General Questions

[Aeratus]

Flails would have to be animated, and I suppose nobody bothered to do so. Animating flails is more challenging than the sling, because the slight has the same motion when you swing it around, whereas the flail's movement has to be animated to account for impact.

[Incredible Bulk]

Is there a hack that will allow you to have multiple wives or a wive and a mistress? To have more numerous children. Is better to marry your princess to your own generals or use to form alliances?

And finally when my diplomat approaches a foreign princess and if my faction leader and heir are not married it will give the option to ask the princess if she would marry one of them, but how can i get a foreign princess marry another family member or general?

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

Is there a hack that will allow you to have multiple wives or a wive and a mistress? To have more numerous children. Is better to marry your princess to your own generals or use to form alliances?

Multiple wives, mistresses, more children are all impossible because the game is hardcoded to have one wife, mistress is possible as a ancillary(but dosent work like a wife) and the max limit of children is 4. It is better to marry your princesses to their cousins/uncles of w/e, especially if they are good princesses with the fertile/handsome etc traits as they will allow you to have children with better starting traits when they come of age when compared to the generic woman they you get the choice of marrying on a new turns start.

That said, never underestimate an alliance using a princess as well, the marrige alliances are much stronger than the regular ones. However, not to waste your good princess to marry another factions heir or king you should instead always try to marry a foreign factions princess to your king or heir, as that as well counts as a marrige alliance, and you get to keep your own princess. A sidenote: you cant marry your own factions princess to your own factions heir or king even if he is a further relative than brother and has no wife, but you can marry them before he becomes the heir.

And finally when my diplomat approaches a foreign princess and if my faction leader and heir are not married it will give the option to ask the princess if she would marry one of them, but how can i get a foreign princess marry another family member or general?

You can't, there are possibilities of making non-family tree princesses for your own faction recruitable like a unit that can wander the map and even marry your own factions heir or king.

[Incredible Bulk]

You can't, there are possibilities of making non-family tree princesses for your own faction recruitable like a unit that can wander the map and even marry your own factions heir or king.

How is this possible to recruit princesses?

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

How is this possible to recruit princesses?

It requiers decent modding skills to add them to the game yourself, if you are playing SS trough you can just add this submod by DLing it and following the simple instructions, its an amazing mod IMO. You can read more about the mechanics of the mod in the link i provided at the history section(at the bottom of OP).

[Incredible Bulk]

It requiers decent modding skills to add them to the game yourself, if you are playing SS trough you can just add this submod by DLing it and following the simple instructions, its an amazing mod IMO. You can read more about the mechanics of the mod in the link i provided at the history section(at the bottom of OP).

Strange it's said link not found

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

Strange it's said link not found

I delet a bit at the end because i used a link in the post which brings me to a certain section in the post, must be because of it, this link will work http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=436011

[Incredible Bulk]

Thanks

[Incredible Bulk]

Is there battle a strategy guide here? For example they give you tips how to engage ins battle where you are out numbered, defending a settlement, besieging a settlement, you lack certain units types, how to approach a battle, how to line up your men ect?

[Sitalkes]

Medieval 2 Total War Settlements and Sieges Guide http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=559747 Includes a guide to siege battles and a general guide to open battles as well.

For a comprehensive guide to M2TW, you can't go past the Medievalopeda Introducing the Medievalopedia

• Where can I find more information and a list of guides to M2TW?
  
  • http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=406671
  • http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/forumdisplay.php?185-M2-TW-Guides
  • http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=52410
  • http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=226869
  • http://www.twcenter.net/wiki/Medieval_2:_Total_War_Portal
  • http://forums.totalwar.com/showthread.php/118-Frequently-Asked-Questions-amp-Game-Fixes

[Sitalkes]

Is there battle a strategy guide here? For example they give you tips how to engage ins battle where you are out numbered, defending a settlement, besieging a settlement, you lack certain units types, how to approach a battle, how to line up your men ect?

You seem to be having a problem with being outnumbered and posessing the wrong units. There are several guides available though none would address this problem specifically. Firstly you need to know that, other things being equal, spears beat cavalry, cavalry beat swords, and swords beat spears. Axes/two-handed weapons are best used for flank charges but have a chance against most things (especially if they are armour-piercing). Bows and other shooters get beaten by pretty much anything but especially cavalry but arrows are especially effective against spearmen and cavalry. Javelins are good against armoured targets and elephants. Walls are best defended by swords and bows/crossbows as larger weapons are not supposed to work very well in that environment.

