The King's Pill

[Gigantus]

Looking at a post of Mikel prodded me to have a closer look at the mechanics of the Pop Growth Rate.
The one thing that fell into my eyes was the disproportioned size of trade influence on the growth. I have reduced this in the attached file and would really like some feed back on this as I would like to include it in the next version of the 'Kings Fix'.

Installation: Extract the files into the ...\Medieval II Total War\mods\PDER_Kingdoms_v0.1a\data folder. The original file is provided in ZIP format in case someone would like to reverse the effect.

[♔ST0MPA♔]

Does this alter trade as well, there seems to be a trade boom across the map also. thanks for fix

i guess this is not save game compatible too??

[Gigantus]

Does this alter trade as well, there seems to be a trade boom across the map also. thanks for fix

i guess this is not save game compatible too??

It has only an effect on the influence that trade has on the pop growth. The financial side is not affected.

It is save compatible.

The trade boom can be trimmed in another part of this file. I will have a look into that. It might be a reason for the attrition that goes on. (And maybe the reason why Mecca in the hands of the rebels has a highway in my game).

[Jihada]

Well I played England to 1130 so far with this fix (Kingdoms ed.)
The factions seem much better balanced only Scotland knocked out so far and HRE isn t expanding fast. Genova and Byz doing quite well. Egypt is still killing off the crusader armies after they get Cairo but I havn t sent a crusade yet.
It seems easier to control finances and I can t build ports so fast, King Rufus is having trouble with a lot of rebel generals but I had taxes set high.
This seems a good fix so far. Just checked Mecca, still a highway there.

[Gigantus]

Well I played England to 1130 so far with this fix (Kingdoms ed.)
The factions seem much better balanced only Scotland knocked out so far and HRE isn t expanding fast. Genova and Byz doing quite well. Egypt is still killing off the crusader armies after they get Cairo but I havn t sent a crusade yet.
It seems easier to control finances and I can t build ports so fast, King Rufus is having trouble with a lot of rebel generals but I had taxes set high.
This seems a good fix so far.

Nice to hear that things are running well.

One is glad to be of service

[Mikel]

How does this effect the current game?

Also, where can I find the effects that buildings have on the population per se...I'd like to know which buildings stimulate population growth and that type of thing.

Thanks.

[VirusITA]

Also, where can I find the effects that buildings have on the population per se...I'd like to know which buildings stimulate population growth and that type of thing.

Thanks.

In export_descr_buildings.txt or rightclicking on its card Anyway, every building about farms, public health, .. (0.5 per time)

[♔ST0MPA♔]

That does sound promising, any luck on dampening the trade boom??

[Gigantus]

open the descr_settlement_mechanics.xml file with notepad and play with the SIF values. They are all related to Income. Example:

<factor name="SIF_TRADE">
<pip_modifier value="0.65"/>
<castle_modifier value="0.6"/>

Simply change the values in red. The effect is immediate (save compatible). DON'T FORGET TO BACK UP!!!

[Mikel]

I started a Byzantium campaign, and at the beginning I could swear I was toast. It wa sset to VH/VH, so I was just waiting for the enemy to overwhelm me on all sides, at once, while bakrupt.

Then I progressively built roads on all my settlements, then grain exchanges, then initial farms, then markets. Throughout this time, I garrisoned 4 militia units in each province, move out all my non-garrisonable armies and gathered them to my faction leader and conquered half of asia-minor and the two settlements to the west in the Adriatic.

Then the economic boom came and I'm making around 10k per turn, Im at war with Poland for some reason they cut through Hungary to get to me, and with the HRE.

Ijn short, thank god for that boom because otherwise the campaign would be unplayable.

[Gigantus]

I started a Byzantium campaign, and at the beginning I could swear I was toast. It wa sset to VH/VH, so I was just waiting for the enemy to overwhelm me on all sides, at once, while bakrupt.

Then I progressively built roads on all my settlements, then grain exchanges, then initial farms, then markets. Throughout this time, I garrisoned 4 militia units in each province, move out all my non-garrisonable armies and gathered them to my faction leader and conquered half of asia-minor and the two settlements to the west in the Adriatic.

Then the economic boom came and I'm making around 10k per turn, Im at war with Poland for some reason they cut through Hungary to get to me, and with the HRE.

Ijn short, thank god for that boom because otherwise the campaign would be unplayable.

