No Graduation in Difficulty!

[Fisherking]

With change #3:

In the economic game there is no graduation in difficulty. Easy is just like Very Hard. Pricing is all the same, upkeep the same, all is all the same.

That boils down to only one formula for playing the game. Spend all you have on troops and take what other build. In other words “Blitz”!

Just what I did not want to see!

The increase in upkeep, recruitment, building costs, and even some tech penalties all have too stifling an effect on the player who wants to carefully build an economy to support troop strength. Couple that with the reduction in trade income and it only leaves conquest.

The game now only favors factions which build troops and don’t trade. It seems tailored for the Prussian Mafia. Those who play the one faction and concentrate on conquest from turn one.

The more aggressive AI also means that Trade Income is a very iffy prospect. It is just too expensive to keep a fleet to defend trade lanes and as soon as you can’t afford the troops you loose half of them.

This may be a perfect game for those who only play Prussia on VH/VH but for those who like to examine different approaches or don’t need to brag about only playing VH it turns the game into painful drudgery.

[knoddy]

while i can see where ur comin from i think the fact that trade income is iffy is a GOOD thing, this is how it should be, u shouldnt be able to sit there and laugh as you rake in 20k a turn with ur enemies not touching ur trade lanes even tho they have full stacks of navies.

the impact of war on your income SHOULD be felt like this. i know in my marthras camp, i got to the point where i didnt want to go to war with any1 else cos the choices i had meant losing MAJOR trade partners and therefore major income and the possiblity of them pirating trade routes.

Cheers Knoddy

[seireikhaan]

My issue is that the game now becomes entirely predictable. Prussia will go after Poland and Austria, Spanish/Dutch every time, Russians/Swedes every time, Danes/Swedes every time, Brits/Native Americans every time, all usually in the first couple of terms. The AI is too aggressive at this point, and income is not nearly enough to cover expenses as a general rule.

[Vlad Tzepes]

I'm still on my pre-patch France campaign, now around year 1780 and I've noticed some worrying facts about income.

Before patch, it was really too easy. I control around 70 provinces on all theatres, fully upgraded, and all but one trade spot, each with 4-6 indiamen. I'm a republic and there's no minister below 3 stars. I have something like 8 stacks of 3rd rates (with 6-7 ships in each) and about 10 army stacks scattered all over. There's some garrisoning around, but not much. Taxes are set to 1/3. Tech is completely researched, all universities are now gone (that's not nice). This campaign was N/N.

I reached an incredible 6 million in budget before patch.

And now my budget is going down. I'm losing like 10K every turn.

So 70 provinces, fully upgraded, cannot sustain 10 army stacks + 8 fleet stacks.

It's getting interesting. I still don't know if it's playable - I'll see in my new campaign - to start next week, but it really looks tough.

[Graphic]

The overall difficulty does seem a little ridiculous now.

As GB I can only afford one fully army.
I lost Moose Factory because I can't afford to garrison it.
I've had to disband almost all garrison units except one in each city and most of my navy, in order to not go bakrupt.
It costs somewhere around ~2000 to replenish an army after it's been in a tough battle.

On top of all of this, the Natives are waaaaay too aggressive now. Cherokee are running around with way more troops than they should even be able to support. I got a stack to North America as fast as I could and half the 13 C's territory was already wiped out. Only like 7 turns in, when I set foot on NA, the Cherokee had their starting territory, plus Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia. Iroquois took New York. Then on the other hand, the 13 C's do absolutely nothing, it's almost like they don't have A.I. at all.

I didn't mind because I was fixing to start a new campaign on a lower difficulty so I could actually have some money and troops to work with, but if there actually isn't any graduation in difficulty like you say, then this is starting to suck. The patch notes said there should be.

[AussieGiant]

So...now it's too hard?

Too predictable, boring, too aggressive, not enough money. Can't sustain my total domination of all other factions combined?

If I was a CA developer I'd be going out of my mind right now and saying to my program managers;

"£$^£ em, we can't tailor a game to 675 789 different people and their personal opinions."

I mean really guy's, can we for one minute think about how this comes across if you we a CA developer?

[Slaists]

With change #3:

In the economic game there is no graduation in difficulty. Easy is just like Very Hard. Pricing is all the same, upkeep the same, all is all the same.

That boils down to only one formula for playing the game. Spend all you have on troops and take what other build. In other words “Blitz”!

Just what I did not want to see!

The increase in upkeep, recruitment, building costs, and even some tech penalties all have too stifling an effect on the player who wants to carefully build an economy to support troop strength. Couple that with the reduction in trade income and it only leaves conquest.

The game now only favors factions which build troops and don’t trade. It seems tailored for the Prussian Mafia. Those who play the one faction and concentrate on conquest from turn one.

The more aggressive AI also means that Trade Income is a very iffy prospect. It is just too expensive to keep a fleet to defend trade lanes and as soon as you can’t afford the troops you loose half of them.

This may be a perfect game for those who only play Prussia on VH/VH but for those who like to examine different approaches or don’t need to brag about only playing VH it turns the game into painful drudgery.

So, here's my final answer, especially about that 'rushing/Prussia gang' part ;)

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...52#post2227252

[JAG]

Fisherking - ever thought you just suck at this game? From what you post, that is all I can come up with.

Plus, you have no concept of history, read wikipedia one more time my friend, and then post your crap again. :)

[Fisherking]

Fisherking - ever thought you just suck at this game? From what you post, that is all I can come up with.

Plus, you have no concept of history, read wikipedia one more time my friend, and then post your crap again. :)

@JAG


Rather than launching a personal attack on others, don’t you think it wiser or clearer to point out the areas of disagreement?

To everyone else:

The way the game is set up now is not a problem at higher difficulties.

It is however a bit extreme for those wishing a slower or easier approach, and should not be set up to favor one factions position over another’s.

[seireikhaan]

Plus, you have no concept of history, read wikipedia one more time my friend, and then post your crap again. :)

Weird, I don't seem to recall the history of Europe from 1700-1800 consisting of a single, giant, century long deathmatch. From what wikipedia tells me(), Prussia didn't get west Prussia from Poland until 1772, not 1700, as they do EVERY time now. Get some concept of history.

[AussieGiant]

Well I'm having a great time on H/M with Prussia.

I always play the prestige game to make sure it isn't just about Tora Tora Tora all the time.

I'm in year 1760 and it's been a great game. Money has been tight, there has only been 6 huge full stack battles between my Austria and Poland, and they were impressive.

Otherwise it's been a great deal of maneuvering, haggling and fun. There are a few things still to be done but I've managed to build a good economy and use 2 full stack armies for the last 30 to 40 years.

I didn't have a navy until about 1730 and now I've got my 5 ship 3rd rate stack and my 2 ship 5 rate frigate stack. They have done a good job with this patch and there has been zero CTD's.

I've got only 2 provinces to take based on my requirements but France, Great Britain and Martha are in the low thousands in prestige and I don't think I can knock them off as I only about around high 500's.

The AI has not gone on all out blitzes with this game.