Uh, can I ask a bunch of questions?

**Neant** · August 03, 2007, 09:50 PM

So, I've long been a TW player, but there are a bunch of questions which I've never managed to definitively answer. Since I've been playing SS4.0 for my last two campaigns, I thought I would ask in this forum in case the mod changed the answers. Hopefully this is okay. So, here we go:

1) When should one use Guard with different types of melee troops?

2) Why would one use Town militia, when spearman are more numerous, have better stats, and cost the same?

3) Is it better to burn out or to fade away?

4) What does the Armor Piercing ability do, exactly? I know it is good against armor, obviously, but how much armor? What's up with that?

5) Have become overly concerned with my reputation, leading me to stop spying, assassination, chasing down routers, executing prisoners and every other fun thing? Oh, I got this one: Yes. Yes I have. On the other hand, my allies have yet to betray me. On the third hand, my allies get in the way of my expansion.

6) What controls authority? Sometimes my faction leader has one authority, which tallies with his traits, but his son will have an eight authority with no apparent explanation.

7) Y'know when it says +1 morale or -2 morale? What is the base value for morale? Ever since my generals have become complete incompetants I have been trying to determine what the effect of all these negatives are, but I haven't really noticed any difference. So, is base morale, like, 10? Or what?

Okay, well, there are more, but that's plenty to get started with. Thanks in advance, and thank you King Kong and supporters for enhancing this game. You please me.

**Hounf of Culan** · August 03, 2007, 10:33 PM

I think I can answer some of your questions.

1) I believe guard makes it so your units hold their ground while fighting, they won't chase an enemy they've routed, can be useful in certain situations.

2) I don't think town militia are meant to be used in a field army, unless desperate for men, their big advantage is that cities can maintain a certain number of militia units for free, i.e. no upkeep.

3) don't understand your question

4) Armor piercing is effective against heavily armored units like knights and other elite infantry/cavalry, I might be mistaken but I think that AP makes it so that the armor of the unit, who is being attacked by the AP unit, is halved. However against a poorly armored opponent you're much better off using a sword unit.

5) I don't really give alot of attention to reputation cuz in my eyes allies are merely enemies I'm saving for later.

6) not sure about this one.

7) Morale doesn't really matter much for the player cuz he'll likely woop the AI every battle no matter the morale. Though, I am also in the dark as to what morale starts at.

Hope that helped you out and, welcome to the forums.

**delra** · August 03, 2007, 10:33 PM

1. When one doesn't want them to push forward but rather stay where they are.

2. Sometimes you can't afford the building and have to fill gaps in your line with some meat.

3. I don't understand the question.

4. Pierces armor. Try crossbows and bows against the same armored unit and you will see how it works. Crossbows decimate armored guys while arrows just bounce off them.

5. It's something you have to accept. Although UAI does good job in making AI reasonable in its wars. This game is called Total War, not Pax Romana... Learn to live with this.

6. Their loyalty becomes their authority, if they are loyal, they will be good rulers.

7. Default is 0. When it goes too low, they will rout every time enemy unit hits them. You don't want that. :-)

**Hounf of Culan** · August 03, 2007, 10:36 PM

Hehe, Delra's post and mine are at the same exact minute.

**Space Wolves** · August 03, 2007, 10:42 PM

umm your off by 3'ish

**Hounf of Culan** · August 03, 2007, 10:48 PM

Huh, they both say 10:33 PM for me... oh yah I edited mine, thats why it would be different.

**Space Wolves** · August 03, 2007, 10:57 PM

oops, sorry for zee mistake' grand duke

*bows*

**Neant** · August 04, 2007, 08:30 AM

Thank you for the replies, if I could just clarify a few points:

Regarding guarding, as it were, I know it's basic function, but how do you use it tactically? Do y'all use it to maintain a line, or do you tend to counter charge enemy infantry? I saw a comment advising either using or not using guard with spear and pike units, but I haven't been able to see the difference in my battles.

As far as town guard goes, okay, they are an earlier garrison unit, that makes sense. That reminds me, garrison units are valued by type, right? It seems a unit of spear militia is worth more than missile, cavalry, or siege units.

The answer to question three is: its better to burn out. But actually, I think it depends on the circumstances.

So, the armor piercing characteristic is good against everything, except the completely unarmored, with which it is only as effective as non-AP

I have found it much more challenging to always offer to ransom, and refrain from other expedient and effective tactics, but my reputation is "Immaculate". How cool is that? I'm playing as HRE and am allied with Venice, Hungary, Denmark and the Pope. I helped Venice against Milan and Sicily, taking their Italian provinces, and helped Denmark against Poland and picked up some provinces there. We vote for each other's popes, and our enemies are always the ones to be excommunicated. It is sweet, I tells ya, sweet. I have almost isolated Denmark, though, so it will be interesting to see if they betray me in order to expand.

