Fairly new to this game and got questions

[omidoow]

So i am fairly new and would like to ask some questions on this frustrating mod:p.

1. Wich faction is closest to Afghanistan besides Arche Seleukeia because they suck.

2. Usually in books or movies i read or hear "The persians invaded... blabla" but suddenly in this mod there are a lot of persian factions, wich faction do they mean when they say the persians invaded blabla?? I guess Arche Seleukeia because they are the biggest. My history book also said the persians had an empire stretching from Turkey to Afghanistan and that's how it is to the AS faction.

3. For a beginner n00b like me who can handle cash income but not war wich Greek or Persian faction is the best, all the Greek and Persian factions are very challenging or nigh-impossible.

4. Why are there no easy factions, the lowest is moderate and those are excatly the factions i terribly dislike.

5. Any in-battle tips for me? I play on medium, i usually beat armies outnumbering them but if i am outnumbered i always get screwed. So what should i do to beat a larger army than mine?

6. Why is it so hard to control a large empire, i always have to check every 20 cities with AS that's why they suck. Is it always like that or is there a way to speed it up.

7. There is no shield wall in the game, why they are awesome....

8. Best infantry faction? I hate cavalry, they are there only to flank and even then they die quickly.


Sorry for these stupid questions in a large amount, but if you would be kind enough to answer me thanks a billion.

[Atilius]

So i am fairly new and would like to ask some questions on this frustrating mod:p.

1. Wich faction is closest to Afghanistan besides Arche Seleukeia because they suck.

Baktria. I'm sure all the team members who worked hard on the Seleukid faction are delighted to hear that you think the AS sucks. That's a shame, because perhaps some of them may have been otherwise inclined to answer some of your other questions.

2. Usually in books or movies i read or hear "The persians invaded... blabla" but suddenly in this mod there are a lot of persian factions, wich faction do they mean when they say the persians invaded blabla?? I guess Arche Seleukeia because they are the biggest. My history book also said the persians had an empire stretching from Turkey to Afghanistan and that's how it is to the AS faction.

The Persian empire you're probably thinking of was conquered by Alexander before EB begins. The AS is not Persian. The Pahlava eventually gained control of much of the old Persian empire.

[desert]

1. Baktria.
2. I don't really understand what you are asking. Arche Seleukia is Greek. There is no Persian faction, although you could say that Pontos and Hayasdan are sort of Persian (they were once part of the Achaemenid Empire).
3. Rome and Carthage are probably the easiest factions, and you get good money from the start. The easiest Greek faction is probably the Ptolemies, because they are stable, have a good amount of land to draw income from, and .
4. ???
5. The AI is pretty retarded. Exploit that fact, use it to your advantage. Don't attack head-on of course (sounds like that's what you are doing to me; am I wrong?).
6. Large empires were historically hard to control.
7. You can use shieldwall in BI-EB. RTW and Alex EB have no shieldwall, because regular RTW and Alex don't have shieldwall.
8. Certain cavalry units in EB can destroy elite phalanxes with frontal charges. I suggest you read the cavalry guide. Anyway, all factions generally have good infantry, but the non-steppe European factions usually have the most to choose from when it comes to infantry.

Cavalry Guide: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...=using+cavalry

[Yyrkoon]

Ya asked a mouthful kid.

1. Wich faction is closest to Afghanistan besides Arche Seleukeia because they suck.

Baktria is pretty much due north of modern day Afghanistan. Hard to play because they have 1 city to start.

2. Usually in books or movies i read or hear "The persians invaded... blabla" but suddenly in this mod there are a lot of persian factions, wich faction do they mean when they say the persians invaded blabla?? I guess Arche Seleukeia because they are the biggest. My history book also said the persians had an empire stretching from Turkey to Afghanistan and that's how it is to the AS faction.

Technically there isn't a native Persian empire in the EB timeframe. Arche Seleukia is a diadochi empire, as are about four other factions. The diadochi were Alexander the Great's successors. Basically when he died his generals carved chunks out of his empire and made it theirs then started fighting each other for the rest. Seleukia corresponds geographically with much of the Achaemenid (pre-Alexander Persian) empire. Actually if you take Seleukia, the Ptolemaic empire, most of Pontos, Armenia, and Baktria, you've got roughly the old Persian Empire. Add Greece and you've got Alexander's.

