Need help from Total War experts please!!

[Kengo]

When i start a game of SHOGUN TOTAL WAR i seem to do ok expanding over areas a little then it all goes down hill! I lose battles, lose koku and slowly i end up getting cremated again and again. I've read the strategy guides at this and other sites, but i just need basic tips, just to get me going? Can someone here give me some advice. Just a basic startin procedure. Do i build loadsa castles or improve farmland first? Or do i train and build structures to get some kind of base. Also i've tried several clans, which is the best for a beginner. I'm still the master swordsman tho, so laugh at me and i'll take your head.

..please help.

[solypsist]

use the cheats.
it sucks to learn a game mechanics and rules by getting your a$$ kicked.
you bought it to enjoy.
so enjoy it, and later as things get easier and you understand things a bit better, you can stop using the cheats and play by the rules.

[barocca]

have you checked here? http://www.geocities.com/totalwarshogun/
under strategies/clans are excellent start up guides,
also in the strategies section economy, warfare, the darkside and so on.

otherwise,

expand a bit, minimise number of provinces bordering enemy,

make as many alliances as you can,

at least 2 provinces capable of building troops,

build at least one port early, more ports when you can, as a hedge against bad harvest,

a port in same province as a troop dojo allows rapid deployment,

improve farmland in provinces where the agricultural output is high,

yari ashi are cheap troops and will allow you to make the AI think you are strong,

build troop dojo's where they will do the most good and get the most bonuses - ashi in Tosa for example,

build swordsmith and upgrade castle, dojo's and so on as income allows,
typical SP army composition (early) is 1xSA, 1xYS, 2xYA.

as swordsmiths and armouries come online retrain units to give them the new weapons and armour, - for a full strength unit it's a free upgrade,

garrison border provinces with at least as many troops as AI,
have a few units 'spare' to allow for replenishing an army that has taken losses,

build watchtowers and border forts to stop ninja killing your generals,

keep an eye on the map in the throne room - it shows who holds what provinces,

!!!

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DoragonBarocca of Clan Doragon

[barocca]

cheats, type when viewing main map,

money
.muchkoku.

reveal map
.matteosartori.

remember the full stops!



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DoragonBarocca of Clan Doragon

[Kengo]

Ok cool thanks for the responses aprreciate that. I'm off to get my ass kicked.

[HattoriKun]

Play with easier clans: Shimazu (good position), Hojo (rich provinces), Uesugi (good provinces, archer bonus).

[Kocmoc]

just come online,

and learn how to play the battles...
after this u will win easy ths SP-campain.

u need to be strong in battles.
this is the only way.

koc

[BakaGaijin]

Uesugi isn't that good to start out with. He has major problems expanding from his position in the Sengoku campaign, as his front-line forces are very spread out.

Hojo is a really good bet, though. He's got a good defensive line on both ends, especially if he takes Mutsu right away (which isn't difficult at all), and the castle-building bonus really helps him to expand quickly.

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Disappear into the Darkness!!

[OUT4BLOOD]

i cant comment really as i kinda suck in sp, but playing shimazu always worked for me ( until i see hojo coming my way )

[Krasturak]

Here's suggestions:

Restrict the number of castles you build.

DO NOT build Ashigaru, as they eat just as much as real soldiers.

Make your generals Archers (put the archer at the front of the list in the Mon).

Use strong armies.

Restrict the extent of your front line.

DO NOT lose battles.

DO NOT cancel attcks, as it makes enemy generals stronger.

Vary your tax rate according to your needs, your provinces, and your loyalty.

Keep your Daimyo in the battle until the battles get bigger. Use in pursuit.

Ensure you perform effective pursuits; in defence, deploy at the back of the map to provide the longest possible pursuit when the enemy breaks.

Build soldiers before improvements. Control your expenditures. Don't have a big list of buildings waiting in all the provinces -- build only the things that you really need now.

On the other hand, DO NOT save any money. There is no bank, no interest payments.

Mix the types of units in your armies.

Scout the enemy, and bring arms to overcome his force.

DO NOT attack uphill.

And, finally, actually go and read Sun Tzu. You'd be surprised how relevant it is.

[Pachinko]

It doesnt happened in Warlord edition,btw..It does in the STW.

Quote DO NOT cancel attcks, as it makes enemy generals stronger.[/QUOTE]

P.

[Gothmog]

Make your generals cavalry. As archer generals are easy prey.

DO cancel attcks, as it WON'T make enemy generals any stronger. A cancled attack from the player won't count as a defeat for your general, nor will it be counted as a win for the AI general. However, the reverse is not true.

If possible, only use your daimyo at the beginning of the campaign. Afterward, just use him as the "backup" general or strategic unit to boost up loyalty of the province he stays. Here is why: as the scale of the battles go up, your daimyo and his 10 guards will be minced meat whenever a strong enemy unit show up (be it Yari footsoldiers or Yari cavalry).

Enough for the nitpicking

[Zone]

I find Shimazu is strong at the start, make allies with everyone except for Imwaga (Light blue). Push him back through his ports until you control the large left hand Island. This is easy to defend as there are only 2 places the enemy can attack from. Then head onto the Ronin island etc.

As for expansion, If playing with many Ronin around you can attack one of their provinces, if you push them off the chances are they'll send in units from all surrounding provinces to take it back next turn. Retreat and you can easily take one of the provinces they abandoned to get the old one back. They then don't try and get that one back.

As for building, Churn out cheap units to start with as ronin don't take unit type into account when retreating without a fight etc. Chances are you'll take a reasonable amount of Koku when taking the provinces but build up some of the better lands to increase output (keep tax as high as possible aswell). In the rest of the provinces, especially those with armouries upgrade the dojo's etc. Don't forget about border forts.

