Some questions

[kawligia]

Ok first off, I apologize if any of this stuff has been discussed at length before. I did check some old posts and didn't see anything. So anyway...

1) What do you guys do about those factions reappearing? IT gets EXTREMELY annoying every 10 turns or so when I have divert armies away fom the real foghts to put down these pests. I've been thinking about just reducing everyone to one province and offering a cease fire or something along those lines. Keep them around but too weak to ever bother me. What do you guys do?

2) Why don't other factions get excommunicated? They are always picking on me and I get excommunicated and they don't. Even when I'm on the defensive. WTF?

3) I doubt you can, but is there a way (cheat maybe) to play as the golden horde? Or the Papacy? I've heard you can play as the rebels through a cheat.

4) Is there a reputation factor in negotiations? If you are constantly making and breaking alliances, will that reduce the chances of having an alliance or ceasefire accepted?

5) Why do certain provinces keep rebelling when I have over 100 soldiers garrisond and taxes on auto-manage? ITs not a religious thing either.

6) How are naval battles decided? I keep losing ships even when I have the advantage.

7) How can you maintain alliances? They keep turning on me

8) do you guys designate certain provinces to build certain units and some as just for ecomomy and build buildings accordingly or what? How do you guys arrange and setup your infrastructure?

9) what do you guys do as you conquer lands? To you steamroll through allowing the people to become loyal to you and building some sort of defense and then move on? I was having trouble with that, so I just started raging through all lands that I didn't own and destroying everything. Figured after I annihilated their entire economy I'd come back later for good and have an easier time.

-Well this is pretty long, I know. Didn't really want to start 9 separate topics though. I appreciate any replies to all or just some of these.

-Mike

[Heraclius]

welcome to the .org kawligia. :wave:hope you enjoy it. i'll try and answer your questions as best as I can.

1. I like to keep generous sized garrisons in each province and a sizable army in one province of a region. So say in a Byzantine campaign I'll have around 500 men in a province and then in the most important province in the region, Constantinople for example, I'll have around 800-900. it does get a little expensive but if a disaster happens, as it often does to me , I know I'll have the reserves to deal with it.

2. Other factions do get excommunicated quite often, sometimes, but if you go to war with another faction the stronger one, no matter who attacked, will get excommunicated. This is what i've heard at least.

3. there are quite a few mods that you can find on the .orgs download page that can let you play as the golden horde, papacy, hungarians etc. I know in VI you can now play as the Aragonese, Hungarians and Sicilians but I'm not sure about the Golden Horde and I know you're not allowed to play as the papacy.

4. yes, breaking alliances will make other factions wary of you.

5. if i were you i wouldn't use auto-tax. it has a bad reputation for screwing taxes up and causing revolts. However some provinces are just more disloyal than others, Portrugal and Scotland for example. Just check your province loyalty. if it is below 100 either lower the taxes or move more soldiers into the province.

6. I think it depends on what kind of ship you're using, how many and a lot of luck. that's all i know about that though, sorry.

7. as you get more and more powerful the AI does turn against you. There's basically know way to stop this except by keeping your borders very well defended. that should be a deterrent for a few years and then when they do attack they'll get a surprise.

8. Some provinces give +1 valour bonuses to certain units produced there: the local specialty. Bulgaria, for example, gives a +1 bonus to Bulgarian Brigands. Other provinces have mines (gold, silver etc) or rich farmland. I try and produce my units in provinces where they get bonuses and concentrate on mines and farms where they are available. Of course that's not alway's possible but it helps.

9. before I attack a province I usually like to have a garrison pre-built. Then I conquer it (with a little luck), move in the garrison, maybe reinforce my army, then attack another province etc, etc.

Hope that helps. If you have any questions just post them and I'll try and clarify.

[kawligia]

Cool. Good info. Thanks man.

There definately seems to be a certain point where the AI views you to be to powerful. It never fails. I conquer the lands surrounding me and build up a few buildings and armies and BAM. Its World War III. Everyone against me. Oh wait...it would actually be WW I wouldn't it?

So what exactly is VI? Is that an expansion pack or a patch or something?

Any more perspectives are more than welcome

Thanks,
-Mike

[DarkLegend]

VI is the Viking Invasion expansion pack for Shogun Total War.

[DarkLegend]

you're the newest member, huh? I'm pretty new myself. Welcome

[clovenhoof]

1. About Factions reappearing, I haven't had too much of a problem with this. I try to keep a very powerfull army always within a turn of every province. When factions appear and revolts happen, you are given notice and have one turn to move your armies into the province. Also, build alot of Inns, that way you can usually at least suppliment whatever garisson you have in the area.

