oddly high number of large regional capitals (with full options for building).
Highlights of the first few turns were: Sacrificing the Crimean Khanate for peace with Russia, repeling Venetian attacks on Athens from Moravia, ditching the alliance with the Barbary states in favour of peace with Austria -and building up the internal economy of my provinces.
I chose to focus military infrastructure development closest to likely threats: Baghdad (Georgia, Dagestan & Perisa) and Athens (Venice).
Moravia is fairly easy to capture by building up a force of Bashi bouzouks and Isaraelys and counter attacking after one of their assaults on Athens.
After making peace with Russia, your Army in Europe can be shipped over to Georgia for an amphibious assault that can help draw the Georgian army out of their capital.
Mid-term:
Once your territory has been consolidated by the capture of Moravia, Georgia and Dagestan -and providing you aren't at war with anyone in Europe, Persia looms large as the gateway to the riches of India.
The whole of Persia can be conquered with 2 full stacks -ideally those troops blooded by conflict with Georgia and Dagestan. One army should attack Azerbijan, the other go for Isfahan (or wever the Persian capital is called) and can then continue to steam-roller through Persia's territories, north and south.
This same approach can be continued and applyed to the Mughal territories, one stack moving along the Ganges and the other inland, parralel to the Maratha border.
Once both Perisa and Mughal India have been "collected", you should have a huge income from trade and taxes. You will also be in a very strong position to either annex the rest of India, or shift your focus to Europe -or even America!
Ottoman on vh/vh is tedious and frustrating the first 10 turns or so. By turn 5 you are fighting Russia, Austria, Persia, Georgia, Venice and dhakistan soon follows.
Don't worry about trade. You will be blockaded. I suggest breaking alliance with barbary so your trade with GB isn't hijacked.
If you are going to make ports then at least stick a peasant unit in it to keep it from being looted, because Venice and Austria will be all up in your stuff. Their fleet is a bunch of brigs and 6th rates, but you will have scant money to blow on a navy with all your land wars.
I played defensive with Austria. Your forts in that area are a godsend, as they are on hills. I took Croatia and Translvania from Austria with little fight after sending a diversionary looting force in to draw his main force. Same turn I took those, I sold them to Prussia for cheap, which gives me a buffer against Austria and only one place to attack from, which now holds a fort.
Russia is tricky. I took Russia Provinces and gave them to Crimean because I didn't have the time or money to garrison so many useless vast areas. Crim usually pays 1-2k for them, but is horrible at managing reinforcements and I would sometimes have to garrison the province for him until he managed to get an army there 5 turns later, despite having a full stack of units in his town and his port.
I took Ukrained and Moscow on several occasions, but if Russia had a strong force nbearby ready to counterattack I would sell the region to Sweden for 4-5k. Russia would take it back, then I'd be back in a few years to take it for good.
Georgian and Khan are tough nuts to crack as they have line inf, cossacks and lots of horses. I mobbed them with cheap troops. They are also uneasy regions to control, so expect to build repression and happiness building early on. Get rid of the schools, you will have plenty places for schools later.
Persia is your bread and butter. It's as vast and profitable as Moscow but without the enemies and religious unrest. You have to push to Persia. You will likely need to take the province next to Gerogia first to at least prevent a ninja attack on you, but thi sserves to draw some troops out of Persia.
Once you take Persia don't attack Afghanastan, hit the region due east. Afghan will turn into its own nation after you take the east province. It will also attack you, eventually, so don't let it fester and remember it takes forever to get there, but it does give you a breather for your army. Assuming your general has survived the Persia campaign, he should be pretty uber by now. Mine is hero-worshipped and gets +5 morale all battles, +2 for cavalry, +1 for arty, +1 for inf, so if I have all 3 i get +9 per, he also has a surgeon, and has a -5% chance of dying from natural causes. Move him to your european front ASAP
note: all of the above mentioned wars I did simeltaneoulsy. It sucked, a lot of my regions were temporarily lost, a lot of my settlements were burned, but I funded my effort by selling Russian provinces to Crimea and Sweden.