Well, you are certainly doing things right in the financial way. Most factions start out with a mediocre financial setup, it is therefore imperative to build up the economy as fast as possible. Replace soldiers with militia to make use of the free upkeep and let the soldiers do what they do best: conquer.
Hope you will enjoy meeting the Mongols and Timurids.

[Mikel]

I stopped that campaign. It suddenly got to be a chore, turn after turn, to keep churning out merchants, re-stocking soldier units user to defeat rebels around settlements, and the AI attacking me with too few numbers. It was like men playing with boys, the faction got to be either too weak like at the beginning, or too strong with an actual economical backbone.

Maybe this faction needs something extra, to make the gameplay actually harder but not to make it impossible for the player to defend himself. I have no idea what this could be, however something about some settlements rebelling sounds good. Maybe the Slvas, the Bulgars, and the AsiaMinor provinces are actually hard to keep a hold on? Who knows.

[Socal_infidel]

I stopped that campaign. It suddenly got to be a chore, turn after turn, to keep churning out merchants, re-stocking soldier units user to defeat rebels around settlements, and the AI attacking me with too few numbers. It was like men playing with boys, the faction got to be either too weak like at the beginning, or too strong with an actual economical backbone.

Maybe this faction needs something extra, to make the gameplay actually harder but not to make it impossible for the player to defend himself. I have no idea what this could be, however something about some settlements rebelling sounds good. Maybe the Slvas, the Bulgars, and the AsiaMinor provinces are actually hard to keep a hold on? Who knows.

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully, the addition of the Rum Turks, Armenia and Georgia to Asia Minor will make a Byzantine campaign much more difficult.

[Gigantus]

Changing the faction standing and attitude could be used to have more 'action'. Constant rebels can be overcome with the right happiness in cities.

Merchants shouldn't be too much of a bother. I usually use only one city to do that - it will very easy attract the guild and upgrades. Which gives my merchants more power, which protects better from AI merchants. Which will eventually stop the merchant churning. If you have downloaded the latest King's Fix you will see that there is salt in the North East, honey in the countries South of Denmark and tar in Western Africa. These resources are very localized and bring good money. Sent the dudes that way!

[Mikel]

True, but I like the initial challenges in the campaigns, not the long haul.

Ive never conquered the entire map. I've never reached the americas. Most of my campaigns, if at most, last until 1200 or so. By this time, Im easily the predominant power, and no AI really stands a chance. If they don't stand a chance then its not fun. If its not fun, I start over.

Either ways, one thing I did notice in VH is that there will always be at least 1 faction that will attack you for the sake of attacking you.

As Spain it was England. Then England would get wiped out by Scotland, and then it would be Scotland.
As Portugal it was the same as Spain.
As Byzantium it was Venice and Sicily.
As Sicily it was HRE, Moors and Byzantium.

So on, so forth. And in every single situation, they will attack you and the very next turn you can ask them for peace, which will be very generous of you might I add, ask for trade, map information and gold. And they will agree, every time.

[Socal_infidel]

True, but I like the initial challenges in the campaigns, not the long haul.

Ive never conquered the entire map. I've never reached the americas. Most of my campaigns, if at most, last until 1200 or so. By this time, Im easily the predominant power, and no AI really stands a chance. If they don't stand a chance then its not fun. If its not fun, I start over.

A little secret, I haven't played a campaign seriously since about August...sad isn't it?

[Mikel]

Not really. I mean, I'm waiting on the Kingdoms expansion and then on 5.0 in order to play a long haul Spanish campaign, with aims to re-create Hapsburg Spain.

[Gigantus]

Not really. I mean, I'm waiting on the Kingdoms expansion and then on 5.0 in order to play a long haul Spanish campaign, with aims to re-create Hapsburg Spain.

Would that be the Stainless Steel mod?

[Mikel]

Er...v4.2?, sorry.

[♔ST0MPA♔]

Ive never conquered the entire map. I've never reached the americas. Most of my campaigns, if at most, last until 1200 or so. By this time, Im easily the predominant power, and no AI really stands a chance. If they don't stand a chance then its not fun. If its not fun, I start over.

interesting you say this, most challenging part of the campaign is keeping a vast empire under control, constantly being attacked by peripheral countries
and keeping the your empire at peace. but then i guess everyone has their own ideas about whats fun or not, or maybe you just get bored to easily.