Any comments on the progress so far? Questions, compliments, criticisms?
I will be checking back periodically, so rest assured I will respond.
If you readers would like to follow along with this game and investigate for yourself the state of my realm, I could upload the saved turns.
I make it a habit of saving every turn and numbering the turn. If you would like, I can post the individual turns as I did with England: Turn by Turn and you can follow along, or pick up where I left off at ANY point in the game.
If you are interested, here is the link to the sendspace page:
You can unzip the files and play any of the turns from 1-10. http://www.sendspace.com/file/09yhyo
You will have to open your M2TW folder and open the saves folder, then drag and drop. They will become playable at this point.
Note: as always, these files may be unplayable on a modded or upgraded version of the game.
All my save files are for the original release version.
If you have an upgraded version, you can install from your CD another fresh original version and put it under file SEGA 2, and keep your current version playable as well.
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 07-04-2007 at 00:30.
Well, I think I have commented enough for now on strategy so I will focus on the guides. I like them alot. I think you are very clear with what you strategy and battle tactics are. I like how you lay out what your going to do. And I look forward to more of these. Even though I do not plan on using your overall strategy, your starting game moves will help me conquer the "homelands" of my faction quicker and easier and allow my "perfectionist" strategy to go smoother. So, maybe my strategy is moving more towards a "hybrid" but is still weighted more the one way than the other.
PS Am I the only one with the "imperial march" playing in the background as I view these? ^_^
Well, I think I have commented enough for now on strategy so I will focus on the guides. I like them alot. I think you are very clear with what you strategy and battle tactics are. I like how you lay out what your going to do. And I look forward to more of these. Even though I do not plan on using your overall strategy, your starting game moves will help me conquer the "homelands" of my faction quicker and easier and allow my "perfectionist" strategy to go smoother. So, maybe my strategy is moving more towards a "hybrid" but is still weighted more the one way than the other.
PS Am I the only one with the "imperial march" playing in the background as I view these? ^_^
Thanks, Privateer.
Good for you; the guide is intended as such. You don't necessarily have to copy move for move the strategy depicted in the guide. It merely helps players adjust their own personal strategies for the better, to suit their own playing style.
Much of what is being done here could be done slower, and at your own pace, however keep in mind the enemies you face will be ready for you later.
On the plus side, you have more time to build your troop levels up. Here, I have to scramble to gather whatever forces I can find and replenish them as quickly as possible after the battles.
If you like the "imperial march" and "O fortuna" (posted on my England turn by turn thread) I will repost them here, with other favorites of mine.
Here's a few starter tunes, including the two mentioned above. The others are from other games, but I use them and many others as alternate game music. Warning: the file could take a few minutes to download, depending on how slow or fast your connection is. Worth it, in my opinion. My taste in music is 'eclectic', so you have been warned.
My new post will arrive shortly. I don't think I will be able to create a detailed guide for the next section tonight. But I will upload the photos. When I have a chance I will write the guide section.
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 07-04-2007 at 04:13.
With Constantinople taken, the Byzantine Empire is on its last legs. I intend to finish them off, and invade Hungary. These are all stepping stones on the way to glory.
I also declare war on Venice, taking their outermost province of Iraklion.
I have many stacks of troops at this point, and so I cluster them together in groups of two, three, or more. The AI is not smart enough to do so. If you encounter two stacks of AI troops, wait a turn or two and the AI will have broken them up. Then they will become your prey.
I adopt, promote, and spawn many generals during this section, as my territory is expanding rapidly. I am the only superpower in the game at this point, and I crush the loose confederation of Catholic states like the worms they are.
Now they declare a crusade upon me... so you will witness the ability to turn away a crusade at Istanbul (not Constantinople). They end up sending 3 or 4 stacks in my direction. Only one ever makes it to Istanbul, and they experience a quick death for their bravery.
With each new general, I move them towards clusters of towns and castles, and recruit a bunch of new troops, and if a Jihad is available, I join the jihad.
