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Thread: DLV 6.1: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Updated 9/16/09)

  1. #1

    Default DLV 6.1: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Updated 9/16/09)


    Welcome to the DLV: STRATEGY GUIDE FOR NEW PLAYERS! (SGFNP)

    SGFNP'S NEWS

    6/9/09

    1. THE FIRST EDITION OF THE 'DLV JOURNAL' is finally here! 'After a lot of hard work and the crazy 'Back to the future moment' that hit the boards on Friday the 5'th of June. The Strategy Guide for New Players finally has a companion periodical journal edited by none other than Blackleaf-Wille ( My partner in crime)'-Xtiaan72

    Please check out this link as these two threads are intended to be 'companions':

    THE DLV JOURNAL

    2. Blackleaf-Wille's awesome chapters:
    Strategos and Magistratus have been fully integrated into the SGFNP! Check out Chapter 7 to peruse this massive new addition to the the guide!

    3. We have started a new thread called 'House Rules'... We are trying to compile the ultimate rules set for players that want to play DLV 'Iron Man' and test their skills to the limit... Here's the
    link if you want to join the conversation:

    SGFNP-----------------> House Rules

    4. We are currently looking for a third editor/writer to join the DLV SGFNP Team. If you are interested, please see this thread for details:

    THE SGFNP NEEDS YOU!!!!!!!!

    5. Correction to the Guide: In 6.1, To get Government Points by saving money in your treasury, you now have to accumulate 50,000 florins not 30,000. All changes to this script will be addressed in our 6.2 update.

    6. The new DLV 'banking system' was not covered in detail in our 6.1 update because the feature was slightly buggy. ( Therefor, we could not study it properly). The bugs are being addressed for 6.2 so 'Banking Strategy' will be covered in our 6.2 update.

    That's all for now. Thank you for reading the SGFNP..... and don't forget to read 'The DLV Journal'; 'DLV News you can trust!' - Xtiaan72, Editor of the SGFNP


    The SGFNP is an evolving community resource for DLV. It is intended as a supplement to the official DLV manual. To get the most out of the guide, We recommend you look through the Official DLV Manual first.

    DLV OFFICIAL MANUAL


    If you are new to the DLV boards, this is a good place to introduce yourself and ask any questions about game-play that you might have! If you are returning to DLV after an absence, this is also a nice place to get quick info on what's new in DLV land.

    If you have additional tips (or chapter ideas/requests) for the guide, post them here and we will add them to the guide proper (with credit of course!) as soon as possible.

    Please Contribute!!!: There are several links in the guide to threads where we are compiling info for upcoming SGFNP chapters. Post your tips or additional links on the subject. The conversations get pretty spirited! (We will +Rep you if contribute! and you will be listed as a contributor in this guide.)

    ............................................................................................................


    RECENT UPDATES!!!

    1. NEW Section 1.75: How to Get Kingdoms Videos Working in DLV; Coutesy of Blackleaf-Wille
    (9/16/09)

    2. New Section! 5.51: How to Change your Capitol; Courtesy of Bamatoon (8/2/09)

    3. New
    Section! 5.21: An Example of a 'Stagnated' Large Town (6/13/09)

    4. New Section! 1.72 'How to Restore Long Speeches to DLV' (6/12//09)

    5
    . New Section! 1.71 'Save Game Recommendations' (6/11/09)

    6. Updated Tweaks and Preferences sections of 'Getting Started' (6/11/09)

    7. New! Chapter 7 ( Strategos and Magistratus) (6/9/09)

    8. New SGFNP thread Links added! (3/8/09)

    9. New introduction, credits and indexed table of contents! (3/8/09)

    10. Irish Bodyguard Fix removed temporarily for 6.2 update (3/1/09)

    11.
    Mini-Mod Section Updated for 6.1 ( 3/1/09)

    12. New Sections and important updates are not in Spoilers and their index is tagged in red!










    .............................................................................................................


    NEXT UPDATES:

    1. The Banking System
    2
    . Family Tree Management Chapter
    3. Whatever Blackleaf-Wille is up to!



    .............................................................................................................


    *PLEASE, HELP MAINTAIN THE GUIDE!!!:

    Open a spoiler every once in a while that you aren't reading so the pics don't have to be reposted! Thanks!



    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    1. Getting Started, Game Settings and mini-mods.

    1.1... What difficulty level is recommended

    1.2... Battle Time Limit Option

    1.3... Game Options

    1.4... Graphics Settings
    1.5... FRAPS
    1.6 Updated! TWEAKS
    1.7 Updated! Game Preferences
    1.71
    NEW! Save Game Recommendations
    1.72 NEW! Restoring Long Speeches to DLV
    1.75 NEW! How to get Kingdoms Intro Movies working in DLV
    1.8... Campaign Options
    1.81...
    DLV Default Campaign or Historical Campaign
    1.82... AI GARRISON SCRIPT
    1.83... FIELD COST SCRIPT

    1.84... SETTLEMENT COST SCRIPT
    1.85... POINT SYSTEM SCRIPT
    1.86... AI PLAYING STYLE
    1.87... NEW! AI MONEY SCRIPT

    1.88...
    NEW! Character Based Recruiting System
    1.89... NEW! Recruitment Limitation System
    1.9... Updated! Taiji Mods for DLV 6.1
    1.91... Updated! Mini-Mods for 6.1:
    1.93...Updated! More Mini-Mods


    2.
    Family Members, Education and Career Paths

    2.1... Family Members, Education and Career Paths
    2.2.... The General
    2.3 ... Heraldic Rank Promotion Progression
    2.4... The Retired General
    2.5...
    The Governor
    2.6... The Brute
    2.7... Career paths for Heirs
    2.8... NEW! Heraldic Rank and Cavalry Recruitment


    3. Government and Military Points

    3.1 ...CITY UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS

    3.2... CASTLE UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS
    3.3... Settlement Upgrade Chart
    3.4... Maintenance Costs Associated with Large Cities and Castles
    3.5... THE GOVERNMENT/MILITARY POINT POP-UP SCREENS
    3.6... STRATEGY TIPS FOR GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY POINTS
    3.6.1... Why Government Points are way more important than Military Points at the beginning of the game?

    3.6.2... Accumulating Government Points
    3.6.3... Developing "Uber-Governators"
    3.6.4... Accumulating Military Points
    3.6.5... Heraldic Rank and Military Points
    3.6.6... Avoiding the Downward Spiral

    4... The Dynamic Economy

    4.1
    ... The Field and Settlement Cost Scrolls

    4.2... FIELD COSTS

    4.3... SETTLEMENT COSTS

    4.4... DYNAMIC ECONOMIC EVENTS
    4.5... TRADE INCOME AND UNIQUE DLV TRADE INCOME BUILDINGS
    4.6... TRADE ROUTES
    4.7... AGRICULTURE INCOME
    4.8... MERCHANT INCOME

    5. Settlement Management


    5.1... Upgrading Your Capitol to 'MAX'
    5.2...
    When to Upgrade your Other Cities?

    5.21 (NEW!): An Example of a 'Stagnated' Large Town
    5.3... Upgrading your castle to Citadel
    5.4... When to upgrade your other castles?
    5.5 (New): How to Change your Capitol (
    BamaToon
    )

    6. Links! Faaction Overviews/ Difficulty Levels

    7. NEW CHAPTERS! Strategos and Magistratus (Devious Strategies by Blackleaf-Wille )

    7.1...Strategos- section to cover battle tactics

    7.1.1... The Bouncer
    7.1.2... Quick siege
    7.1.3... Mongol siege
    7.1.4... Low projectile-formation
    7.1.5... Fishing (for cavalry)
    7.1.6... Focus
    7.1.7... Treb-wall
    7.1.8... Delusion
    7.1.9... Hell-fire
    7.2.1... Advance Focus
    7.4... Strategos tips

    7.5... Magistratus- section to cover campaign tactics (late era )

    7.5.1... Central Intelligence Agency
    7.5.2... How to use Papal state
    7.5.3... Advantages of Vassals
    7.5.4... Raiding in DLV
    7.5.5... CAI, aka. Campaign A.I
    7.7... Magistraus tips


    8.
    Coming Soon! Unique DLV Events ( covers Dark Ages,ect)

    9.
    Links! ( Advanced Merchant Guide and Resource Glossary)

    Key for Table of Contents:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    1. Old sections of the guide are in spoilers

    2. New, updated or sections with new Links are tagged in red and are not in spoilers.



    Credits:

    REPMAN and the entire DLV Team for making the best MTW2 mod in the universe!

    SGFNP Editor: Xtiaan72

    SGFNP Associate Editor/Writer: Blackleaf-Wille

    SGFNP Writer: BamaToon

    SGFNP Major Contributor: Tokus Maximus ( Who's in-game artwork and tutorials make this guide possible)

    Special thanks to Taiji for his input and encouragement!

    Special thanks to Omar Nelson B for very good suggestions on how to organize the guide!

    Additional Contributors:

    RichiN
    ArmouredSergeant

    Madigan

    SGFNP Research Contributors:


    Faction Overview/Difficulty Thread;

    LLAMAD
    Barendz
    Ivanhoax
    Hotcobbler
    Blackleaf
    Ahlerich
    Omar Nelson B.
    Ghoul1221
    RYOFU
    2D-RON
    SHADRACH


    SGFNP Merchants and Resources Thread;

    TWmadman
    Berendz
    Ivanhoex
    hotcobbler
    Joh
    dacrazymofo
    musicdemon











  2. #2

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    DLV 6.1: Strategy Guide for New Players


    Part 1: Getting Started, Game Settings and mini-mods.

    Here are some tips to get the most out of your DLV experience. If you have something to add, please comment and I will add it to the guide....or perhaps ammend one of my opinions:hmmm:

    1.1... What difficulty level is recommended?
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Generally you want your settings to be VH/VH. That is the way the game units are balanced for optimal play. In DLV, all factions are not created equal. Some factions are much more difficult to succeed with than others. And all of them face unique challenges that make them more challenging than Vanilla.

    1.2... Battle Time Limit Option:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Always play with no battle time limit on. The AI performs must better with this checked especially on defense. For instance, If the odds are even or against it, the AI will find a good piece of terrain and wait for you. If it's checked off it will always rush you. This leads to battles that are very repetitive and not fun.


    1.3... Game Options (needs update):
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    If your computer can handle it, always play on huge...Epic (up to 250 men per unit) will be available for 5.8 but I haven't had a chance to test it or how it affects frame-rate issues and city growth rates. Personally I would rather play on huge on medium graphics setting than medium or large maxed out. Huge has the added benefit of moderating city growth rates a bit ( Which can be handy mid and late game). In the beginning huge units can put a dent in your population levels if you lose a lot of battles.( Affects amount of money raised with taxes) I like that element of realism.

    1.4... Graphics Settings:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Optimal graphic settings are going to vary from faction to faction. DLV has had many contributers and the models and unit skins have come from a variety of sources. Before you start a campaign with a new faction I recommend booting up the first turn, gathering all your units and attacking a random rebel stack. It's a good way to get an idea of the skins and models for that faction and how your computer is going to perform. Rinse and repeat until it's running to your satisfaton.


    1.5... FRAPS:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    This is a great program that allows you to take in game screenshots easily and store them very convieniently. It has the added benefit of giving you a second by second FPS display so you have a good idea of how your computer is performing. This program makes it really easy to share your screenshots with the community.


    1.6 (Updated!)...
    TWEAKS: The SGFNPs can no longer recommend changing the family tree files in your descr_campaign_db file... We've decided it's cheating! The SGFNP had removed our 'tweaked out' descr_campaign_db file.

    1.7
    ... DLV Preferences (Updated!):
    Also check out your medieval2.preference file. As of 6.0 your DLV preferences are controlled with your Vanilla file not DLV.ext. There are a lot of options in there to fine tune how your DLV game graphics will display. I like banners off because it ruins the ambiance for me. DLV has many "bannermen" officers that fill this void nicely. I also turn "green arrows" off because they suck. The SGFNP's can no longer recommed that players turn on 'unlimited men on battlefield'. These battles will lead to CTDS... And they are the worst crashes we've experienced playing MTW2.



