Moving up a few notches.

[Tony Furze]

Well, life being too short...no longer a spring chicken...he who hesitates...etc and other cliches of aging:

I ve actually moved on to play Expert. It is a whole new game. the battles are really good, and testing of tactics. Moreover, the campaign takes on a new meaning in relation to the battles.

So, glad i made the leap.

I'm taking it easily with Vikings in the VI campaign - I tried them on Expert in the main European Campaign (the Danes , I mean). Apart from being totally taken aback that I survived past 1205, I really feel they lose their best mix of units by the High Era, so get less interesting. Hence I switched to the VI campaign.

A short question: when the Faction leader takes the entire army out on a spot of "military tourism" ( some people wrongly term it "invasion") and leaves behind low tax levels and some peasants to take care of the Kingdom, does that affect the economy back home in any way? Are the support costs still active, or only when the army is present?

I noticed when I did take nearly everyone out, there was a sudden boom in the economy...

Meanwhile I ve started a campaign as the English on Expert, Early, Conquest just to see if it's a fluke , or whether I have actually improved.

A million thanks to all here.

[Raz]

A short question: when the Faction leader takes the entire army out on a spot of "military tourism" ( some people wrongly term it "invasion") and leaves behind low tax levels and some peasants to take care of the Kingdom, does that affect the economy back home in any way? Are the support costs still active, or only when the army is present?

I'm not sure what you mean, if you're asking "Do I still pay support for armies on a 'Military Tour'?" well the answer is yes. Your economy should only go up because of two reasons:
a) Your army will inevitably take a few losses and this reduces support costs.
b) Unless you are up against a brick wall of an army and you gain no provinces on this 'Military Tour' you should be gaining provinces, even if they aren't maxed out with buildings they should still rake in a few extra florins here and there.

But you should max out tax as much as you can. A few units of peasants will keep the province happy if you've held it for a long time so you should max out tax. Right-click on the province and check loyalty, up the tax until the loyalty reaches no less than 95%. Drop it below 95% and it can get a little risky... especially since you only have peasants in that province.

That "Sudden Boom" was probably when you upgraded your farms in several provinces at the same time. Or you accidentally typed in .deadringer.

[bamff]

I ve actually moved on to play Expert. It is a whole new game. the battles are really good, and testing of tactics. Moreover, the campaign takes on a new meaning in relation to the battles.

So, glad i made the leap.

Now that paragraph got my attention. Do you mean that you need to be far more careful in the capaign because of the potential consequences that await (in terms of battles), or do you mean that the AI approaches things a little more shrewdly than it does at lower levels?

And back on the field.....does the AI's valour bonus mean that when they send 15,000 to 20,000 troops at you, there is no chance that your 1,500 will be able to hold on and break them?

[Raz]

The AI doesn't get valour bonuses at higher levels of difficulty. They get morale bonuses if that's what you mean.

[Kaidonni]

I tried Expert once. As Bohemia - and Hungary swallowed me up in the first 20 turns. On easier settings they accepted alliances, but on Expert...grrr! I'd say you need to be far more careful on Expert, because your allies on easier settings might now be enemies, and your previous enemies might be better allies.

[Tony Furze]

Raz : Thanks for the reply. I didn t have enough money to build anything when the "boom"occurred, so I m not sure what caused it.

bamff : I m much more conscious of choosing units for the job I want them to do. I was lazy on lower difficulty levels.

I ve not noticed too much different on the Campaign front-hence an earlier question :

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=101551

On the battlefield, the AI is more crafty, and sometimes difficult to get off the field. I m a turtler on the battlefield-take ages to set up my units.

Thanks for the interesting replies.

[drone]

Now that paragraph got my attention. Do you mean that you need to be far more careful in the capaign because of the potential consequences that await (in terms of battles), or do you mean that the AI approaches things a little more shrewdly than it does at lower levels?

And back on the field.....does the AI's valour bonus mean that when they send 15,000 to 20,000 troops at you, there is no chance that your 1,500 will be able to hold on and break them?

The AI doesn't get valour bonuses at higher levels of difficulty. They get morale bonuses if that's what you mean.

The AI gets a +4 morale bonus on Expert. The AI also gets smarter with it's battlefield tactics. However, my understanding is that on Hard, there is a 15% bonus to the AI's attack and defense unit stats, and on Expert it's 30%. This isn't quite like a valour bonus, but it does add up.

[bamff]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Raz
The AI doesn't get valour bonuses at higher levels of difficulty. They get morale bonuses if that's what you mean.[/QUOTE]

The AI gets a +4 morale bonus on Expert. The AI also gets smarter with it's battlefield tactics. However, my understanding is that on Hard, there is a 15% bonus to the AI's attack and defense unit stats, and on Expert it's 30%. This isn't quite like a valour bonus, but it does add up.

Sorry guys, my mistake - I knew they were tougher "on the field" and now that I think about it, I probably knew that it was a morale increase rather than valour.....but even so, those bonuses to AI units must make for some hairy situations!

Smarter battlefield AI would be a good thing - though having said that, I have noted in my current Serbian campaign (latest XL mod) that the AI generals are more often trying outflanking moves and feints rather than just marching up the centre of the field and getting butchered....or maybe I just never really noticed before???

[Knight of the Rose]

It's an old song, but I'll sing it nonetheless

Expert can in some situations actually make it easier for you. The morale bonusses make the enemy stand and fight, even when they are losing, instead of running for their lives. This means more valor for your men, more damage to your enemy, and only with the cost of a few of youre brave lot. This usally only happens when you are on equal footing, or you have a qualitative advantage.

If you are outnumbered, expert AI and bonusses make som very interesting battles. This is why I always play on expert, and try to blitz as much as possible. Sometimes I even enjoy losing, when I have a feeling that I could just maybe pull a crazy invation off. I don't know what that makes me

KotR

[Caliburn]

Peasant Hordes become more annoying, though... Having to break the same 20 peasants again and again, when they rally after running across the field several times... And there will always be a 5 man unit of Archers lurching in some bush, making the battles wear on and on...

There are some nice challenges, as the normal poor armies the enemy usually employ won't break like usual. Heavy Cavalry take more casualties from semi-polearms like Militia Sergeants and Urban Militia, even if the unit is sandwiched they'll keep long enough to tear down a few horses.

I wonder what the AI would like if I removed all weak type units from the game... It would be in trouble with keeping its provinces I guess, but the mid-game large factions could be quite challenging. Removing trade bonuses... Probably worth a try one day.

[drone]

Removing peasants from the tech tree has been done before, the XL mod (or maybe MedMod?), and the PocketMod have done this. It does have a positive effect on the quality of the AI armies.

[Caliburn]

Yeah, nothing new under the sun I guess. I've only heard good things about those mods, I'll have to give them a go one day... I can only wonder why I haven't yet.

XL mod decreases the rate of trade as well, right? I'm kinda worried about Armour Piercing Mongols, though... Which is a good thing of course.

[oz_wwjd]

Decreases trade but increases farming income a lot.Cons is making around 3,000 a turn for me right now,with no large trade fleet and only the basic trade building there.can't remember the exact name.