Quote Originally Posted by bretwalda
I am playing the Hungarians. Being land-locked a bit might makes it a little more difficult. However it is still good to know that I certainly could do better, ie have citadels and fortresses earlier. I don't worry about the benchmarks as I am having fun, just hope that I will improve and good to know that there is plenty of room for improvement... ;)
I think the Hungarians are a strong faction, but you must have lost Croatia early to be land locked. Early expansion for the Hungarians is dangerous as you make powerful enemies and you're surrounded like the HRE with powerful foes (furthermore, it's inevitable that the polish and the hungarians will be at war sooner or later, even when played by the AI). That said getting Serbia and holding Croatia, as well as making a play for Venice is key for that faction. Making friends with the Byz until you're strong enough seems like a sensible idea as early on it's unlikely you can beat them until you develop. People who play blitz style will likely do the opposite and crush the Byz early. The moral of the story is being land locked is really slowing your game down.