The art of fueling conflicts

**Daveybaby** · 04-20-2009, 10:06

Does anyone else find it ridiculous that navies block access for factions they are at peace with?

**Darth Venom** · 04-20-2009, 10:10

Originally Posted by Daveybaby

Does anyone else find it ridiculous that navies block access for factions they are at peace with?

Come to think of it.... Yes, I guess you could consider it a minor expliot of a poorly modelled system.

**Didz** · 04-20-2009, 10:49

I gave the Barbary States all the Tech's I acquired as the Ottoman's, in anticipation of it making them even more of a pain for the European Powers to deal with.

The one concern I have about given aware technical knowledge is that the people you give it too mmake not protect it very well. The Crimean Khanate for example allowed an Austrian scholar to study at one of their universities for years, and in the end I had to send an assassin to deal with him.

Another weird thing I noticed is that the native american tribes all seem to have fully developed tech tree's. They even have the full set of naval ones, even though most have never even seen the sea. The annoying thing is that they never share their knowledge.

**Frankenbeasley** · 04-20-2009, 11:35

Playing as GB, I made sure that the 13 Colonies got every tech I researched, acting on the principle that this would make it easier for me when they eventually joined my cause. It did: the colonies were much better developed by the time I finished the mission. As an additional bonus, they had actually expanded and taken an extra couple of regions by that point. I apply the same methods to the mission factions if I play as France or Spain. I will also share tech with any of my early targets (Morocco is a favourite).

As for the rest, I also try and sell (or give away) plug bayonets to any factions I have upcoming conflicts with. I work on the principle that it helps me if my opponents bugger up their muskets half way through a scrap....

**anweRU** · 04-20-2009, 13:34

Money is more important than tech, though giving the industrial & enlightenment techs to nations you plan to conquer will help your own budget later on...

Giving money is the best. Giving money outright offends my sensibilities, but buying regions for outrageous sums does not. After buying Ceylon from UP for 60K, UP captured first French Guyana and then Flanders a couple of decades later. It has too many stacks sitting in both European provinces now.

Alas, buying Florida (~300K) and Cuba (~600K) from Spain did not help it so far. It's armies reached the France-Flanders border too late. And France actually lost all of its Canadian possesions two decades after I purchased New Foundland for ~ 100K. But at least it conquered Boston and Maine first. I suppose my purchase of Jamaica from the British for ~ 300K might have had something to do with the massive British armies that steam-rollered through North America...

**Didz** · 04-20-2009, 14:04

Goodness, where do you get the money from?

I thought I was doing well in my current American campaign, but I'm still only making about 25-30k per turn gross, and about 18k net. In my Ottoman Campaign I completely missed the whole Trade Port rush and ended up only making about 17k GNP per turn. It would take me all game to save up enough to buy one province at your prices.

**anweRU** · 04-20-2009, 14:26

I'm playing as Sweden on VH.

@ 1746 I am making a net profit of $150K+. All of my European & most of my colonial provinces have maximum industry + ports + mines + farms. I've conquered Denmark, Prussia, Saxony, Courland, Poland, & Russia (i.e. all their regions), as well as Moldovia from the Ottomans (during a short trade war where I took three trade slots they were occupying). I have two slots in Brazil, and three slots each in the rest of the trade theaters. All with 5 ships. My total military upkeep is a minor 44K. I have only four full army stacks and two naval stacks. The rest of my military are dragoons on garrison duty.

I conquered only two colonial provinces, the two pirate islands in 1741-1742. The rest were all bought, including Georgia from the Cherokees (400K).

**Liberator** · 04-20-2009, 14:20

Originally Posted by anweRU

Alas, buying Florida (~300K) and Cuba (~600K) from Spain did not help it so far. It's armies reached the France-Flanders border too late. And France actually lost all of its Canadian possesions two decades after I purchased New Foundland for ~ 100K. But at least it conquered Boston and Maine first. I suppose my purchase of Jamaica from the British for ~ 300K might have had something to do with the massive British armies that steam-rollered through North America...

Whoa, you make going to war look cheap