Seljuk Turks campaign

**edyzmedieval** · 04-01-2011, 23:18

Originally Posted by Glenn

Thank you for carrying the AAR torch awhile brother Edyz, it is important that a tale is always being told in the Hall, and your efforts at the head of the Seljuks are quite epic even by the number of your forces.

If Ζεύς 'υψηβρέμετης permi'th thee, please continue in your work...

Not quite an AAR, just a little story to show how my MTW campaign goes on.

Now I'm stuck between an MTW campaign and a S2TW campaign, so we'll see how that goes. Most probably the MTW will be finished first since I really want to complete it.

If you're a slow expander that turtles the campaign and plays very defensively, you may be able to keep the peace for very long periods

That's how I played. Not very defensively, but I stayed in my shell and when the opportunity presented itself I took everything I could.

that is funny, because i play in the middle of those, blitz than consolidate, blitz than consolidate....

You get a particular reputation with the AI if you do that, regardless of your influence. Otherwise I can't explain the behaviour of the AI. Turtle early and make sure you attack just one single faction. And take every rebel province you can.

**edyzmedieval** · 04-05-2011, 03:22

War has started!

5 turns after breaking the alliance the Almoravids started sinking my ships. I lost almost all of my fleets (they had huge superiority despite me having Booms and them using Dhows) but the ground war is swinging in my favour. They still have huge military resources but their failure to ransom their princes suggests otherwise. I've been winning battles and I've been conquering provinces to add to my points score, so I hope that my 9 point lead will expand.

Nevertheless I have a bigger problem than the Almoravids.

CTDs.

It took me 3 hours to go from 1360 to 1370. CTD four times and one time when I exited in order to save my game.

Because of all the battles and all of the bribing that I've done, the game conflicts in the source code and the text I believe so it CTDs on me quite regularly.

Nevertheless, I'll push on. I want to see those Almoravids destroyed. They even had the peskiness to attack Constantinople, my best city, the gem of my empire. Such foolishness will not go unpunished.

Pics soon.

**cogre** · 04-05-2011, 05:08

any reasons why the ctd's? i know they are frustrating but i don't usually get em from mtw

**caravel** · 04-05-2011, 08:35

Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

CTDs.

It took me 3 hours to go from 1360 to 1370. CTD four times and one time when I exited in order to save my game.

Because of all the battles and all of the bribing that I've done, the game conflicts in the source code and the text I believe so it CTDs on me quite regularly.

Did you install the button fix? Even if you think you don't need it - install it anyway. I have seen those up/down arrows it replaces have different effects on different hardware. I had an old graphics card where they only caused visual corruption and with another it only crashed when you actually click on a province where they're visible. It's worth a go if you haven't installed it already.

Also if the crash is occuring when you go the menu, try changing the desktop colour depth to 16 bit - that's what Medieval uses IIRC. Also try setting the desktop resolution to the same as the game and the campaign map and battle map resolutions to the same.

**I of the Storm** · 04-05-2011, 08:56

Hint: Those "back-to-menu" CTDs can probably not be prevented completely but to avoid losing my game progress I made it a habit to press CTRL+S before going to the menu for saving the game properly.

**edyzmedieval** · 04-06-2011, 01:43

Originally Posted by Asai Nagamasa

Did you install the button fix? Even if you think you don't need it - install it anyway. I have seen those up/down arrows it replaces have different effects on different hardware. I had an old graphics card where they only caused visual corruption and with another it only crashed when you actually click on a province where they're visible. It's worth a go if you haven't installed it already.

Also if the crash is occuring when you go the menu, try changing the desktop colour depth to 16 bit - that's what Medieval uses IIRC. Also try setting the desktop resolution to the same as the game and the campaign map and battle map resolutions to the same.

I'll try and install it but it's surely not from that. Same goes for the 16 bit. It comes from specific executions whenever I bribe, I exit to save the game, I return from a battle or others such as when ending a turn. Since I have Vista 64-bit, it's even worse for me, but it's manageable since the CTDs only occur during "high stress" aka lots of things to plan during my turn.

Hint: Those "back-to-menu" CTDs can probably not be prevented completely but to avoid losing my game progress I made it a habit to press CTRL+S before going to the menu for saving the game properly.

Thank you for the hint.

There's still one problem with them - Quicksaves always cause CTDs for me. I save them out of habit rather than extracting any usefulness from them.

Back to my campaign. I managed to fire off another 3 turns, slowly munching through the Almoravid troops and conquering another two provinces. Two more years and the vital point count comes, if I can distance myself to at least 15 I get enough breathing space.