If you lack certain unit types, think about what combination of troop types will make up for the deficiency. For instance, if you lack good heavy cavaly then consider using spearmen backed up by archers to counter the enemy cavalry. When charging into a cavalry melee, throw in some armour-piercing infantry and they will likely tip the balance in the favour of your inferior cavalry. If you lack shooters then you have to advance onto your enemy as fast as possible and hopefully you have enough cavalry to just charge down your opponent, preferably from the flank so you don't get shot up. Same thing if you lack heavy infantry, hopefully that means you have more cavalry and they love charging down heavy infantry (not spearmen).

Having fewer troops means you have to guess where the enemy will deploy. They will usually deploy on the highest ground in their deployment area that corresponds to their deployment on the strategic map. This means that if they are on your right on the strategic map (look at the brown blobs) that is where they should be on the battlefield (though they do cheat and deploy on the highest ground regardless sometimes).

Now you know where they will deploy, deploy your army so that it can achieve a local superiority (could be firepower or cavalry superiority) and overwhelm one flank only of the enemy army. Then you roll up their army from that flank. You have to move fast to make this work. Try to make your attack a downhill attack. Remember the AI will make its strongest attack on your left flank as it puts its best troops on the right. The best option is to get in a downhill attack on the enemy right flank as although that's where his best troops are, they are extra vulnerable to flank attacks on that side as it is their shieldless flank.

For instance, you have only two cavalry to the enemy's four cavalry units. Deploy both your cavalry on your left flank and attack the enemy cavalry facing them - they will be two versus two, which is much better odds. Give them some shooting or spear support and you are certain to have victory on that flank, so you can sweep around and start destroying the rest of the army.

When you deploy your army, group it into spears/shooters/cavalry/heavy infantry/artillery. This helps decide how to place them - you can then ungroup them and they will stay together in their troop types. if you have hilly/mountainous or forested terrain you can put your troops in a place where their smaller numbers don't matter eg on top of a steep hill or in a gap between woods.

How you line up your men depends on your battle plan. having grouped your men into their respective troop types you can easily see what sort of battle you want - are you going to wait for the enemy to come to you (you have a lot of shooting power and a hill) or are you going all-out for an attack, or is it a flank attack or envelopment you want? I usually spread my troops out as much as possible to create more opportunities for a flank attack so only a single line is enough unless there are some troops that need protecting such as shooters in danger of cavalry attack. I have also on occassion jammed my entire army into the farthest corner of the deployment area, stacking one unit above another, so they can fit onto the highest ground on the map. There is no one solution, you have to know how to take advantage of terrain and maximise your advantages in troop types.

[Incredible Bulk]

You seem to be having a problem with being outnumbered and posessing the wrong units. There are several guides available though none would address this problem specifically. Firstly you need to know that, other things being equal, spears beat cavalry, cavalry beat swords, and swords beat spears. Axes/two-handed weapons are best used for flank charges but have a chance against most things (especially if they are armour-piercing). Bows and other shooters get beaten by pretty much anything but especially cavalry but arrows are especially effective against spearmen and cavalry. Javelins are good against armoured targets and elephants. Walls are best defended by swords and bows/crossbows as larger weapons are not supposed to work very well in that environment.

If you lack certain unit types, think about what combination of troop types will make up for the deficiency. For instance, if you lack good heavy cavaly then consider using spearmen backed up by archers to counter the enemy cavalry. When charging into a cavalry melee, throw in some armour-piercing infantry and they will likely tip the balance in the favour of your inferior cavalry. If you lack shooters then you have to advance onto your enemy as fast as possible and hopefully you have enough cavalry to just charge down your opponent, preferably from the flank so you don't get shot up. Same thing if you lack heavy infantry, hopefully that means you have more cavalry and they love charging down heavy infantry (not spearmen).

Having fewer troops means you have to guess where the enemy will deploy. They will usually deploy on the highest ground in their deployment area that corresponds to their deployment on the strategic map. This means that if they are on your right on the strategic map (look at the brown blobs) that is where they should be on the battlefield (though they do cheat and deploy on the highest ground regardless sometimes).

