how do you train a quality combat general?

[Fluvius Camillus]

Rome: Total Domination by 195 BCE
Epeiros: Total Domination by 190 BCE
Clearly this is a serious game balance issue that needs to be addressed in the next patch. I refuse to play this ridiculously unbalanced release until the bias is corrected

Now dont take me for the standard EB player. The thing I did is an extreme exception. I only chose to play the fastest I was possible to do!

Other people play more historical and slower. The game really is not unbalanced I just totally rushed against extreme odds.

Play this awesome perfect and historically correct mod, play it like you want to do it. Dont mind me

[Βελισάριος]

You breed them.

It's simple, really. Survival of the fittest. First, you send them to the Agoge, then if you have Academies, send them there... then let them breed. Spawn children like crazy.

Finally you have them butcher the enemy, particularly where odds are against him.
And, of course... those family members you don't like... send them off to a heroic death, or out at sea never to be heard from again.

And yes, starts are pretty to look at... especially when the star column is bigger than your general on the campaign map.

[A Very Super Market]

Yes, their original traits will help. Being older actually helps as well. Winning big battles does more than tiny ones. Keep your treasury lower than 50,000 or you could not use selfish men as generals. Lover of beauty and other traits like that will give negative stars.

[soup_alex]

Other people play more historical and slower. The game really is not unbalanced I just totally rushed against extreme odds.

Sarcasm, Fluvius!

I'm still a little staggered by the speed of your campaign success, though: but I suppose the vast majority of my FMs (and I never seem to have very many) are left to govern the most profitable and the most unruly cities I possess, while perhaps one or two are one campaign (sometimes rotating) and one "trains" at schools and brigand hunts. I'd like to be able to try a speed run some day, but I'm not a very rapid or aggressive player and I don't often tend to think very far in advance—only on occasion laying a plot when the chances of several conditions being met are very strong (and it's not as if you can rely upon the AI to do much at all, apart from rapidly balloon when one faction has a slight advantage over its neighbours; commit all of its troops to engage your greatest concentration of troops when it attacks, or leave everything on guard stance on the highest available hill when defending).

My generals... tend to do alright (if not always brilliantly). As I seldom have many significant leaders in the field at any one time, I can concentrate all the best combat ancilliaries on one character and indeed switch them to "meat grinder". They may not become superhuman within a season (their bodyguard might!), but they'll certainly only improve with age, heh heh.

[Cute Wolf]

I only used 1 or 2 (3 on a large empire) FM as generals, trained on the field (or some 4 years on academy first, before sending them to living hell), take them to every battle available with matching (not overwhelming) army of sightly lower quality. (use odds less than 0.9 on my side...)

Let the other FM sit down and enjoy their governing duty, so that my General FM can have 8 or even 10 stars.... without any mod rather than standard EB! (but almost all of my generals (except him and his other 1 or 2 comrade) didn't have any stars at all and become fat bookworms)

[Fluvius Camillus]

Sarcasm, Fluvius!

I'm still a little staggered by the speed of your campaign success, though: but I suppose the vast majority of my FMs (and I never seem to have very many) are left to govern the most profitable and the most unruly cities I possess, while perhaps one or two are one campaign (sometimes rotating) and one "trains" at schools and brigand hunts. I'd like to be able to try a speed run some day, but I'm not a very rapid or aggressive player and I don't often tend to think very far in advance—only on occasion laying a plot when the chances of several conditions being met are very strong (and it's not as if you can rely upon the AI to do much at all, apart from rapidly balloon when one faction has a slight advantage over its neighbours; commit all of its troops to engage your greatest concentration of troops when it attacks, or leave everything on guard stance on the highest available hill when defending).

My generals... tend to do alright (if not always brilliantly). As I seldom have many significant leaders in the field at any one time, I can concentrate all the best combat ancilliaries on one character and indeed switch them to "meat grinder". They may not become superhuman within a season (their bodyguard might!), but they'll certainly only improve with age, heh heh.

Ow, you got me there!

Interesting look on things too!

I usually assign directions(viewed from Rome here), the southern army + general (focusses on Carthage). The western army (Iberia), the Northern army (gaul) and the eastern army (greece). I dont start with that right away, I make the armies as my economy grows, so the upkeep can be afforded. The direction with highest priority gets an army first, in my case that was Carthage.

Good luck with your campaigns!

[Maion Maroneios]

1) It's good for him to 'Take AFter His Father', him being a good tactician
2) Sharp/Charismatic/Vigorous
2) Spartan Agoge training
3) Fighting battles

That's what seems to work for my Strategoi. Of course, my Makedones are the best Strategoi in the world, so the rest of you pesky people will have to pray to the gods to get as good as ours.

Maion

[HunGeneral]

1) Of course, my Makedones are the best Strategoi in the world, so the rest of you pesky people will have to pray to the gods to get as good as ours.

I see, and what about Phyrros? Against him it's the Makedones who should start praying...

[seienchin]

Yeah the Mini mod, which gives gives stars for experience is pretty cool, but anyways I get good generals by,
-Taking dull ones
-Fight and lose(win and lose around 50% each) a lot against Eleutheroi
-Pray for luck
-Pray for luck
-Pray for luck
-Give them the combat bonus acillaries of other Generals
I manage to get 7 Stars Generals sometimes and with atacker threads they have 10 when they atack.
Never(!!!) take the smart ones. As soon as they pause in cities with schools they get absolut pussies.
Sometimes Allied Generals are good too, but thats a big question of luck.

Of course starting Generals are strong sometimes but building your own ones is hard

[satalexton]

if he really was that good than he would not be killed by a falling brick by an old hag xD

[HunGeneral]

If he really was that good than he would not be killed by a falling brick by an old hag xD

Hmmm. True but wasn't Megas Alexnadros killed by too much alcohol (plus his wounds and him taking too much medicine)?