    Here is the Drive Path to the file that changes your in game preferences for DLV 6.0 ; C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\medieval2.preference

    1.71 NEW! DLV Save Game Recommendations: After tons of play and experimentation Blackleaf Wille and I have discovered a full proof way to make sure you always have a recent uncorrupted save for your campaign. This is an issue that comes up over and over again on the boards and the problem can be easily resolved.... Also this is not a DLV specific issue, it's a problem present in 'Vanilla' as well. Corrupt saves just occur more often playing DLV because the mod is so huge and there are so many s


    1.72 New!
    Restoring Long Speeches to DLV

    Originally Posted by RichiN

    Go to C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\DLV_ext\data
    Open descr_sounds_dlb
    delete the faction you are playing under the oneliners, save and exit
    Go to C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\DLV_ext\data\sounds
    and delete event.dat, event.idx
    Start up the game and u will have long pre-speeches back

    STRATEGY TIP FOR BATTLES WITH AI REINFORCEMENTS: These battles can be quite cool but make sure that your reinforcement stacks do not include any family members. Try to keep all your family members in your main stack. AI controlled family members will charge enemy formations and will always kill themselves....that is unless there is a pesky rebellious character that is determined to throw his life away!


    1.75(NEW) How to put Kingdoms Videos into DLV


    Intro Video Thread


    Here is the link to Blackleaf-Wille's detailed post on how to do it


    1.8... Campaign Options:
    You will have some options to sort through when you start a campaign.

    1.81...
    DLV Default Campaign or Historical Campaign:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    The DLV Default Campaign is set up to be a slower build, more "Civ" like experience. You can expect lots of rebel stacks to slow you down in the beginning, " Hoops" you need to jump through to build certain important buildings and a high emphasis on "role-playing" game dynamics.

    The Historical Campaign which is accessable from the Custom Campaign screen, emphasis more historical starting positions for factions and royal family members. There are fewer rebel territories at the beginning of the game. Weak factions are weaker, strong factions are stronger and you will find yourself in conflict with the AI earlier in the game.

    Once you have picked a faction and started a default or historical campaign you will be given a series of options for your game before your first turn. Read through these options carefully as they will greatly affect your DLV experience.

    1.82... AI GARRISON SCRIPT ( YES/NO)?
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    TRUE DLVers ALWAYS SAY "YES"

    If you select "YES" the AI will spawn a garrison when you attack an enemy city. The size of the garrison that spawns depends on the size and quality of the town/castle. The bigger the town, the tougher the garrison. This is to help the TW AI which is notoriously bad at guarding it's cities.
    1.83...FIELD COST SCRIPT ( YES/NO)?
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    TRUE DLVers ALWAYS SAY "YES"

    If you say yes to this option you will receive additional costs for having armies and agents in enemy territory as well as addition costs when you siege enemy settlements. This option is to add some realism to game play decisions. It was expensive to wage war in medieval times!
    1.84...SETTLEMENT COST SCRIPT
    ( YES/NO)?
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    TRUE DLVers ALWAYS SAY "YES"

    This is one of the ways DLV slows down growth for the player so that by mid-game you don't have 17 billion stacks of the highest tier units and a hundred million dollars To compensate DLV has a much more robust economy that you actually have to work on to build those armies.



    1.85... Point System Activated? (Yes/No)
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Real DLVers say YES!

    This is one of the most popular features in DLV. If you say 'Yes' DLV will require you to use your characters intelligently to acquire Military and Government Points. Without these points you will be unable to build certain buildings and units. The Point System also addes a whole level of Role-Playing ability for your characters in the game.



    1.86... AI PLAYING STYLE?
    ( TOTAL WAR/ DLV)
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    IF YOU PLAY TOTAL WAR AI: PREPARE TO DIE!!
    !

    Playing DLV Total War AI is a true survival game. DLV Standard is for players that are also interested in the 'Civ' aspects of the game that DLV excels at. I would recommend 'standard' for new players especially if you want to get used to all the cool features unique to DLV. Believe me, DLV standard is no cake walk to begin with.


    1.87...
    NEW! AI Money Support? (Yes/NO)


    TRUE DLVer's say YES!

    For a truly 'Iron man' DLV experience try this option with the BB hardcore mini-mod! If you are playing DLV for the first time, leave this one off.


    1.88... NEW! Character Bases Recruitment Script (Yes/NO)


    This script adds a level of micromanagement to the recruitment system.

    If you like role-playing, this cavalry recruitment script ties your ability to recruit cavalry to the heraldic rank of your generals. Your king can always recruit high tier cav regardless. It doesn't have a huge effect on play unless you are controlling a really far-flung kingdom.

    1.89... NEW! Recruitment Limitation System (Yes/NO)


    Real Dlvers say "YES"

    Your ability to recruit troops will be limited to the size of your settlements and the quality of the troops you have already recruited. It makes the campaign considerably more difficult and forces you to make tough decisions regarding which settlements to upgrade and what troops you should be recruiting to get the job done. Strategies regarding this script will be covered in a future chapter.


    1.9...Updated! BB Hardcore for 6.1 (Taiji Approved!)


    Most of Taiji's Battle Balancing Mod is now in DLV 6.1...For the truly brave, try the Hardcore Update for 6.1..See this thread for details:

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=219603


    Other mods compatible with BB Hardcore and 6.1:


    ( Please check these threads for updates and installation instructions.. Bug reports should go to the mini-mods creator not here in the guide thread.)



    1. Xenophonia
    - Adds Native Languages to factions battlefield commands...A whole new level of immersion.

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=223414


    2. Lusted AI-
    Alternative AI for tactical battles...A must for players experiencing "Battle Freezes" when fighting battles with 'Unlimited Men On Battlefield'....( The notorius 'Reinforcement bug')... If you save the original DLV AI when you change it, you can even switch the AI back and forth during the same campaign..(save game compatible)

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=213008

    1.91... Mini-Mods for 6.1
    :

    DLV 2D GRAPHICS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT SERIES (Agistournas):
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Various improvements to many aspects of DLV 2D art! Check this thread for progress and info on the various mod components. Check the mini-mods forum for more detailed info on Agistournas' mini-mods.

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=223895


    Updated ! MORE WAR HORN SOUNDS (34+) for DLV 6.1 (BRIPS)

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...54#post4561454

    1.93...Updated! More Mini-Mods:
    Please check these threads for latest versions ( and compatibility issues) Repman really puts most of the "must haves" in the default game as the versions move along. That said everybody has their pet peeves. The two that come up the most are the dreaded "Cavalry Spread" and the "Blood Clouds" in DLV. I don't mind it too much but many dislike the "Cav Spread" to the extreme. I'm also for all the blood I can get in the game but some find it unrealistic rather than entertaining. "Cavalry Spread" is no longer present in 6.1, this is no longer an issue!


    Other picks for mini-mods worth checking out

    Furin's DLV total rawr: Keep an eye on this one, it's not 6.0 compatible yet but it's got many awesome tweaks including Furin's insane mongol invasion mini-mod that will bring even the most hardcore DLVer to his knees! Keep an eye out for updates

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184541

    Harry's Harem: Cool mod that gets rid of the ugly troll-like Eastern Princess'

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=189261

    ( Attached) Xtiaan72's Ireland bodyguard fix (6.0): (Removed for 6.1 Update)

    Instructions:
    unzip and copy my export_descr_unit file over yours in your DLV data folder. The only change is to Irish Mounted Bodyguard unit and Ireland's relationship with the "NE Bodyguard" unit.

    Description: This one is 6.0 beta compatible.. With each faction guide I do I'm going to include a few little mods that make the faction more fun for me. For Ireland it's fixing the Ireland bodyguard situation.

    In default DLV Irish family members start with the Irish Mounted Bodyguard unit. It's an extremely fast light cav unit that uses javalins but can also hold it's own in a pinch with their swords. It's much more historically accurate than the regular "NE bodyguard" units that spawn when your young family members come of age. Ireland in this period did not field typical mideviel knights in full armor that charged into battle. Their tactics and traditions involved hit and run and even if they wanted to they couldn't afford to field more than a handful of traditional knights.

    With my fix your future generals will spawn as Irish Mounted Bodyguards just like your starting generals have. I have also tweaked the Irish Mounted Bodyguards a bit as well. They ride Fast Ponies instead of Heavy Horse. Their melee and defense skills have been increased a touch but their armor has been lowered to compensate. They cannot stand up to fully armored knights one on one. But if you soften your opponents up with your javalins and close in numbers you will do very well. The Fast Ponies make them more vulnerable to missle fire but extremely difficult to come to grips with....They can run circles around most armored cav.

    I think this is a very needed tweak for the Irish Bodyguard and I hope it's included in a future version of default DLV.




  3. #3

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    Part 2: Family Members, Education and Career Paths
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    There are quite a few DLV game concepts that new players need to become familiar with before they can launch a successful campaign. There are questions and issues that come up on the board time and time again such as:

    Why can't I build any units?

    Why is my treasury in the negative when I didn't buy anything?

    I put my new family member in the castle but he in not getting his education!

    Everyone hates me!!!

    and of course.....My general won't move and he says I'm "Not his king!!!"


    Below are some DLV game concepts that every good player needs to be familiar with.


    2.1... Family Members, Education and Career Paths:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    When you start a game, one of the first decisions you are going to have to make as a player is choosing the career paths for your starting characters. If a starting character is in a town at the end of your first turn, he will chose the Governor career path. If your character is left out in the field outside a town he will choose the General career path. This decision has a huge impact on the traits your character has as well as the kinds of activities he excels at.

    The process for choosing a career is a little different for characters if they come of age after the first turn. When a character comes of age he needs to be moved into a castle to choose the General career path before the end of the turn. In addition, to actually get a decent military education in the castle, you must have the Drill Square building built at the castle before the youngster begins his education.

    To make a character that comes of age a Governor, the new character must be moved into a town before his first turn ends. To receive his education as a governor properly you need to make sure that you have build a Scholarium in that town before that character begins his education.

    Whether your character is studying to be a Governor or a General his education will take about five years of game time. During this time the character should make sure to be in his castle or town by the end of each turn or he will "skip at term" at school. This can lead to fewer good traits when he graduates and sometimes bad traits depending on how much school he misses. So if you need him for a battle, make sure he gets back before the end of the turn.

    When your character has finished his basic education he can continue his education if he wishes. If you place the new character in a hex next to a very experienced character (5 stars or more) he will continue to pick up good traits or command stars under his mentors instruction for an additional three years. The amount he actually learns is greatly influenced by how powerful and skilled his mentor is. Alternatively, You can place the new character out in the field in a stack with an experienced general. As a family member in a stack with a more experienced general ( A general with more command stars), the new character can pick up many personal battle skills unrelated to command that will greatly increase his prowess in battle. Just try not to get him killed!

    There is a little known and often maligned third kind of character you can make in DLV.....THE BRUTE! When a character comes of age if you just leave him out in the countryside instead of putting him in a castle or town eventually he will become a brute. A despicable, loathsome character with high dread that basically scares the hell out of people. This may seem like a stupid thing to do but having a brute on your side can have it's advantages.

    Let's explore the three character classes and their advantages and disadvantages in a little more detail. Within each career type, their are specialized roles that characters can excell in depending on how you chose to use them. Also let's take a look at what character class is best for characters that are likely to become an heir or a king.

    2.2.... The General:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    After their education, a decent general will start out with two or three dread and anywhere from 2 to 4 command stars. Their traits and skill sets make them excellent commanders but very poor town governors. Their high dread makes enemies fear them but does not give a morale bonus to their own troops. Below are different roles you can put your General characters in to steer their traits and abilities in specialized directions.

    A) The Military Governor: You will notice that the income and happiness of a town where a general is left alone is significantly lower than it is if the town is left without a governor at all. Generals tend to be awful town governors. They also tend to get bored and unhappy when they are put in this role. This leads to corrupt traits, lower loyalty and even insubordination. You should only use a general in this role in a pinch when you need to build some buildings or recruit troops and no one else is available (NOTE: Remember real DLVers don't build buildings or recruit troops in towns without a character present! That is cheating)

    B) The Garrison Commander: General's are happiest out in the field but they are content as governors of territories with castles. They can develop some very useful traits by frequently building and recruiting units in castles. Some of these traits can reduce the costs of raising expensive troops and buildings. If you have a spare general you don't need in the field, it can be very useful to park him in a Castle that is churning out troops and buildings. He can become a specialist in this field. A sort of "Master at Arms" for your kingdom. This is a great role for a secondary character that is not likely to become an Heir or King. It will make him happy and he will feel "appreciated".

