Megas Ptolomey becoming annoying

**Shatov** · 11-01-2008, 03:18

Playing as the Romani, I ended up conquering most of the Western Roman Empire including NAfrica, Spain, Gaul, Illyria, Greece and was moving into Anatolia. The Egyptians had managed to conquer Anatolia, Persia, Parthia and Baktria and the game devolved into a massive constant conflict somewhat similar to the constant Byzantine-Persian wars in the 6th-7th Centuries. Main difference that I'd already spent most of the game fighting Phalangists, and now I had to conquer the entire Egyptian Empire.

I got bored around Armenia, so I decided to restart, hoping the Egyptians would not be very powerful. Well, its about 230 BC and the Egyptians have conquered most of Anatolia and Persia, are waging a war against Armenia and it looks like they will annex them.

Any particular reason for this besides bad luck? Playing as the Parthians and the Armenians the Selelucids tended to hold their own against the Gippos, often taking all of Syria. Oddly enough, when I am not conquering half their Empire, they seem to rapidly decline.

Is there anything I can do in the save game file or via a cheat to nerf Egypt or make a super Parthia or Armenia?

**gamegeek2** · 11-01-2008, 03:50

This is due to the fact that you have "rival" factions that get stronger when you play as a certain faction. When you play as a "western" faction, the Seleukids tend to get overrun by Egypt; if you're an eastern faction that has to fight the Seleukids, they tend to be stronger and resist the Ptolemies/Take over Canaan

**Shatov** · 11-01-2008, 04:04

Right. I understand that. It is just that the I've spent most of the game fighting Phalanxes, and the Roman Army is purpose-built to break phalanxes. Now, granted, the Egyptians have some strong phalanxes, but their short spear/sword infantry and cavalry are vastly inferior to the Seleucids, let alone the Armenians and the Parthians. I'd much rather be fighting heavy infantry wearing a chainmail burqa with a huge hasta than another billion phalanxes.

Anyway I could supercharge Parthia? They seem to be doing well (they got most of East Persia, just made the Saka a client state), but against the Yellow Menace I don't think they can stand up without me giving them some help.

**Lovejoy** · 11-01-2008, 04:08

Really? I have never heard of such a thing as "rival faction". I thought it was pretty much random who got strongest. In my Carthage campaign for example the ptolemoi is getting beaten by the selues pretty hard. Oh well..

What I always do is to use cheats such as:

"add_money" and "add_population"

to try and control the Ai factions. I usually give money to whoever is the weakest.

With the force diplomacy mod you have even greater chances of controlling the AI.

**Praetor Diego** · 11-01-2008, 05:33

Early in game you should send an army to sack egypcian cities. Dstroy all buildings and abandon the cties to revolt. That would slow down their advance.

**Shatov** · 11-01-2008, 05:43

Originally Posted by Praetor Diego

Early in game you should send an army to sack egypcian cities. Dstroy all buildings and abandon the cties to revolt. That would slow down their advance.

Would that help at this point? I was considering doing that but it seemed like something of a waste of resources and awfully unhistoric. At this point, since I am at war with the Gippos, it might make some sense, though not historic (as in my replay I have just taken the entire northern Mediterranean west of Anatolia, basically anything with a coast that faces Italy).

**teh1337tim** · 11-01-2008, 05:56

at the start of the game, use money cheats and building cheats and take the ptolemaio cities around antioch and build walls etc up... then gift it back to seleukids and put 10k mnai per turn for 60 turns,
i assure u they'll stay alive for a long time .. even bite back
in my game... baktria has been exiled to india, pahlava has been utterly obliterated to a protectorate,
saka has been having peace... seems to have no units atm...armenia is fighting a 2 font war against gray death and koinon/sauro in the north (sauro is my bosphorus kingdom after driving dem out of greece and taking their cities)

Always in the start of the game, gift money to seleukid.. they'll last longer and be more of a challenge to all the other lesser successor states around it

**Marcus Ulpius** · 11-01-2008, 07:59

In all my Roman campaigns the Ptolies had the upper hand. In my KH campaign AS had the upper hand. It usually comes to the battle for Antioch and Anatolia - whoever wins it gains the advantage. But AS are handicapped because if the Ptolies win it they are within striking distance of AS core regions and once those are lost - there's no way back. If AS wins it, they usually push the Ptolies back into Egypt, but I've never seen the AS making a successful invasion into Egyptian provinces.

**Tartaros** · 11-01-2008, 10:06

Originally Posted by Shatov

Any particular reason for this besides bad luck? Playing as the Parthians and the Armenians the Selelucids tended to hold their own against the Gippos, often taking all of Syria.

mostly the AI make peace... so ptoly and sele´s don´t fight as usual.

**Shatov** · 11-09-2008, 07:37

Jesus. The Gippos are just about to wipe Parthia off the map. Now the only enemies they have are Sarmatia, the Saka, Myself, the Punics and the Saba, two of whom I'll have to wipe out anyway and hold no chance.

I think I'll have to start another Rome game. REMEMBER: GIVE MONEY TO EVERYONE EXCEPT PTOLEMEYS WHEN PLAYING AS ROME.

Really wish there was a "destroy faction" cheat. Kill all their family members or something.