ETW difficulty

[Servius]

ETW is FAR from horrible. It's the best TW game in the series. It doesn't have the atmosphere of STW (nothing has match that game in that regard), but has the best graphics, tools, tooltips, etc. in the series. It also includes lots of new features and insight into the inner workings that any previous TW game.

I find it quite fun and regularly spend at least a couple hours a day playing.

On strategy difficulty, I said medium. The way I read your question, you didn't ask about game difficulty (because that can change based on your settings) but rather how difficult it can be to make long-term (strategic) decisions. I find I am often weighing the pros and cons of something that's good in the short term but not so good in the long term (like high tax rates that bring in more money now but retard asset value and population growth, and thus tax revenue, over the long run) vs. things that are sacrifices in the short term but beneficial over the long run.

I'd say it's harder than Age of Empires and Civilization strategically, but easier than Europa Universalis.

[Marquis of Roland]

IMO the campaign is too easy, even on VH. Definitely not something a couple common sense fixes to AI behavior can't fix though. In fact I saw a good number of them being worked on already for the next patch. I think after the next patch the game will be 90% ready. Really looking forward to that.

[anweRU]

I voted for medium as well.

Ironically, I've found that playing the game on a harder difficulty is easier, thanks to the improved economy (for trading nations, which most are). And I agree with all the above - if the AI could play the game properly, it would be a good challenge.

In the mean time, I've stopped ETW, and started EU:Rome until the next patch comes out.

[Prussian to the Iron]

IMO its the best tw game out there. its jst the right difficulty, and battles can be a real bitch if you don't have a big advantage.

the hardest part? probably techs, naval, and balancing economy. the economy post-patch 1.2 is hard to keep up due to high upkeep costs, and the naval aspects of the game are extremely difficult with non-naval factions like Russi, the Marathas, Austria and Prussia.

easiest part? probably the fact that the enemy never sends a serious invasion force into your lands. though ive started to have this happen more, they are mostly just single units of militia or groups of weak units/cavalry.

[Fisherking]

I would say that strategically it is about medium. But I may view strategy differently than you do.

There are aspects of the game that are difficult and some that are easy.

Managing the economy is likely the hardest part as there are so many penalties and some twists and turns to learn.

The AI does not do a good job at this and so the game suffers at the moment. It is too broke to build troops but it is very prone to declaring war. It was not this way before the last patch and it may not be after the next one.

Each time they have made changes it has changed the game a lot. I don’t know what the next change will bring, but I am hopeful.

[Prussian to the Iron]

It is too broke to build troops but it is very prone to declaring war.

.............you do know all a.i. factions are loooooooaaaaaaadddddeeeeeeddddddddd...............and they dont build troops for the simple reason they are stuuuuuuuuupppppppiiiiiiiiiidddddddd

[Fisherking]

.............you do know all a.i. factions are loooooooaaaaaaadddddeeeeeeddddddddd...............and they dont build troops for the simple reason they are stuuuuuuuuupppppppiiiiiiiiiidddddddd

So why is their rating always feeble and destitute?

I was Terrifying and Spectacular and only bringing in 2500 a turn…after expenses…

[Prussian to the Iron]

for some reason, i think they just take historical ratings or something? in my experience, GB France and Ottomans have always been terrifying and spectacular, but just about every other country is feeble and destitute. i dont know why they have those in SP; the a.i. is given such huge bonuses its not even funny.