    If you place a general in a backwater castle that is not expanding, recruiting or fighting attackers, He will become bored, despondant and "Unappreciated". Bad traits and loyalty penalties will follow... Keep those generals busy!

    C) The Field Commander: The primary role for most of your general characters will be as the field commanders for the armies of your kingdom. Most of the traits they develop will be command and combat related.

    By leaving generals out in the field instead of in a castle or a town they will gain valuable Campaign Experience , this experience will be reflected on their character sheet. Characters gain experience faster by campaigning in enemy territories but they still gain some patrolling the home provinces. Eventually this field experience leads to promotions in DLV's unique Heraldic Ranking system. Your character will be rewarded with unique banners and progressive moral bonuses for your troops according to your rank. Leading troops in lots of battles and winning heroic victories speeds up your promotions.

    2.3 ... Heraldic Rank Promotion Progression


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Squire > Knight > Knight Banneret > Knight Commander > Knight Grand Cross



    Until you achieve the rank of Knight Banneret, you will have negative moral penalties. I find moral to be the most important factor for winning battles. A Knight Banneret is often a better choice to command an army than another general with more command stars. However, the general with the most command stars will be the one in charge. Sometimes you are going to want to take the general with the higher command rating out of the stack to get the better moral bonus. Remember that commanders use up supplies while campaigning. You can keep an eye on your supply levels on your character sheet. Characters in the field also have an increased risk of becoming ill when they are on campaign for long periods of time. Replenish your supplies and rest your general periodically in one of your towns or castles to avoid negative effects on your character and army.

    In 6.0, developing characters with high heraldic rank is one of the best ways to acquire Military Points. Once you have reached the rank of Banneret you will receive at least one military point every turn just for having that character. The higher the rank, the more points they are worth per turn. Characters with high heraldic rank are essential for maintaining large military settlements ( Fortresses and Citadels) that cost Military Points every turn to maintain.. Without them you may find that these settlements are a constant drain on your Military Point totals.


    2.4... 'THE RETIRED GENERAL':
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    This is a character type unique to DLV. When your Career general is over 60, you will have the option of retiring him from the battlefield and making him a "Career Governor". This is a handy option since at that age he will be suffering movement penalties because of his age. When he changes career he will no longer suffer from the penalties that Career Generals have when they manage settlements ( Increased unhappiness and squalor). He will also not become "bored' or "unhappy" managing settlements unlike "Career Generals'. Depending on their "Chivalry" rating they can make pretty good governors for large towns. They are however the perfect characters to manage Castle economies or smaller settlements.

    Here are the steps ( Provided by Blackleaf) that you need to take to retire one of your generals:

    1. The Retiring need:
    • 60 years of age
    • Ready for retiring age-trait.
    • Leader in the capital
    • One subject inside.
    So basically to retire a general, you need a general who is over 60 years of age. You need to bring that character to your capitol. Your King must be in the capitol. No other characters should be in the capitol that turn. If those requirements are met, you should get a pop-up on the following turn asking if you want to retire the general.

    Blackleaf comments on the awesomeness of Retired Generals:
    Dont forget to mention the best of the best! The number Uno in both both governor AND General skills: The retired General. While playing the KoJ, Vh/Vh, back in 5.74... I got my Grand Cross General(huge amount of hitpoints and moral boosts, max stars, chiv. and exp.)(age50) retired. Result:
    • Bought his "Governor-scoolership" for 1000f.
    • This freed himself from all the bad general traits(unrest, squalor...).
    • He was Clark Kent in the Large Citys and Superman commanding 2:5 Battles against muslim.

    2.5... The Governor:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Career governors are the most important character type in DLV. Without good governors boosting income in your towns, the costs associated with maintaining field commanders and large armies in the field are impossible to sustain. Upon finishing their educations, Career governors in DLV start with with at the very most one command star. They compensate with a very high Chivalry and decent starting piety scores.

    Experienced Governors receive ancillaries that provide extra government points for your kingdom. The ancillaries have names like "Key to the City". Your most skilled governors will accumulate several of these items over a lifetime. These extra points help offset the government point penalties that are associated with maintaining cities larger than a "Large Town". It hurts when you lose these skilled characters as extremely competent governors are very rare.

    ( Note: In DLV, if multiple characters are in a town, the character with the highest piety is the defacto governor.)

    A) The Career Bureaucrat
    : Upon finishing his education if you immediately put a governor to work in a town, he will develop many traits and skills that benefit your kingdom. This is especially true if the city is a prosperous town that is a trade center, constantly building things and recruiting militia. These traits can provide bonuses to trade and tax income, reduce building costs and increase population happiness just to name a few. They should avoid combat at all costs.... They are too valuable to lose and their limited combat experience means they die in combat with regularity.

    B) The "Fighting" Governor: If a governor character is not needed immediately to govern an important city that is vacant, it can be very beneficial to put him in the field to get combat experience and at least the rank of "Knight". There are advantages to developing his military skills even further if possible. It is a little harder but very possible to develop governor characters into competent generals. For some factions, with no access to a castle at the beginning of the game, this is a necessity.

    A competent "Fighting" governor has several benefits over traditional "Generals". First of all, their high chivalry gives their troops a moral bonus that career generals don't get. This makes a competent "fighting" governor a very good choice for commanding low morale militia armies. They also tend to get more access to "classy" ancillaries like Doctors ( which reduce casualties in battle). Their governor skills make them the ideal candidates for occupying newly conquered cities with happiness problems. Developing a governor along this path takes time and effort but in the end it's the most versatile character build in the game

    STRATEGY TIP: A "Fighting Governor" with maxed out Chivalry and a high "Heraldic Rank" will give your troops the best moral boost in DLV!.

    C) The Kings Right Hand: If your king has a "General" career path, it can be handy to have a high piety, competent governor in the capitol with the king. Your capitol is usually your most important trade and income center. Your best governor will usually boost your income higher than your king will. The "Right Hand" will not be designated governor unless his piety is higher than your king. With a "Right Hand" in place you will gain the +1 Authority bonus for your King being At the Seat of Power as well as all the income and trade bonuses that having your best governor on hand will provide. Also your capitol will be in good hands if the king is needed for battle or dies unexpectedly. This gives your Heir time to get to the capitol with minimal negative side effects.

    2.6... The Brute:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    This character type is often overlooked but they are a blast to role-play. They start out with a whooping 5 dread but no command stars, as well as a couple negative traits that slow down their command star progression. Sometimes they also have a positive combat trait like "Night Fighter"

    Immediately after the character becomes a brute put him in a stack with your most active general. His low command rating will insure that all he does for a while is develop formidable combat skills, keeping him busy will keep him from developing more bad traits. When your "Brute" is sufficiently tough. Put him to work on his own fighting rebels and minor enemy stacks. Make sure he always "Executes" prisoners. You want to get his dread maxed out.

    Every Royal Family needs a guy to do their dirty work. Executing prisoners, sacking and exterminating towns gives characters unsavory traits. So leave the dirty work to your "Brute". Right before you sack a city, put your Brute in charge. His high dread will maximize your booty... The more bad things he does, the higher his dread will get. And your more important characters can keep their hands clean.

    If you start with a faction that does not have a Castle or the ability to generate "Military Points" to build a Drill Square ( No Drill Square, No Educated Generals), developing a terrifying brute is your best option in the meantime. Contrary to what you would assume, if you keep them busy doing what they like to do, brutes can be very loyal and useful characters. If you don't keep them busy they can be quite bothersome and you may need to throw them in the dungeon. Never let them govern towns and certainly don't let them anywhere near the crown of your kingdom.

    2.7... Career paths for Heirs:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Most players like their heirs to be Career Generals but "Fighting Governors" can be a good choice as well. As king, you will spend most of your time in your capitol, strong civil traits can be a big advantage for your kingdoms trade and income. In general, high chivalry "fighting Governors" are best for peaceful eras when your coffers are full. High "Authority", experienced "Career Generals" are best for troubled or war times. "Bureaucrat" type governors make bad kings during any time.


    2.8...NEW! Cavalry Recruitment and Heraldic Rank:

    As of DLV Version 6.1, Recruiting cavalry is tied into your general's Heraldic Rank... If your faction doesn't start with a Drill Square this script increases the importance of acquiring the Military Points to build one as soon as possible. The Drill Square is required to educate Career Generals, the characters that gain Heraldic Rank quickly by campaigning in the field.

    The chart below outlines the rank your character will have to achieve to be able to 'train' higher tier cavalry units in Castles. These units will only be available to build when a general of appropriate rank is present in the castle. In 6.1, character development and Heraldic Rank is more important than ever!

    Your king can always recruit any type of cavalry unit.... Unfortunately, he can't be everywhere at once!



    TIP: Mid and late game a 'Retired General' is the perfect type of character to park in your main castle for this kind of work!


    Cavalry Recruitment Requirements:

    ------------------------------------------------------
    Knight--> knights_stables troops
    Banneret --> barons_stables troops
    Commander --> earls_stables troops
    GrandCross --> kings_stables troops
    Faction Leader + Crown --> kings_stables troops
    --------------------------------------------------------

  4. #4

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    Part 3: Government and Military Points

    3. Government and Military Points:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Government and Military Points are a recent addition to the DLV modification. Depending on your in-game actions, you will be rewarded with Government/Military points or they will be taken away from you. You must reach certain point thresholds in order to upgrade your towns and castles. These thresholds must be achieved in addition to the regular population levels needed to upgrade a town or castle. When you accumulate the required amount of points, the game will generate a pop-up window to let you know that a new building type is available. You must build that building before you can upgrade your Town or Castle.


    --------------------------------------------------------

    3.1 ...CITY UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Corn Exchange > Requires 10 Government Points > Allows Large Town

    Market* > Requires 30 Government Points > Allows Minor City

    Fairground
    > Requires 60 Government Points > Allows Major City

    Great Market > Requires 100 Government Points > Allows Metropolis**


    3.2... CASTLE UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Garrison Quarters > Requires 10 Military Points > Allows first Castle upgrade

    Drill Square*** > Requires 30 Military Points > Allows Stone Castle


    Barracks > Requires 60 Military Points > Allows Fortress

    Armoury > Requires 100 Military Points > Allows Citadel****

    ------------------------------------------------------------
    KEY-
    * Required to build a Port
    ** The largest city type is only available in each faction's capitol
    *** The Drill Square is required for characters to receive a military education in that castle.
    **** Only some Castles can develop into Citadels. Usually it's the Castle that your faction starts with. If your faction doesn't start with a Castle, it's usually a Castle that is near by.
    ------------------------------------------------------------


    3.3... Settlement Upgrade Chart:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    3.4... Maintenance Costs Associated with Large Cities and Castles:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    When your Cities and Castles reach a certain size, they will have certain Government or Military Point costs ( As well as financial costs) associated with them every turn. These costs are to reflect the expenses of running a large city or castle's day to day administration.

    Government Point costs every turn for cities:

    Every large_stone_wall, -1 Government points per turn

    Every huge_stone_wall: -2 Government points per turn


    Military Point costs every turn for Castles:

    Every Fortress: -1 Military Points per turn

    Every Citadel: -2 Military Points per turn


    3.5... THE GOVERNMENT/MILITARY POINT POP-UP SCREENS:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    You can check your current Government and Military Point at any time by accessing the Government/Military Point Pop-up Screens located in your Faction Ranking Scroll.







    These scrolls show in detail what actions in the game lead to gaining or losing Government and Military Points.


    3.6...STRATEGY TIPS FOR GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY POINTS:

    3.6.1... Why Government Points are way more important than Military Points at the beginning of the game:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    At the beginning of your game accumulating Government points is much more important than having lots of Military Points. The cost (both point wise and financial) associated with large castles are too large for a Kingdom to maintain without a well developed economy. The economic model in DLV is much more robust than Vanilla ( or any other TW mod for that matter) and if you ignore economics at the beginning of the game you are setting yourself up for certain failure.

