Great Britain impotent?

[The_Reckoner]

In my current Campaign as Prussia Great Britain has yet to jump in on any of the action and it the spring of 1809. Also in every one of my campaigns the French seem to have the British navy sunk and have control of the channel the whole game. The only time I've seen Great Britain do anything significant was while playing the French GC and during that Wellington invaded me all day.

[shenryyr]

The most I've seen them do is send one ship of units down to Navarra. After they took that region they did nothing else and eventually Spain recaptured it. And this heightened action was in 1811.

[Swerg]

The AI tends to focus on its army over its navy. That's why tiny states have armies larger than their populations set up in about twenty stacks. Send a spy to the UK and I bet you'll spot about forty full stacks sitting around London doing nothing.

[The_Reckoner]

from what I can see from the coast there are 4 full stacks in Southern England.

[MaKoS]

British Navy is way too passive.

No naval engagements. It only ferries troops over to Europe.

H/N

[The Gallant Forty-Twa]

I'd agree with you there.

As France, I tried landing a 16-unit stack in England only to find no less than three British stacks - 2 of which were 20-unit ones. I promptly got my arse kicked.

For some reason they just don't seem to care about their navy. I have only been attacked by them once so far and that was cause I had a single lone tradeship which is a magnet for attackers...

[geyserik]

Same for me in my campaign as prussia.I have been hammering france and britain has asked me to help them fight spain yet i have yet to see britain take one territory.

[Lebowski]

Yeah I've noticed it too.

I changed all that when I played as the brits though :p I captured the Spanish 140gun ship on the second turn.

[The_Reckoner]

update: it is now 1810 and britain has a score of zero for its military prestige. but this is also a really weird campaign. Peace had broken out in Europe I was the last one to make peace with France as Prussia. Its spring 1810 and there isn't a single war being waged in all of Europe.

[Swerg]

update: it is now 1810 and britain has a score of zero for its military prestige. but this is also a really weird campaign. Peace had broken out in Europe I was the last one to make peace with France as Prussia. Its spring 1810 and there isn't a single war being waged in all of Europe.

Prestige is broken anyway. In my Russia campaign the Ottomans have, by far, the highest score in all categories. Despite having one province. Their enlightenment alone exceeds most other states total scores.

[The Vicar]

Yeah, I've noticed that about the Ottomans. In E:TW it was Britain that was always at the top of the prestige board, but in N:TW it seems to be the Ottomans.

[Slaists]

In my current Campaign as Prussia Great Britain has yet to jump in on any of the action and it the spring of 1809. Also in every one of my campaigns the French seem to have the British navy sunk and have control of the channel the whole game. The only time I've seen Great Britain do anything significant was while playing the French GC and during that Wellington invaded me all day.

I have seen the Brits take Brittany several times. In an MP campaign where my opponent was French while I was Russia, I saw Brits take Brittany first, then proceed to take Hanover. So, I guess, it depends.

In general though, I think, Brits get owned by the French fleet since France has plenty of ports to produce ships from while Brits start with only one dockyard. Since the AI is unable to raid French ports consistently, French get the upper hand in the long run.

Yeah, I've noticed that about the Ottomans. In E:TW it was Britain that was always at the top of the prestige board, but in N:TW it seems to be the Ottomans.

I suspect, this has something to do with research bonuses Ottomans get. Whenever I try to trade some techs with them, it turns out Ottomans have a bundle of techs 'above me', while I have nothing to offer them... I guess, CA took the Middle East and Anatolia from the Ottomans and is trying to compensate them with an unrealistic tech advantage.

[Selahedîn]

Once, during my Batavian Republic (VH/VH) campaign, they literally landed two full stacks right next to my capital. That was slightly surprising.

But yeah, apart from that bizarre episode, the most I've seen them do is conquer Brittany. But then they just sit there, they never try to go for Paris or anything.

[Gezoes]

In my French campaign they landed in Corsica, and near Marseilles. Ottomans too, who also lost two full armies in the waves I promptly fought my way towards Londen and destroyed everything.

The English have been bankrupt ever since and no armies in sight. Full, although bleeding stack at London (former rebels even I believe). That's ok. Nelson is still about, and I'm more than engaged in Central Europe.

[The_Nord]

In my campaign as France Great Britain has invaded me almost yearly, and I'm on early January 1810. Prussia on the other hand has gone crazy on me after 4 years of peace.

[aedn]

There seems to be some bugs with naval invasions.when i did my first french campaign, the brits would land full stacks at hannover and attack it every 5-8 turns. About halfway through, i took gibralter and the brits just ran down there and the 3 fleets they had just sailed on the coast for the majority of the game. AI seemed like it bugged out where it wanted to land troops, but could not.

When playing prussia the brits did well at protecting the atlantic but never landed any troops at all in europe. they had fleets with full stacks on them army wise, but never landed at all just sailed around and blockaded ports and attacked enemy ships.

[Stress Case]

They landed a stack led by Wellington in my Prussian game to the north (as an ally), but then never moved.

[RO Citizen]

I saw it getting some units on a ship, and then I think it landed back in England (or just stayed in the ocean...). Except that, it just keeps getting a few ships from the English coast and Dutch one over and over every turn. Hopefully they'll do something later, it's only the Summer of 1805

[Jom]

British Navy is way too passive.

No naval engagements. It only ferries troops over to Europe.

H/N

In my VH/H game playing as Prussia, France has been blockading Chatham trade docks with 3 frigates for about 20 turns now while Nelson sails around the channel completely ignoring them. It's costing me quite a lot in terms of trade but I can't do anything about it because as I said I'm Prussia and have no navy.

[wearenemesis]

I would agree. Britain seems to be incredibly annoying. During a Russian campaign they declared war on me when I took Finland and took forever to make peace, with me eventually paying them like 30k+. During that time they were at war me with they made PEACE with France...

I decided to liberate Greece, which I regretted afterwards but proceeded nonetheless. Only to have Britain declare war and start fighting them, sending stacks into greece. So I broke my alliance and then crushed Greece knowing GB who was still hostile would probably start fighting me while I was trying to help Austria and Prussia. After a great deal of difficulty (somewhat surprisingly) I beat Greece ...sure enough GB declares war me the turn I take Athens.

Meanwhile Austria is getting crushed, down to a few weak settlements. Prussia had held her own unifying most of Germany and holding it for a time before France eventually overcame them.

In short Britain thus far as an ally sucks. Ironically imo, if you play as them its one of the easiest factions to play as. It seems to be as true in total war as it is in real life. Own the waters, own the world. Too bad the AI's Royal Navy can't do crap against France's but makes stacks of troops sitting in and around England with no boats to get them anywhere of use.