3. For a beginner n00b like me who can handle cash income but not war wich Greek or Persian faction is the best, all the Greek and Persian factions are very challenging or nigh-impossible.

There really is no "best" faction. Some factions have better starting positions than others and some have more areas that are easy to capture, but none are impossible and none are a cakewalk.

The steppe factions (Saka, Sauromatae) are challenging unless you know how to use horse archers properly. Basically you put a unit on three sides of the enemy and pepper them, always turning fire at will off, they turn about in circles until they all die or you rush generals with your family members who are battlefield gods.

The diadochi are mostly hammer and anvil tactics. A line of phalanx with light units on the flanks and cavalry to charge once the enemy are engaged.

Barbarian factions are mostly infantry and I have little experience with them, so I can't talk much except about the Casse. You put heavy infantry inn the center and light on the flanks so you can encircle the enemy.


4. Why are there no easy factions, the lowest is moderate and those are excatly the factions i terribly dislike.

Well historically carving an empire out of others wasn't very easy. I actually haven't found any of the factions I've played so far to be insanely difficult. If you find it too hard, just lower the difficulty and/or use console cheats. You can find out about those in gamefaqs.com under rome total war cheats. Besides, if there was no challenge the game would be boring.

5. Any in-battle tips for me? I play on medium, i usually beat armies outnumbering them but if i am outnumbered i always get screwed. So what should i do to beat a larger army than mine?

Flank, flank, flank. Use archers to soften up their light infantry, heavy infantry to engage, and light infantry/cavalry to flank or charge from the rear. The trick to cavalry is to get them a decent distance away and then click on the unit you want to charge. If it worked, you'll hear a horn blowing, they will lower their lances, and bada bing! Destruction. Leave them engaged for about 10 - 15 seconds then run them away. Charge again. Lather rinse repeat. Cavalry were never meant for protracted melee. They're for charging. Use skirmishers to draw elite units away from the main fight so you screw up the enemy's formations. Never attack pikemen from the front unless you are using the unit to pin them down. Charge when you can because the charge bonus is nice. Try a few practice battles in custom battles.

6. Why is it so hard to control a large empire, i always have to check every 20 cities with AS that's why they suck. Is it always like that or is there a way to speed it up.

Speed what up?

Controlling a large empire is hard. Local rulers are corrupt, they don't respect central authority. People don't like the idea of paying tribute to some schmuck 1000 miles away. It's a distance to the capitol penalty. Build happiness, law, and health bonus buildings. Alternatively, you could just let the easternmost four or five cities of AS revolt by destroying all buildings and taking out the garrison. They're low population and high risk anyway.

7. There is no shield wall in the game, why they are awesome....

Apparently the team either a) didn't think it historical for the timeperiod or b) found a better use

8. Best infantry faction? I hate cavalry, they are there only to flank and even then they die quickly.

See above for cavalry, they rock. The best infantry faction is probably Rome. Quarthadastim also have great infantry in the form of their iberian heavies. Makedon has good phalax infantry. The barbarian factions all have some killer infantry (and almost no horse).

[omidoow]

Thanks a lot, i'll take Baktria, i liked their colour and emblem a lot anyway

[SwissBarbar]

maybe you should try an easier faction for the beginning, like the romanii, if this really is your first game

[Megas Methuselah]

Yeah. A lot of players get repeatedly annihilated playing as the Baktrians. They're a diadochoi state, btw.

[omidoow]

How about the Koinon Hellenon or something. I like them but the Makedonians are too strong, they got a full stack in the beginning.

[Mediolanicus]

And when you continue the game you will see a lot more full stacks, from each faction.

Try Romani or Carthage if you want it easy.
If you don't like a challenge, than I'm afraid EB is not really your kind of game...

