Rome 2 Patches, Hotfixes, Betas and Such (patch 17 live!)

[Slaists]

Not sure how that happens, as the Avernii I was at war constantly until I took Roma and Magna Graecia. As Sparta, I picked my fights and people want NAPs but I still was in war with Rome/Etruscans/Carthage+Satrapies. Is Macedon somehow liked by other hellenistic factions? In any event, you're picking your wars carefully if you don't get the AI to declare on you, which can be attributed to careful playing. How much have you conquered in those 75 turns?

As for the Romans - I wouldn't pick that faction if I wanted a challenge. I play them to dominate as Rome and to enjoy the great civil buildings they have (their farms still suck though). I hear people are having a tough start as Pontus, so the AI definitely does declare war though.

OK, VH campaign (VH battles), Pontus, patch IV beta (with the latest hotfix as of today), here's the chronological report:

272, 2 minor provinces, no walled settlement, no serious troops available, just slingers with the precision boost + eastern spear-men; Cimmeria accepts trade off the bat; move troops towards the border with Samosata; move navy to explore the black sea

271, turn start: Cappadocia (ooo,... the scary ones...) offers peace (yeah, right... rejected) Battle for Samosata takes place: no losses on the Pontic side (thanks, eastern slingers!);

270, turn start: Seleucids offer NAP (accepted); Cappadocia offers peace (yeah, right... rejected); inside turn: Sinope: start a muster field; trade opened with: Athens, Seleucids, Odryssians, Sardes, Tylis; the main army moved toward Mazaca (violating Seleucid territory)

269, turn start: Trapezos offers DA (why not!? accepted!); inside turn: Mazaca falls to Pontus (a tight battle fought; the AI wisely sallies forth; advances after being hit with the first pebbles; somewhoe (don't know how) kills my gen who was hiding behind the ranks; still my slingers prevailed in the end). Afterwars, Pontus' main army (led by a new gen) moves onwards into Galatia who have not declared war (on Pontus) yet

268, turn start: Galatia declares war on Tylus (why not!?... after all it's just pesky me in the backyard of Galatia aiming for penetration in their capital... ); inside turn: trade opened with Macedon, Epirus; hoplite training started in Pontus regions

267, turn start: Athens offers NAP (paying cash: why not!?... accepted!); Knossos offers trade (why not? accepted!); inside the turn: not much, moving armies towards Ancyra

266, turn start: Galatian main army marches towards Amasea (forced march stance); Rhodos offers trade (paying cash for it; why not!?... accepted!); inside turn: my gen in Amasea hires mercs (missile cav) and ambushes the Galatian army: all captives killed; more hoplites queued to be trained

265, turn start: Knossos offers NAP (paying cash, why not!?...); Seleucids violate the integrity of my borders, march their army in and defeat the rebels that just have spawned... thank you, Seleucos! inside turn: A battle is fought near Ancyra defeating the remnants of the army formerly ambushed.

264, turn start, inside turn: not much. Ancyra surrounded by my armies; building gallies for safer approach to the gates; suffering attrition in the process

263, turn start, nothing. inside turn: Ancyra falls (3 waves of Pontus' eastern spearmen rout while burning the gates (good, burning the gates is tougher now), but who cares, hoplites and slingers rule the day afterwards); trade opened with Epirus, Libya; DA with Trapezos canceled (guess why...).

that's first something turns with VH Pontus. got to play further, but at least the proclaimed starting challenge of Pontus is already gone. also, no one has declared war on me (yet) and all neighbors except Trapezus and Armenia are friendly (and the latter two are my next targets).