Western Roman Empire building guide?

[yupper]

I am looking for WRE province templates that will mitigate the income and food drop due to (in)fertility throughout the game and facilitate a transition to paganism (so I destroy all Christian religious buildings).

So far, I always plop a sanitation and happiness building in the city (I don't think pagan WRE can put sanitation buildings in towns?), and use the towns for farms and industry--primarily just farms that I can afford in the early game. Should I be building cattle or sheep farms in preparation for late game? It's seems like it costs a great deal of money to convert.

Fishing ports for every port?

Just want to see some city/town/town templates from other WRE players.

[Noif de Bodemloze]

Idea is keep Gaul and Hispania as your wealthy area.
- Destroy all churches + military ports + barracks from save area +
- Build buildings that improve culture wealth + public order and sanitation in towns and capital (Like theater, capitol, etc)
- Build fishing ports
- Optional: Build 1 or 2 military barrack to Gaul and Italy
- Build foods
- Use all edicts to keep your people happy and give extra food.
- Cattles are good food producting and sheep is more focus on money. Pay attention when winter is pushing from North.
- I rarely use industry, because they only cause unhappiness.
- It is good option even raise tax up to get all useful money by people - If rebels show up, prepare to deal with them
- Try use diplomatic to get money by your allies, specially by ERE.
- Try to play all battles, even as you are outnumbered. (It is possible to win on 4 units vs enemy 16-20 units if you play well and use your towers well) so focus to get general die.

I recommend to take a look and take some tips on Legendoftotalwar videos about WRE Legendary campaign how he play and defend against enemy and make a lot money. Even I have learned by his gameplay and made a lot money by that way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ssv...Yh_7F2LYafR-wH

[yupper]

Thanks, I have the generalities pinned down, but I am looking for specifics, like what building chains I should go for in a city and the two towns in a resource province, and in border provinces. For example, I was building cattle farm exclusively because I did not want to be dependent on fertility multipliers for food. I thought about just going for sheep farms so I wouldn't have to spend money converting the buildings later. I just want to see some city/town templates for comparison with my own builds (that didn't require me to sit through a 20 minute video...). There were tons for R2TW, but I can't seem to find any for ATW (although that might be because I don't want to watch the LP videos).

[econ21]

Check out the Excel file linked to in this post:

http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showth...ilding-Planner

I've found it useful as a reference.

In my experience as WRE, it's your top 5 or so provinces with governors that make the serious money. Corruption just eats away the income from the others. So I focus on my secure hinterland (Italy and Spain) to be my economic centre along the lines of the guide.

Elsewhere (Africa and Gaul), I keep food and sanitation in order, then focus on developing trade goods - as they are not subject to corruption.

Britain and the east, I neglect - they get raided too much - until things are under control.

Garrisons are ok for border settlements, but I don't tend to prioritise them.

I tried to put all my military buildings in a province (liguria) but there wasn't enough room (3 barracks, 3 upgrade buildings is too much) so ships and missiles go to Venetia. That forces me to deviate from the excel file a little.

[yupper]

Thanks for that excel sheet, it's exactly what I was looking for.

I've tested various approaches to starting the WRE campaign: I've tried abandoning everything except Italia and Insulae Occidentalis, then tried not abandoning anything (to avoid the civil war) and just destroy buildings outside of those provinces. The strategy I've found that worked best for me was to abandon everything except Italia, Insulae, Spain, and North Africa, consolidate my armies to those provinces (one stack in North Africa, two in Spain, and two in Italia because of the barbarian hordes). It usually takes me about 3 turns to quash the civil war, and I still have enough cash to build up the infrastructure of the provinces I retain. I usually give the city in Maxima Sequanorum (forget the name) to the Suebi, then when they inevitably declare war on me, I turn them into a puppet state to help me buffer against the northern barbarian hordes while I focus on consolidating North Africa.

I survive the first "chapter" of the campaign well, but when fertility drops, I find my income goes from 9k per turn to something like 2k with food shortages in some settlements, which gave me the impression I may not have planned my settlement builds appropriately.

I am looking at the spreadsheet and I notice that you don't seem to have any military building chains except a military port in Palma--is this right? I always thought I should turn Mediolanum into a military city so I can eventually crank out high tier cavalry and infantry late game?

[econ21]

I am looking at the spreadsheet and I notice that you don't seem to have any military building chains except a military port in Palma--is this right? I always thought I should turn Mediolanum into a military city so I can eventually crank out high tier cavalry and infantry late game?

I can't take the credit for the excel sheet - someone else created it and posted it; I'm just passing on the link.

Yes, I agree about the military buildings. They are not covered by the excel sheet - that's optimised for income subject to public order, food and sanitation constraints.

I agree about Mediolanium being a natural military city. As I said, I try to put the military buildings into Liguria (Mediolanum is the capital of that province), but I find they don't all fit. Armor, weapons, infantry and cav buildings go to Liguria; missile upgrades, skirmish barracks and military jetties to Venetia.

I try to hold everything everything as WRE, and expand to clear Britain and Africa, but it's a struggle on VH. My first two attempts were successful but my latest game the Huns backed some WRE separatists - making them untouchable - and now almost all my generals are becoming disloyal in the civil war. I doubt it will end well!

[werogatda]

Hi, Ive compiled all the province templates for WRE on steam guide. Do take a look:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfil.../?id=626082337

[econ21]

Hi, Ive compiled all the province templates for WRE on steam guide. Do take a look:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfil.../?id=626082337

That's a nice resource, thank you. I'm interested to see part 6 and how you design a specialised military province, as I have trouble fitting it all in. I usually have one for melee/cav and one for missiles/ships. I had not spotted the iron synergy, so in my next game will have to make Maxima Sequanorum my military province rather than Liguria.

BTW, I disagree with your low valuation of trade for the WRE in part 5. Having got into the habit by playing England in Empire Total War, I tend to rely on trade massively as WRE. The corruption penalties were so extreme (pre-patch) that it seemed the only way to make a surplus if you have a big empire. They key was keeping ERE strong as a trading partner, as they usually accounted for around half my trade, but some smaller factions (Africans, emergent Roman rebel factions, the odd faction with a peaceful leader etc) could be slowly cultivated. Consequently, I would bee-line the jewelsmiths for +15% trade income (taking gems from Germania or Africa).

EDIT: I've just read part 6 of your steam guide on military provinces. Very interesting, thank you. I wonder if the triumphal arc/statue thing in the governor's palace line of buildings could be squeezed in as it gives some miltary bonus, iirc? Not enough PO to replace the circus? Or may replace the siege engine workshop? I am not convinced siege units need the armor/melee upgrades from a specialised province.

[haidenpratt122]

please ban me