[artavazd]

1. Baktria.
2. I don't really understand what you are asking. Arche Seleukia is Greek. There is no Persian faction, although you could say that Pontos and Hayasdan are sort of Persian (they were once part of the Achaemenid Empire).
3. Rome and Carthage are probably the easiest factions, and you get good money from the start. The easiest Greek faction is probably the Ptolemies, because they are stable, have a good amount of land to draw income from, and .
4. ???
5. The AI is pretty retarded. Exploit that fact, use it to your advantage. Don't attack head-on of course (sounds like that's what you are doing to me; am I wrong?).
6. Large empires were historically hard to control.
7. You can use shieldwall in BI-EB. RTW and Alex EB have no shieldwall, because regular RTW and Alex don't have shieldwall.
8. Certain cavalry units in EB can destroy elite phalanxes with frontal charges. I suggest you read the cavalry guide. Anyway, all factions generally have good infantry, but the non-steppe European factions usually have the most to choose from when it comes to infantry.

Cavalry Guide: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...=using+cavalry

Uhh... no you cant say Hayasdan is Persian or its "sort of" Persian, because Armenians are Armenian not Persian.

[omidoow]

And when you continue the game you will see a lot more full stacks, from each faction.

Try Romani or Carthage if you want it easy.
If you don't like a challenge, than I'm afraid EB is not really your kind of game...

I don't care about a full stack later on but on the beginning a full stack outnumberes me badly, that's why it's so darn hard.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Get better, don't just whine about it.

[omidoow]

^Lol, if i want to get better i'll have to ask some stuff to get experience. That's why i'm ASKING not WHINING, see the difference? Anyway, i guess i'll go roman^^.

[Celtic_Punk]

Your bitching about cavalry is not founded. Cavalry do not suck you are just using it improperly. Go to the AAR/Guide section, and look for the "How to use cavalry properly" thread. you will learn how to use cavalry exceptionally well.

i suggest a gallic faction. they kick ass and take names. Their cavalry is better than the Romans, their top soldiers are better than the romans you'll be facing early on. and the gauls youll be facing will have the same troops as you. Averni have the best starting position of the gauls.

[Pontius Pilate]

Wait you are playing as the Romans? I think you mentioned before that you dislike the normal/moderate difficulty factions, and Rome is one of them, so just a heads up there before you start playing. Well, if you like infantry based armies play as one of the barbarian factions (you shouldn't start out with the Casse because alot of players say they are difficult to begin with) or you could try one of the hellenic factions. You could also try out Makedon since they have good infantry and they got decent cavalry so you can practice getting better using cavalry and flanking charges.

[/Bean\]

Get better, don't just whine about it.

I have to agree to be honest mate.

I would suggest becoming much more accostomed to the Vanilla RTW before you start playing EB. EB is meant to be much more historically accurate; this brings with it many changes and differences, all for the better if thats the kind of thing you want. Obviously these changes include a much more complex and difficult, not to mention realistic, gameplay.

If you want an easier game, with lots of infantry and few cavalry, its the Romani, hands down. Not only do they fit these three requirements, they have a strong starting position, almost unlimited expansion oppotunities and a very strong economy, right from the beginning.

Also, you mentioned you wanted experience. Besides becoming better at Vanilla, I would strongly suggest custom battles (on multiplayer not single player) and to read through stuff in these forums. You could learn how to become a master at the game just by reading about people's experiences and their guides.

But yeah, some of your comments don't help, and could be seen as offensive, especially to the EB team, who you have no idea how much they put into this game.

[Celtic_Punk]

Yeah one of the three Hellas factions are very good aswell. I personally started with the KH but they are tough if you dont know what you are doing. You've got to move fast, and you cannot afford a defeat early on. You do or die.

[desert]

Artavazd, I said sort of Persian because Pontos and Hayasdan were heavily influenced by the Achaemenids. I guess I was too ambiguous, sorry.

