Post patch early game

[DojoRat]

How have the changes to spears, cav and other units changed your early game stategies? I've put more emphasis on building FMAA's and Royal/feudal knights and less emphasis on spear armies. Also, with no xbows your medium sized spear/militia
garrison armies are vulnerable to a smaller enemy containing a lot of knights. (Some times there aren't enough trees to go around).

Special high attack units, like Vikings and Gallowglasses have also increased in value because you can't rely on spears to either hold forever or provide flanking punch. You need some bad boys to do quick damage and break their line.

It has also put a further premium on mercs. As the French I was able to buy 2 heavy cav and 2 Muribatan (jav inf) to give me the punch to kick out the knight heavy Aragonese who had stabbed me in the back in Tolouse.

True, as the French I used large numbers of spears to overwhelm the English on the continent but I'll need something more to take on the equally sized German armies.
Necessity will no make knights "affordable" I think.

Sorry for the caffeine incoherence.

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He moves, you move first.

[Kraxis]

Yes, it seems killingpower is more important that stayingpower now.

Light cav have become very interesting units. Two Steppe Cav can take down most early spears (one unit) with great ease.

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BTW, Danish Crusades are true to history.

You may not care about war, but war cares about you!

[DojoRat]

One point I overlooked both in this post and in my present campaign was the importance of chapter houses and the early Crusade. Before, the crusades were for me a mid-game at the earliest technique to expand my already decent empire toward the levant.

Now, as France, I regret being unprepared as an Italian Crusade sucks up my troops on the way to Cordoba. To make matters worse Spain has been excomunicated! Oh well, maybe I'll pick up a province or two in the wake of the Crusade.

It looks like, for me at least, the patch will require changes in both tactical and strategic thinking.

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He moves, you move first.