Difficult levels

**FabioCorr** · December 21, 2006, 06:04 AM

Wich difficult level is raccomanded using your mod?

**NoRbAk** · December 21, 2006, 11:38 AM

Hey!

Wait for darth's guidance but for me by now the best is VH/H ... sometimes VH/VH but if I'm not wrong the only thing that changes with VH is all AI units get +7 to all stats... (+4 for H right?)

No, not better tactics. AI cheats.

Hopefully darthmod will be a challenge at M/M!!!!

Use the fork!

**DARTH VADER** · December 21, 2006, 11:42 AM

At the moment I cannot tell for sure since it is too early.
I will look to AI files and then I can recommend.
Right now as it is, it is a very good challenge linearly in every difficulty level increment.

**Pietrak** · December 21, 2006, 02:25 PM

I'm playing on M/M and I like it.

**Flavius_Maximus** · December 21, 2006, 07:24 PM

VH/VH here. As Spain. Allied with everyone but the Muslims.

With 4000 king's purse for all playable factions.

Pope get's huge kings purse money bonus. Since even to this day, their main operation is getting rich off religion.

Increased the trade income on all resources. Based on a gold price of 75. Down to fish at 20. Mid range on other metals. 2/3rds (50) on best imports like silk.

Result? With these mods.

Because of early work establishing Alliance with nearly all factions except the Islamic ones, i'm at peace on turn 40, with 14 other factions all engaged in total war. Many Kingdoms in multi-wars.

My only "house-rule" is to be a great leader and seek the security of my people, while establishing the best military i can. Using trade to finance it all. Currently i've discovered the distant sources for ivory.

Sicily would never leave me alone, so now i own Polermo and the Boot Toe and Heel of Italy. Other than them, only Milan can't leave me be in peace. But their other wars make them weak enough to ignore.

My reputation is perfect and my standing with the Pope is highest. Since i plan on taking that operation over. When i'm strong and secure all the Moor land in Africa to secure my back.

This is a fantastic game.

There are some AI foibles that are obvious to everyone. Primary on my list is some of the illiogical tactics during seiges. For example...

I had a minor defending army in a large town get attacked by a major enemy army. But i had a full army in reserve under AI control to assist. Well. What a mess that was. My town was easily taken, but the enemy did not secure to town center to start the 3 minute clock ticking. It took about 7 minutes for my second army that was outside the gates to begin with, to finally enter the gates and route the inferior enemy army and win the battle. I should have lost. But all this was because i made a mistake and gave the AI control of my second much larger army outside the gate. Won't happen again.

I describe this so Darth can perhaps address the AI seige mechanics in the future. Including the clumps of enemies that sometimes get stuck at the bottom of ladders.

There's just some sloppiness everywhere in the unit pathfinding of all AI controlled units that is only really noticable a lot during some seiges. On open ground battle things are generally fine. Horse Units do to much adjusting of formation when running down routing enemy troops. But i may just need to set them to "loose formation". Will try that next.

There's tremendous challenge in this game. Even as i upped the money income some, VH/VH leaves my Kingdom always exposed to a massacre if a serious enemy Kingdom ever went to war on me in a serious way. At 40 turns i'm ranked in the middle of the pack militarily. Mainly because of certain factions going on a rampage. Egypt is huge. As is HRE which is dominating all Europe. I've seen their stacks everywhere and they are loaded to the gills in best latest units. I own 2 strong cities and 7 weak towns. And can field maybe 3 full armies. But HRE or Egypt each has at least 20 FULL armies as far as i can tell. heehe.

So it's a huge strategic challenge ahead. As Spain i'm on the far left side and not the in the map's middle. That could possibly be the only reason i'm still in this Campaign. Besides honorable diplomacy work. Thanks mainly to my two beautiful princesses who now sire my future leaders with the guys they got.

**IZ-Master** · December 21, 2006, 08:42 PM

i wanna know in full aspcet what Campaign/ Battle dificulty ani file i should look for this?

**Flavius_Maximus** · December 22, 2006, 02:04 AM

Well, it's time to start a new Campaign with the several new bug fixes i've now installed. Plus the new adjustmments to money. I've adjusted my own modification to the descr_sm_resources mod as follows...

Gold set at 60. The best trade resources such as silk and spice are 40. With silver at 45. Common goods at 15. Industrial goods at 20. Better value commodity goods at 30. Prime value trade goods at 40. A simple formula that values things in logical price catagories. Divided values are based on thirds and quarters of the gold value. 60, 45, 40, 30, 20, 15

Previously, i had set the gold benchmark standard at 75. Slightly too high. What i had at turn 40 was a 6-star Merchant sitting on Ivory earning 5000. So i decided on a 20% reduction in all trade resource values.

Peace maintains your trade. A big part of my new "house rules". I shall never attack or break any diplomatic agreements made with any other Kingdom unless they attack me first. This will even include Kingdoms of other religions. It is based on a principle of live and let live in peace. All captives in war will be released.

Also, all schizmatic requests from Popery to break any of my alliances or agreements will be rejected. Exceptions being if a Muslim or Pagen faction threatens all of Europe with annihilation. If Islam stays off Europe fine. As Spain, i do have the duty at the start of the Campaign to drive Islam off of the Iberian Peninsula. After they are driven back to Africa i will finish that job if they agree to a peaceful resolution. No alliances with Islam. Just trade and fairness whenever possible to maiontain peace.

What these house-rules prevent is cheapening the game into making oneself into a rampaging Nazi-style world dictator. The game should be a quest to be an honorable human being, peaceful trader/builder, as well as mighty military power. Might builds respect and peace in this game. The current diplomacy mods fix just enough stability into the game to make things realistic and not full of excessive back-stabbing. There's always some. But it has to be kept realistic.

**DARTH VADER** · December 24, 2006, 03:10 AM

@Flavius_Maximus
I think you have overenhanced merchants. In future versions I will look into diplomacy ai from zero myself and hope I can deliver the best balance I can.