If not, I usually march directly towards the nearest enemy province.
Strategy: I ignore the states of Tripoli and Jedda, as they are still rebel and not worth taking. Turkey poses a threat which must be challenged (they betray me), so I move my new generals into their territory and conquer them the old fashioned way.
The goal for this mission is 45 regions captured, and I have already taken my two target provinces. The remainder of the mission is fairly easy.
Once you begin your campaign on a level of greatness, it is easy to ride that greatness all the way to victory. The hardest part is being a breakout faction, the underdog in every possible way, barely able to defend your territory. You must move boldly on the campaign map as if you were invincible, yet recruit smartly and wage battles carefully. Losing more than a battle or two is unacceptable. Don't lose your generals, either.
I move into the Polish territory during this segment, and take their major cities. I execute a rare four-pronged attack on the Poles... possibly the most textbook example of utilizing blitzkrieg.
Overwhelm your enemy in two or three short turns... how could they possibly defend 4 cities at once against 4 full stacks? Unless they have about 20,000 troops stationed at home, it is impossible.
The beauty of the blitzkreig strategy is that is becomes more powerful, not less powerful, with each successive victory. It is hard to get started, but easy to maintain your explosive rise in power.
The multiple, rapid victories set off a powder keg of pillaging florins, which in turn allows more recruitment, which in turn allows more victories, which in turn allows better building construction, which leads to more troops, better troops, and better provinces... an exponential growth curve.
I also utilize the strategy of "tactical retreat".
Venice manages to threaten one of my castles enough that I withdraw my troops from Sofia. They predictably capture the castle, only to find themselves under seige! They are trapped and beaten!
Use the terrain to your advantage. Sometimes the terrain is the wall of your own province. You can trap idiots inside. Don't be an idiot and trap yourself!
Think of it... a lone assault army, isolated inside enemy territory, with no back-up, under seige inside the very province they just took. They are at an extreme disadvantage, as are you if you are occupying a province and have no relief forces, and are under seige. Remember this!
=======================
Visual guide section:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
My General heads out for a cruise on the high seas. Since we are expanding quickly, blitzkreig style, we must avoid the calamity that befalls all mega-expansionists; being unable to defend the newly conquered territory. I must fill the gap between my old territory and my new front line.
I take Rhodes and head west to capture Iraklion.
Taking Sofia, moving into position to take Bucharest.
I take Corinth. Those ballistas come in handy, you know.
Sofia falls before the might of the Sultan's armies.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I leave a fort next to the bridge to slow the possibility of a counter-attack. I don't yet have enough defenders to hold the region.
Then I continue on towards Oatmeal.
Bran.
Whatever.
Bucharest will fall next turn.
My troops coordinate their attacks against Iraklion
Iraklion is toast. (See? Smoke.)
Those mercenary ships will take me to Corinth and on to Thessalonica.
My coordinated advance of three stacks frightens the bejeezus out of the great emperor of Constantinople.
He retreats to his city like a fool instead of hiding on the top of a mountain like a man.
This will be his final mistake. NEVER leave all your troops inside your city, they become trapped inside their own walls.
Bran will fall without a fight. These Hungarians are pathetic.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
We have you completely surrounded. Surrender, and your lives will be spared.
What? You don't trust us? Why not?
Oh yeah... all the butchering of prisoners and exterminations... our bad.
I think you might find this battle particularly fun.
Lots of dead bodies and a heck of a defense... but inevitable destruction no matter how poorly you command your troops. Good, clean, safe fun.
So ends the Eastern Roman Empire.
(They did not call themselves Byzantines. They considered themselves the heirs of the Roman empire.)
Bow down before your new Sultan.
No?
I guess you want to die today.
Not even worth fighting. Just give up already!
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Reinforcements arrive near Istanbul.
After a wholesome Bran-filled breakfast, we head west to Budapest.
It's true because it rhymes.
My triple threat heads north to fill the gap.
