Empire Organization

[Lord Romanus III]

I just thought I'd ask about how you guys manage your empires. Not just army composition, but also things such as: Economical focuses(mining, ports, tax, farms, etc.) Region grouping(developing a specific network of trade through a certain few regions such as the caspian sea for example,) Frontier defenses(distance between watchtowers forts, units to garrison them, spy network beyond the frontier,) and any other useful empire building and stabilizing tactics.

Cordially, Lord Romanus III

[Subrosa Florens]

I try to keep most of my cities economically focused, and use only a few as military centers. In the military ones I build war temples, blacksmiths, etc... While in the others I concentrate on markets, ports, mines, etc... Basically I build every money-making structure I can. Plus I always build roads everywhere I go, first thing.

As soon as I conquer a city I immediately tear down whatever temple is there and build a law temple of my own, and keep building it up as high as it will go. If I want to use it as a military center I will build a war temple instead. After the temple I will start replacing the original culture's buildings with my own, either by building up over them or tearing down the originals and starting over from scratch. That keeps the unrest down from Culture Penalty. In the long run their law bonus also helps keep a lid on corruption.

For military cities, when I start out I typically will keep 2 or 3 such cities near one another, and concentrate on one type of unit for each. One builds infantry, the other missiles, the third cavalry. That way I only have to construct one of each type of recruitment building in each city to start with, and I can start banging out balanced armies in short order. Later when I have more time I can construct other recruitment buildings so that each city can create more than one kind of unit.

I always put a ring of watch-towers up along my borders, and then send out at least one ring of spies beyond the tower's field of vision. Sometimes more if I am feeling particularly suspicious of a faction. That deep view into their territory can reveal invasions several turns before they hit me, giving me time to prepare.

When I push on, the watchtowers I built above serve a rebel detectors. I will usually put small groups of 3-4 light cavalry at regular intervals in my interiour, along with a few young generals who need experience, or old ones that I do not trust in my cities. When rebels pop up I can usually bring several of these hunter groups together to attack them and stamp them out.

I typically avoid building farms above the first tier, as later in the game the population bonus is a killer for squalor. However, in cities that have a low base farming level I make an exception. Typically these are in Barbarian areas. I have also noted that farms tend to be a big cash cow for Barbarian factions, so I build them more if I am a Barbie than if I am Civilized.

[LeonidasOfSparta]

[quote=Subrosa Florens;1996927I typically avoid building farms above the first tier, as later in the game the population bonus is a killer for squalor. However, in cities that have a low base farming level I make an exception. Typically these are in Barbarian areas. I have also noted that farms tend to be a big cash cow for Barbarian factions, so I build them more if I am a Barbie than if I am Civilized.[/quote]

Do u mean that farms counter squalor?

Leonidas

[Subrosa Florens]

Do u mean that farms counter squalor?

Leonidas

No, they indirectly cause it is the problem. Farms boost your population. The higher your population, the more your squalor. Public health buildings have a similar problem. Their health bonus alleviates squalor, but at the same time it increases your population growth. This of course increases your squalor in the long run.

Building up your farms will increase your population, which in turn will increase your squalor. That is why I usually only build the first level of farms. Because in the long run you end up with very overpopulated cities and problems keeping order.

However, in cities that have poor farming to start with I will build higher than first tier farms. Those one could actually use the extra boost to their population, otherwise they never grow large.

[LeonidasOfSparta]

No, they indirectly cause it is the problem. Farms boost your population. The higher your population, the more your squalor. Public health buildings have a similar problem. Their health bonus alleviates squalor, but at the same time it increases your population growth. This of course increases your squalor in the long run.

Building up your farms will increase your population, which in turn will increase your squalor. That is why I usually only build the first level of farms. Because in the long run you end up with very overpopulated cities and problems keeping order.

However, in cities that have poor farming to start with I will build higher than first tier farms. Those one could actually use the extra boost to their population, otherwise they never grow large.

So I should build only land clearances in my bigger cities?

Leonidas

[Kraut]

Public health buildings have a similar problem. Their health bonus alleviates squalor, but at the same time it increases your population growth. This of course increases your squalor in the long run.

However, the health bonus and the anti-squalor effects are much more important than the ruisk mentioned. You can influence the pop growth with taxes anyway, so I use to build every health building possible, same for government buildings and temples. This keeps your population happy and you can tax them like hell, by the way lowering the pop growth.

[Subrosa Florens]

However, the health bonus and the anti-squalor effects are much more important than the ruisk mentioned. You can influence the pop growth with taxes anyway, so I use to build every health building possible, same for government buildings and temples. This keeps your population happy and you can tax them like hell, by the way lowering the pop growth.