    As a general rule for every Castle you have upgraded you want Two Towns upgraded to an equal level to support the Castle.

    If your chosen faction does not start with a Grain Exchange or a Market, one of your first goals should be to accumulate the 30 Government Points you need to build these buildings. Without these building, not only will you not be able to upgrade your towns, you will be unable to build the Sea Ports that make trade income profitable and worthwhile. Buildings and improvements that boost trade are not good investments until you have a Market and a Port.

    We will discuss DLV Economics in more detail in a future chapter, THE DYNAMIC ECONOMY.


    3.6.2...
    Accumulating Government Points:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Although you can get a government point here or there using your agents (Getting trade rights with other factions, a successful alliance..ect ), Running around the map with your agents is not the most efficient way to accumulate permanent Government Points. There are many in game events that you can't avoid that are going to cost you Government Points.

    The best and easiest way to accumulate the Government points you need is to get your treasury above 50,000 Florins. For every turn you are above 50,000 Florins you will receive a Government Point.

    DLV TIP: YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO RECEIVE GIFTS FROM NOBLES IF YOUR TREASURY IS LARGE AND GROWING.

    A good strategy is to think of 50,000 Florins as "Zero" as far as your treasury is concerned during the early portion of the game. If you are below 50,000 Florins then you are basically in the red.


    3.6.3... Developing "Uber-Governators":
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    In addition to the + 1 or 2 Gov points a turn generated from your treasury (that you are going to need to build up your basic economy), You are going to want an additional couple of Gov Points every turn to deal with the Government Point Penalties you are going to have eventually. These penalties are associated with the large stone walls and huge stone walls you need for big cities.

    The easiest way to get these additional points every turn is to develop kick ass governors that have ancillaries that provide Government Point bonuses.


    Governor Ancillaries that Generate Government Points Every Turn :

    Governor's Ring + 1 Gov per turn

    Governor's Coin + 1 Gov per turn

    Governor's Key + 1 Gov per turn


    Acquiring these ancillaries takes some effort. Generally you are going to need an Educated Career Governor in a town other than your capitol. Unless you have a really good Governor with higher Piety that your king, he will not be assigned Governor of your Capitol. Kings and Heirs ( Even if they are Career Governors) do not acquire these ancillaries.

    If you keep an educated Career Governor really busy...Building lots of building and improvements, recruiting militia ect... He will eventually acquire these ancillaries. If you can't afford improvements then have the Governor "Spam" Militia and then disband them the next turn. The important thing is to keep him constantly active.


    Remember that you need a Scholarium to educate Career Governers. It should generally be the first or second building you build. Build them in all your cities as it increases the quality and frequency of your Ancillaries.


    3.6.4... Accumulating Military Points:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Accumulating Military Points is a lot more straight forward but of secondary importance at the beginning of the game. By winning battles and taking cities you will build up most of the points you need to build a Drill Square if you don't start with one already. Acquiring the Military Points you need to maintain the fortresses and citadel you need for mid-game success is another story. You will want a well developed economy and at least one Career General of High Heraldic Rank before you take the step of building your first Fortress.

    3.6.5... Heraldic Rank and Military Points:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    A Career General with a Heraldic Rank of Knight Banneret or Above will generate one or more Military Points a turn depending on his rank. Kings and Heirs do not participate in the Heraldic Rank System so You will need a Career General outside the Line of Royal Succession to fill this role. The Military Points a General like this generates every turn are really handy to offset the Military Point Penalties you will recieve every turn for each fortress and citadel you control.


    3.6.6... Avoiding the Downward Spiral:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    If you own or upgrade more Castles that you can afford you will find yourself in a terrible position. This problem is made worse if you control multiple fortresses and/or Citadels because of the Military Point penalties associated with them every turn. I call this situation "The Downward Spiral". Your treasury will go down every turn no matter what you do. Your Military Points will fall to zero and stay there even if you are winning lots of battles. When your treasury falls to zero, your Government Points will fall to zero and stay there.

    As if this wasn't bad enough, it's only the beginning of your problems. After your treasury falls below zero, your King will get the "Offends the Nobility" trait and some of your characters will become rebellious! It's hard enough to avoid these kinds of troubles when the "Dark Ages" hit anyway. We'll get into the Dark Ages event in a later chapter. But for now lets just say you better be running a tight ship when that event hits.

    It's almost impossible to recover from a Downward Spiral once it hits. If Castles rebelled when you vacated them like cities it might be possible but Castles don't rebel just because they are empty. Your only option is to try to "gift" one or more of your upgraded Castles to a rival faction... A very poor option indeed. Basically when this happens, you need to revert to a saved game before you made your mistake or start a new campaign.

    The "Downward Spiral" won't happen to you if you remember to:

    1. For every upgraded Castle have two upgraded towns to support it.

    2. Leave most of your Castles at Level One or Two unless you really need them upgraded.

    3. Don't conquer upgraded Castles that belong to other factions unless you have a booming economy and the multiple characters of High Heraldic Rank to afford them.

    4. Most importantly always remember that this is not Vanilla MTW. There are checks and balances in place in DLV that ensure that conquering the whole world is nigh-impossible. If that's the goal of your game then I want to see the 5.8 screenshots to prove it. I will be truly impressed and will "Rep" you big time!


  5. #5

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    Parts 4 + 5: The Dynamic Economy and Settlement Management

    4... The Dynamic Economy:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    The Economic System in DLV is much more robust than Vanilla MTW. Developing your economy is key to maintaining and expanding a successful Kingdom. There are some core DLV Economic Concepts that new players need to become familiar with to manage and grow their empire properly.


    4.1... The Field and Settlement Cost Scrolls:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    When you click your Treasury Scroll Icon you will notice that two DLV pop-up screens appear. These are Field and Settlement Cost Scrolls that are unique to DLV.


    The Field Cost Scroll


    The Settlement Cost Scroll

    DLV TIP: The Field and Settlement Scrolls detail additional costs associated with maintaining your empire that are not reflected on your Treasury Scroll.


    4.2... FIELD COSTS:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Field Costs are associated with your Agents and Armies out in the field. Remember that your Characters are considered an "Army". The Field Costs for Armies more than double when you are operating in Enemy Territory. So be aware of this before you start an aggressive campaign. The 'Actual Field Costs' figures on your Field Cost Scroll are rounded up to the closest '500' so this number is an estimated, ball-park figure not an exact one.

    Always be aware of how many Agents you have in the field and where they are as the costs of your Agents can add up quickly when they are in Enemy Territory. Always bring your Agents back home when you don't need them so you don't forget about them and incur unneccessary expenses every turn.

    Sieges during Medieval Times were an extremely expensive endeavor..... This is fully reflected in DLV. Siege Costs (more than any other Field Cost) can catch a new player by surprise and cripple your economy. When you attack enemy settlements or forts use Siege Weapons like Ballistas and Catapults whenever possible so you can attack on the first turn and avoid these costs.

    Basically, The DLV System rewards you for fighting out your Siege Battles and penalizes you for " Waiting" out the defenders.

    4.3... SETTLEMENT COSTS:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Upgrading Cities and Castles in DLV before you have properly developed your economy will absolutely cripple your chances of success in DLV. We covered some of the reasons why in the Government and Military Points Chapter. Upgrading your Cities above "Stone Walls" or your Castles above "Castle" is a huge decision you should not take lightly. As you can see in the scroll, Your costs for maintaining these settlements is going to double immediately.

    If you haven't prepared properly before you make these upgrades you are going to find that the income that used to be sufficient to pay for your Units and Agents in now getting eaten up by your Underdeveloped Upgraded Settlements ..... and that your treasury is going down every turn ( Deficit Spending)

    Having Upgraded Settlements you can't afford is a bad situation to be in. These Upgraded Cities tend to be your best cities and trade centers so abandoning them or "Gifting" them away only makes the problem worse. You can disband units but this isn't a good option if a war or "The Dark Ages" event is happening. ( Note: The Dark Ages are huge DLV Events that will be covered in detail in a later chapter)

    Thankfully, the DLV Economic and Trade System is robust and there are alot of thing you can do to make sure your Kingdom is ready to support these Large settlements

    4.4... DYNAMIC ECONOMIC EVENTS:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    From time to time you will be notified of an Economic Event with a pop-up at the beginning of your turn. These Events simulate the ups and downs of a real world economy... These events can be Positive or Negative and they will remain in effect until you get another pop-up during another turn that informs you things have "Returned to Normal". They can affect many different aspects of your economy ( Your Roads, Ports, Tax Income, Ect). This is one of the coolest features in DLV.


    Dynamic Economic Event Pop-Up: uh-oh looks like a recession.....Can someone get Secretary Paulson on the phone?


    The new 'Economy Overview Pop-up' is viewed when clicking the Treasury screen. This Pop-up keeps track of your Economic Events ( Which can be cumulative). These events are random and will affect your economy differently from campaign to campaign.

    4.5...TRADE INCOME AND UNIQUE DLV TRADE INCOME BUILDINGS:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Trade income is much more important in DLV than it is in Vanilla M2TW. In Vanilla, Economics take a back seat but in DLV it is of equal or even more importance than the Military Aspects of the game. Develop your trade income as much as possible before taking on those City Upgrades. It is by far the best way to make money in DLV. Developed Agriculture and High Tax Revenue will support the upgrade costs of your cities but Trade Income is the key to supporting all the expensive Mercenaries and High Tier Castle Units you are going to need to expand aggresively and take on rival factions.




    Unique DLV Trade Income Buildings

    Depending on which resources are available in a particular province, Unique DLV Trade Income Buildings will be available to boost your income. The culture of your Faction will further influence which Trade Income Building are available. These buildings are expensive to build but will pay for themselves many times over during the game.

    4.6... TRADE ROUTES:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    War and events like 'The Dark Ages' will have a huge effect on the amount of money your kingdom is bringing in through trade. Try to develop income that doesn't depend on trade with your immediate neighbors ( Merchants, Agriculture, Trade with non adjacent Kingdoms).


    Remember that 30 Government points are required to build a Market and a Market is a required building to build a Port. A city or castle will not be open to Foreign Trade until it has built a Port.


    STRATEGY TIP FOR TRADE ROUTES: War is inevitable with your
    neighbors in DLV thanks to the 'Dark Ages Event'. So Foreign Trade with these factions has less benefit then setting up Foreign Trade Routes with close but not adjacent factions.

    Example; If you are playing England set up trade with Flanders, Norway and Denmark first rather than Scotland and France. Trade routes from ports tend to default to your closest trade partner......This is not always in your best interest if war is inevitable.

    Kingdoms that are close enough for foreign trade but not adjacent are also your kingdom's ideal allies against aggressive neighbors. Set up trade and military agreements with these kingdoms early in your game. ( Before first Dark Ages Event)
    4.7... AGRICULTURE INCOME:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Agriculture is an excellent supplement to trade income in DLV... In other words, It can keep food on the table but it's not going to keep the lights on! In DLV, you only receive Agriculture income in the Summer season. ( It generates no income during Winter Turns). Your total Agriculture income every summer is also affected by DLV Economic events such as 'Bad Harvests').


    Upgrade Agriculture carefully, You cannot undo the Improvements. Third and Fourth Tier Agriculture creates growth that is hard to control mid to late game.

    Agriculture tips:

    1. Fully upgraded Agriculture is always a good idea in Castle Provinces ( it will offset some of your castles expenses) and in Metropolis type cities...

    2. Upgrading Agriculture above Second Tier in most cities will cause explosive growth that leads to massive squalor mid to late game. So avoid high level agriculture in cities that aren't pumping out units.

    3. Agriculture helps provinces "Devastated" by Rebel or Enemy activity heal the damage faster.


    4.8... MERCHANT INCOME:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Merchant income is much more important in DLV than in Vanilla. When War or 'The Dark Ages' event are devastating your Trade Income, A strong merchant economy can see you though the hard times.


    To build Merchants in a city you must first build a Jewish Synagogue. The Size of your Market and the % of your Jewish population in a city will determine how many merchants you can recruit. You may need to enlarge your synagogue to reach the % Jewish population you need for more merchants. Conversely, you may need to build bigger Native Religious Buildings if the % gets too large. Whatever you do, try to avoid a situation where you need to demolish a Catholic Church to fix things...You will piss off the Pope.

