For those who bought it can you tell us what Americas campaign is like?

[Kiki52]

Can you tell us how the Americas campaign is like when you played it?

I was wondering if someone is playing Apaches or Chichimeca right now, how is your experience playing as those factions?

Like when you played it, how did you find fighting against the Spanish? Is it ok if you post a screen shot of some battles versus Spain including your battle statistics after the battle?
Also, how was your experience fighting them? Did they totally steamroll you or how did the whole battle mechanics play out when you fought them and how did you win (or lose)?

Is it possible you can also tell what bonuses your general gains after completing a successful warpath?

Do the Native American voices seem menacing or evil sounding at all did you notice?

How would you say the Native American units specialize in or how are they best played besides being "masses and masses of them"?

Also, what was the best experience/part of playing the Americas campaign so far (even if you just played with it for an hour or so)?

I haven't got this game as of writing this post and I'd like to have more info to make an informed decision as to whether I should get this expansion or not.

Thanks

[Hellbent]

Yes, I would like some info on this too, the Americas campaign is looking really interesting at the moment.

I'm not getting the game until tomorrow, so any screenshots or comments about the campaigns are greatly appreciated.

[meltdown]

Everyone is probably too busy playing kingdoms...haha

[Hellbent]

Haha yeah, I probably would too...

If I had the game right now.

[Mad Mac]

I haven't had a chance to seriously play yet. However, Apaches look really awesome. They're completely different from the Aztec/Mayan factions (which are all almost identical) with a unit roster that's almost entirely composed of missle/skirmish troops. However, defense is very low all around. They have maybe 2-3 units who have even padded armor Lets see...

Medicine Men, like Coyote Priests but no armor.

Body Guard, 12 Attack/7 def. Infantry

Scouts. Cheapo unit with hide anywhere ability. 9 Attack/4 Def.

Ondes Men. Awesome Spear units, best infantry--14 Attack 9 Defense.

An elite Bowunit with 12 melee/12 missle.

A really cheap "rabbit archer" with even worse stats than peasent archer, and a medium "Dog Soldier" archer with 7 melee 7 missle.

Braves are main medium infantry, with 9 melee 9 javelin (AP) 7 def.

They have Thunder Braves armed with guns, light mounted archers, and even Thunder Braves mounted gunners.

They look like the funnest Native American faction to play.

[The Librarian]

How exactly do the Natives besiege cities? Have they got siege weaponry?

[Mad Mac]

No Siege weapons, but they can construct rams and ladders.

None of the native tribes seem to use the Castle/City divide. In the case of the Apaches, they start with a huge army, one little settlement, and can call a Warpath (basically a crusade/jihad) right at the start. Apaches don't seem to have a tech tree, just the option to build different tents to improve farming/religion/public order.

Warpath lets them recruit South American style native mercenaries, which should be quite valuable to the apaches.

[Mad Mac]

Hmm..Most of the Apaches Elite units have good or very good stanima and morale, but also the "may charge without orders" trait.

Warcheifs Retinue have 2 HPs.

Onde's Men have the frighten Infantry ability.

None of the archers have long-range missles or hide anywhere, but they can all use flaming arrows.

I didn't try them vs the spanish but I did vs the Aztecs. They aren't as good as the Aztecs in melee, but they are a million times better at range. You'll have to be very careful in how you set them up in field battles I think, and sieges will be ugly.

[Kiki52]

I heard the Native Americans run fast so the defense is less of an issue if they encounter things like musketeers because they can get up to them faster while encountering less fire.

Did you try to see how fast the Native Americans run?

Can the "rabbit archer" and "dog archer" hide anywhere as well or some other trait that helps, like similar to Sherwood Archer's ability "Good at hiding at this so and so terrain"?

I think the "Braves" seem good as their javelin is AP, it theoretically should be good against Spain/armored Europeans and other armored factions like the Chichimecas (with wood armor). Have you had a chance to do an actual battle with Spain to see how Apaches do against them?

The Elite bowmen unit looks sick (in a good way, figure of speech), their attack is even higher than Janissary Archers and Dismounted Dvor (this is gonna be fun).

Also, are their bows have 'long range missiles' abilities?
Can Native Americans use flaming arrows?

What other traits do the units the Apache's have that makes them good? What about their stamina and morale? Do any of their units have 2 HP?

Do they have a medicine man ancillary that cures battlefield casualties like the 'doctor' ancillary in vanilla MTW2 does?

I think the Apaches would be fun to play but it could seem hard if many units cannot hide because they have low armor and Spain would seem best at having a ranged fight and Apaches excel at ranged fighting, when it would seem the best choice for fighting against them would be to charge into a melee to be the best option for any faction dealing with the Spanish.

EDIT: I think the point it seems for Spain is that if they get enough prestige, they are very safe from any Native American attack if they 'earn' the ability to get a wall in their city. The only way for Native Americans to fight a siege battle is to wait it out and either have the Spanish starve to death or sally forth and attack them.

I'd be nice though if someone modded in cannons for Native Americans, it seems realistic although not historical if Apaches could take a Spanish basilisk after battle and use it against them afterwards.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Perhaps the Apaches are meant to be a raiding faction, just get in, kill heaps, then run back to the shadows.

They sound great though.

[Kiki52]

It doesn't seem so good that Apaches lack a good heavy infantry unit but I'm sure it is possible to mod one into it. Maybe an Elite Apache melee unit, with some type of the best armor Apaches have and 2 HP and 15 attack 13/14 defense, very good stamina, excellent morale, fast running, and frighten infantry. Oh, and a really fast melee attack animation (so they'd be like Janissary heavy inf type fast) but relatively expensive in terms of the other Apache units (otherwise that'd be cheap).