Kiss the Hungarians good-bye
Right behind you, boss!
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Meet Mousa, our newest family member. He will be repelling the Turkish threat. Move him northeast, and grab as many troops as you can find.
Meet Yousef, our... uh... newest family member. He will be filling the gap that was left when my gap fillers filled a different gap.
This stuff doesn't have to make sense. What are the odds anyone is reading this right now anyway?
Istanbul prepares to move out a captain-led army.
My name is Fylep Pirrip. But you can call me Pip.
He's a dead Pip, he is.
The armies continue the forward march.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Can you guess who is going to win this one?
If you said "Egypt", you guessed right.
Looks like Hungary starved to death.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha. Ha. Oh, my, yes.
The trouble with Poland is that it's full of Poles.
Aha! Venice thinks it can sneak attack me. I spotted you with my watchtower.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Slightly reminiscent of the Mongol hordes?
I AM the Mongol Hordes!
Moussa, I like to call him Moose, has amassed a grand army.
Moose gets some backup.
I crush the Polish King.
Predictable?
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
This seige is being simulcast in Thorn, Breslau, and Telemundo.
Halych is relatively undefended.
The fingers of death.
Remember to exterminate these Catholics. You can't afford to sit and wait for the cities to like you. Make them fear you by crushing all dissent.
Moose gathers his forces and heads north.
A third stack of defenders moves to aid Adana.
This is called a tactical retreat. Let them have the castle.
Fools.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Breslau go bye-bye.
Thorn is removed from my foot. In a princely manner. It's pun-tastic.
I get to steppin on towards Stettin.
Everyone else heads towards Russia.
Halych is about to get licked.
What is Egypt doing in Riga?
Answer: kicking serious booty.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Venice earns themselves a castle, and an untimely death.
If you haven't noticed, I like it when fools lay seige to me.
It is a fine way to get captains promoted.
A fourth stack emerges.
Never, ever stop recruiting. You are fighting the entire world, you know.
This battle requires my personal attention...
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 07-05-2007 at 14:20.
In this segment, the Polish King foolishly charges headfirst into a trap! Bad move. This ends all hope of pushing back my forces.
Also, Turkey gets crippled and Poland is utterly destroyed. Another notch in my belt, next to Hungary and Byzantium.
Russia gets cut into pieces, and has to retreat to Moscow... where they cower in fear of the Sultan's might.
Don't forget, near the end of a crusade or jihad, you can ignore the target and move anywhere you like. Once the target falls, you are no longer bound by crusading rules.
Venice actually threatens me with serious attempts at aggression... It is of no concern. Soon the Venetians will be crushed and all their provinces will belong to us. Your work here is finished my friend. Go out to the command ship and await my orders.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The goal of this battle is to take the hill quickly, crush the small enemy force, and then slay their King.
The uphill charge.
Time to get Medieval 2: Total War on their candy asses.
Clean-up on aisle four.
I charge into the lone patch of Polish Nobles.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Their King leads the charge... into a trap!
Never charge with your general in the lead. That's just dumb, dumb, dumb.
I finish mopping up what's left of them.
They technically should have beaten me... they had far better troops than I did. I was playing with milita archers and some weakened cavalry, and they had Polish nobles and good infantry. Not to mention 2 generals.
The last Polish stronghold. Stettin can wait.
Riga will be nabbed next turn.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
This is what happens when you leave your forces 'safe' inside a castle.
Here comes double trouble.
My spy infiltrates their castle, and it falls this turn.
Ghandour, or Gandy for short, slays the son of the Turkish Sultan.
Iconium wants to die. Call me Kevorkian.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Filling the gap.
A nice new castle for my Prince.
As you can see, I am down to mostly mercenaries here.
Another one bites the dust.
I burn Riga to the ground.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
At long last, I reach the target of my Jihad... Novgorod. This is the last epic battle of this particular holy war.
Asia Minor quickly falls before the might of the Sultan's armies.
The Turks will pay for their treachery. They attacked me first by the way.
