Devastation, its effects, tips and trix.

**Preskinn** · January 13, 2007, 02:59 PM

Devastation is a feature I have just reasantly realized is not just a visual pluss, it actually does things (which all of you totaly know of course... I was slow to realize this)

Help me/everybody out to better udnderstand and better use this feature!

This is what I know:

Devastation appears as black burns on the map.
Devastation affects income in a region, therefore it is good in enemy lands, and bad in your own. I have seen it appear where battles have been fought.

What I don't know but would like to know:

Does Devastation affect anything else but income? and how much does it affect income, and/or other things.
How long does it take for devastation to disapear? Is there any way to speed up/slow that process? (obs in game mechanics is what I am looking for, not through moding this one)
How does Devastation appear? (Is it enough to stand with an army on enemy lands? do you have to stand on their farmland texure? is it related in any way to massakre/occupation/sacking?)

All strategies, tips, tricks, fixes, exploits... anything on devastation.. post!

**Preskinn** · January 13, 2007, 03:24 PM

Has the destruction gone through any change from Rome into Medieval II? btw

**El Hamburglo** · January 13, 2007, 04:39 PM

I'd love to know if you pick up income for devestating enemy lands

**Aedile Rich** · January 13, 2007, 05:08 PM

I use devastation to help me spot hidden pockets of rebels in my forests before they ambush me.

As far as I recall (mainly from my experience in R:TW, you don't actually have to be on enemy turf to cause devastation (and it definitely doesn't need to be farmland specifically), you can simply stand just inside your own border and your army will cause devastation on their lands.

I think the key factor is that you are enemy to them. I know that in R:TW, I managed to negotiate a ceasefire with the rebels (their instigation, via a disenfranchised rogue diplomat) and they no longer caused devastation or slowed my trade routes when present in my territories.

**Aedile Rich** · January 13, 2007, 05:11 PM

Double post, sorry.

**Zhou** · January 13, 2007, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by Preskinn

Devastation is a feature I have just reasantly realized is not just a visual pluss, it actually does things (which all of you totaly know of course... I was slow to realize this)

Help me/everybody out to better udnderstand and better use this feature!

This is what I know:

Devastation appears as black burns on the map.
Devastation affects income in a region, therefore it is good in enemy lands, and bad in your own. I have seen it appear where battles have been fought.

What I don't know but would like to know:

Does Devastation affect anything else but income? and how much does it affect income, and/or other things.
How long does it take for devastation to disapear? Is there any way to speed up/slow that process? (obs in game mechanics is what I am looking for, not through moding this one)
How does Devastation appear? (Is it enough to stand with an army on enemy lands? do you have to stand on their farmland texure? is it related in any way to massakre/occupation/sacking?)

All strategies, tips, tricks, fixes, exploits... anything on devastation.. post!

Devestation dosen't affect anything besides income. The amount of income that is lost due to devestation is determinant upon how much devestation has been caused in the region (little bit of charred ground or a lot?) and where the location of it is. If you park your army on an enemy road, for example, you will cause a significant decrease in the amount of trade income that is derived from that road. If you park your army on enemy farmland, you will cause significant decrease in their farming revenue. The larger your army, the faster devestation shows up on the campaign map.

I don't believe that there is any method to "speed up" recovery of devestated land.

I think one of the best ways for you to cause economic havoc against an opposing faction without actually attacking it (you have to be at war though) would be for you to stand on their roads. This is especially useful if you are playing a Catholic faction and the Pope has requested you to stop attacking the other country.

**Preskinn** · January 13, 2007, 08:44 PM

Thanks everybody, good info all of it. two thumbs up!
keep em comming if you have em!

**Ippius** · January 13, 2007, 08:56 PM

Apart from financial damage I don't think devestation does any damage to anything else directly but indirectly I think it does becuase there is less farm output in total and therefore less population growth and the slower the populationgrowth, the less happier ur population is....

**smitty** · January 15, 2007, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by Ippius

Apart from financial damage I don't think devestation does any damage to anything else directly but indirectly I think it does becuase there is less farm output in total and therefore less population growth and the slower the populationgrowth, the less happier ur population is....

Good point. Indirectly we can start slowing pop. growth and happiness. Maybe if you devestated their economy enough you could get the town to rebel and kick their owners out! Speed that process up with sabotage missions by your assassin directed @ public order buildings (not sure if that drops their effects) and you could really make them rebellious. Perfect opportunity to move in w/o hindrance from the Pope if they kick out their previous owners.

**pravoslavnie** · January 15, 2007, 05:34 PM

these are all very helpful. thanks.

**Veridious** · January 15, 2007, 10:33 PM

I'm pretty sure Devestation causes unrest, I could be wrong though.

**Myrmidon?** · January 16, 2007, 09:47 AM

not sure, as the hre i captured milan after various battles on his terrain, allot of devastation in the province but the happines was still 180%+. The devastation costed about 5000.
I used the armerial wars mod.

**Grox** · January 17, 2007, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by Veridious

I'm pretty sure Devestation causes unrest, I could be wrong though.

IIRC, I saw it showing up on the bad side of one of the "Public Order" bars.

**Aedile Rich** · January 23, 2007, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Grox

IIRC, I saw it showing up on the bad side of one of the "Public Order" bars.

Close. It's on the lower/negative Income bar beneath that in Settlement details.
I'd imagine it's covered by corruption & other in the financial details screen too.

I did a little test the other day to try and confirm what I was saying about being just outside their border causing devastation too but it would appear that it wasn't carried over from Rome in that way and that you have to be actually in the province itself.