The authority thing is very strange. My emperor had an authority of 8 right after he became faction leader, but later it suddenly dropped to 1. He doesn't seem to have acquired any negative traits that would account for such a sudden and large drop, but he is, like, 71. If authority did drop for very old faction leaders, I guess it would make sense.

For morale, if the default is zero, what does -1 mean? I used to be careful not to use flawed generals in battle, but honestly, I have never noticed any difference because I almost always win easily. But since I switched to RC I've started taking casualties, and have come close to losing battles which would have been a cakewalk before. So, I'm curious just how much effect morale has, given that the enemy always has a much better general than I do. By the way, I'm not asserting that I am great, just that basic tactics and concentration of force works well against the AI.

Well, sorry to drone on endlessly, but I like to try to understand what all the parameters are. Plus, I've been drinking.

**Daergar** · August 04, 2007, 09:03 AM

Guard mode is used to make sure your unit remains stationary at all costs. Absolute necessity if you use a line of pikemen as they will move forward as they advance and thus break up the defensive line (think Rome's phalanx units).

Garrison units are valued by their upkeep, nothing else. You cannot garrison anything for free unless the city in question can recruit them. So only militia units (though I forget if the smith produced units such as armored swordsmen and noble pikemen can be garrisoned for free).

My last danish campaign was the same as far as reputation goes. The pope washed my loincloth each night and everyone bowed to me. Same with the scottish campaign. I doubt it will work as well in 4.1 with the vanilla campaign AI, in my experience it loves to backstab and then you're in a war whether you want to or not. =)

**Caesar Clivus** · August 04, 2007, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Daergar

My last danish campaign was the same as far as reputation goes. The pope washed my loincloth each night and everyone bowed to me. Same with the scottish campaign. I doubt it will work as well in 4.1 with the vanilla campaign AI, in my experience it loves to backstab and then you're in a war whether you want to or not. =)

Yeah I'm not looking forward to going back to the vanilla campaign AI. It might be more aggressive but it's also a lot stupider. I swear GrandViz said that there is a setting in UAI to make everyone more aggressive...

**Quark** · August 04, 2007, 10:44 AM

Q3. Is it not sad that a classic like Highlander cannot be recognised by the young of today

Reputation: It depends how you want to play the game, I generally try to do one high peace/chivalry game and one pirate/dread game, just pick you faction and strategy.

Authority: There are hidden traits, like loose Authority which are there to add in the idea of rebellion. Be a nice king, or else (Btw I think its bugged so you may need to edit the auth1 line, have to check the BBB thread.)

**Daergar** · August 04, 2007, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by Caesar Clivus

Yeah I'm not looking forward to going back to the vanilla campaign AI. It might be more aggressive but it's also a lot stupider. I swear GrandViz said that there is a setting in UAI to make everyone more aggressive...

I think it's evil. I might have, with a big maybe, overextended a tiny bit but things turned insane as Byzantine. Hungary, Venice, Siciliy, Turks, HRE all decided to start pounding on me. And now the bloody pope actually walked out of Italy and into my western area with a near full stack. It's sad when the AI blitzes the player. Back to my undefeatable scots instead.

**Mr.Elendig** · August 04, 2007, 03:16 PM

5. Just buy the land you want from them

It even raises your rep.

**allos_autos** · August 04, 2007, 03:28 PM

3. It's better to burn out than to fade away. My my, hey hey. (for all those wondering, it's a Neil Young reference)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**delra** · August 04, 2007, 03:37 PM

I always prefered Dylan...

**Caesar Clivus** · August 04, 2007, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by delra

I always prefered Dylan...

I can never understand what that man says

**delra** · August 04, 2007, 10:39 PM

It's an old flame, Neil Young vs Bob Dylan, who's the KK of folk rock music. :-)

**Nightbringer** · August 06, 2007, 01:46 AM

Bob Dylan! anyway, i thought that moral was a hidden stat for each unit and that the general traits raised or lowered that for each unit. I may be wrong but i do recall finding something that listed the hidden moral stat for all the units once.

**Graywolf** · August 06, 2007, 09:42 AM

I'm about to downlaod 4.1 and restart my never ending Turks campaign.. >.<

But I'm afraid. I thought the vanilla AI was supposed to be the plague and SS's big advertising point was that it had such an awesome campaign AI. I hope this goes well

Also just a random question.. does anyone know of a link or mod out there that changes my Seljuk Sultante to the Ottoman Empire and changes the banners to Ottoman banners?

Thanks alot.