Game's too easy/not right for your taste?

[SmokWawelski]

Sorry to say that I was away from MTW for a while, but I started a Spanish campaign last week, and am back Thus a new reason for a topic.

Basically, almost everyone here knows something about modding the game. Either we used some MODs coming from our great community, or we just do some small-time adjustments to the txt files. I myself prefer the other approach, but do not say the first one is not worthwhile...

So here it is: What do you mod to make the game harder/more expensive/difficult for yourself? Either tech, buildings or units.

For example I can come up with two things right away:

Feudal Knights: I made them cheaper to build, but more expensive to support. I think that this makes them more interesting and more accurate to reality, as it wasn’t too hard to call your vassals to perform their military duties, but it was far more expensive to keep them from going home in the middle of a campaign. This way they also have some more “personality” and I actually use them, instead of just waiting for the chivalric knights.

Cathedral: I doubled the build cost on that building to make it more “splendid” and splendidly expensive, LOL

So, how do you make the game harder (in terms of modding stuff)?

[Pdifolco]

Are you sure increasing some costs really make the game harder ? I mean, does the AI factions not suffer as much as you from that, so making the changes balanced ?
I'd be more convinced if you rebalanced units for some specific factions, say increasing costs of Chivalrics when you play Western nations, Byz units when playing them, etc., but not for generic units...

Personnaly I did make the game more challenging with WesW MedMod, AI builds are changed and they get more money from trade

[the Black Prince]

i try and make the AI just generally better, with cheaper unique units, and units available earlier and for longer, so the AI does more. i know it ruins historical acuracy but i've only seen the AI use swabian swords once they were available in all periods and i'd dropped the support cost. facing these on the battlefield is far more interesting than the usual peasants and militia.

[SmokWawelski]

Are you sure increasing some costs really make the game harder ? I mean, does the AI factions not suffer as much as you from that, so making the changes balanced ?

Maybe you are right, I should say that I just make the game feel differently.

[frogbeastegg]

I just made my first mod; it cuts down on building times for the military structures. I made it because I prefer the shorter, snappier gameplay of the VI campaign and Shogun. So far the AI appear to have gained from this as well as it is building slightly better units than it was before, for example militia sergeants instead of peasants. This has made the game slightly harder because the AI has armies that will actually stand and fight instead of fleeing immediately. The reduced build time to get ship building facilities has also encouraged the AI to build a few more ships than it usually does, promoting trade. The AI also recovers quicker from province destroying attacks. It's not a massive change and it wasn't what I intended but reducing the build times definitely aids the AI, try playing a game with .worksundays. to test it out.

[ShadesPanther]

Heres a tip: Remove peasants, urban militia and spearmen (if you like) being buildable This makes the AI build feudal and then chiv units appropriate to their age. The latest wes mod fixes this slightlyy but i feel its best just removing them

[kawligia]

Sheesh I think its hard enough. I get my @ss kicked quite regularly...on Normal difficulty no less.

[SmokWawelski]

Same here, but let's keep that a secret