Remember that Persia has upgraded roads so they can hit you from far away on raids.
HEre are the most imporant things to remember as ottoman:
1-you have to fight the small fights, don't autoreslove, as AR tends to let units get away, who will then retreat behind your lines and plunder your settlements with their uber unit of 14 peasants. You have far too much going on to have to chase these guys down and pay for repairs.
2-Although your trade is insignificant until you deal with Persia, Russia and contain Austria and Venice -- put peasant units in all your ports and fisheries.
3-get roads up on your internal holdings ASAP as it only helps them grow and profit over time, but avoid them on your front lines as they only give the enemy mobility.
4-even without Ukraine and Moscow, your base holdings +the persian territories will provide you with more than enough income to garrison you border with austria and continue building infrastructure and making a navy. So peace with Russia may be an option, at the expense of Crimean, and some may say its better to kill Crim yourself.
5-good bayonets are a necessity early on
It is now 1745, I'm starting to take trade nodes from austria and venice, my trade is taking off, Austria and Venice are contained, Prussia is the second super power and britain the third. Not sure when it happened, but around 1734 I razed a lot of buildings and made a lot of schools and had a tech boom, which shot me far ahead on prestige. I'll have to fight Prussian soon as they are about to start taking land from my protectorate, then I'll move west from there.
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That's suprising Austria has remained at peace with me so far,even got a trade agerement from them. It's Genoa,russia and Persia that have been thorns in my side,the the damn moroccans that have chocked the Straits Of Gibaltar with pirate fleets,but I'm marshalling an army to deal with them
Only thing I have to work out now,is how to remove my sultan as he has a -10 to prestige per turn and a -2 to relations as well. Also research Artillery techs asap and always have at least 3 18-foot artillery units in your army,is my recommendation, Canister shot has been fun in battles..
Did you give austria gifts or trade them when they asked you for bosnia etc? Because I did a few false runs before I got into the ottoman campaign and no matter how much niceness I showed the Austrians, they still remained unfriendly at least, and would always end the transaction by saying they would never forget the hate that existed between us, and eventually they would attack me.
Austria haven't bugged me for bosnia yet,but the spanish have been asking me for genoa and central italy,in echange for florida.
Ottoman seem by far the most interesting faction to play in the early game (at least pre-gameplay patch). Their lands are vast, but their armies suck (at the beginning), always ready to run on the sight of the enemy, while every neighbor wants a piece of them...
The ottoman Empire is a paper tiger in the hands of the game's AI. In every campaign I have played with the AI controlling it the OE pretty much doesnt do anything other than spawn ships. When they do attack its a small raiding army of inferior units easily defeated. Heck, in one campaign (My second French campaign) Venice is kicking the Ottoman's butts in the Balkans. Giving them all kinds of trouble and taking territory.
So, I decided to give the OE a try on N/N. See for myself how weak they are. Its a tough go in the very beginning. I let Russia have the Crimea Khanate. I gave Russia 5,000 to get a peace treaty on the first turn (They wouldnt take less :no: ). Giving up that much money at the beginning is very hard but it pays off in the long run. Russia hasnt come after me once. Hopefully they never will.
Unfortunately for me Venice attacked Athens on turn two and Persia attacked turn three. Then Georgia attacked a turn after that. Somehow I manged to fend off the Venetian army and pushed them back and took their Greek region. They sent a two unit army at first and I survived that attack. Then I managed to get a few units together in Athens and went after Venice's Western Greek regional capitol. It was a tough battle but I managed to win! After pushing Venice out of the Balkans they have stayed in their homeland and not bothered me since. They wont make peace though no matter what I offer. Stubborn Venetians! :furious3:
I managed to get some Israelis(I know its not spelled that way) units going by this time and held off the Persian's two and three unit raiding stacks while I sent a three quarter stack against the full Georgian stack that was working its way west towards Ankara. They had already captured my Armenian region. After defeating the Georgia army near Ankara I recaptured Armenia from them and then went on to taking the Georgia homeland itself. After that I invaded Dagestan and captured it because I figured they would eventually come after me as well. I didnt want a possible enemy at my back once I turned south.