    R
    ecruiting Merchants requires a market and the correct % of Judaism in settlement.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Market Level.............Judaism%........... Available Merchants
    Tier One Market............................ 3.............................................. 1
    Tier Two Market............................ 5.............................................. 2
    Tier Three Market......................... 10............................................. 3
    Tier Four Market........................... 15............................................. 4


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------



    Try to look at this philosophically, even if your faction didn't traditionally have a Jewish Merchant population. Cities with a thriving Foreign Trade require a 'Merchant Quarter' that is tolerant to foreigners and ideas from far away places and the Jewish Synagogue mechanic simulates this very well in DLV.

    A high 'Jewish Population'( Large Merchant Quarter) can cause loyalty problems in some cities depending on the skill of your governor.

    This disadvantage is more than made up for by the fact that Jewish Buildings provide a health bonus for your cities and Merchant Income is not greatly affected by war, trade agreements or the current economic conditions in your Kingdom.

    TIP - provided by Madigan

    I ran a test, here is the result.

    My Byz merchant traded silk in Venice territory, (he's finance was 10) for 1248 gold.
    I signed a trade agreement with Venice, and checked my merchant right after that (not
    after end turn),
    his income was 1664.
    So, after the agreement was made, the income was exactly 1/3 higher than the
    original value.





    Tips on Merchant and Trade income:


    1. Cities that you don't plan to upgrade to the highest levels are the best cities to churn out merchants and trade income. ( Just because a city is bigger doesn't mean it's more profitable).

    2. Keep taxes high in your "economic" cities so they grow slowly...You want your growth rate to be as low as possible to avoid squalor mid and late game. Remember upgrading cities will often mean less income not more. Avoid upgrading agriculture in cities with high growth rate problems...

    3. Multiple cities with smaller
    Synagogues are easier to manage than a few with huge Synagogues.

    4. Your kingdom will need 6 to 10 active merchants to make a difference in your economy during 'Dark Ages' or times of war. Without them you may find it hard to stay in the black during these difficult in game events.

    5. Although, it may seem more profitable to send your merchants really far away on the map, They are also much more difficult to manage and easier to loose to competition. If you factor in the travel time to get to that distant, lucrative spot it becomes clear that keeping your merchants closer to home where they can be easily replaced and are consistently making income is the way to go.



    4.9... BANK INVESTMENT SYSTEM: (Under Construction)



    5. Settlement Management in DLV 6.1:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    City management is the key to economic success in DLV. Game dynamics that can be ignored in Vanilla can kill you playing this mod. Below are some tips for city management that will be helpful no matter what faction you are playing. The idea behind them is to maximize income and minimize expenses.


    5.1... Upgrading Your Capitol to 'MAX':
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    This is the one city that you want to grow as quickly as possible early in the game regardless of the economic penalties. To reach the highest level of development( Metropolis) requires early-game planning. A huge population means growth rates will stagnate eventually because of squalor. ( even if you have maxed out your buildings that help growth rate) The factor that will get you over the hump is a Governor or King with extremely high Chivalry.

    High Chivalry is the best way to reduce squalor in large cities.

    Plan early for these mid-game conditions. Develop at least one 'Fighting Governor' type character ( preferably more) that 'Spares Prisoners' and 'Occupies Cities'. This will boost his Chiv. Also give him as many titles and ancillaries as possible that boost his Chiv or help his 'Squalor management'

    Check list to maximize your chances for a 'Metropolis" type city...:

    1. Educated Career Governor with maxed out Chiv.

    2. Maxed out Agriculture and Health Buildings.

    3. Build the biggest Synagogue that your city will tolerate ( Additional health bonus)

    4. Make sure your treasury is over 50,000* or you have ancillaries that provide Government Points ( key to city, ect) to offset permanent Government Point costs.

    * If your playing the 6.2 Beta, you will experience inflation when you go over 50,000 Florins. This means that settlement and siege costs get out of control!
    What it means is that in peace time you can use this method but not in war time when you are moving a lot of troops around


    Additional Capitol Tips originally posted by BlackLeaf:

    By time you start a campaing/exterminate a METROPOLIS* settlement,

    • Neutralize any Rebels in your M* region.
    • Religion (95-100%)
    • Dont let any bad governor control your M*.
    • Reamember: The M* is for growing, other cities are primaly for pushing out the money.
    • If you can uppgrade M*, do it. Stop all other buildings if necessary.

    Seattlement details -->Building Growth: Allways make sure to you got:
    • 3 Governor influence(Get the best governour, retinue, titles etc.)
    • 3 Farming (Make sure you got the right farming buildings)
    • 3 Health (Make sure you got sewers, city hall etc.)
    • Do not overdo these factors. Instead, build trade-/entertainment buildings after the abowe.
    More tips for your capitol:

    1. The conditions necessary to max out your capitol make it the ideal city for the 'Merchant's Guild'.

    2. Avoid the 'Brothel' line of buildings in your capitol as their presence results in undesirable traits for your governors. These traits can cripple your ability to upgrade your capitol to 'MAX'.

    3. To get over the Metropolis hump, you may have to ( but not always) destroy your Synagogue to get your native religion up to the 95% range. Just build it again after you have your 'M' city if this is necessary.

    4. Yes, It's hard to get 'M' cities and it's meant to be.


    5.2(UPDATED!)... When to Upgrade your Other Cities? Generally, you want to avoid upgrading your other cities above Large Town. Stone Walls considerably increases your settlement's costs per turn ( Large Stone Walls doubles them!) and requires 1 Government point to maintain as well. You are going to need this money and Gov Point when you conquer an enemy capitol.

    A good strategy is to 'stagnate' your city growth before a city reaches 'Stone Walls'. The idea here is to minimize squalor/happiness penalties associated with a population too large for 'Large Town' and to maximize the income of the city.


    Ideally, When your 'Large Towns' are set to 'Very High Taxes' you want your 'Growth Rate' to be 0% or -.5%. This allows you to control your cities population with your tax rate!


    Using this strategy will alleviate mid to late game 'Squalor' blues!!!

    It takes a little micro-management but I find this aspect of the game fun. Avoid fueling your 'Economic cities' growth with Agriculture... You can't destroy Agriculture Improvements once you make them ( Unlike Health or Synagogue buildings). So building up Agriculture beyond second tier tends to make cities harder to 'Stagnate'. Every city is different so the types of buildings you are going to need to build to control your population with your tax rate will vary in each city. When you are ready to 'Stagnate' find the right combination so that your growth rate is 0% or negative when your taxes are on 'Very High'. ( even if it means destroying some buildings)

    (NEW!)5.21: Example of a 'Stagnated' Large Town


    Above is an example of a stagnated 'Large Town', The settlements that produce the most income in DLV. It's growth rate can be controlled with it's tax rate. It's agriculture level is Second Tier ( Communal Farmland), that should never be upgraded. These cities should not advance to 'Stone Walls' because the additional 'Settlement' costs will actually reduce it's 'net income' (even if it says that the city says it is making more money than it did as a 'Large Town' on the Campaign Screen).*

    (UPDATE)* There are exceptions. It's worthwhile to upgrade certain towns to 'Stone Walls'. Cities
    with a port surrounded by four or more other provinces will pay off better than a 'Large Town'. The trade boost from the upgraded port and trade buildings will more than offset then $500 per turn settlement costs. York is an example of a lucrative trade city like this. Good 'Trade Cities' like this are rare and prized conquests. Guard them well.


    More tips for your other cities:

    1) Avoid Third Tier Synagogues in these smaller cities. They will make it more difficult to have a High Tax Rate/Low Growth Rate/High Happiness Ratio.

    2) Competent Career Governors maximize 'Economic' cities efficiency
    . 'Stagnated' Cities require a governor to manage them properly. ( You need a Governor present to micro-manage tax rate)

    3) Avoid building unnecessary military buildings in these cities. Maintenance
    costs will add up and cut into your profits quickly.

    4) Three or Four Cities stagnated at 'Stone Walls' can be money machines for conquest. They have very low over-head for the amount of income they produce.

    5) Be vary careful when you upgrade Agriculture beyond Second Tier in these cities. You may regret it later.
    [/spoiler]

    5.3... Upgrading your castle to Citadel:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    There are only a few castles on the map that can upgrade to a Citadel. This is usually the castle that your faction starts with. If your faction doesn't start with a castle it is usually the rebel castle adjacent to your starting city.

    The same principles apply to getting a Citadel as we discussed above regarding "M" class cities with a few caveats; You can't build Synagogues in Castle provinces and it usually takes longer to get a Citadel than a "Huge City". One of the reasons it takes longer is because you cannot lower taxes in Castles to create additional growth.

    Max out your agriculture and health buildings. Squalor because of too much population will not be much of an issue with Citadels as you will be constantly recruiting troops here. In fact, raising large numbers of troops is one of your biggest impediments to attaining a Citadel. ( Especially on the "Huge" setting.) Raising troops and replacing losses can put huge dents in your castle's population. Your going to need a long period of peaceful growth to snag that Citadel.


    Upgrading Stone Castles to Fortresses in DLV is usually more trouble than it's worth.

    5.4... When to upgrade your other castles?:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    It is usually not a good idea to upgrade any Castles other than the one you are trying to turn into a Citadel above Stone Castle. Multiple Fortresses will cripple your economy. We discussed the reasons why in earlier chapters in detail. (Fortresses have crippling expenses associated with them every turn that you can never get rid of as well permanent Military Point Penalties.)

    More Castle Tips:

    1. All Castles are a drain on your economy even the small ones. To keep these costs in check try to have Two Upgraded Towns for every Castle of a lower tier ( Two Tier Two Cities for every Tier One Castle ect)

    2. Specialize your Low Tier Castles to churn out specific troop types. Unnecessary Military buildings will quickly burden your kingdom with maintenance costs.

    3. Stone Castles are still pretty expensive so only build them if you really need the addition higher tier troops or are in desperate need of more room for your RECRUITMENT CAP. There is no 'unbuilding' a Stone Castle, Make sure you can afford it.


    4. If you need a second fortress to build quality troops far from home, make sure you have a couple of characters with High Heraldic Rank to offset the Military Point penalties you will get every turn

    5. Generally, the only other fortress settlements you are going to need (other than your main one) are the ones you take from other factions. Make sure you have one general of at least Knight Barronett rank to offset the Military Point costs for each of these fortresses.

    6. As a rough guideline. you are going to need two fully upgraded large towns for every fortress to offset the economic costs every turn...

    7. Don't be afraid to leave most castles at Tier Two or not upgraded at all. You will still get quality points toward your recruitment cap while minimizing expenses.

    8. These economic factors are why Mercenaries rule the DLV universe!!!


    5.51(UPDATED and Revised!) How to Change your Faction's Capitol (Tutorial) By BamaToon

    So you like a certain faction, but you hate their starting position? You want to move the faction, but you can't because your kings must be crowned at a certain city? This tutorial will show you how to change the city in which your king is crowned and open up whole new possibilites for gaming in DLV.

    This tutorial will use the Teutonic Order as the example faction. This faction is an excellent choice for a migration game since historically they didn't even exist as a faction at the game start date of 1180. They are also a faction that have great units (I love those Teutonic knights!) but a poor starting position. They are surrounded on three sides by rivals: Lithuania to the east, Kiev to the south, and Poland and the mighty HRE to the west. The remaining border is bounded by the Baltic Sea, so opportunities for expansion are limited.

    I will not go into details on how to relocate your faction as experienced DLV players will already know how to do that. I will skip ahead and tell you how to edit the game files. So you've moved your armies through enemy territory and established yourselves in your new homeland. Now the only thing remaining is to move your capital to ensure that future rulers will be crowned at your new capital. This example assumes that you have migrated your Teutonic hordes through Russian territory to the Crimean Peninsula and conquered the city of Cherson.

    The first thing to do is save your game and exit. Then you're going to open the game files. These are usually found in C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\mods\DLV_ext\data, but your configuration may be different. Look for a file called export_descr_ancillaries and double-click on it to open it. You will see a bunch of text that makes no sense, but just ignore that. Be sure to save a backup of this file just in case something goes wrong.

