Re: 0.8x AI Faction Progression
This is it the progression of my Sauromatae campaign from its humble beginnings to its huge finale.
Played on VH/M with 0.81a and starting from ~217 I started work on the money script so I used a mixture of scripts throughout the campaign, but it always stayed challenging without being absurd like it started to become against the Grey Death.
Objectives map
251
I was just starting to get my economy off the ground, mines in Uspe and Gava-Yugra, fights vs HA Eleutheroi are very micro-intensive but the great feeling of steppe combat makes up for it.
241
Hayasdan attacked me so I had to respond, it proved a stroke of luck in some ways as I had my sights on the Crimeea but the 2 cities there were protected by powerful Eleutheroi. The Hai were not that strong and taking over their cities was good because of their mines and I installed my first allied governments that enabled me to field cheap infantry. But those HA half-catas sting like a
The Aedui and Getai had some great expansions, also the KH took over southern Italy and Sicily.
The Getai were peaceful neighbours although I shared a border with them for ~50 years but they never attacked.
217 (missed some serious years here)
This period was marked by the wars with Parthia mostly the Grivpanhar gave me nightmares I had to take out everything else and them swarm them with the cheap HAs as I could afford very few nobles, but the battles were a lot of fun looking back. As what came next was the innumerable phalanxes of the AS.
The Aedui conquer a lot of lands and the Lusitans start the offensive on Carthage. The KH now totally isolated in Italy are starting to get pounded by the Romans and will eventually exist only on Krete. Baktria got muscled by the AS into a corner were they made valiant stands until they got the protectorate proposal and took it. The Maks blitzed the Getai in a few years and pushed them to the north were the Sweboz now started attacking them as they were under heavy pressure from the Aedui.
The Ptolies were getting crushed by the AS, I was trying my best to help them with spies but the AS seemed not to care and just kept coming back with lots of mercs...
This is the time when I started working on the money scripts as the AS's endless stacks were really killing me.
211
I start sharing a border with the Maks in Nikaia and soon they attack me, they will regret this in time... I start making my decisive moves and move against the AS's best production centers (Selukeia, Susa, Antiocheia) crippling their Cataphract and Thorakitai Argyraspidai production centers.
201
I start moving against the Maks with help from the Getai who rebel in Gawjam-Bastarnoz and on the southern front I manage to take the Hellespont. I also border the Saba now who will develop an obsession for Seleukeia and periodically send small armies to the slaughter under the shade of the palm trees.
The Saka wars were fast but brutal I managed to overwhelm them but their catas and HAs made for some very challenging battles.
Lusitans make their power move and the Aedui start getting pounded, just after signing an alliance with me, by the Lusitans, Romans and Sweboz
195
I keep gaining territory against the the Maks and stedily take out the AS possessions in Asia Minor. I also take Sidon, Damaskos and Palmyra and gift them to the Ptolies to try and form some sort of anti-AS corridor, of course keeping an army stationed to aid them.
I also incite rebellions with my spies in the eastern-most AS provinces that I have no interest in conquering. Also, Baktria which was holed up in their cities behind lots of cheap infantry is added to my empire.
The Romans start to bloat and end up meeting up with the Iberians as the Aedui are torn up between the 3 hungry hounds (Lusitans, Sweboz and Romans).
189
I reinstate the Getai in their territories after taking them from the Maks i gift them to the Getai. The Romans are now fighting the Lusitans, the Sweboz get back their lands from the Aedui who are now cornered.
I start raiding Greece and get the idea to make a nice mosaic so I can keep the factions there in check. Epeiros a central Europe enclave now and the KH isolated to Krete get some offers they can't refuse
179
The Greek mosaic is complete and the alliance with KH seems extremely beneficial trade-wise. It's a real shame that they will develop a fetish for Mytilene and try to swarm it with Hoplitai Haploi and then call for ceasefires...
Realizing I need Gawjam-Bastarnoz from the Getai I swiftly take it from them along with Buridava and propose them a ceasefire agreement qith me keeping Gaw-B and giving them back Buridava and ~50000 for their trouble. They accept but sadly the peace won't last long as they use the money to raise armies and attack Naissos...
The Roman-Lusitan conflict seems balanced until some old friends (Carthage) start crossing the Gibraltar with a couple of stacks and begin claiming what was once theirs it was a great thing to witness...
https://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?...iecrossiv9.jpg
Also Carthage starts taking Karali and Alalia and storms Sicily (I don't know what got into them... but I love it)
172
The Getai are close to the brink of extinction... they left me no choice...
The Ptolemy puppet regime reaches is largest size and they start to make moves on their own sieging Rhodos but just when I was proud of them they make a ceasefire with the Maks. They have 2 stacks on Salamis that just keep them in debt and the AS put a lot of pressure on the south.
The Sweboz are a minor nuisance with their Baltic infantry they keep sending to certain death.
167
The Romans attack me and a lot of legions are trampled under the hooves of my mighty cavalry, also the Getai are now helping me field Drapanai that prove to be quite effective in producing a lot of left-handed Romans
The Lusitans now getting pushed from 2 fronts are slowly crumbling.
Carthage is moving into Italy but they meet heavy resistance and they will soon stop, their Iberian campaign is going better.
AS starts coming in force and my army is caught by surprise by a powerful army and my great general Beuca the Lame is trampled under some elephants' feet. leaving the Ptolies unprotected for a few critical years in which they manage to lose their empire
The great Saurmag comes of age he will be my Steppe Hannibal.
I named him my faction leader as he was the perfect guy sha/cha/vig and optimistic/unshelfish/loyal. gave him the best education in Seleukeia( I captured it with a Academy) and the best ancillaries from the old governor there (ex great general) and sent him with 10 indian longbowmen, drapanai and Noble HA's to complete my raiding objectives
160
Tough times, I even went into debt, Saba bribed Charax and the AS briefly held Antiocheia, a lot of provinces rebelled as I'm in the middle of a generation change with the old influential governors dying off
Steppe Hannibal is touring N Italy and raiding it (notice I'm holding Patavium on the map ) and then he's off for a short stop in Gaul (Vesontio) and then more mayhem in Germania (Gawjam-Hattoz and Swebotraustamnoz)topped off with conquering Ascaulis which seemed to be needed for the victory even though it did not show on the map. The Roman city raids gave me the needed funds to keep my empire in the black and hold off the AS and Saba and the increasingly aggressive Sweboz.
I also gave Segesta, Patavium and Bononia to Epeiros, they were Rome's allies at the time but that quickly changed and their skirmishes gave me breathing room. The Romans were heavily recruiting mercs after running out of proper legionnaires and the Celto-German armies they fielded were quite a turn-off.
I slowly try to reinstate the Ptolies as a buffer zone but it's really frustrating as they can't hold on to the cities.
152
Saurmag completes his raiding targets and arrives in Ascaulis with 4 units of Indian Longbowmen(out of the 10 that left with him) and some cavalry they are now all experienced veterans.
I manage to take Ak-Ink. Vindobona and Segestica and hold on to them, the Sweboz bribe some troops (now they got some HAs) and also bribe Lucaroteea which was the last province I conquered after a great heroic victory and then the anti-climactic Victory screen shows up and I feel a mixture of pride and sadness that it's over and try not to count the hours spent on playing this (I started it before Easter).
https://img523.imageshack.us/my.php?...victorydw1.jpg
Hope it's not too much, I'll remove some of the pics as the last few years are ~5 years apart but a lot happened in pretty fast succession.
Please leave a comment if you enjoyed and had the patience to read through all this.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks