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Not that hard cause even though your location is not that great you get very quickly two very nice generals. Moreover, the fact that you can train holibars is a big advantage (just need a fort while most of the other catholic faction around - except the English - need a keep to build mounted seargents)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ravencroft
Not to mention the massive increase to Zeal very early on with the founding of the True Cross.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jxrc
However, I believe that becomes a relative "wash" when you, only a few turns later, receive the "income halved across the whole of France" message due to the peasant crusade.
Hobilars are indeed a nice advantage...but comparing this to my Italian campaign : It's 1115 and I can now produce Mounted Sergeants, Royal Knights, Feudal Seargeants, Feudal Men at arms, Militia Sergeants, etc.
Any advantage the early Hobilars would have given the French, is gone that quick. Further, your main rival as the French, the English, has the same access to Hobilars from the get go. So this "advantage" is even further reduced.
Perhaps I have been playing too much as the HRE ... :dizzy2: When I can only build mounted x-bows and have no money to afford a keep, holibar look real nice to me. :yes: True enough that all the other faction can catch up pretty quickly but then it is almsot true for all the other specific units that other catholic factions other than the Danes have very early in the game (Frydmen, Jinettes). I do not include the Swabian Swordmen and Italian Infrantry cause you need quite a few years to be able to produce those.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtistofWarfare
ok. Byz in high/late is Harder, couse if you don't expand, you're dead(either by the turks, or anybody else).
You know, I'm sort of glad you mentioned that (regarding Italian Infantry)...Quote:
Originally Posted by Jxrc
1133 of my Italian campaign and I have Royal Knights, genoese sailors Mounted x-bow men mercs, catapults, trebechous (sp?) artillery mercs, mounted sergeants and the entire line on down in infantry from peasants up to Feudal sergeants...etc etc etc...and still, I have at least 15 years until I have Italian Infantry.
It seems as if the general consensus is that these are "start up units" right from the get go in the early period...when in fact they take a significant amount of buildup.
Obviously being Italian only...I believe you have no way of recruiting them before you have castles...and these would have to be an infantry specialized province of yours considering how many climbs up the tech tree that is in just castle size and spear lines etc.
It's a climb indeed...
edit: (then again, my most built up province IS Venice and of course this is not an infantry specialized province to me...considering navy, trade, government, religion. Still...It would be at least ..I dunno, 25 years or so if you specifically shot for it with one province? At least?
Could use Venice to build Italian Infantry fast but then you really want those badly since you'd have to give up the early improvement of the trade. Usually, I only use Venice to produce galleys (+1 valour) and get the master trading house asap...Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtistofWarfare
IMHO the best province to build spear in Milan cause that's the only one with no trade (Tuscany is in the long term a better option because of the iron but you'd need more time for the same reason and because of trading upgrade). In any event, I prefer Milan cause that's where I "must" build the Cathedral (silly of me, but I just cannot imagine to get the title of archbishop of Milan for a cathedral built in Corsica :shame: )
I you go for spears in Milan and fully give up farm updgrades you would be able to produce Italian infantry in 1129 (2 turns for border forts, 4 for the fort, 10 for the keep, 12 for castle, 2 for the militia, 2+4+6 for the level three spearmaker) or about (unless I made a mistake regarding the time needed for a building or forgot anything necessary). Since you probably will want to improve the agriculture and build at least a church your start of production date would realistically rather be around 1153 (+4 for church - +20 for crop improvement).
Rather easier than the Swabian Swordmen since (i) you do not need the armour upgrade and (ii) as the Itilians, money is not an issue that could prevent you from moving ahead with the construction every turn ...
The Italian Infantry really are useful. In fact, they're better than Chiv. Sergeants, and they're available in early.
Money wont' be a problem, as you get lots of it from trade (just be careful and secure your trade routes).
I think then , that the Italians are one of the easier factions, but they're not the easiest, relatively speaking.