    You are looking for a specific file, so the best thing to do is use the CTRL+F function to find it quickly without having to scroll through all that text. Type "crown_teutons" into the box that comes up, and you will immediately be taken further down the text. You will still need to click the "find next" button three times in order to find the appropriate section. You should now see the following text:

    Trigger crown_teutons_01
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition EndedInSettlement
    and SettlementName Thorn
    and IsFactionLeader
    and not CultureType middle_eastern
    and not CultureType greek
    and not I_WorldwideAncillaryExists crown_teutons

    AcquireAncillary crown_teutons chance 100

    The next thing you will do is change the line "and SettlementName Thorn" to "and SettlementName Cherson". Your text should now look like this:

    Trigger crown_teutons_01
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition EndedInSettlement
    and SettlementName Cherson
    and IsFactionLeader
    and not CultureType middle_eastern
    and not CultureType greek
    and not I_WorldwideAncillaryExists crown_teutons

    AcquireAncillary crown_teutons chance 100

    This will take effect immediately, so save the edited file and reload your saved game. The next time you have a new ruler, he should be crowned in Cherson instead of Thorn.

    Now to make this a true capital and give your ruler the "at the seat of power" trait, you will need to edit the "export_descr_character_traits" file, which is also located in C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\mods\DLV_ext\data. When you open it, you'll want to find (CTRL+F) "seat_of_power_teutons". You should see the following lines:

    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger Seat_of_Power_teutons_01 ;King get +1 Authority when at the capitol
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition EndedInSettlement
    and SettlementName Thorn
    and FactionType teutons
    and IsFactionLeader
    and Trait Seat_of_Power = 0

    Affects Seat_of_Power 1 Chance 100
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger Seat_of_Power_teutons_02a ;when the King is away from the capitol, he loses this benefit
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition EndedInSettlement
    and not SettlementName Thorn
    and FactionType teutons
    and IsFactionLeader
    and Trait Seat_of_Power = 1

    Affects Seat_of_Power -1 Chance 100
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger Seat_of_Power_teutons_02b ;when the King is away from the capitol, he loses this benefit
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition not EndedInSettlement
    and FactionType teutons
    and IsFactionLeader
    and Trait Seat_of_Power = 1

    Affects Seat_of_Power -1 Chance 100
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger Reconciled_to_Nobility_teutons_01
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition EndedInSettlement
    and SettlementName Thorn
    and FactionType teutons
    and IsFactionLeader
    and FactionIsLocal
    and Attribute Authority > 5
    and Attribute Subterfuge > 8 ;has the crown
    and Trait Offensive_To_Nobles = 1

    Affects Reconciled_to_Nobility 1 Chance 33 ;we've averted civil war
    ;------------------------------------------

    On each line, edit the "SettlementName" line so that it reads Cherson instead of Thorn. The edited file should look like this:

    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger Seat_of_Power_teutons_01 ;King get +1 Authority when at the capitol
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition EndedInSettlement
    and SettlementName Cherson
    and FactionType teutons
    and IsFactionLeader
    and Trait Seat_of_Power = 0

    Affects Seat_of_Power 1 Chance 100
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger Seat_of_Power_teutons_02a ;when the King is away from the capitol, he loses this benefit
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition EndedInSettlement
    and not SettlementName Cherson
    and FactionType teutons
    and IsFactionLeader
    and Trait Seat_of_Power = 1

    Affects Seat_of_Power -1 Chance 100
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger Seat_of_Power_teutons_02b ;when the King is away from the capitol, he loses this benefit
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition not EndedInSettlement
    and FactionType teutons
    and IsFactionLeader
    and Trait Seat_of_Power = 1

    Affects Seat_of_Power -1 Chance 100
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger Reconciled_to_Nobility_teutons_01
    WhenToTest CharacterTurnEnd
    Condition EndedInSettlement
    and SettlementName Cherson
    and FactionType teutons
    and IsFactionLeader
    and FactionIsLocal
    and Attribute Authority > 5
    and Attribute Subterfuge > 8 ;has the crown
    and Trait Offensive_To_Nobles = 1

    Affects Reconciled_to_Nobility 1 Chance 33 ;we've averted civil war
    ;------------------------------------------

    You will have to cycle through one turn for the changes to take effect, but you ruler should now have the "at the seat of power" trait.

    You can do the same thing with any faction. Move your armies across Europe and relocate whole factions without being limited by the game!

  6. #6

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    LINKS! PART 6: Faction Overviews/Difficulty Levels

    We are currently compiling info for this section in the link below. Many players are contributing. Join the conversation! There's already lots of good faction specific info in this thread.

    SGFNP: Faction Overviews/Difficulty Levels thread


    .....................................................................
    Last edited by Xtiaan72; March 03, 2009 at 06:25 AM.

  7. #7

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    (NEW!)Part 7.1... Strategos

    7.11... The Bouncer:

    Spears hold the intruder, while ballista beats them up.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    • Spearmen will greet lock enemy units from both sides. Stakes will stop any cavalry units and the ballista will rout the enemy army.
    • Minimum req:
      • Peasant Stakes at the gate/road to the Town Center.
        • These cheap Units are available in every Castle.
        • You can also send out this unit to intercept, and imobilice their tower and/or ladder.

      • 2 Heavy Spearmen on either side of the Gates, Templar Sergeants are an ideal choice, as these are fairly common, but any grim looking Spears will do. Except for Britney.
        • Make sure you use your deadliest general-killers on your right side of the gate. To quickly welcome the General.

      • Artillery is going to do the real damage. 1 Ballista or Catapult.
        • Ballista is extremely accurate & also available early on.
        • Catapults can rout many units alot quicker at the same time, but you can also hit your own units, leading to some akward questions for your General after the battle .
        • Flaming arrows may also give a hand at the routing.

      • Any A.I units comming from a ladders will move towads your spearmen. Repell this with your artillery, while running [/s] behind [s]them with peasents(or other units you may have in surplus. Catapults can also shoot over wooden walls and destroy their towers.

    • The higher the Enemy's morale, the longer they stand. Catching the General with a Spike or two helps here. Don't move your Spearmen. Their objective is to hold back the Intruders. Enable Guard Mode. If you have Reserves, you can substitute the defensive Stoppers before they get weary over shedding too much blood.
    • Use your Artillery to sally out the round before. Take out anydangerous infantry: D-Fuedal-K, D-Frankish-K, D-Imperial-K. etc.
    • I assure you that no army will get into this club.





    7.12... Quick siege:





    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    • Sometimes you may send a small army to attack a lightly defended City and often the Enemy will sally forth. When and if they do that, split your army up and press them in the middle. This is a pretty straightforward and simple strategy that can help you to ensure victory during small skirmishes.
    • I am sure you have used this before: just send in all you spearmen, infantry, cavalry, X-bowmen, even peasants. You might want to keep your archers with flaming arrows out of the frontline, so that they can aid you against the A.I moral.
    • Watchs out for high level spearmen. They are quite stubborn, and leave a nasty sting at your horses ass.
    • For unknown reasons, you will sometimes starts miles away from the gate. This means you got use your brain.






    7.13... Mongol siege:





    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

    • Minimum req:
      • 1-2 Horses. The faster, the better. Horse-archers, anyone?
      • Enemy force: consisting only of infantry. Otherwise you need to kill their cavalry first.

    • The [larger] A.I army will sally forth and charge your horse men, leaving their city-gate open.
    • Lure them to the edge of the map with one Unit, as far away from the gate as possible.
    • The whole enemy army will try to follow you.
    • Now charge their Town-center with the other Horseunit, and stay there for 3 minutes to end battle.
    • The A.I. will turn around and head to city-square with all units.
    • If the enemy is too close for you to hold it the 3 minutes, you can charge some of their troops with the former bait-horses.
    • Rinse and repeat if necessary.
    • This tactic does not work with DLV 6.2, because the town-center count-down is disabled.
    • Quote:
      Originally Posted by LlamaD
      You should take 2 units of horses, siege a city or castle and then try to take it ingame when they sally out.


    • Quote:
      Originally Posted by LlamaD
      It is possible, but not easy. You need to draw their army into a corner of the map. However, most of the time their troops are stretched, making it hard to hold for 3 minutes before they are back home. So you'd probably need to tire them out a little before chasing the centersquare. But really, try it ingame first.
    • Quote:
      Originally Posted by ivanhoex
      you should also note, that the mongol siege doesnt work against fortresses/citadels, because you need something to open up the inner gates, and horses cant climb nor break walls/doors




    7.14... Low projectile-formation:


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    • This formation is especially designed for Ballista’s, Muskets, Crossbowmen, Bombards and other projectiles who will blow your own unit's legs of.
    • Instead of drawing a straight line of heavy infantry, curve it in a Delta or upside U around the general. Put your low projectiles on your flanks (with space behind the Delta).
    • Enemy infantry will only charge your infantry and leave any ranged infantry alone, with their sides directly exposed to the players flaming Ballista. The Enemy will soon rout due to heavy losses and fear.
    • If facing enemy A.I cavalry
      • Normally, your ranged infantry can quickly run behind your curve.
      • If theese range(artillery) units are to far away from the curve, then press the rout button. This will occupy the A.I cavalry long enuff for your own troops to take advantage of the situation. Their A.I cavalry will most likely turn back, when they reach a sertin length from the main battle.
        • So keep an close eye on the A.I Cavalry.


    • The new image shows how close you need to place your range units. Look at the green/red cursor before you start the game.






    7.15... Fishing (for horses) :





    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    • The objective of this strategy is to funnel the enemy into the "V" formation. Use a "Bait" to lure the enemies into the trap. This tactic is especially effective against cavalry armies and it's preferred if you can hide your cavalry in the woods.
    • 1 Unit of Peasants infantry with 2 Lines in loose formation might do the trick called occupying the enemy, while you do your thing.
      • If you face heavy cavalry, then you must retreat your peasents the last secound, just like the [Skirimish]-button for archers.
      • Light cavalry don't give the same punch and it's useless to run anyway.

    • It might be best to use Agincourt-formation, since the A.I focuses more on infantry then archers (ranged-infantry).




    7.16... Focus:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    • When I'm forced into a melee with a larger army, i will isolate one part of the enemy army and destroy it bit by bit while using my second string troops as a screen. Here is a visualization, blue is the friendly army, red is the enemy.
    • Use your best infantry and any cavalry to engage the infantry on the flank. Everything else you have to use as a delaying force. And i mean everything: Archers, Crossbowmen, Religious Fanatics, Artillery Crews, or anything else with a pulse. They're job is to delay the rest of the enemy army long enough for you to rout the flank. As soon as that happens move down the line and do the same thing. Every unit you rout will free up more and more of your own troops to reinforce your delaying troops. You need to be quick though because if you don't rout that first unit quickly all is lost.
    • * This tactic workes best with Shield wall-ability(see 7.2... Strategos tips), because you don't need to worry about A.I cavalry hitting your flank.
    • The main point is to keep your eye on the weakest A.I flank(town militia, peasants) and try to spread the enemy thin, so that they will rout faster.




    7.17... Treb-wall:

    Brown are trebuchets, red is the Enemy.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Here's a trebuchet tactic I've used in multiplayer with pretty good success. If you're planning on engaging in a prolonged artillery-battle then it's always best to split your artillery up to make them more difficult targets.

    But, if you suspect that you will be charged, trebuchets deployed close together are useful on multiple levels. Trebuchets are giant contraptions which units can't pass through, they have to go around them. So if you deploy a few of them in close order (regular grouping) they will act as a makeshift mobile wall.

    Even if they are destroyed they will still provide both an obstacle and cover from arrow fire. If the enemy tries to attack through your trebuchets, you will be able to hold the position with a minimal amount of forces. Useful if you're outnumbered. Their army will get all bunched up and squeeze through the gaps piecemeal and disorganized. Just picture the gaps between the trebuchets like city gates. If you have more troops available you can easily flank and trap the enemy army. Also, don't forget to fling cow as they charge.
    You can get pretty creative with trebuchets and form then into any defensive structure really.

    Quote:
    They saved me once in multiplayer when my opponent had several longbowmen left and all i had were several dismounted knights. I knew i'd never be able to catch him and he'd just shoot me to death.

