[beru]

the spaniards and portogesse is two nations in medieval i hate... i just dislike their units, alltho they are better than the moors wich is filled with spearmen and suported by the semigood crossbowmen...

Holy Roman Empire is so much better

[cerveza_fiesta]

yeah.

I'd like to play something a bit better on the foot units.

The constant cavalry work was getting a little tiresome.

This post has been edited by cerveza_fiesta: 19 February 2010 - 05:27 PM

[Tapper]

I've played full infantry with late game France, works surprisingly well considering France is designed around its cav-rosters.
Grab around 4 Scottish Guard archers for the archery duels, the same number of Aventuriers to soften up the enemy infantry line, 4-6 dismounted Noble Knights, 4 chivalric foot knights to plug gaps in the line and add staying power, and a few units of either pike, hired spearmen or the early age halberdiers France gets as their tier 3 unit after Armoured Sergeants (you can use those, too) for screening your heavy hitters from enemy cav while they march up to the enemy line. With your general circling behind the lines, you have yourself a very nasty meatgrinder that will not take many casualties unless you stand still for too long.

[Adjutant Stormy~]

I always worry about hazarding my generals - it's the sort of thing that were I to see, I would immediately lunge for with an irrational rabid fury. However, getting down and dirty with the big boy's escort can seriously help in a tight spot.

[Tapper]

Adjutant Stormy, on 22 February 2010 - 02:59 AM, said:

I always worry about hazarding my generals - it's the sort of thing that were I to see, I would immediately lunge for with an irrational rabid fury. However, getting down and dirty with the big boy's escort can seriously help in a tight spot.

Only use them to ward off enemy cav circling your own line, or to chase down stuff - the whole idea of the army above is just to march straight up and engage with superior slamming power - works pretty good in sieges, too.

[Gothos]

Sieges were a serious demotivator for my cavalry armies, since charging around isn't the same within city walls... Most of the time I just stuck around for taking cities by hunger. Left a few units to keep the siege and take the bulk forward to fend off any relief army in the field.

As for the general, they seem to be tougher than you'd expect. On several occasions when I sent a rather lousy heir to the crown to some neutrals so they can kill him off, I had a hard time making sure he dies. I think that even once he survived so much he became badass. Low difficulty setting these had to be though.

[Traveller]

I like my generals to lead from the front - they get interesting, better traits for bravery etc. Bummer if they get killed in the last minute of a long scrap though!

Assassins are the best way of getting rid of unwanted heirs. One of mine took out the Pope, in the middle of Mass, with a crossbow. Subtle or what.

Having abandoned Empire months back, I just reinstalled it on my new PC. It's like a different game - amazing what a few extra gigs of ram will do! Quick loading, all the settings on high; everything looks great, and I'm really getting into the naval battles. I love opening up the sides of an enemy ship with roundshot, and then getting in close with the grape to really decimate the crew.

[Gothos]

I've given some time into researching Empire and I see tactical naval battles - yay?
Also, playing as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth could be another opportunity to see if something could've been scrapped from the disastrous strategic situation in that peroid. Playing as the Polish in Medieval was quite challanging, comparably, and I expect that in Empire it is even more so. I'm definately giving this a try. It could also be interesting because I'd have to change my usual tactics for it I think - tactics that carried me through both Medieval games and Rome with tremendous success.

I'll have to ask about diplomacy though - is it, finally, reasonable? Can you keep AIs as stalwart allies that actually do something in this game?

As for details etc, I expect to play in maxed everything with my new rig. All in all, this might be really worth trying.


I'll have to ask about Napoleon: is it a new game or just an expension set for Empire?

[Tapper]

Gothos, on 22 February 2010 - 11:44 AM, said:

I'll have to ask about diplomacy though - is it, finally, reasonable? Can you keep AIs as stalwart allies that actually do something in this game?

don't know about the latest patches, but it wasn't so for a loooong while.

Quote

I'll have to ask about Napoleon: is it a new game or just an expension set for Empire?

It's a premium stand-alone expansion - somewhere between a new game and an expansion. Same engine, largely the same mechanics, updated AI (which apparently now pursues multiple objectives at once on the battlefield), more diplomacy options, all new units.

If I was sure they'd support N:TW as a full game with patches and support, I'd advise you to skip E:TW and go for N:TW instead, but as I'm not, I can't advise you

[Gothos]

Well, the "Napoleon" in the title kind of forces a lack of P-LC as a faction, so I guess I'll just have to give Empire a shot anyway...

I wonder when they'll do Neolithic: Total War, or maybe one in a "on a sunday next year" timeframe...

[Jusentantaka]

Gothos, on 22 February 2010 - 11:44 AM, said:

I've given some time into researching Empire and I see tactical naval battles - yay?
Also, playing as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth could be another opportunity to see if something could've been scrapped from the disastrous strategic situation in that peroid. Playing as the Polish in Medieval was quite challanging, comparably, and I expect that in Empire it is even more so. I'm definately giving this a try. It could also be interesting because I'd have to change my usual tactics for it I think - tactics that carried me through both Medieval games and Rome with tremendous success.