By this time I could build those Jannisary Musketeer units. Its important to get these guys as quickly as possible. I then was able to focus on Persia. With just one army consisting of a General, three 18lb cannons, and 16 Janni Musketeer units I slowly worked my way through Persia. Afganistan rebelled and became its own nation after the main Persian region fell to my army. Its next on my list to attack and then onto the Mughals and the Indian subcontinent. I'm somewhere between 1715 and 1720 right now.
During all this time I traded money and tech for any and all the trade agreements and tech I could get out of the the major and minor nations. I'm on good relations with most and have trade going with many as well. I have no alliances. I havent made any since I figure it would be best to stay neutral as much as possible since the OE is a weak faction in the beginning and needs to avoid war as much as possible. Especially a two front war. This has been a key advantage for my OE campaign. I'm letting the other nations fight amongst themselves while I just trade with everyone I can. I only have two colleges so tech building is slow. One college is in Anatolia and the other is in Persia. I'll add a third somewhere in India when the time comes.
Currently I have one full stack army in the field. Its in Persia at the moment working south and east. I have a 5 unit army following it to hold towns and cities as I take them. Once the region is secure I move on. I have about a 4,000 profit at the beginning of every turn to build and develope my economy and resupply my army. I have no trade nodes. The beginning navy is no match against other nations. Venice alone can field a better navy as can the Barbary Pirates so I'm relying on taxes so far. But I do have the ability to build 4th rates now thanks to some tech trading I managed to accomplish.
I keep two units in all my regional capitols to keep the peace. That seems to be enough to keep them from rebelling and keeping the people happy with my taxes set for 3 for the upper class and the lower class set at 2. This dosent allow for much tax money but for fielding just one full army stack its sufficient. Economy building is slow though. Thats the Ottomans problem in this game. No developed economy and a large empire to run. Money, or the lack of it, is a huge issue right from the start.
So far this strategy is working for me. Of course if anyone like Russia or Austria invade then my thinly defended borders will collapse quickly but so far they are tied down in their own quarrels against others. I just need to get down into India and conquor the Mughals, Mysore, and the Marathas before the European nations get wise to my lightly defended borders. If I can conquor India then it'll boost my profits by a huge amount. Enough to fund my European invasion. :yes:
If you want a challenge the Ottoman Empire is a good choice. At least so far it has for me. :2thumbsup:
I made peace for 180 gp, by simply suing for peace and they came back to me with a demand for 180 gp + peace. That was at the same difficulty.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skott
On VH they accepted a white peace after I did the following stunt:Quote:
Originally Posted by anweRU
- Assemble all the troops you can get + recruit some new ones on the border to the Crimeans (1 turn march to the capital)
- Let Russia take Crimea
- Sweep in and defeat the diminished Russian troops, taking the province for yourself
- Sue for peace in the same turn. Even if they don't accept a white peace, this manoeuvre gives you time to same up some money if necessary.
Et voilá, peace with Russia and an additional province under your control.
I guess I was just unlucky in this campaign then. At first I offered them 1000 and they didnt accept it. Then I went to 2500 and they still refused but when I offered them 5000 they accepted. Costly but it paid off in the long run. The AI can be difficult to deal with on the diplomatic side of things at times in this game. Later after I capture all of India I'll come back and make them pay for their expensive ways so no worries. :smash:
Tip: Do not make the mistake I made, trying to create a line out of these folks. I noticed too late, they DO NOT USE BAYONETS... I guess, they're meant as an inspirational addition to a line of Isarelys. The latter do get bayonets.
The Ottomans are well worth a try; with many unique units and a complicated starting situation, they prove to be a challenge to play.
