Well, this is my first game playing a major naval power, namely GBR. Reading the many frustrated rants on this forum I expected a walkover but this is not quite exactly what I got. Quite the opposite but I like it! Partly my fault partly not, but it is challenging anyway.
So leading the advice I read here -which seemed to be perfectly logical- I grabbed all the troops and fleets I got at the start to visit our good friends the pirates in their Caribbean islands (I started it pre-patch). It all adds up to one full stack of land troops and 5 or 6 battleships (not counting sloops). All went well, the battle AI sure enough was incompetent, and I slaughtered the pirate mobs with little effort. In the meantime I got war with half of Europe due to my dear allies but mainly inland powers like Russia, Prussia or Poland-Lithuania. I thought myself what can they do to hurt me?
Well, just as I was finishing off the pirates the Prussians sent a half stack of a fleet to blockade the port south-east of London. Ouch! My income drops to close to zero. Few turns later the French (which attacked the thirteen colonies so got war with them too) blockade the port on the west coast (Bath?). Double ouch, I was close to bankrupt! I had to call back the Caribbean fleet ASAP; of course it takes a few turns to arrive. At one point I went bankrupt, the army was depleted to half-strength. Drat. Anyway, I managed to beat both the French and the Prussian blockading forces. Both were made of mostly of sloops and some brigs confirming what I read here.
So far so good, I thought it was mostly my fault not leaving any ships in Europe but since the AI does not build anything substantial (as I was informed here ~;)) I am safe now. At that point I had two 4th rates, two 5th rate general’s flagship, two 5th rates and one 6th rate in Europe.
So I split the fleet into 3 vs. 4 and sent them to hunt down the lone sloops and Indiamen the French and the Prussians were sending to me.
*here comes the patch*
So when I saw two more French ships on the channel I thought: „two more sloops for the mighty royal navy!!!” and sent in the group of 4 to handle them led by a 7 star admiral.
When the battle screen comes up I see two 2nd rate ships of the line!!! :sweatdrop: One of them called …. „Victory”! The rascals, how dare … :furious3: Anyway, the slider indicated that the strength of the fleets are still somewhat to my favour. I thought that it might be because I have twice the ships and an experienced admiral – getting his starts by slaughtering sloops and light galleys ~;p but he is still experienced! (I always auto resolve naval battles.) I might have a chance here I thought to myself. Let’s rumble!
Well, … a snowball’s chance in hell, I could not even touch them. I could not kill a single frenchmen in that battle. Somehow a 5th rate escaped, the rest of the fleet alongside with my 7 star admiral was lost. Ouch! Next turn they blockade the port south-east of London! Double ouch. Once again I am close to bankruptcy and I don’t have anything to match them, moreover I am many, many years away to research the tech I need for 2nd rates … :wall:
So much so about a walkover but that is not the end of story!
Meanwhile at the coast of Brazil ….
I managed to get 3 trade spots I had 1 Indiamen sitting on each of them, and I had 1 sloops at the Ivory coast and at the East-Indies each to guard one more trade spots respectively. This was pre-patch.
Since I already finished off with the pirates I felt somewhat safe. Post patch 1st turn, guess who shows up? Yes, the Prussians!! Post patch 1st turn they arrive with a half stack and start blowing out my Indiamen from the trade spots. In the very same turn a Maratha fleet (don’t ask me how did I get into war with them ... ~;p) shows up: at Brazil, at the Ivory Coast and at the East-Indies –one fleet at each trade theatre!- and they sunk all the remaining Indiamen and sloops! Triple ouch!
Oahright, I gather what I can at the Caribbean: one admiral, one 5th rate a 6th rate, few sloops a brig, 4 Indiamen and go to Brazil. Maratha and the Prussians are gone. I can get two trade-spots back. Well, to the Ivory-coast! No luck to find them. To the East-Indies! No luck either, besides all the trade-spots are taken by minor nations like Persia or the Italian states, etc.
So, not just that I cannot get my revenge on the bloody Maratha but I lost all my trade-spots except two in Brazil!!! :furious3:
Meanwhile of course back in Europe I am blockaded by two French 2nd rates one of them called „Victory”! :sweatdrop:
All in all, I find this quite challenging, while some part was my obviously fault but apparently the AI makes me run for my money. :2thumbsup:
Also note that the French could not have possibly built 2nd rate post-patch (within a few turns) without starting to the research it pre-patch, and the Prussian fleet could not have been able to arrive post patch 1st turn if it had not started off well before pre-patch!