Unfortunately, I'm very vulnerable to sea attacks and I've lost half my treasury already through recruiting and bribes. I'm losing 45000 florins a turn so if I dont start disbanding my troops I'll go bankrupt in around 12 turns. Argh.

Once I'll deal with the Almoravids and make sure their troops are vanquished, I will retreat from the provinces and let the rebels take them on. Next 5-6 turns are vital.

**edyzmedieval** · 04-09-2011, 02:14

Almoravids are almost destroyed, I lead now 195 points to 182, but it's a disaster what's going on in the whole of the map.

Rebels.

Rebels always spawn AT LEAST one full stack and rebellions are so common I get around 5-6 per turn. My Sultan has maximum influence (no dread however) and it's a disaster. I have to keep a full stack in each of my provinces or risk to lose it.

There's four factions left. Ottomans, Almoravids, Papacy and Lithuanians.

**edyzmedieval** · 04-09-2011, 03:26

And here's some piccies for you.

Here's my Sultan. Sultan Bayezid, the infamous Bayazid the Conqueror. In the game he's labelled as Bayezid the IInd, but he's actually Bayezid the Ist historically.

Unit card of the best unit available for the Turks. Apart from the fact they look badass, they're a perfect combination of strong infantry and deadly bowmen.

**edyzmedieval** · 04-11-2011, 20:35

Breakthrough!
I killed the Almoravid Khalifah and his son in the Siege of Groningen, and so, the Almoravids have disappeared from this planet.

Only two turns before, the Lithuanians, Germans and Cumans reappeared on the map, so it will make it interesting in the final 40 years.

The year is now 1410, I lead with 225 points, the Papacy is second with 28.

**Trapped in Samsara** · 04-16-2011, 21:37

Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

Not at all. You trade with neutrals but the problem is that your trade income is heavily reduced, 50% less I believe. I still garner income now, mainly from farming, but from the peak of 33000 florins profit per turn (

) to 7500 florins which I have now, it's a long way.

Hi Edzymedieval

I have tested your proposition, that trade with a neutral faction earns less than trade with an ally, and found it unproven.

I loaded a year in my most recent campaign - Caravel 2.2, Byz, hard, glorious achievement - and noted Constantionople's trade with Rome. I then made an alliance with the Papacy. In the following years there was no change in the value of exports to Rome, which remained owned by the Papacy.

Best regards
Victor

Sapere aude
Horace

**edyzmedieval** · 04-17-2011, 14:42

Originally Posted by victorgb

Hi Edzymedieval

I have tested your proposition, that trade with a neutral faction earns less than trade with an ally, and found it unproven.

I loaded a year in my most recent campaign - Caravel 2.2, Byz, hard, glorious achievement - and noted Constantionople's trade with Rome. I then made an alliance with the Papacy. In the following years there was no change in the value of exports to Rome, which remained owned by the Papacy.

Best regards
Victor

Sapere aude
Horace

Perhaps you could try it with a bigger faction? The Papacy doesn't provide to much of a bonus (it has a special status in the game), try it with Almohads, Spanish, English or French who have a bigger kingdom and more access to the waters.

Back to the campaign - it's 1420 and there's no big update, small petty wars around the block between the expanding Germans, Cumans and Lithuanians.

I started disbanding my troops, I had HUGE armies (probably over 100.000 men

) and I left provinces to rebel so I can retreat only to my core provinces now and defend those.

**edyzmedieval** · 04-17-2011, 19:43

Sultan Selim IV.

He came to the throne in 1407 and so far he's a very efficient Sultan. (it's 1420, pic has been taken in 1408)

**edyzmedieval** · 04-19-2011, 16:59

And so comes to an end my first completed Medieval Total War campaign, 9 years after I bought the game.

My last Sultan, Sultan Aybak the IInd.

The Ottoman Empire, a couple of years before the end.

MTW Victory message.

Overall, I've greatly enjoyed my time playing this campaign, even more so that I finished one after 9 years. The battles have been epic, and matter of fact I had one 10 years before the end when the Papacy reappeared, 9000 Ottoman soldiers vs 8200 Papacy soldiers, mainly Swiss Pikemen/Halberdiers and Handgunners.

I'll take a short break from MTW, going back to focus 100% on my work but I will return with a couple of more mini-AARs, in my Campaigns thread.
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...4569-Campaigns

Bottom line, Medieval Total War is the best TW game.

Hope you enjoyed.