Strategic Positioning
In the early stages, your empire is quite large and tricky to manage. Your cities are low tech and your troops are substandard compared to more "modern" nations. You start at war with the Russians who will make a rapid move upon your Crimean protectorate. Your vassals will prove to be a useful shield against future Russian incursions into your empire's underbelly so it is well worth the effort to give them some support. Immediately gather together a small force and send them to the aid of the Crimeans. Be sure to keep in close proximity to your allies; the Russian army will be strong enough to eliminate an individual force. However together you will have the strength to take them.
In the meantime, send/create some reinforcements in nearby cities. Once you have seen off a couple of Russian attacks and have had a chance to rest, move on Kiev. It may well be undefended. The Russians will want this city back so think carefully about whether to keep it. The Austrians, Persians, Venetians, Georgians and Persians are all waiting for an opportunity to strike at your lands. Kiev makes for a powerful bargaining chip during diplomatic negotiations. Give it to a major power already at war with Russia, such as Sweden. They may accept an alliance to gain this territory, providing you not only with some protection against any future aggression, but also creating a distraction for Russian forces. With an aggressive and powerful enemy planted firmly in their backyard, the Russians may very well be open to a peace treaty.
There is no time to relax however. You are surrounded by potential enemies. Austria is a dangerous foe and one that must be humbled if you expect your empire to survive. Do not leave your borders with them undefended. They have very strong forces and can be very aggressive. Assemble an army as rapidly as your finances allow. Should they attack and fail, take rapid advantage of their weakness and strike at their cities. Use this as an opportunity for some expansion and if necessary over extend yourself and take one more city than you think your armies can control. You can then use this city as a bargaining tool to negotiate a peace treaty.
The Georgians also have large armies and will not hesitate to raid your lands in force. Your small settlements in the area cannot assemble the quality or quantity of forces you will require to defend against this enemy. Create and send forces from Syria and Baghdad to this front. Try to eliminate this threat as soon as possible. Expect Persia to also attack at approximately the same time. Their lands are vast so be sure that any army you send into their country can operate independently. Dagestan is also likely to declare war. Though not as aggressive as the other nations, they are not to be underestimated as their troops can be more than a match for your own. Manage this theatre carefully and use diplomacy to bribe as required to keep the peace so that you don't find yourself overwhelmed.
The Venetians are another relatively strong force that will have to be faced. Be prepared to counter any attack; The Venetian capital has advanced structures and can turn a healthy profit for the Sultan.
Once you have resisted these initial assaults and expanded Ottoman power, you can be much more flexible. Italy and its surrounds make for profitable places of expansion. Morocco gives a strategic position for your forces to move into the America's as well as another point of access to mainland Europe. Advancing into India is also profitable and your early forces are more evenly matched. Continue to harass and expand into Austria. They must not be permitted to build up their strength as they will most likely want to reoccupy their former territories.
Managing your Military
Your initial forces are no match for European armies. In the early stages, upgrading your military structures and technologies should be approximately 75% of your empire's construction and research efforts. You are going to have to make do with these lower troops at the beginning. If you have previously commanded European troops, be sure to lower your expectations of early-Ottoman performance or you will suffer many defeats.
Musellims
These men make good fodder. Place them in front of your armies and wait for the enemy to fire at them. Then rush your melee troops forward to engage the enemy while they reload. Move the depleted peasants around to the flanks and then charge into the engaged enemy. These troops have little other use other than emergency/garrison duties.
Semenys
Forget this type of unit. They are hopelessly outclassed by virtually all enemies.
Bashi-Bazouks
Do not expect these men to hold a line for long. They are best deployed on the flanks. They are able to remain invisible while walking so they have a shock value when they appear from nowhere and charge into an engaged enemy's rear or flank. Their numbers are small however so don't expect any magic.
Azzars
Azzars make for passable light infantry. They are sneaky and can inflict causalities in the right situations. They will not hold up in a lengthy fire fight however and they should be thought of as support troops only.
Isarelys
They are technically line infantry however they will be easily defeated by European militia units. In the early stages, these troops will be the mainstay of your musket armed forces. Always have support or reinforcements ready to move into any gaps as Isarelys lose heart without warning. With the advent of bayonets, they become a more versatile force. The best use for them is to pin enemy forces while swordsmen or other infantry attack from the flank or rear.