Actually, I still build the health buildings too, for the short term benefits if nothing else. I always go for the other order buildings, especially law temples. One thing I like about XGM is that the academies also grant a law bonus, so I build them in every city.

[Kraut]

Well, it really depends on the faction I am playing. Of course there are some basics to be watched always, but things really vary from faction to faction.

For example, playing as a Roman faction you will make Italy your powerhouse both economic and also for cranking out units, as Italys strategic position is central and will be worthwile for nearly all the game. Same for example when playing the Greek Cities: mainland Greece will be your base in early game as well as late game. But for example playing as Germania (or other barb faction) things are different. Good old Germany will be my gathering ground for assembling armies and sending them away in all directions, sure. But the big buck is made otherwhere. Rich territories like Gaul, Italy or others need to be conquered and turned into economic money printing machines, cause your homelands will not produce money in abundance at all... you know what I mean. The problem then of course is: if your border regions are your gold farms, then you have to guard your borders like hell!

For the rest, I agree with SF. There are some moneymaking structures which should be build EVERYWHERE:

Roads
Ports (wherever possible)
Traders
Mines (wherever possible)

Farms also are good, but keep in mind you don´t want your cities to grow too big, so I normally stop at level three.

For military structures, focus on few cities and specialize them. I normally have one city each to produce cavalry and missile units and two or so cities to produce infantry. Of course this will spread later in the game, meaning you need this array of production centers once per theatre. Think regionally. Divide your empire into regions (when it has grown big) and handle them separately. Regional strategy will change with time passing.

Example: Iberia as part of my Carthaginian empire

In my early game, I needed to conquer this lands, so I set up troop production centers. My original city in southern Spain was my cavalry center, missile troops shipped in from the Balearic, and newly conquered cities were turned into infantry centers to take over this role from Cordoba too. At the same time I needed to build up economic structures in my new lands, as war is money burning, specially plaing as Carthage (mercs!). And of course I needed to pacify the cities I conquered, building shrines and government structures. Carthaginian troops, beefed up with mercenaries, carved their way from Andalusia all north to the Pyrenae mountains. All of Spain was mine!
I secured the border to Gaul and rescheduled my strategy for Iberia.

You see, in the early game Iberia was a BATTLEGROUND REGION. This is the worst state, as you have to do everything at once there. After my campaings were successful, Iberia became a MILITARY BASE. No more combat there, but instead it was where my armies got assembled which I needed to march them into Gaul and Italy. Iberia also helped to to some pincer movement against Numidia (with troops invading them both from Carthage and Iberia, they had no chance). In the later game, after both Italy and Gaul were conquered, Iberia became a BACKYARD REGION. No more danger of invasions etc there, and no neighbouring regions to be conquered, so the military importance of Iberia dimished. "Backyard" may sound not that good, but in fact it means "peaceful region with stable, happy cities and flourishing economy". The only task for such a region is to produce the money you need to run your empire. And they do quite well. In fact, it was Iberian money which fueled my armies marching through Greece, Macedon, Anatolia

So let´s put this regional approach in a nutshell: every region but your homeland (different case!) will pass through three phases. It will be (in this order)

a Battleground region:
the first phase. You are conquering these lands. You are pumping in both money and troops, beating enemy armies, besieging enemy cities. Newly conquered cities need to be rebuild to get a grip on them. While your armies are stomping through the lands you are constructing shrines and government buildings to stabilize your holds (make the people happy) and first military/economic structures for the times to come.

a military base region:
Now these lands are conquered, but neighbouring regions are battlegrounds now. You will have to do two things at once: build military structures to pump out troops for your near wars, and continue to buid religious/government/economy structures to develop this region. No more need to BRING IN armies, but now armies are pouring out from here. You also don´t need much more money to pump in, the region should start to carry its own weight by now.

a backyard region:
War has moved away. The military presence will be reduced to some hunter/killer groups to deal with spawning rebels, supported by some diplomats to bribe them away otherwise. Your task now will be to stabilize this land, develop the cities, build every economic structure you can to turn your cities into money producing centers. Also build structures to keep the people peaceful and happy, as you want to tax them max possible. There should be peace and prospering economy here.

Keep in mind: this rule does not apply to your home region. Your homelands will be "military base" from the start, and will probably never become "backyard". Instead they form the core of your empire, always being developed higher and higher, producing the most elite units of your army etc etc etc...