I'll have to ask about diplomacy though - is it, finally, reasonable? Can you keep AIs as stalwart allies that actually do something in this game?

As for details etc, I expect to play in maxed everything with my new rig. All in all, this might be really worth trying.

Poland in the vanilla game is actually pretty tough, since you're broke and squished against super prussia and megaustria, while russia usually does dick to help you early on even if they're allies. Plus you've got protectorates on the other side of austria and prussia who'll drag you into war pretty much at turn one. Once you get some steam though its game over for anyone who looks at you funny, since when you finally have the ability to build your own, winged hussars stomp anything else on the charge and hand to hand.

as for diplomacy... allies will help if they're on bad terms with the common enemy, but thats about it. You do, however, get a little window which for once shows the 'points' that go into your standing with another country, (trade agreements, gifts, religion, historical standing (from the previous century anyway) are pluses, war, long grievances, different government types, different religion, all subtract) the more positive, the less likely they will screw you for no reason, but if you're allied with low points, they'll break it if put to the test.

if you do get the game, you should grab the battlefield blood/smoke/music mod. Adds some spurts for those big bad 'I just doused your square with canister, bitch' moments, lingering and proper looking musket and cannon smoke (without much of a hit to performance) and some somewhat better period music with drums, fifes ect. Or for a real treat, say fuck it to the stock game, download all the patches and grab Imperial Splendor, enjoy your forty billion different & faction-accurate artillery (sqweedes get their fast-shooting short range guns, russia gets 1.5x the number of guns of the rest of europe per unit, and all their sexy wacked out inventions they came up with in the 1700s), better naval combat, larger rosters which do a lot more to differentiate factions than the color of their uniform, and rifles that can out-range a musket.

This post has been edited by Jusentantaka: 22 February 2010 - 03:57 PM

[Tapper]

Gothos, on 22 February 2010 - 02:14 PM, said:

Well, the "Napoleon" in the title kind of forces a lack of P-LC as a faction, so I guess I'll just have to give Empire a shot anyway...

I wonder when they'll do Neolithic: Total War, or maybe one in a "on a sunday next year" timeframe...

Apparently, factions are unlockable. Whether or not that means by modding the .ini files or by the good old MW2: TW way of defeating the faction, is unknown. I may be able to let you know on friday/saturday - if I manage to crush a faction then

[Gothos]

I meant more like, when Napoleon was the star, there was NO POLISH-LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH ANYMORE. kinda that.

[cerveza_fiesta]

sorry to drag everyone back a version again.

Started an english game after my failed spanish campaign. Way more fun playing with the foot units and not as expensive as fielding huge amounts of cavalry.

Question on guard mode...does it give more defense points or does it just stop them running around like blind monkeys all the time.

Question 2. I ordered an archery attack on a nearby enemy unit yesterday and noticed all my archers started running backwards as fast as they could. Is there a min archery distance or were they purposely moving back to get better arc overtop of their spearmen bodyguards or something?

[Jusentantaka]

cerveza_fiesta, on 22 February 2010 - 05:15 PM, said:

sorry to drag everyone back a version again.

Started an english game after my failed spanish campaign. Way more fun playing with the foot units and not as expensive as fielding huge amounts of cavalry.

Question on guard mode...does it give more defense points or does it just stop them running around like blind monkeys all the time.

Question 2. I ordered an archery attack on a nearby enemy unit yesterday and noticed all my archers started running backwards as fast as they could. Is there a min archery distance or were they purposely moving back to get better arc overtop of their spearmen bodyguards or something?

1. In Shogun and Medieval 1 it kept them in formation (which provided a bonus to attack and def) If it still provides a bonus, its a lot less noticeable in the later games, so I think its just a 'stay put' order now.

2. Did you have skirmish on?

This post has been edited by Jusentantaka: 22 February 2010 - 05:53 PM

[Tapper]

Gothos, on 22 February 2010 - 04:38 PM, said:

I meant more like, when Napoleon was the star, there was NO POLISH-LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH ANYMORE. kinda that.

The Polish community is a big one, though... so they may go and be historically incorrect

edit: saw a campaign map, and there's no Poland. There's a Polish lancer unit on the French side, tho

This post has been edited by Tapper: 22 February 2010 - 07:29 PM

[cerveza_fiesta]

didn't have skirmish turned on. I've never used that command for lack of knowing what it does.

[Tapper]

cerveza_fiesta, on 22 February 2010 - 07:36 PM, said:

didn't have skirmish turned on. I've never used that command for lack of knowing what it does.

It automatically retreats your archers/ skirmishers when an enemy unit gets too close. They'll continue withdrawing until the range is judged safe, then turn and shoot again.

[cerveza_fiesta]

oooh. I get it.

duh.

Right. Do archers default to skirmish?They must given the behaviour. I didn't turn it on myself.

This post has been edited by cerveza_fiesta: 22 February 2010 - 07:50 PM

[Jusentantaka]

Most of them do. a couple of the 'heavy infantry with bows' types don't though.