Now you know where they will deploy, deploy your army so that it can achieve a local superiority (could be firepower or cavalry superiority) and overwhelm one flank only of the enemy army. Then you roll up their army from that flank. You have to move fast to make this work. Try to make your attack a downhill attack. Remember the AI will make its strongest attack on your left flank as it puts its best troops on the right. The best option is to get in a downhill attack on the enemy right flank as although that's where his best troops are, they are extra vulnerable to flank attacks on that side as it is their shieldless flank.

For instance, you have only two cavalry to the enemy's four cavalry units. Deploy both your cavalry on your left flank and attack the enemy cavalry facing them - they will be two versus two, which is much better odds. Give them some shooting or spear support and you are certain to have victory on that flank, so you can sweep around and start destroying the rest of the army.

When you deploy your army, group it into spears/shooters/cavalry/heavy infantry/artillery. This helps decide how to place them - you can then ungroup them and they will stay together in their troop types. if you have hilly/mountainous or forested terrain you can put your troops in a place where their smaller numbers don't matter eg on top of a steep hill or in a gap between woods.

How you line up your men depends on your battle plan. having grouped your men into their respective troop types you can easily see what sort of battle you want - are you going to wait for the enemy to come to you (you have a lot of shooting power and a hill) or are you going all-out for an attack, or is it a flank attack or envelopment you want? I usually spread my troops out as much as possible to create more opportunities for a flank attack so only a single line is enough unless there are some troops that need protecting such as shooters in danger of cavalry attack. I have also on occassion jammed my entire army into the farthest corner of the deployment area, stacking one unit above another, so they can fit onto the highest ground on the map. There is no one solution, you have to know how to take advantage of terrain and maximise your advantages in troop types.

Thank you very much this is great stuff. I rep you as well

[napoleonic]

hmmm how can you have more than 1500 posts here in twc but haven't understand the basic of this old total war game (now a 6 years old game)???

[Incredible Bulk]

Because for the first time I want to truly understand the game, not just rush through it. I want to know the mechanics, the hidden gems. It's hard to devote that time in it working a full time job, my volunteer work ad being married. But lately since winter came it slows my work a bit, so inhabe a bit more time.

[Incredible Bulk]

Now, i was under the impression that if an enemy faction leader and heir died the faction will be destroyed with all remaining settlements as units turning into rebels. Well today I was in battle and in that battle the faction leader and his heir were present and both killed by me. But the faction continued to
Exist. In fact someone else took over as leader and heir.'why is that?

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

Now, i was under the impression that if an enemy faction leader and heir died the faction will be destroyed with all remaining settlements as units turning into rebels. Well today I was in battle and in that battle the faction leader and his heir were present and both killed by me. But the faction continued to
Exist. In fact someone else took over as leader and heir.'why is that?

Because thats how it happens, as long as there are more family members, it dosent matter if they are a true relative to the king or are just adoptees, they will continue to pass down the title, only when you destroy the entire family tree all the factions settlements will turn rebel.

[Incredible Bulk]

So the heir does not always have to be the leaders first born son right? It could be another family member that has higher traits correct?

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

So the heir does not always have to be the leaders first born son right? It could be another family member that has higher traits correct?

Yes and no - I dont know for 100%, but im pretty sure it will always be the first son of the king who gets the heir title, but if the king dosent have a son(or the first one is dead before he could become heir(im not too sure about this either)) it will go to the one who has the most authority.

[Incredible Bulk]

Ok that's what I thought thanks

[Vampiresbane]

So the heir does not always have to be the leaders first born son right? It could be another family member that has higher traits correct?

I forget where I read it (was a pretty recent post) but the heir's heir is chosen based on highest authority. So you have the patience to look through your family members (can't be a bribed general that hasn't married in-granted bribes hardly work in M2TW), you can get a good idea on what family member is most likely to become the next heir (a lot of traits/retinue increase/decrease authority).

Strangely, my latest heir (who had decent authority at the time) lost ALL authority when he finally became king. He now has 0 authority and has the tooltip along the lines of "his own servants even think twice about obeying his orders."

Poor sod, he's a great general too (like 5 stars?) and almost max chivalry and piety. Funny that his authority is completely drop dead.