Also, this rule does not apply to some remote regions which may skip the "military base" phase and directly become "backyard" after being conquered, because their strategic location does not make them useful for military purposes. The british island for example normally get conquered, and after that can right be developed to a backyard. There are no neighbours left normally to be attacked from there.

[LeonidasOfSparta]

Yeah but what counters squalor?

Leonidas

[Calyptus]

health bonus structures, like aquaducts, messpools and sewers

[Kraut]

Yeah but what counters squalor?

Leonidas

As Calyptus mentioned, build sanitary structures.

This is part of the complex combination of buildings which keep your people happy and hence your cities stable.

In detail they are:

Government buidlings (the consuls palace and stuff, you know)
Temples (add to hapiness, law and order)
sanitary buildings (the mentioned sewers, bath and stuff)
Farms (population growth ALSO adds to happiness, but beware: too much population gets out of control, so limit this one)
entertainment (Colosseum or greek theaters...)
Oppression (eastern cultures only: secret police and stuff)

Most important IMO is the Gov building, always really always build the highest level possible, it is the base for all other constructions

Then comes (second most important) sanitary structures and temples, supported by farms.

Entertainment is helpful with bigger cities in the later game. Oppression too.

The array of stabilizing structures is complemented by a garrison.

[konny]

I do not divid up my settlements in "cash cows" and "bootcamps". That is for two reasons:

• Every town can train only one unit at a time
• Every town will grow and produce income according to its economic structure

For the first point: I create military districts (in mind, there is now way to do this in the game); each of these has to raise one Legion/Corps/Army - whatever my civilitation called it. Every district is made up of two or three towns. Each town of these has at least the ability to muster basic defence units like town watch and will built advanced structures of one kind be it adv. barracs, stables or pract. ranges.

The result is that there will be one town raising line infantry like legionairs, phalangists and the like, another is able raise cavalry and the third will provide the army with light troops and send archers to the other towns in its district. This may vary from culture to culture according to their prefernces: for example Romans made only very limited use of cavalry and light infantry so here two towns may raise hastati etc. and the third velites and equites. Eastern cultures will use cavalry in the first place and regard all infantry as auxilia.

This system will speed up raising of your army because every city adds its share to it. On the other hand there don't have to be more structures to be bulit as in any system that divides cities in economic and military centers because you will just built one stable, adv. barracs or PR every third city.

Of course it has its limits: reinforcements and replacements have to come up from the districts which might be a good far away from the front what often slows down the campaign or forces the commanders on the front to hire mercenarys to fill up the ranks after a large battle. It also doesn't realy work in areas where provinces are large and neighbouring towns far away like the Germanic woods.


For the second point: I would highly recommend to bulit as many economic structures in every province as possible. I usually bulid basic structures in every province first before I go for the advanced bulidings in major cities. So I won't spend all my money to bulid a basar in one city for which I have to wait several turns to be finished (time in which this town may revolt or fall to an enemy) when there are four provinces without roads from which I will benefit the very next turn.

[Kamos]

Yeah but what counters squalor?

Leonidas

Extermination, unless you want to be nice to your filthy cities.
I focus almost entirely on economy and build an army when the need arises.

[king-nord]

I like to use add_money 50000 a lot and also auto_win is quite good too.

[Towelie]

Actually early in the game farms are best money sources.. lvl 1 farm will incrase your incomes by 60 to 80 (+-, depends of settlement) while markets will incrase it by 3 to 20 in best case, so till you have port available, my advice is build farms.

[celtic_warlord422]

And a reasonably low population.

[Mithradates]

I always build everything in every city, I dont care that I never will train units there I still build the military structures, I build paved roads on the islands etc.

With reasonable number of armies (so no army spamming and not using elite units for garrisons) there is ALWAYS enough gold for build constantly.

[Lord Romanus III]

Personally, I prefer to base my economy on land trade. I normally play as Parthia(due to my fettish) or rarely some other eastern faction. I never build roads when playing as Parthia because rodes do a few things: allows those gay armies to march into my territory very quickly and it seems to spawn more rebels (in my experiences.)

I prefer to capture regionssuch as Arsakia, Kotais, Phraaspa, and Artaxarta to make a long line of land trade. As an eastern faction I don't have recruitment zones like most factions. (Greece for example) I also use diplomats for dispatching rebels and put 5 Ha's by all of my border provinces.

[Roman Clone]

Greece is a real good for me to capture as it acts as a economic and and military heaven!

[Roman Clone]

oooh, Persian and a Greek fighting? FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!


And there were not 50 million Persians, there were 300,000, Gaul's population was only 43 million, so thats like throwing away half an empire's population!