Deli Horsmen
Don’t let their name fool you, these cavalry men are no sandwich meat. They are a versatile force that you will find saving the day time and time again. They are fast and able to fire on an enemy before fleeing. They can deliver a fierce charge and inflict a heavy moral loss to enemy troops already engaged. They are perfect artillery killers; being able to approach rapidly from the flank, fire a volley or muskets, and then charge into the shattered remnants of gun crews. They will remain an economical and useful force well into the late stages of the game.
Cemaat Janissary
When the Janissaries start arriving on the battlefield, your most difficult times will be behind you. Their high moral allows them to fight hard against all odds. They can hold a line but work better by charging through gaps in the enemy lines and attacking engaged enemies. This is a medieval type weapon; pin the enemy with the musket fire or bayonet of a weak unit such as Isarelys, and then move the Janissaries in from the side. Very few units will be brave enough to stay and fight against this kind of cold steel.
Beylik Musketeers
You can breath easy now, these units are a powerful addition to your forces and capable of going toe to toe with European line infantry regiments. They work wonderfully with their sword armed brothers in the Cemaat and provide a handy boost in moral to those around them. Without bayonets however they can suffer horribly from enemy cavalry charges so be sure to keep bayonet armed friends nearby.
Nizam Infantry, Nizam Light Inf., and Nizam Rifles
These are troops trained in European style. They are very useful in a line and provide capabilities similar to European Line Infantry, Light Infantry and Rifles. They will not be a match against most European forces however, so provide additional support.
Beylik Grenadier & Janissary Bölük
Grenadiers... yeah they are OK. But they are nothing compared to a Turkish Hand Mortar crew. A unit or two of Janissary Bölük will turn any massed group of enemy into chunks of steaming, torn flesh. Always bring a regiment or two in any stack.
Shaturnal Camels
Slow but with powerful muskets. They are OK in a desert areas but a unit of Delis will generally work better.
Sipahis
Keep these horsemen in reserve until the enemy is properly engaged. Then maneuver them to the flanks or rear and charge into their formations. The impact of this cavalry charge will make many units flee for their lives in panic. It’s best not to leave them lingering in melee however. They are a shock weapon and care must be taken to ensure their charge is well formed.
Artillery
The Ottomans have some of the most powerful artillery in the world however it lacks the mobility of many Western styles. The 64lbers provide devastating fire when used correctly however they are static on the battlefield and slow down your movements considerably. 24lb Howitzers tend to be your standard field piece and on mass they can hurt any enemy while remaining safely behind your lines. The Bombard Mortar is a lethal weapon however it lacks any kind of mobility.
Other Matters
Trade, trade, trade, trade! It cannot be said enough. Garner trade agreements from everyone and anyone. Develop military and trade fleets and them to the four corners of the globe. Your trading empire will provide you with many friends in the future, some you will unfortunately have to betray; and others whom you will forge strong alliances with. Choose carefully, but always trade! And of course, always remember that there is only one God and Mohammad is his prophet. Use your Imams and construct Masjids to spread Islam to all your lands. This is your Devine duty. From Mysore to Maine, let the words of Allah be known!
This concludes your briefing on the Ottoman Empire. I hope you find it useful. May peace be upon you brother.
After GB, France, UP and Prussia, the Ottoman Empire presents an interesting challenge, at least at first.
Playing at VH/VH.
Friends and Foes.
I think it is wise to avoid open war with Russia and Austria at first and instead focus your military strength in the middle east to take out Persia (especially because Georgia and Dagestan can be quite annoying!). I took this path because:
a)Persia is quite rich and unlike european nations, their army is inferior to yours
b)Mughal are muslim and busy with Maratha, so once Persia is out, my eastern border is relatively safe.
