Stainless steel?

**El Jojo** · 05-27-2008, 19:44

Originally Posted by makaikhaan

Actually, I have neither game at the moment, as I am waiting for the computer first. Is Kingdoms required for Stainless Steel? I'm rather hesitant about putting SecuRom onto my brand new comptuer.

4.1 is the latest version which doesn't require kingdoms. I am using it and it works perfectly.

**Old Geezer** · 05-28-2008, 18:17

The only serious drawback with SS that I have found yet after playing almost 40 turns is that auto-resolving, esp. assaults on settlements, is almost invariably a disaster of the most monumental proportions. I had the same experience in Kingdoms when playing as the Spanish. Field battles as the Spanish against the Moors are ridiculously easy but the assaults are not. It sure is slow moving armies, even with increased movement. I wonder if my generals all die of old age before being able to get to the Middle East if they go crusading or will the armies all starve to death.

**Monk** · 05-28-2008, 19:32

Originally Posted by Old Geezer

The only serious drawback with SS that I have found yet after playing almost 40 turns is that auto-resolving, esp. assaults on settlements, is almost invariably a disaster of the most monumental proportions. I had the same experience in Kingdoms when playing as the Spanish. Field battles as the Spanish against the Moors are ridiculously easy but the assaults are not. It sure is slow moving armies, even with increased movement. I wonder if my generals all die of old age before being able to get to the Middle East if they go crusading or will the armies all starve to death.

Crusade and Jihad armies have I think triple movement points, stick them on a navy and they can cross the Mediterranean in something like three turns. Not to mention I am almost sure that the AI will warp Jihad/crusade armies as I regularly see them arriving within 3-4 turns even without navies.

**FactionHeir** · 05-28-2008, 19:52

You mean if they don't get stuck or run off in the opposite direction to take a few settlements without the human desertion penalty

Movement is doubled by default rather than tripled, although it "looks" tripled.

**G^2** · 05-28-2008, 22:51

In my English campaign I noticed a french crusade army that hung around Cean for about 10 turns. I was wondering why it never depleted. Personally, I love the new map, its one of my favorite features along with AI diplomacy that makes me love SS.

**RollingWave** · 05-29-2008, 03:40

it's pretty fun, but some of the unit balance still needs further work, there's considerable complaints that the Muslim factions are now nearly unplayable late game.

I'm just starting, I like it so far but the development early on is sloooooow. I had like 20K hanging around every turn with nothing to spend it on :P

also, desert archers are now crazy effective against low armor troops. as it should be I guess.

I'm just worried about the late game :P I'm guessing I can't get camel gunners until REALLY late . that would be bad...

**Walternat0r** · 05-29-2008, 11:11

I only play BC and SS6.0 (didn't like 6.1 much, haven't really tried it tbh though) now, and only go back to Vanilla kingdoms so that I can hose the Aztecs with mounted thunder braves. I found that with SS the economy is strong (enough to build buildings anyway) until 50-60 turns in, when your empire is getting large and you need more armies and the buildings get a lot more expensive. I've got 4 saves, one as Denmark, one as England, one as Egypt and one as the Templars.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

The most fun is definately Templars, the first 15 turns were pretty intense, assualting in a seige on SS with the big rebel stacks is horrible. I actually took one settlement (Edessa I think) with only one bodyguard and 2 crossbowmen left, the general had been killed by the last pissing peasent lol.

The only annoying things I found is that changing cities too castles is now realistically priced - 10k florins on hard/v hard - so i've ended up leaving settlements how they are mostly. Also, cavalry, especially bodyguards are a bit too strong (imo), a 10 man bodyguard unit can and has cleaved its way through about 400 spear militia by itself, any heavy cav is the same, spearmen are a mere speedbump too them. Armoured Sergeants are about as heavy spears you get and they get trounced by heavy cav. Meh!