    So I ran up to his trebuchets, which were abandoned in a jumbled circle and took cover from his arrows. He couldn't hit me and I just waited until he ran out of arrows and then charged them for the win.
    Try to use trebuchets in the middle of your frontline. It will do the same as the picture, but a Treb-wall with flanks will give you the advantages of the Bouncer-tactic.





    7.18... Delusion:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    This is a simple tactic against massive armys. It basically is custom ambushing, but i will go deeper into what to focus on. I will use the picture as example:


    • This works well vs any large army. You will easly crush 1:2 matches.
    • Place your Players army at the back of the map, on left or right side of the map. High ground is always a good defensive move. Make sure you have a forest or high grass next to the red strip.
    • Place your attack-infantry(heavy axe-, sword units etc) in the woods so that the enemy under no circumstances crosses your hidden units. Watch out for large cavalry-armys, b/c cavalry live their own life. Exact distance from Players army is not a big issue.


    The Battle:


    1. Enemy army will slowly march against your Players line. Be prepared to have your archers ready to fire. Focus on the units on your right side.
    2. Send out your 2 attack infantry away from the forest, once the enemy army is about "75-100 men"-length away from your Players army.
    3. This will present a split in the whole enemy army. The units who are closer to the forest will charge the two attacking infantry. This leave you with a reasonable oppertunity. Nr. 3: -Timing is crucial.
    4. Storm the remaining right wing, the wing that is already been trimmed from your archers. The trimmed unit will rout very quickly. This will spread and eat the enemy with fear. One by one. Players army (Nr. 4) doesn't need expensive infantry, just lots of units.
    5. The Attacking infantry is a sacrifice well woth the cost.
    6. Run down the last peasants dogs.



    7.19... Hell-Fire:
    [spoiler]

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 







    Yes, all the units are (in a loose and packed line) under that blankets of smoke.
    • Place your Gunpowder units in loose formation, make sure you have steep elevation in the rear.
    • You can use as many lines you want, as all gunners will fire.
    • It's a dangerous tactic, and it can shred and rout an A.I unit in 2 wolleys.
    • This is a defensive tactic, as all gunpowder battles. Hell-Fire is also fairly obvious to those who play alot with Gunpowder, but I posted it any way.





    Some Tactics might not work Example: the Mongol siege. SGfNP-editors can not be responible for your safety on the field of battle.



    7.2.1... Advance Focus:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    This is a defensive strat and work well against larger A.I armys on the field... as long as you got a decent army your self.

    • In the first line you put spears. Make sure you have some space in between, to let the enemy slip. This "slip" will be open for charge.
      • Put one spearmen on your left flank. More or less seperated.

    • Archers, Ballista must be placed in a curve, so bend it. Make sure they have enuff space to shoot at the left flank and frontline, aswell as defend your right flank.
    • Place infantry, cavalry, axe-units, etc. In a diagonal line from the direction of the (left)spearmen, to the (right) range units. This will allow a direct moral damage from many Archer units and 1(left)infantry. The lonely Enemy infantry will quickly rout, and open up for more flanking straight into the heart of the enemy frontline.


    • The whole reason with placing all units on (right)side, is to trick the A.I into doing the same. Enemy infantrywill be locked in the frontline. This leaves you the chance to rout their very weak (left)flank.
    • Make sure you co-ordinate all your units on the target at the exact time to get the strongest moral punch.
      1. First, the left flank; Focus all flame projectile at the lonely (left)enemy infantry. Move in your (left)infantry, after the moral drops 1 level,
      2. Secound, surround the main enemy army; From all availeble units, remember to charge and fire flames at the same time.

    • * This tactic workes best with Shield wall-ability(see 7.2... Strategos tips), because you don't need to worry about A.I cavalry hitting your flank.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivanhoex

    1. As AI reaches, you leave them alone, a minimun countercharge and wait. Their archers will close in, but keep afar, so you can pick them out with a crossed cav charge behind their lines. if not, just ignore them for now.
    2. Once time goes by, AI units facing your spears will be less spread, more like surrounding your spears. Then you move your infantry.
    3. Once they are flanked and their general killed or on the run, massacre starts.

    The AI cav will most likely go...
    • A: Right to the spears: No problem.
    • B: Flank to get the archers: If goes to the archers you will have to intercept with your own cav and send the flank spears to help. (so its allways better to have this side spears be two or even three units, this goes down to how many troops you have).



    7.4... Strategos tips:


    • Before every offensive battle takes place; Zoom in & check the ground on the (2D) campaign map. Make sure your Commander stand on the high-ground. This will give you the edge in the battle.
    • [Ctrl] + double click on a unit = selecting all of the same unittype (only spearmilitia, only DFK etc).
    • To quickly create a custom frontline: [Ctrl] + mouse click on the first spearmen -> then some infantry->(...)-> then end with spearman again. The unit you first clicked on will be the one on the flank, then the next building the middle, then end with a flank. Try it.
    • Battle-map: Quickest way for your unit retreat from a fight, is to attack another unit. Make sure it is a unit that is not running away, but that can be easily be charged. Once you are free from melee, you can charge go where you want.
    • Battle-map: Your heavy knights gets stuck in some annoying mounted sergeants on the battlefield, charge them while you fight in melee. If the other person is the under-dog, then that unit will run, even if it's not routing.
    • *Battle-map: Shield wall-ability can be used to split an enemy frontline.
      • The best units for that are: Raiders, Huscarls, D-GermanKnight . It's good because it got:
        • Armour piercing (like a cavalry-charge).
        • And Shield wall -ability

      • Put the unit(Raiders) behind your fronline, with the archers, wait. Select Shield wall-ability. Draw a thin formation as you possible can(like a pointed stick) with your Raiders-unit. After you and the enemy frontline clash, charge enemy archers with the pointed stick. Your unit will push like a spear through your and the enemy frontline, followed by demorelising A.I as they would be hit by a cavalry. Useing more units in one "pointed stick" will dobble the effect. This is a raw-tactic, and is not jet fully tested, therefor not in the Tactic section*.


    Quote:


    A.I training:

    A.I solider: What if he comes at you with a pointed stick?
    DLV BAI: POINTED STICK?!? Eww ew ew. You wanne learn how we defend against pointed sticks do we? Getting all high and mighty ehh?! Fresh fruit not good enuff for you ehh?!
    Credit:

    -Lord Feloric's Ambassador: Quick siege, Fishing.
    -Old_Scratch: Focus, Treb-wall.
    -Llamad: Mongol siege info, and overall tips.
    -Ivanhoex: Mongol siege info

    (NEW!)Part 7.5... Magistratus

    This section to cover Campaign tactics (late era)


    7.5.1... Central Intelligence Agency:




    To cover Agents, some hints, some eastern eggs & how to use them with other systems.

    • Total War: Agents. I have found that a pure RPG-ish is not more succesful regarding time and brain effort. No matter, it is great fun when you got all the agents with high level and their HQ Guilds. Historical Byzantium is the best faction to go for non-military. B/c of the share size of the settlements and it's income. But remember that Byzantine does not hold the power of Crusade/Jihad.
    • Priests can become a powerful tool: Example: You play as the Turks and you fight a desperate war against Georgia, Byzantine, Jerusalem, Hedjaz and a weak, annoying Armenian faction. You can't take their last settlement, because then you would risk Armenia going Horde and ballistic on your settlements. Instead, you can send in your Imams in their last settlement, to convert the population. Soon, their settlement will be 45% muslim and refusing to join in on a Ortodox army.
    • Princesses, Assassins and divine intervention can be used to make war between 2 factions. Example: "I want France to make war with Germany". The first thing you should do is make sure you have a very charming Princess or better, an Assassin. Also make sure to get good relations with the pope. Now, call a crusade against Lithuania (or any target on the other side of Germany). Most Catholic factions will join, including France. They will most likely walk straight .. through German land. Now send out your princess/assassin, and follow the French General. When the french Crusaders reaches the other end of the German border, is the time to strike down with your Princesses Charm/Assassin. Result: the french army will stop the crusade, and most likely damage relations. If not even start a war between the two. I hope you get the logic. This works with any other big catholic factions, too.
    • Weapons of massdestruction: Quote:
      Originally Posted by Rebel6666
      - They (Spys) can be used as a weapon, yes they can…. For example: You have a city with the plague in it, here I’m not talking about the big one but from time to time there will be little plagues in your cities, the thing is to bring your Spy in it be sure that he catches the plague and then bring him in your enemies settlements. By doing this you will infect them.

      This can cause serious damage if done with the right amout of spys and planing.
    • Defense against ambushers: Quote:
      Originally Posted by Rebel6666
      - They (Spys) also so have a defensive role in the game. Having one in your moving army can help you see ambushers so you won’t get caught in one.

      This is very useful in the early era, when you have thick forests combined with large rebel stacks.
    • Remember that Spys can cause small uprising in foreign settlements. Try to combine this with priests of opposite religion.
    • Thief & Assassin-training: Easiest way to train is to infiltrate/kill low level, friendly merchants.
    • Merchant training: Train them and get the trait Market controller in you own land, where it's free upkeep, then send them out in pair, to monopolize rich resources. It can give you 10 000 florins a turn. For more basic Merchant info, check the SGfNP-->Merchants and resources.
    • Diplomat training: It seems that it takes 25 turns until the A.I gets cranky. Therefor, send out your diplomats as fast as possible. Also, end your turn in a faction that you have not talk to before to aquire mission, and then recive Governor points. This can be really hard for undeveloped factions like Norway, who don't start out with a Diplomat.
    • Background check: Whenever you face a Faction Leader, with low authority, then don't kill him without taking a closer look. Send in your spy and check his Retinue and Traits. Look for bad traits like: Inspier to civil war, low moral, bad management traits, etc. Then weigh the ups and dows. Take him out, or let him run home with his tail between his legs.

    7.5.2... How to use Papal state




    How to use the Papal state to your advantage:


    • Allways have an ass-kisser Diplomat in Roma. Keep on giving the Pope your surplus. This will, in the end, ensure a solid relationship (and a puppet-state.) Pope will aid you with ca$h-gifts, religious favour, cardinal favour, protection from other Catholic rulers, etc. All in all, your best investment.
    • The papal states act as a UN-peace keeping force. Give the pope settlements between 2 nations, and they will have no way be able to fight their wars, without pissing off the pope. Example: You play as Milan, and you don't want France to move into Iberia. Send out a raiding party, and capture the settlements between the two. Kingdom of Navarre and Aragon. Occupy the Citys and don't destroy the buildings. Give these settlements to the Pope. France and Span will in no shape or form be able to attack each other. Hopefully.
    • How to get other factions in trouble with Pope Quote:
      Originally Posted by Furin
      First you need an alliance with the pope (works too without being allied with him only slower). All you need to do then is move multiple 1 unit armies into the territory of the enemy nation the pope favours too much. They will be attacked multiple times within one turn, you choose to withdraw as much as possible. Every time the enemy nation attacks your armies their relations with the pope will go down. Three turns should be enough to get any faction down to 1 cross favour if not excommunication. If you gave a border province to the pope and the enemy armies chase you into papal territory his holyness will not be amused either.
    • If you play an Italien faction, and you worry that the old man will go ballistic during the dark ages: Quote:
      During the Dark ages; you are doomed to wage war on the Papal state and surly get excommunicated. So, before the Dark ages begins: Take Tunis, south west of Italy, and give it to the pope. Send in your bravest Brutes to exterminate the Italian Papal state. You will surely get exommunicated, but not during the Dark ages. Remember to save up alot of cash. Then give him all you money and beg the new (African) Pope for forgiveness
      If you ever get tired of the old man running the show in central-europe... Then don't hesitate to station him on Greenland, Mekka, Florida or Riga.

    7.5.3... Advantages of Vassals


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 






    Short version of Rebel6666s Info on Vassals, profit, etc.



    • How to aquire Vassals :
      • Make sure the victim (faction soon to become Vassal) only has 1 settlement left.
      • The victim needs to be economically weak, as well as military weak. So block their port, take out their last patrolling military, (If it's another religion, send in priests). Don't release this pressure until they are under your wing.
      • Send in your diplomat, and ask them over and over to become your vassal. Keep doing this as you continually block them. This might take 5-10 turns, but be patient, the reward is worth it.
      • Reputation and relation are the vital factors to a quick succesful agreement.
      • Now, as they are your vassal, you want it stays that way:
        • Station strong elite units in the forts, to scare them off and keep them under supervision. Remember that you got military access, so free upkeep. Dont let WW2 happend again.
        • You might even give them lands far away. If you recently have captured a Crusade-/Jihad target far away, and you don't need it, just give it to your vassal. They will surely loose it, but it keeps them happy.
        • If you have an opposite religious force as Vassal, send in your priests to block of their recruitement ability. This will stop them from expanding, military wise, after 40% conversion.