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Fight first, then scream 'Doh, why did I forget my Kensi!'

[Satake]

1) don't cheat
2) Use Hojo
3) Rest comes natural

[Vanya]

You're nothing but [a mammal],
so do what they do on the Discovery channel...

[Gothmog]

So exactly what do what they do on the Discovery channel??

Producing more heirs?

[KumaRatta Yamamoto]

GOOD NEWS GothMog You have a son!!! he will mature in sixteen years and give you even more headaches that when he was a child!!!

[radan]

Interesting thread. The experts are really here and the first time I see Krasturak speaks without cutting any head (or have I been away for too long).

[Magyar Khan]

hmmmmmmmmmm

::just peeking in to see what u all doning in here::

[Vanya]

Quote Originally posted by radan:
Interesting thread. The experts are really here and the first time I see Krasturak speaks without cutting any head (or have I been away for too long).[/QUOTE]


GAH! More instersting, Vanya finds, is that Krast did not refer to himself in the 3rd person... LOL

[Krasturak]

Gah!

Krast didn't speak in third person, because Krast was not referring to himself (or anyone else)!

As far as the cutting off of heads goes, Krast has decided that the incestuous nature of the most frequent posters on this board are sufficient disruption without any need for extra chaos. That is to say, why throw fuel on the fire? Or, to put it another way ...

Please let the threads stay on topic. there's lots of room in OT for nonsense. The guy put up his question because he wants help.

[BanzaiZAP]

More Basic Tips (please excuse the repeats)

Build Infrastructure. Forgetting to upgrade farmlands will leave you shortchanged very quickly. At the same time, don't bother upgrading a farm if it produces less than 175 koku to start with. It'll be more expensive than its worth. But any land over 175 koku, go ahead and improve as much as you can. Every koku counts! Also, higher level dojos and weapon/armor upgrades can make a huge difference in the battles. I try to make one or two provinces building individual unit types, so I can give that province all the upgrades. (i.e. find an armory-accessible province, and build a legendary spear dojo, armorsmith, swordsmith, palace and drill dojo. For the same price as a "basic" yari unit, you now have the ultimate cavalry-killers!)

Build ports, but keep shinobi there. The comupter has figured out how to do Port attacks, so keep yourself covered!

Attack when your either A) sure of victory (overwhelmng odds) or B) when you need to take a province strategically. Either to draw out an enemy, or shorten your own borders. The fewer border provinces, the easier it is to defend.

Use your heirs and generals. Once they start getting rank 5 and 6, the seriously improve all units in their armies.

Don't bother saving cash. If you need a dojo, and you have the koku, get it. There's no "interest" at the main koku bank!

Practice battles. If you know you suck at bridge fights, practice in the custom battles, so you learn how to attack and defend with mixed units. If you've never used No-Dachi (for example) how can you expect to kick butt with them?

Shinobi. Not only can they screw with you enemies, but they are vital in keeping the peace in your own provinces. I try to have at least on shinobi in every province, and I've never had to worry about peasant revolts. Besides, they're cheap.

Don't be too aggresive. If you expand too quickly too early, you'll find yourself with long borders, and not enough men to cover them. Once someone breaks you lines, you'll never be able to recover in time.

-- B)

[A Nerd]

I am not an expert, merely a wantanabe...however, using the koku cheat is good, however you don't learn to manage your finances...start with Hojo (Usuegi tends to get invaded more frequently) and upgrade one farm and or one mine...when you have the spare money raise YS or YA...larger numbers will deter invasion...even if the army is YA...as you make money you can improve the farmland in the weathier provinces and hence...raise more YS...(I prefer YS)...eventually you may have enough troops to begin invading Useugi...make sure you have reserves...shinobi...and decent defenses...

[ReturnOfTheJordi]

I'm interested in the remarks of BanzaiZap with regard to investing in farms if they are worth 175+ to start with.

Personally, I'm never interested in improving farmland unless it's worth 400+ at start. At 175 your 20% improvement pays you 35 koku per turn and you invested 250 so your investment doesn't start to pay for 8 years or 32 turns. IMHO I think you get a better return by buying armies and taking new provinces which brings in immediate pillage income and new farmland which starts to pay off in the year you win it. (Plus it obviously weakens the enemy).
I'm even dubious about my 400+ suggestion. At 400 the 20% is 80 which means the investment will pay back in the 4th year with an extra 80 per turn. But what will I do with that? Invest 350 to get a further 20% which will now take another 5 years before I'm in profit?
I reckon the mine investments are good but I only bother with farming if I've loads of koku in which case the game is already nearly won. So my tip is to concentrate all funds on units and better quality castles and dojos. Try to capture castles as much as possible to save the cost of building them, and don't bother maxing them all out. Get each to specialise in churning out one unit type, eg Totomi Archers, Shinano cavalry etc so all your dojo produce their max capacity of 1 unit per turn, as far as practically possible. Using this method I normally complete campaigns (SJ, 1580, 1550) in 12-15 years approx.

What are other people's opinions on this? In a game live Civ, I know I'm more of a builder, but in STW the build choices are more narrowly focused, almost exclusively on military, and so I want to kick butt from turn 1.

[Nelson]

I agree with you, Jordi. I'll build gold and silver mines but only improve the best farmland (300+). The return on agriculture is too long in coming especially when what you need is an army.

[Hosakawa Tito]

I can't disagree with your logic Jordi, invest in warriors and raise your koku by taking territory, especially early in the game.During the middle game, when you are consolidating your position and preparing for the next conquest, upgrade dojo's, armor, and weapons; then mines before farmland.

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Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell so that they look forward to making the trip.