[MerlinusCDXX]

If you like Hellenic factions, Ptolemaioi are one of the easier ones, relatively save starting position (only early enemy is AS), good economy, decent troops*

*Army comparison to AS:
superior sword infantry-Galatikoi Klerouchioi-armored Galatian swordsmen,
slightly inferior phalangites-no access to Argyrapidai,
no access to Hypaspistai/Pheraspidai/Elite Thorakitai-Basilikon Agema just doesn't cut it compared to true Hypaspistai,
less variety of high end cavalry-no access to Kataphraktoi, though access to more factional med/light cav almost balances this out-unique med cav-Machimoi Hippeis,
access to Elephant units and Kushite/Aithiopian regionals, Red Sea Hoplites- lightly armored Hoplite with better endurance in hot climates

[Tellos Athenaios]

The Ptolemaioi actually do get a similar high-quality phalanx unit but it is not widely recruitable outside the Fayun (Memphis) and the Nile Delta (Alexandreia). On the other hand their Galatikoi Klerouchoi have a very wide AOR giving them arguably one of the 'best bang for the buck' heavy infantry units especially when taking 'shipping time' into account. Their other major asset is their access to a good medium/heavy cavalry (lancer) unit: the Agema. Personally I'd favour the Agema over Hellenikoi Kataphraktoi, because Hetairoi is as heavy as cavalry needs to be for Diadochoi factions, but a unit like the Agema is (just as) dependable by virtue of its versatility and IIRC a good bit cheaper too.

Apart from that the Ptolemaioi can't quite stand up to the AS's standards: while it is true both factions share the bulk of their troop (types) the real core troops of the AS have significantly wider AOR. And when it comes to specialities, the AS has a better unit roster as well: Hypaspistai, Kinsmen Cavalry, Scythed Chariots, Guild Warriors (Indian infantry with big sword-axes), Kamboja cavalry, Pheraspidai, Thorakitai Agematos Basilikou. Do the Ptolemaioi actually even get access to Eastern Axemen, Subeshi Archers and Galatikoi Kuarothoroi (about equals of Galatikoi Klerouchoi but much more limited AOR)?

[MerlinusCDXX]

TA, aren't the Agema cavalry basically similar to Thessalians?

[Tellos Athenaios]

Basically? Yes, IIRC just slightly better value. But the real point is that they've got better AOR (without relying on mercs to fill the ranks). Note however I'm going by memory -- and it has been a while since I played with the Ptolemaioi. You see, my favourites so happen to be the 'on the other side' of the frontline.

[MerlinusCDXX]

Just looked at the RV, and those Agema cavalry are only recruitable in Lower Egypt, Ioudaia, and Kyrene (4 provinces), so the AOR ain't all that great. I'd spend the extra cash on Hetairoi myself (at least you can retrain them in some areas away from the core homelands)

Yeah, my favorite Greeks are on the other side of the front too (view my sig...)

[abou]

If not, they're pretty close. Same model, IIRC.

Essentially, the Seleukids have the ability to become the dominant faction on the map. Whatever army has better cavalry than they do, the Seleukids have better infantry. Whatever army has better infantry than they do, the Seleukids have better cavalry. And even then, their cavalry and infantry are excellent. The major factor working against the Seleukids is their starting position. The Ptolemaioi, however, do have a solid army, but their main advantage is their safe starting position and easily expanded economy. There is a reason the Ptolemaioi will be featured in our tutorial Gaza campaign in EB2.

[omidoow]

The Ptolemai, really? When i looked at the map from the west there was Karthadastim or something and from the north the Seleukids, i thought i'd have to fight 2 major wars wich isn't good for a man with my experience . I'll look around then^^

[MerlinusCDXX]

Omidoow,

The west can easily be blocked off from the Carthies with 2 or 3 forts and a medium defensive army. Your only real enemy is the AS.

[desert]

Plus, the Carthaginians start as your allies if you play Ptolemies, so they won't attack for a good 30 or 40 years. Maybe never, considering that they have all those independent African factions, the Romans, and the Iberians to contend with.

[gamegeek2]

Yeah, it tends to be the Ptollies who attack Qarthadast, if ever. Only seen AI Ptollie attack Human Carthage, aside from that no conflict.

[/Bean\]

Casse and Sweboz aside, I think the Ptole's have the least amount of enemies to contend with at all, basically throughout their entire gameplay. Unless you decide to take them into Greece or heavily into Asia Minor, then they are basically fighting the AS their entire life. I feel you may be running out of things to complain about.

[Skullheadhq]

Well if you want a persian faction i think Pahlava is your choice...but they are a cav faction