And to think I was going to ally with them...
Might as well grab Vilnius.
Venice actually threatens my cities. It's about time someone did.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/z0cgor
Saved Turns 11-21 are here for your downloading pleasure. As always, open your M2TW/saves folder and drop them here. Also remember these saves are for the original, non-updated version of the game. See previous postings.
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 07-05-2007 at 14:27.
Has anyone downloaded either the music or the saved games?
Thanks for the compliment, TheRealSlimBrady.
I am a little busy today, but I will try to post the turn-by-turn strategy portion on those last couple entries today if I can.
By the way, I am posting these as I go along. I have no idea what is going to happen next. For all I know, I could suddenly have some crusades thrown at me or run into financial trouble. I am playing awfully risky here. But I feel confident that I will prevail.
When I take Novgorod, my finances will be in shambles. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 07-04-2007 at 13:32.
The goal of this battle is to take the hill quickly, crush the small enemy force, and then slay their King.
The uphill charge.
Time to get Medieval 2: Total War on their candy asses.
Clean-up on aisle four.
I charge into the lone patch of Polish Nobles.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Their King leads the charge... into a trap!
Never charge with your general in the lead. That's just dumb, dumb, dumb.
I finish mopping up what's left of them.
They technically should have beaten me... they had far better troops than I did. I was playing with milita archers and some weakened cavalry, and they had Polish nobles and good infantry. Not to mention 2 generals.
The last Polish stronghold. Stettin can wait.
Riga will be nabbed next turn.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
This is what happens when you leave your forces 'safe' inside a castle.
Here comes double trouble.
My spy infiltrates their castle, and it falls this turn.
Ghandour, or Gandy for short, slays the son of the Turkish Sultan.
Iconium wants to die. Call me Kevorkian.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Filling the gap.
A nice new castle for my Prince.
As you can see, I am down to mostly mercenaries here.
Another one bites the dust.
I burn Riga to the ground.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
At long last, I reach the target of my Jihad... Novgorod. This is the last epic battle of this particular holy war.
Asia Minor quickly falls before the might of the Sultan's armies.
The Turks will pay for their treachery. They attacked me first by the way.
And to think I was going to ally with them...
Might as well grab Vilnius.
Venice actually threatens my cities. It's about time someone did.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/z0cgor
Saved Turns 11-21 are here for your downloading pleasure. As always, open your M2TW/saves folder and drop them here. Also remember these saves are for the original, non-updated version of the game. See previous postings.
Wow...I must say...I really admire your aggressiveness in waging a war against the world and in your quest of expansion.
Can you go a little bit more into depth on how you won this battle? I'd like to learn our battle tactics.
Wow...I must say...I really admire your aggressiveness in waging a war against the world and in your quest of expansion.
Can you go a little bit more into depth on how you won this battle? I'd like to learn our battle tactics.
Thank you, Rookie 7.
My playing style is a blending of speed and aggression, an attempt to master the art of blitzkreig. It is my personal theory that this style most closely reaches the maximum possible playing strength; in other words, more regions are captured, more troops are recruited, more buildings are constructed, and more foes vanquished in the least amount of time, thus maximizing to the upper limit the ability of your small band of troops to wage war.
There is a limit to how much you can accomplish in a turn. You are limited by troop levels, movement, funding, and territory. If you can accomplish more, quicker, with less, then you are approaching maximum effectiveness.
According to this theory, the least effective factions are Byzantium and Russia, as they do not have crusading ability or jihad. This makes them the hardest factions in the game. I rate Russia as the hardest faction, due to poor economy, starting position, and starting troop effectiveness, as well as lack of crusading.
I would rate France as being the most effective faction, due to their starting position, abundance of starting generals, number of nearby rebel provinces, weak catholic neighbors, economic potential, and number of provinces. This makes France an easy faction to play.
Responding to your question; to which battle are you referring?
Re: Turns 6-10 segment
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Originally Posted by Privateerkev
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