The most common fov?

**aNarion.** · August 12, 2007, 10:52 AM

I've been playing this game for a half year now, and played about 2 and a half campaign games and only played as the hre and the english.
When half of the game has passed its most likely one or two faction(s) Remaining which is compareable with your own sense strength. For me example; in my past campaigns it has been very big variety, even if i played as the same faction, there is always a different ruler.

Now i'm curious about Which faction(s) is the greatest (exept your self ofc) in your current campaign game?
As for me it's the Sicilians which rules italy, africa, some parts in spain and alot of islands.

**Freedom** · August 12, 2007, 11:10 AM

No matter who I play as, Syria always seems to own the crap out of everything around it, until the Abbasids cut them in half by taking Damascus and Acre; from there, they usually get reduced to everyone's vassal. The same thing happens with moors: either the Spanish just conquer them outright (Africa included) and leave one settlement (this happens because the Moorish AI rushes the rebel African settlements and leaves its rear unguarded<_<), make them their vassal and wait for their generals to die before taking their last bastion or Portugal and Sicily join in the fun of carving up Africa 700 years ahead of schedule. One time, the Spanish pushed Portugal into Africa and took all their settlements in Iberia, made even more funny by the crusades called against long-excommunicated Spanish-owned Cordoba/Granada. XD The Byzantine empire almost always gets crushed very rapidly, but since everyone from Sicily to the Turks gets in on the goodies most of the time, there is no one faction that stands out after killing Byzantium.

**aNarion.** · August 12, 2007, 11:50 AM

oh, i see. True about byzantium, they always get raped in the beginning, sad thought, cause i would like to have them as a late game opponent

About the spanish and the moors in my campaign; the moores made a alliance early game with portugal and then pushed spain until they had only one region left, and then portugal betrayed the moors and conquered them completely.

**VaeVictis** · August 12, 2007, 01:34 PM

I too wish Byzantium would not get steamrolled so early.

They are just in a bad spot, having to worry about Venice, Hungary, and the Turks all at once.

**Xeno_cws** · August 12, 2007, 02:34 PM

I find the French, Milan, Sicily and Venice usually the power players for Europe, while Syria takes the Cake in the Middle east.

**Americanus Supremus** · August 12, 2007, 07:48 PM

Ive found that if you aid the byzantines, you can help them from being destroyed early on. But I also edit the descr_strat to give them some help as well. An extra city and some more garrison units. Also whenever Byzantium is taken I take it back and gift it back to them.

In my games Spain usually takes out the moors in Iberia, The Russians, and Kievians go crazy in there area then go to war with each other in which Kiev seems to win, partly because the Danes also gang up on russia. As for the Middle East, Syria usually does well early until either a crusade is called or they get ganged up on by the other muslim factions. Then Eygpt seems to rule the roost.

HC

**Fargham** · August 13, 2007, 04:03 PM

Basically, the country that gets large and out of control is the country that is 'just' on the other side of the country I keep getting into wars with. For instance, as England, Milan, HRE and Spain go nuts because France instead focuses solely on me. As Denmark, Hungary and France go nuts because the HRE is busy with me and is unable to keep them in check. As the Byzantines, Poland and the Abbasids go nuts because I'm fighting with Hungary, Rum, and Syria.

Only when I play Spain does the reverse seem to happen, as I push the Moors out of Iberia, they seem to steadily push the Fatamids out of Africa, and they in turn push into Arabia and upset the other Turkish factions.

There's only been 1 time the Byzantines have done much besides die when I'm not playing them, and thats because I marched through the Fatamids, Syrians, Rum, and then Hungary on the way home (I need to finish my AAR). After I sold everything in the city I conquered, I'd gift it to the Byzantines, and they'd get free militia, in addition to the city... At that point, they grew so powerful, and their closest opponents were so weak, they threw away an alliance with me... just to have someone worth fighting (apparently they wanted both Buda and Pest... bastages)