I'm glad though they can hire good mercs for Warpath. I assume they'd be fairly good at melee which is meant for sieges and stuff?

Also, do any of their tents they build give you some special ability note-worthy? I wonder if the Medicine man's wigman fully upgraded give something good, like a -40% retrain cost like the Islamic Bimaristan does.

[Mad Mac]

Just to mention the other factions for a bit...

Aztecs get a javelin thrower (Arrow Warrior) which is their only missle unit that isn't completely useless. The javelin attack is only 7, no AP, but they have 11 Attack 13 Def and 6 charge, so good for hasseling the enemy with a few missles before charging in. All the other SA factions are pretty the same as the Aztecs except the Mayans get Hornet Throwers instead of Arrow Warriors.

Hornet Throwers are interesting. 20 men, 2 HPs, 8 defense, the hornet attack is apparently 4+AP. The Hornets kill very slowly, but seem to be a permanent effect once thrown, so it's best to have the Hornet throwers hit as many different targets as possible, and it's pointless hanging around for extended volleys.

Chicameca are going to be the weakest tribe, I think. They seem to almost be Apaches without the really good units.

"Best" Units:

Medicine Men/Warcheif as Apaches

Lancers--Spearmen, 9 attack 5 defense

Z-something archers, 7 melee 7 range 4 defense.

Musket Unit

Raiders--Hide anywhere, good morale, very good stanima, 9 attack 6 def

Chicameca Warriors--12 attack 7 defense, very good morale and stanima

Chica Riders--Lousy Stats, but only NA faction with lance calvary.

It seems like the Chica were supposed to be the most well-rounded faction, with no glaring holes in their unit line-up, but someone forgot to give them units that didn't suck...

[nameless]

It doesn't seem so good that Apaches lack a good heavy infantry unit but I'm sure it is possible to mod one into it. Maybe an Elite Apache melee unit, with some type of the best armor Apaches have and 2 HP and 15 attack 13/14 defense, very good stamina, excellent morale, fast running, and frighten infantry. Oh, and a really fast melee attack animation (so they'd be like Janissary heavy inf type fast) but relatively expensive in terms of the other Apache units (otherwise that'd be cheap).

I'm glad though they can hire good mercs for Warpath. I assume they'd be fairly good at melee which is meant for sieges and stuff?

Also, do any of their tents they build give you some special ability note-worthy? I wonder if the Medicine man's wigman fully upgraded give something good, like a -40% retrain cost like the Islamic Bimaristan does.

You are aware that factions in MTW2 have strengths and weaknesses right?

Not every faction has the same tactics so get creative.

[Kiki52]

That isn't too good for the Chichimeca. They should have been better, I thought Chichimeca would be a very good melee faction, but I guess thats what the Aztecs are good at.

I would have been nice if the Apaches had that chica rider though, or some Apache equivalent to a lancer/melee horse unit. That would be good if they modded it in.

Would you have thought it would be a good idea if they had combined the Chichimeca and Apache into one faction to get both of their strengths and none of their weaknesses? Thats what they did for Poland in Vanilla MTW2, they combined Poland and Lithania so Poland would have Lithuanian Archers and Horse Archers.

[Irishmafia2020]

I hope that the Apaches have inexpensive units, as sheer numerical superiority and stealth are the key advantages that they had over the Spanish. They should also have the "horde" attribute since they were a nomadic tribe. The Spanish conquered Mexico and New Mexico by occupying established Indian villages (sedentary pueblos - etc) and agricultural areas, and the Apaches and Navajos raided from Arizona where the Spanish could never defeat them because they were truly nomadic. In the end, the final Apaches were defeated in Mexico in 1935 as a result of a private campaign waged by a Mexican rancher. I hope that they get the Horde attribute and have cheap units, as that would be the most historical reason for their success rather than them having superior meelee units (a specialty of the aztecs). I suppose that I'll find out when i buy the campaign...
Edit - I like having the Chichimec's be a seperate group. They were a major adversary to the Aztecs and Spanish, and culturally they were much different from the Apaches who were relative latecomers to the southwest and as Athabascan speakers, had more in common with tribes of the North than with the Mexica... Although, I suppose the same thing could be said about the polish and Lithuanians as well (that they were significantly different)... The Spanish rarely had forces in the Southwest larger than 100 soldiers, but the Apaches were able to field raiding forces of 500 calvary or more. Using hit and run tactics they were able destroy dozens of Pueblos (there were once nearly 100 pueblos, and today there are only around a dozen) and kill the tiny Spanish garrisons defending them. Perhaps giving the Apaches a lot of movement points in comparison to the Spanish would best simulate their ability to raid successfully...

[Dracula]

the Apaches were finally defeated in 1935 ?!?! Are you sure ? that means in the era when people were driving 16 cylinder cars some were riding around outside the cities trying to get their scalps ?!

[Irishmafia2020]

Yes - that happened in Sonora... In the US the Apaches were defeated in the 1880s... In Mexico, A small group of Apaches hid out and relied on raiding to supplement their income. They killed the rancher's wife and kidnapped his son in the 1910's and he spent the next twenty years hunting them with his own private army. Remember that this is mexico (a poor country), and in the back country with bad roads and such people were still using horses well into the twentieth century.

[Dracula]

Cool And private army..

[BKB]

So I take the Mayans have been completely forgotten and are just simply Aztecs with different colours? Tell me they have a few unique units? Now I know why the didn't add the Incas.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

I'm having a lot of fun with the Aztecs. They are pretty mobile and once I move into conflict with the Aztecs/Spanish etc etc I think it'll be awesome.

Right now I'm just happy with how brutal the battles seem. So much hand to hand fighting, it's a rush.