To avoid war with Russia I gave away Moldavia. I gave it to the swedes for 7k, but Poland invaded it on turn 1, which was even better because since Poland is allied to Russia, I just have to keep peace with Poland, not Russia. Trade agreements will suffice for that. Eventually, Russia accepted peace for free. To avoid war with Austria is a tad more tricky. The first step is a trade agreement and gift. However, it is wise to keep a unit in each city and one of the western armies near serbia for discouraging military actions. This includes taking the inf from the fort near zagreb, since to me the austrians just circuled it to attack Bosnia and I was lucky to survive.
The exception to this concept of focusing in the east is Morca, take it asap. Move army from sofia to port directly south, catch the boat to greece. Unload, join with troops there (recruit what you can) and attack on Morca on turn 2. After unrest is down, move this army to the midle east to join forces there.
After the east has settled down (that includes Georgia and Dagestan), time to get back to europe and russia. Hoppefully, your armies will be better by now and you won't take long to get nizam infantry.
Economy
The only thing that makes it even more difficult to defend a huge border with few and weak troops is when money is scarce. I didn't even try to go for the trade slots, cos navies are expensive. However, I did gather as many trade agreements as I managed, even if paying was required. Another key is to clean up your ministers since they are quite dreadful. That plus disbanding unnecessary troops more than doubled by income by the end of turn one. Also, the 7k from the swedes helped.
Research
I focused on bayonets and square so that your Isarelys can deal with the eastern cavalry. The Otttoman Empire has many big cities, which means a lot of sultan observatories which means a lot of scholars. Also, a revolution to republic might be useful. I did mine after I cleared the middle east. Unlike most nations, the OE doesn't miss out on any units by not being a monarchy and the research and economic bonuses are interesting. Constitutional Monarchy is also an option since it allows you to better prepare your cabinet.
Army
Playing with OE is funny, cos it reminds me of MTW in the sense that melee units are more relevant, at least in the beginning since Isarelys are quite poor as Line Inf. Many mention Dely Horsemen as a favorite, but in the middle east I clearly recommend tartars. Better range, accuracy and melee stats. Organ gun is useful obviously. Muselyms and Selemys are cannon fodders. Bashi-Bazouks and Azzars have some strategic value (remain hidden while walking), and the former is a natural complement (on the cheap side) to Isarelys and Beylic Musketeers. Once you get Grenadiers and Boluks, things get better since they carry quite a punch. Finally, once you get Nizam, you are no longer in disadvantage regarding european standards
In My Ottoman Empire campaign i fight with 2 factions in 1 time with: Persia and Georgia.
My first atack to georgia failed.After that atack persian declare war on me and i start fight.I conquer Azerbaijan,Persian and ...(i forget the name of land not afghanistan that sure) i conquer georgia too and daeghasten.When i was fighting with georgia and persia i make 4/3 stuck of armies in athen and i atack pelepones.With those armies i conquer kiev in 28 turn here is interesting that crimean khaineta live till 28 turn without me against russia and now im in 35 turn something.Austria is nice he dont do something but he have stack in vienna and i dont armies in serbia and bosna.Barbary States fighting with Morroco.I'm Continue my campaign now i'm in peace with russia.so i dont know to who to atack?
I have 1 question if any counter become in my protectoreta he give me half of his moneys??????
Protectorates give you half their profit. If they are European minors, that's at least 1000 each.Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackKnight1234
ThanksQuote:
Originally Posted by Mr Polska
I've been using the Ottoman Realism Mod and having a blast. It adds several units, most important of which, in my opinion, is the Sekban Janissary, musket armed Janissary's available early on, which makes complete sense.
The only problem is that the creator of the mod is apparently Turkish and, therefore, rather biased in his statting. So Sekban Janissary's have stats roughly equivalent to guards (Although, to be honest, they also have upkeep roughly equal to Guards as well). And Israeyli's have 19 defense for some reason. Still, some of the mods make sense, like Ceemant Janissary units getting 120 men (I THINK before they were only 60, right?)
