Campaign map balance

[Neon twilight]

Let's talk about the camp map balance. What factions are always the rulers/crushed too easly/lack of money ressources ect... in your games how can they be balanced to make the game even better, I can't play every faction at time, nobody can but gatthered experience may reveal some issues that can be adressed to CA or changed via mods.

Here are the my toughts so far after 5 days of playing : I've played Danemark, Russia, Egypt and a little bit Milan and France.

- Mongols have too strong army with lots of silver chevrons, they took half eastern europe in my game even constaniople without encountering any good resistance I know they sould be strong but it's a bit overexagerated.
- Conquering holy lands (Jerusalem ect...) is too easy for europeans this weakness sould come from : Musulism factions are to weak to conquer fast the aera to organise a solid resistance, the good things would be to give a part of rebel cities to egypt since the beginning of the game or up the rebels that gard the city.
- Russians need some boost regarding economy and territory, giving them one more city from start could be a good thing.
- Italian cities such as Milan gets an horribly high amount of money compared to others such as the germans or france that have more cities.

Those are more for mods :
- Scandinavia is too small and not well represented expending a bit the map to the north with few province could help the danish expend and become a bit stronger it'll be better for russians too.
- Rebels settlement sould have more/better troops to defend themselve it will limit some AI expansion and increase difficulty in some case also the faction need more money.
- Having more developed cities for all factions at start may improve the AI choice of troops and having nice battles at the start of the game than spearmen + archers fights.

[TinCow]

The Mongols have been experiencing what looks like an AI bug in my game. They haven't done anything at all, so I can't comment on them.

I fully agree that the Muslim factions seem very weak. The Moors were immediately steamrolled by Portugal, despite an alliance with Spain, and later Spain finished them off after taking out Portugal. The Turks and Egyptians have barely expanded. Egypt even caved in quickly to the Crusaders. After I captured Antioch, they quickly made peace with me and I have occupied several territories there for 70+ turns now without any wars with the Turks or Egyptians. The same thing happened when the HRE succeeded in the second Crusade... they captured Jerusalem from Egypt, who immediately declared peace and everyone has been friendly ever since. There has not been one single Jihad in my game.

Europe is a different affair. Spain and Portugal had a long-term struggle. Denmark has been fighting Poland and Russia for ages. Hungary, Poland, and Byzantium have been going back and forth for ages. Venice has been fighting everyone. France put up a great struggle against me until I finally broke their largest armies.

I'm rather annoyed with the lack of action in the Muslim lands, but it didn't decrease the fun factor of my game, since I wasn't located there.

[troymclure]

So far Denmark has been a strong performer in my two games. Regularly in the top 3 overall. Germany has always done badly, usually getting wiped out first or second. England seems very passive, barely expands and so far has never amounted too much (especially when i was the scottish;)).

The Itilian states, do ok, so far one of them has always ended up taking over most of that region and becoming a decent power. Russian had a mixed draw, coming second behind me when i was scottish at about 1250 but getting wiped out early my other game.

Playing as Spain the first time it was fairly easy to conquer the middle east, i made prodigious use of crusades though. Playing as Scotland i barely saw them so hard to comment on that area.

[sarjenius]

On my medium campaign every faction is doing good. I admit though, that the mongols seem to be a bit strong at their first appearance. In the midgame they are easily in greece. Only after the pope declared a crusade against Constantinople, which every catholic faction joined, were they beaten across the Bosporus. The Timurids are strong too, and have settled the Holy Land from north to south.

The Danes are doing very well after initally ignoring the rebel rebel settlements in the north and expanding first south. By now in turn 185 the Scots, the Portuguese and Byzanz are exterminated. The Turks are lingering on the far eastern map border, beaten by the mongols. Mongols, Timurids are among the best 3 (with me the 1st -> England). Danes and Venice with Spain are in the mid range.

Russia seems to be in the boundaries they started with but with the addition of the rebel settlements in their vicinity.

[derfinsterling]

Don't know about the Muslims. I'm playing the Russians and have turned off fog of war (I like to see what's going on elsewhere) and the Moors already have a big, big empire, while the Turks are gobbling up the Rebel provinces in the Southeastern corner.

The Scots could be a little more active, they seem to just sit there and wait for the English to come to them.
Hmm... Maybe I'll have to play as them after I finish with Russia.

[Ciddler]

Hilariously, in my game the Scots have taken England! I found out when I wanted to block the harbour of England and it was actually scottish! The Mongols are almost in Italy and the Timurids are havoking in the Middle-East.

- Italian cities such as Milan gets an horribly high amount of money compared to others such as the germans or france that have more cities.

I think this is because of their geographical position and their harbours that allow them to trade plentifully. Historically they just happened to be a sea-faring trading nation.

I agree that the Mongols are very strong, but that's not a bad thing (unless you are in the East ;) ). Crusades are easy in the beginning, later on they are harder.