2. Ya, excommunications a bear- I just take everything I can in two turns.

3. I DL'd mod 1.1 and it really seems to have balanced the game out. Give it a shot.

4. I don't know if breaking alliances makes other factions weary of you but I'd assume thats the case.

5. Well, if you keep the taxes reasonable, build watchtowers, some form of castle, a town guard, and a reasonable garrison, you shoulden't have too much of a problem with provinces revolting.

6. You gotta look at the unit stats for naval battles. This part of the game is pretty weak in my opinion.

7. I agree with Heraclius. Maybe its just chance, but I noticed that if you keep making efforts to keep a certain faction in your fold, it often won't go against you. In other words, always side with it and for every unmarried prince you have, drop an emissary on one of their princesess. That way the alliance is renewed and you are assured to always have new blood in the royal line- avoiding alot of negative traits. Also, I THINK it helps if you fight the allies enemies as much as possible. I usually try to pick only one or two really important factions to ally mine with.

8. Ya, I think it best to designate provinces that have bonuses for the purpose that bonus is for. For example (like was said) some have valor bonuses for certain units, some have iron, others have alot of tradeable goods and even others do best if you concentrate on farming.

9. Your strategy is ok, I guess. I've done that, out of spire, though I think it makes for a longer game. My game is normaly very defensive- I don't go after factions other than rebels, unless a faction comes after me. That way, by the time the major factions start hitting me, I have had the time to save the cash and develop a pretty good army. I usually start by building up a defense and move on to developing my economy- through farming and trade routes. Don't underestimate traderoutes they can be a very very good thing.

[Lehesu]

Quote[/b] (DarkLegend @ July 18 2003,22:12)]VI is the Viking Invasion expansion pack for Shogun Total War.

For Shogun? Try Medieval.

[ichi]

2) Why don't other factions get excommunicated? They are always picking on me and I get excommunicated and they don't. Even when I'm on the defensive. WTF?

They do get excommed. either back off when the Pope says, or . . . if you need to fight, send 4 or 5 assassins over to the Pope on the same turn. When he dies, all excomms are ended.

5) Why do certain provinces keep rebelling when I have over 100 soldiers garrisond and taxes on auto-manage? ITs not a religious thing either.

Don't automanage taxes. Cerain provinces (Portugal, Arabia, Scotland, others) are notorious for rebellions. In these rebellious provinces, keep taxes on normal and leave some good units and 2-3 hundred peasants in them.

8) do you guys designate certain provinces to build certain units and some as just for ecomomy and build buildings accordingly or what? How do you guys arrange and setup your infrastructure?

Some provinces provide a bonus to a certain type of unit, and I try to build that type of unit. Some provinces (lots of these in Spain) provide iron for metalsmiths. These provinces are good for infantry/cav units.

I focus some provinces on cav, some on archers, some on melee, and one each for spies, assassins, and religious types.

Focus at least two provinces on ships.

This way you dont have to build everything everywhere, and you can get troops with lots of upgrades.

If you don't build a little in a province the Governor will get a lazy vice.


ichi

[Gregoshi]

Many of your questions have answers in the Table of Contents topic in the Main Hall. That is one place to check first when you are stumped or confused about something in the game.

1) Get the populace loyal to you and chances of rebellion disappear. Forget troop producing building in newly conquered provinces until you have them chanting your name in glory. Border forts catch enemy spies which can cause rebellion. A town watch also helps with security. Improve the province by building ports and ship building facilities, improving agriculture (+20%, etc), providing churches/mosques/monasteries, building trading posts/merchants, castle improvements, etc. Keeping a spy or two around will also help.

[Heraclius]

Quote[/b] (kawligia @ July 18 2003,22:08)]So what exactly is VI? Is that an expansion pack or a patch or something?

VI is the expansion pack for medieval total war. It comes with a new Viking Invasion campaign where you play on a map of England from around 800-1066 i believe. The factions include the Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Saxons, Mercians, Northrumbrians, Picts and of course the Vikings. It has great new units, a new tech tree and is a very fun campaign to play. VI also updates the medieval campaign with a patch that fixes many errors and includes a few new units for every faction and allows you to play as three previously unavailable factions: the Hungarians, Sicilians and Aragonese. Later in the game I think it also allows you to play as the Golden Horde. If you liked Medieval you should definitely check this game out. But don't start playing until CA releases the VI patch which fixes the unfortunate error of all kings and generals dying at the age of 56.

[Gregoshi]

VI also gives you the capability to save the game between battles. No more excuses for staying up until 6am playing out those 5 critical battles thrown at you when you hit the end turn button at 2am. You also get a pre-battle screen which gives you much better control over your which 16 units start the battle and the order of the reinforcements. In many cases, you also get a good look at the enemy army.