    • A.I Economy is not regulated: Play as England. Storm the Scottish lands and surrond their capital. Force Vassal on them. A.I Economy is not regulated, the way the Players economy is. Result is 25 000 fl. profit from Edinburgh a turn.
    • Think about what you can get from Milan, Venice or Rome... combined. For this I would use an opposite a religious faction, to control their recruting ability.

    7.5.4... Raiding in DLV




    • "Here are some raiding tips I have learned through the years":

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Starting a career as Raider is not a quick; sail-land-away.


    "Experience and Planning is everything" :

    • Send out a smuggler boat around the coast within a reasonable range to scout ahead. Look for large citys w/low garrison (2->3 militias). Make sure your targets go at ease with the will of the holy father. Dumfries, Aberdeen, Southhampton, Luebeck are all easy targets.
    • Make sure you leave some of your sea trading partners alone, to support your investment. Have a couple of 1000's of fl. on book, before you head out on the open sea.
    • Create an elite task-force of spys: Trained in the art of... door-opener.

    Recruitment- There are two kinds of raiders. Those who travel light with heavy horses. Then there are the Vikings:




    • 1 big fleet(1 Dragon boat) to protect the crew.
    • 1 High dread general is a requirement. Or as Aneximanes said, " ...command of a brute. Great fun".
    • Raiders, Theigns are all-time favorites. Just make it simple and easy to retrain in captured castles.
    • Flooding the enemy with cavalry is quite easy. Getting tired of it, is rather easy too.
    • Many spys will give you fast travel. Make sure you have enuff.
    • Spys are no insurance for several raids. Artillery is a good 2nd option. Because they (almost) never get hurt.
    • Demanding bounty for your work is also needed. Make sure you have atleast 1 diplomat for each client/Island. As always, the insurance company aka. the Papal State demands his taxes too for attacking fellow christians.
    • 2-3 boats to scout and to ship resources; new crew, spys, diplomats etc from your safe haven.

    Fate of the people- Nagasaki? or continue your raid-career? ...it's up to you.




    • Sack the city, leave the buildings
      • ...If you like to visit them later.

    • Occupy the city, leave the buildings
      • ...If you like to give it to an ally (and recive military access).

    • Exterminate the city, destroy the buildings
      • ...If you like to leave a clear and final message to the owner.
      • ...If you like to end your raid-career, b/c of no future jobs.

    • Occupy the city, destroy the buildings
      • ...If you like it to make it go rebel and a burden for the new owner.


    Raiding tips: Givng a settlement to a rich faction will make it grow faster, and let you raid it faster again.






    "In the end, when you experience it all, you don't need to run home to your momy at all".




    7.5.5... CAI, aka. Campaign A.I


    The brain of the DLV engine. CAI section is for you to know when the campaign attacks



    • Signs-of-the future:
      1. A.I-agents(diplomats & spys) station them self in your border settlements, bribing you.
      2. A.I-stacks appear on the other side of the border. This normally happends around turn 30-40.

    • Passive defense: After the signal, Recruite alot of units in the region to scare of the enemy.
    • Agressive defense: Send alot of units to the A.I settlement, after the-signal and/or after huge amount of A.I stacks invade you. This will cause the A.I to retreat their "invasion"-forces, back to defend their orginal border.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    2nd sign. A.I-stacks appear on the other side of the border.







    7.7... Magistratus tips

    • Buildings never show the exact number under the pictures. Precise health, economy, adm, growth -number should be checked in the Settlement Details.
    • I recomend you to read the Great information thread by Rebel6666. It gives you the basics of M2TW aswell as tips on Repuation.
    • I also recomend you to read A Guide for Guilds, by Dark Knight. It's the Guild-bible of M2TW and it shows you how to aquire guilds.
    • A collection of DLV strategies and hints, from Strategos Furin.
    • Faction Overviews/Difficulty Levels, from SGFNP.
    • Merchants and resources, from SGFNP
    • How to not be a bad looser: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
      Quote:
      Originally Posted by ArmoredSergeant
      I played a whole game in the 'non-loader' style. It was in Rome: Total War and it was the most enjoyable campaign I had ever played. The reason I did not bother reloading after losing any battle, large or small, was because I was a tyrant. If my soldiers failed to win a battle that I was counting on them for, then they DESERVED to die. In fact, if I could see that they were failing I would retreat my general and archers but charge all infantry and cavalry.

      And when you know you are going to lose the battle, your goal is to make the enemy's victory very costly. When I looked at it in this perspective, losing a battle began to seem more and more acceptable.

      Stop being such a perfectionist! You should build an army with a general and throw him on a suicide run and deliberately save the game after you've lost.

      Don't be weak! Your soldiers have nothing better to do than to die for you. They are small, they are beneath you, and you are the boss of them.

      If you are afraid that you will lose ground because of defeat at a large battle, don't worry. After all, you were expecting this and have been assembling another army to destroy what was left of the enemy.

      Edit:
      By the way, I have OCD but was able to 'non-load' because deliberately saving after a defeat became a ritual and a reflex. I can't begin to tell you how much more fun Total War battles are when tons of your men die and you can't do anything else but mock their deaths. Once, I had to pause out of battle because it was TOO much fun and I couldn't handle it!

    Credit
    -Furin: ...make other factions in trouble with pope.
    -Rebel6666: "Defence against ambushers", "Weapons of massdestruction" & "Vassal info".
    -ArmoredSergeant: How to not be a bad looser


    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Like all other chapters, this is a puppet, and it's allways hungry for more info & feedback.

  8. #8

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    8: DLV Unique Events:

    Coming soon! ... This section will cover Dark Ages, the Kingdom events...ect

  9. #9

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    LINKS! 9: Advanced Merchant Guide and Resource Glossary

    We are currently compiling info for this section in the link below. Lots of players are contributing. Join the conversation! There is already a lot of useful info in this thread.

    SGFNP-------> Resources and Merchants thread



  10. #10

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    (Reserved for future Guide Entry)

  11. #11

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    (Reserved for future Guide Entry)

  12. #12

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    (Reserved for future Guide Entry)

  13. #13

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players (Improved, Revised and Condensed)

    Well, We are finally getting somewhere!!!... Here is the Strategy Guide condensed for ease of use with plenty of room to grow.

    We can chat or people can ask questions or leave comments and not have to worry about ruining the continuity of the thread.

    Much thanks to Taiji and Blackleaf for all your help and encouragement.

    Cheers,

    Christiaan

  14. #14
    Kjertesvein's Avatar Remember to smile
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    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Improved, Revised and Condensed!)

    Once again, this thread is epic. No doubt. What is the next chapter? secret?
    Thorolf was thus armed. Then Thorolf became so furious that he cast his shield on his back, and, grasping his halberd with both hands, bounded forward dealing cut and thrust on either side. Men sprang away from him both ways, but he slew many. Thus he cleared the way forward to earl Hring's standard, and then nothing could stop him. He slew the man who bore the earl's standard, and cut down the standard-pole. After that he lunged with his halberd at the earl's breast, driving it right through mail and body, so that it came out at the shoulders; and he lifted him up on the halberd over his head, and planted the butt-end in the ground. There on the weapon the earl breathed out his life in sight of all, both friends and foes. [...] 53, Egil's Saga
    I must tell you here of some amusing tricks the Comte d'Eu played on us. I had made a sort of house for myself in which my knights and I used to eat, sitting so as to get the light from the door, which, as it happened, faced the Comte d'Eu's quarters. The count, who was a very ingenious fellow, had rigged up a miniature ballistic machine with which he could throw stones into my tent. He would watch us as we were having our meal, adjust his machine to suit the length of our table, and then let fly at us, breaking our pots and glasses.
    - The pranks played on the knight Jean de Joinville, 1249, 7th crusade.













    http://imgur.com/a/DMm19
    Quote Originally Posted by Finn View Post
    This is the only forum I visit with any sort of frequency and I'm glad it has provided a home for RTR since its own forum went down in 2007. Hopefully my donation along with others from TWC users will help get the site back to its speedy heyday, which will certainly aid us in our endeavor to produce a full conversion mod Rome2.

  15. #15

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Improved, Revised and Condensed!)

    Well, I've thought about it. Funny, when you really start describing the unique features....I think I've only gotten through about 60% of them....Still lots of important stuff to cover.....Military Management with the unit recruitment caps and what not....All the unique rebellion stuff...Dark Ages are tough and deserve their own chapter...They still kick my ass if I don't prepare properly.....

    I think I'll give the guide a little break till next weekend, clear my head a bit and get in some play time.

    When I started this I intended it to be a much shorter and just a preface for an Ireland Faction Walkthrough.

    I think I will start a companion thread that is an Irish Faction Walkthrough...Put some of these 'theories' to practice. I will continue the guide but it will be nice to actually play a little after all this writing.

    Ireland is the one faction I feel like I can write about with some authority. There are three or four other factions I play pretty well...But with some of them I still get my ass kicked pretty bad..( perhaps because like most players I'm drawn to certain factions and don't give the others enough play time.) Gotta Love DLV!!!

  16. #16

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Improved, Revised and Condensed!)

    wow, amazing thread. I just started my first campaign on 6.0 and this guide helped me A LOT!

    I thought of one little thing, that would be cool to include. I think it would be helpful for a lot of people (especially noobs like me), to have a list of the factions and their respective difficulty level

  17. #17
    Agis Tournas's Avatar ★ Modder-at-Arms ★
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    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Improved, Revised and Condensed!)

    EXCELLENT!

    PS. Good point by Nobo... It would be nice to make a faction preview
    A mini-mod is never late! Nor is it ever early. It arrives precisely when I mean it to do!


    Son of Agisilaos / Grandson of jimkatalanos / Great-grandson of Garbarsardar





  18. #18

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Improved, Revised and Condensed!)

    Faction overviews would be great for the guide... I'm really happy this guide is doing what I hoped it would! Creating real discussion about DLV!

    I'm going to start a new thread to get players opinions on this.....and we'll use it to compile a new section in the guide...

  19. #19

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Improved, Revised and Condensed!)

    Hello

    First of all great guide, really opened up for the mod again. Hands down the best mod ever created for Kingdoms.
    Im having a few troubles.

    1. I cant seem to edit my DLV_ext.cfg file. My file looks like this
    [features]
    editor = true
    mod = mods/DLV_ext

    [io]
    file_first = true

    [log]
    to = logs/system.log.txt
    level = * error
    There is a file named DLV_extbak.cfg, and that file makes sense kinda,exept it doesnt have the settings i use.
    I have tried to replace the extbak file with the DLV_ext.cfg file, but that just made my game not wanna start up :-(

    2. I am also having troubles with the xeno sound mod, but will try and look into it, cant seem to get it to work.

    3. Im having frequent CTD's i think its because of the autosave, because everytime it crashes i can load the save and be right where i was before the ctd, oddly the game continues without a ctd. But the problem arises again when it autosaves.

    Not sure if this was the right place to post, but i have tried to search the forum and no luck really :-(

    Spec:
    Windows Vista-64 bit Ultimate
    8GB ram
    ATI Radeon 4870HDX2
    Quad Intel 2.83Ghz Cpu

  20. #20

    Default Re: DLV 6.0: Strategy Guide for New Players! (Improved, Revised and Condensed!)

    I don't think DLV uses DLV.ext to change game preferences anymore ( Since 6.0) when the whole mod moved to the "MOD" folder.

    Almost positive DLV will mirror your regular M2TW settings.

    The file you want is C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\medieval2.preference

    I would really appreciate it if you will double check this for me. Change your medieval2.preference and see if those changes are mirrored when you play DLV. Mine seems to be doing just that. If so I will update the guide.

    As far as problems with individual mini-mods, I would report them to the creator in the mini-mod forum.

    Hope that helps!

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