Either way, thanks to the lovely Black Knight of Patch 4, I'm at war with everybody but, thanks to application of my Iron Israeyli's on the Russo-Polish-Venetian-Austrian front, I've been able to hold their armies off without expanding, putting my main focus on the...uh...Persian-Mughal-Georgian front. And the Spanish-Morrocan front.
Somehow, I managed to preserve the Crimean Khannate past turn #3, and they even took Kiev when the Russians sent the entire garrison to attack one of their armies, which retreated INTO Kiev. They then took back the Crimea, and, although the Ruskies took back Kiev, they at least gave a good showing. Previously, while Georgia was my protectorate, they took Astrakhan and that oneprovince with a long name, as well as Dageistan, from the Russians, since the Ruskie AI doesn't seem to think the Caucuses exist.
My own strategy, presently, is a focus on eliminating the Eastern factions as a threat. I've taken Persia, and that mostly seems to have dealt with the Persians and Mughals. Morroco is something more of a pain, because Venice and Austria are both naval powers, something I've had to neglect in the face of the oncoming hordes on land. Therefore, my army is making the trip overland across the North African coast. I plan to retake the land and gift it back to the Barbaries so they can go on harassing all those damn Europeans for me. Once I research port expansions and upgrade all their farms and suchlike, that is. >:D
Several Ottoman provinces give fairly good income, however, a couple, most notably Palestine, are less than 100 in tax money. I suggest setting it on 'tax exclusion' mode to increase growth.
My plan is to avoid sending any Dhows to trade theaters because a) pirates destroy you unless you group them with lots of brigs or b) Austrians, Venetians, Moroccans etc... will raid all you income away.
Palestine is real pain in the ass, I exempt taxes so that the only village it has grows quickly and then I either put factory in there to make at least some money, or if I have much happiness giving ministers I put up school in there.
Taking Malta can really be good move although there will be big stack of enemies, It has little to no tax profit but it really helps Barbary states and from there you basicly control eastern mediterranean (excluding Adrian sea).
I'd suggest going to war with Spain by taking Naples and then later rest of Italy, but since your income basicly depends on trade, it's best not to anger faction controlling Gibraltar.
I tried the Ottoman Empire as my first campaign after the 1.3.1 patch.
At the start of the game the Empire is not in the best position to expend. It is however large with a great many enemies most of them ready to take a bite out of your empire. The Ottoman army is not in a great to do much about it if they do it is small comped to the size of the land it must protect and scatted. I have been playing a M/H campaign and I am now in 1705 and I am at war with Russia, Persia, Poland and Austria. I tried a H/H campaign start just now and at the end of turn one Persia and Poland went to war with me as well as Russia who you start at war with so It is a challenging start.
Getting off to a good start in turn one is very important as I said the empire is in a bad way with only its protectorates as allies. Most of the provinces and cities are underdeveloped and there is only one school. So I made room for two more schools one in Egypt and Mesopotamia (Modern day Iraq). I also started to develop Baghdad as I was planning to use this city to fight the war with Persia.
Now lets have a look at the government, the Sultan is quite a poor leader with only two stars but he is not as bad as the king of Spain so we will take him. The cabinet well see for your self.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
At lest it can be improved a lot during the first turn.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Diplomacy is also quite bad most of the world hate you. I went around trading the one technology the Empire has (improved grenades) for trade rights and alliances with Sweden and the Mughal Empire to sandwich Russia and Persia. I tried to get as many trade agreements as I could as trade is a good money. I also wanted to lower taxes to give the population and economy to grow.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Also building up a army in the north to hold of the European powers and one in the east to hold or Persia should be a top priority. I would also recommend looking after your navy as trade is important you don't want to be cut off form it.
I hope this was helpful in some way.
Zerg
I just hope that everyone are still reading this treads..... I am just curius, I play my Ottoman campaign on VH/VH and my Crimean Khanat protectorate just kick Russian butt. They took Kiev and Moscov.
Did you have similiar experiencies? I know when I played with other countries Russia always capture Crimea in first 5 turns....this was exelent for me...but just totaly shocking when I saw my protectorate forces captured Moscow. :D