How to make the game more challenging?

**Grand Duke Vytautas** · 03-13-2005, 16:52

Hi! I play only on medium/medium setting CAUSE I CAN'T STAND SOMEONE CHEATING ON ME EVEN AI!

(But even on m/m I noticed Julii fielding 3 full stacks

! WDF!

Where the hell do they get money from owning 4 settlements? When I played as Julii I was always struggling for money) Can anyone suggest me the way to play a really chalenging game? (I played as Julii, Brutii, Scythia, Brittania and Macedon thus far) Do playing e.g. as Gauls, Dacia make it more of a challenge, cause I get bored always winning battles (95%) with few my army loses to 1000 enemys' (it's absolutely unrealistic IMO) Please anyone

Thank you for your ideas

**Es Arkajae** · 03-13-2005, 17:41

So let me get this straight. You want a more challenging game, but you're complaining about your enemies fielding multiple large stack armies?....

*slaps Vytautus for being daft*

If you want a challenging game as a beginner then play as Carthage, though its not as challenging as it used to be. Numidia is also challenging.

Other things you can do as the normal unchallenging factions is do unusual things with them. For instance as the Julii, ignore the Gauls (and the Senate) and try to conquer eastwards where the Brutii usually go.

Build an assasin and try to assasinate the faction leader of Rome and thus start the civil war early before the other Roman factions have conquered too much. That way you personally get to take on the Greeks, barbarians and Carthaginians yourself.

Stuff like that mate.:)

**Malachus** · 03-13-2005, 17:47

If you really want some challenge, make most of the infantry units have a 0 turn build time and and edit out all walls so they can't be built.... the AI will field large armies, and as soon as you're beseiged, you have to defend the town. There's no hope for reinforcements coming or the AI abandoning the seige... therefore, you are forced to keep good units in your cities. Also, in response to ES Arkajae, yes. When playing as a roman faction, use assassins and kill the other romans' diplomats, spies, assassins, or family members. After enough have died the civil war will start. I was able to start a civil war in roughly 5 turns or so... imagine that. Couple a really early civil war with the no walls and 0 turn build time, you'll be in for a fun and challenging fight.

**Grand Duke Vytautas** · 03-13-2005, 18:59

Originally Posted by Es Arkajae

So let me get this straight. You want a more challenging game, but you're complaining about your enemies fielding multiple large stack armies?...

I didn't mean that, I win 95% of my battles even heavily outnumbered, I just want AI to be fair (just like once in Age of Empires 2) for Gods sake! Now when I play as Brutii on m/m it's a cakewalk actually, but one thing I don't understand how the Julii get 3 full army stocks (they have only 4 settlements), where the hell do they pay from for the maintainance of their armies

? That is just brutal cheating (hate hate hate)

. I can't even think about h/h and vh/vh

**The Stranger** · 03-13-2005, 19:13

don't coplain, just mod the game so better units come availeble earlier, or make most units 0 turns to build while finding a way to make AI handle that

**Chelifer** · 03-17-2005, 17:29

You can try the minimal casualties approach in a campaign. Even a couple of hundreds of your men lost in a single battle should be considered a tragedy.
I know it's completely unhistorical (there were no real mass media 2K years ago), but it definitely makes things more challenging