The game is just TOO easy!!!!

**Callahan9119** · 03-10-2009, 05:06

I have NEVER been so challenged by the battle AI, since 2001 or whenever I bought my first total war game. I play with medium unit size, I read that it makes the AI much better, I have no complaints compared to previous game.

Video problems and my other GPU sitting there useless because of a memory leak in SLI is another story

**DisruptorX** · 03-10-2009, 05:52

Problem, as always, is the dreaded Passive AI. If there were full stacks of enemy units coming at you every other turn during the early game, it would indeed be challenging.

Its really the same problem thats always been there. The AI hates sending full armies to assault territories.

**Polemists** · 03-10-2009, 06:04

It all depends upon perspective I guess.

If you pick short campaign I can see why the game would go quickly, but then again it's short, it's not meant to take you the 100 years. Even long is only meant to take you half the time. Only World Domination is about taking the globe.

Again, the goal is to establish yourself.

I've actually found, in my experience the minor factions to be far more aggressive then the major ones.

Nations like Savoy, Wutemburg and Venice have all invaded my cities with full stacks, (Savoy with two armies) and even taken a city. So my border is maintained. Plus as you go on in years, more and more rebels begin to pop up so your bound to increase your local stacks for that reason. Most of my cities have a decent garrison do to slav rebels, who are quite numerous and march straight for the capital.

Not to mention I have found holding territory early on in America against the numerous native american factions quite challenging and enjoyable. I'm only on M/M.

Again it's what you want, but it's like saying you played Short Campaign of Rome, and your 15 years in and you've beaten the biggest challenge. When we all know the other Roman houses not Carthage was the challenge.

Same thing with this game. Beating a handful of smaller Euro states is not the main challenge, or even beating the major ones.

It's global expansion, and revoultion. I personally find it very challenging and enjoyable. I recently had to hold off 1000 Cheeroke from taking Florida who had only a few hundred men. It was quite challenging.

**peacemaker** · 03-10-2009, 06:07

Well, that's because you're just great. I understand I'm not that great of a player, and even on M/M, I find myself being almost destroyed several times over. I'm not sure what it is, but you're just reaaaaaly good. I'm sure mods will come out that can help this, right now just hope for the best and find a hard faction to play(I found that prussia was actually fairly easy compared to other factions)

**quadalpha** · 03-10-2009, 06:10

You are missing the point if you play it like a conquer-the-world-o-meter. It is primarily about building something that you can identify with. The direction CA is moving the franchise is more toward balance and atmosphere, exemplified by the fact that the default objectives are no longer "conquer a mass of provinces," but are a much smaller set aimed at recreating the historical aims of the nations involved. The move to reduce the number of armies and provinces, and to take the recruiting of agents out of the players control accentuate this shift in emphasis, and makes the player care more about what he has. So of course you are not going to enjoy it very much if the only reason you play is for conquest; then the game might as well be a chore, much like how the latter parts of previous TW titles often turned out. To get the most out of it, you need to invest your faction with a little personality.

**DisruptorX** · 03-10-2009, 06:12

Originally Posted by quadalpha

You are missing the point if you play it like a conquer-the-world-o-meter. It is primarily about building something that you can identify with. The direction CA is moving the franchise is more toward balance and atmosphere, exemplified by the fact that the default objectives are no longer "conquer a mass of provinces," but are a much smaller set aimed at recreating the historical aims of the nations involved. The move to reduce the number of armies and provinces, and to take the recruiting of agents out of the players control accentuate this shift in emphasis, and makes the player care more about what he has. So of course you are not going to enjoy it very much if the only reason you play is for conquest; then the game might as well be a chore, much like how the latter parts of previous TW titles often turned out. To get the most out of it, you need to invest your faction with a little personality.

Its less fun when you don't get to defend your empire because the AI never launches naval attacks, never invades, and generally just sits around. Late game if you want a fight, you have to start it.

I'm enjoying Empire, myself, though.

**Mailman653** · 03-10-2009, 06:44

I'm just the average player who plays on the default setting as far back as MTW so I can't atest to the difficulty of the game on VH etc, but what I have noticed is that I have an abudance of money and a very peaceful excistence. In M2TW I would bulid up trade as fast as I could but I would always be low on cash and waring with one or two other factions.

As opposed to ETW where I seem to have almost an abudance of cash and hardly anyone trying to topple my empire down.

**Polemists** · 03-10-2009, 06:54

It all depends on how you play, I have gone bankrupt several times over in ETW. Do to losing trade rights do to past wars and new alliances.

As for

Its less fun when you don't get to defend your empire because the AI never launches naval attacks, never invades, and generally just sits around

I have had the AI do all of the above quite frequently on M so I dunno, maybe you should go with medium

Venice took over two of my ports with large navies, invaded my empire, and took out both my school and new church before it struck my capital, weaving around larger defended cities. I was quite impressed considering it was only turn 16...last time I ask venice to become a protectorate

**NimitsTexan** · 03-10-2009, 07:10

Originally Posted by Polemists

It all depends on how you play, I have gone bankrupt several times over in ETW. Do to losing trade rights do to past wars and new alliances.

As for

I have had the AI do all of the above quite frequently on M so I dunno, maybe you should go with medium

Venice took over two of my ports with large navies, invaded my empire, and took out both my school and new church before it struck my capital, weaving around larger defended cities. I was quite impressed considering it was only turn 16...last time I ask venice to become a protectorate

So you are saying you had the AI transport land troops on a ship and invade a costal region/island against you?

**Yun Dog** · 03-10-2009, 07:47

Yeh I hear your concerns but I think theres a few issues here. Bear in mind this isnt a criticism in any way.

I mean you wanna make it harder give the AI insane stacks of death with bonuses and have it attack at all costs, someone can mod that in. I would be bored if I was defending against endless stacks of men.

To some degree wasnt that mid - late game STW with masses and masses of stacks of the few that were left, I dont think I ever bothered to finish a game once it got to that stage. So my first thing would be make sure your not looking at Shogun with rose coloured glasses because it was the first of its kind.

ETW:
I played through the Tute - ok that was alright, but easy yes, but its a tute.

I then went to VH/VH and the few battles I fought I got either pwned or just won by a few stragglers, that was encouraging enough to leave VH till later. As far as the AI sea invasions surely that can be fixed?

Then I went back to Med/Med cause I intend to get some value out of this game, then I will play through at hard, then I will play through at VH/VH, and then I will play all the factions, and then they will have patched/upgraded the game, and Ill play through a few more times, and then I might play it a few more times for old time sake.

On the up side I hear theres going to be a MP campaign so all your challenge issues will be solved then.

Its sort of a glass half full thing. Can you think of alot of recent game releases that had proved challenging for you? or lived up to your expectations, or werent full of bugs? What about the last two titles of this series - were they challenging? Cause I goto be honest mate I dont think your going to get that game you want for a long time to come.

The way I look at it, if Im not going to enjoy this game then I really have to look at why Im still playing games, and what game will ever be good enough to challenge players who have played this game as much as we have. Cause Its along wait till the next one.

Even if I get a month of honeymoon period where Im excited about the game, before I get bored or frustrated... thats sounds like I got a month more than some people. Once I get to the point where that excitement is no longer there, goodbye gaming.

Till the day this incredible game your waiting for comes out, Im going to play this one and enjoy it.