Byzantine Empire on the Brink of Collapse!

[gr33kp1mp777]

Help your brother in need!

BACKGROUND: My Byzantine Empire in Stainless Steel 4.1, has swept through asia Minor, and conquered Smyrna, Cannakkale, Sinope, Trebizond, Adana, Iconium, and Ceasarea. Also, I have taken Durazzo, Rhodes, Ragusa, Sofia, and Scopia. I have NO financial problems

PROBLEM:After such a quick and sweeping conquest, my forces have been heavily battered and diminished in the east, and therefore I seek peace. However, other than Milan, with whom I have a marriage alliance and a "Good" relation, and my "So-So" Papal State relation, every Catholic faction likes me "very poor" at BEST. The muslims all despise me, there is a jihad directed at Constantinople, my eastern front forces are all too weak, and the castles out there don't have "enough units of this type" for retraining, therefore jihadists have dashed through anatolia and are now besieging Constantinople, NOBODY WILL ACCEPT PEACE!!!!!! I have a dubious reputation, and EVERYONE IS DECLARING WAR. All the random crusading armies are freely foraging my lands and one by one declaring war for no reason, and I can't get any damn peace!

PLAN: In the west, my forces are going strong, and I am sending a fully armed full stack from Ragusa to sack Venice, destroy every building, and the possibly gift it to the Turks for peace. Only then will the defeated Venetians accept peace.

:hmmm: Ideas?

[Evolution]

It will be hard to ask for peace whilst they are on a Jihad. If you really want peace then: Let them win Constantinople, Then capture Constan, Then you should offer Peace and a few cities Plus money.

[King Xiao]

Get SS 5.0

[gr33kp1mp777]

I don't have kingdoms obviously......lol

Anyway, when will the jihad end? (besides with the fall of Constantinople)

I MUST win!!!!

[Lunatic1701]

You my friend are in for a fun campaign, enjoy it. If they AI wins, then sit back and think about all the other campaigns where it's lost because of its stupidity.

[gr33kp1mp777]

But it would be even more fun if I defeated this formidable AI!!!!

[Lunatic1701]

Personally I'd consolidate my central territories in your situation and fall back from the extremities, trying to placate one of the fronts you're at war on somewhat as well.

[Pivra]

put 2 boats between the land bridges close to Constantinople. Then just fight the moors... done

[Metellus]

But it would be even more fun if I defeated this formidable AI!!!!

God, he thinks the AI is "formidable"

But yeah its always interesting when the AI give you a run for your money!

In any case follow suggestions above, but also work on your generals' chivalry so that the catholics think well of you and are more open to peace. Don't exterminate captured cities BTW.

[Daneboy]

Can´t you assasinate the "muslim pope" (can´t remember what he is called), that should end the jihad.

Also, instead of retraining units, you should build units propper if you are in need of bigger armies. You can then merge the different, half power units. It takes up "avalible unit" to retain a unit.

[Lost Crusader]

Can´t you assasinate the "muslim pope" (can´t remember what he is called), that should end the jihad.

I'm afraid there's no "muslim pope". The jihad can be called by any imam with sufficient piety.

[loquar]

Also, instead of retraining units, you should build units propper if you are in need of bigger armies. You can then merge the different, half power units. It takes up "avalible unit" to retain a unit.

I am always in 2 minds about this as merging seems to lose more experience from the unit where retraining doesnt. If I need units fast then yes merge and buy new but if not pressed I think its better retraining for the better experience.

[Mithrantir]

That depends. If you do a careful unit merging usually you either retain or even grow the experience level of the unit that is the outcome. You just have to use your brain and don't mindlessly merge units.

This is easy for the lower ranks (one copper stripe up to 3 copper stripes) and is getting a lot harder for the middle and higher ranks.

On the problem at hand, i would suggest put a single ship to blockade Vosporos and Ellispontos. Then bring as fast as you can forces to attack the jihad from outside the walls, using the inside the walls troops too. Usually most units in the Jihad army are monks, peasants etc (low quality low rank troops) which can easily be defeated if you have a general and medium to good troops. Especially if you have military units around.

[loquar]

That depends. If you do a careful unit merging usually you either retain or even grow the experience level of the unit that is the outcome. You just have to use your brain and don't mindlessly merge units.

This is easy for the lower ranks (one copper stripe up to 3 copper stripes) and is getting a lot harder for the middle and higher ranks.

I have never seen this happen, does someone have stats showing this?

The rational is that troops merging level out the experience between the levels involved so for example 30 3xp troops and 30 1xp troops merged would give 60 2xp troops. There is simply no basis afaik for saying that their xp can go above the level of the highest xp unit.

The only way they gain is if there is more than one full unit worth in the 2 part units that you merge. Then the remainder end up with higher xp as there arent many of them left. I guess you could then retrain what is left of the unit but then that just gives credence to the whole needing to retrain rather than merge

[Bluice]

Once you grow to a certain size the AI is designed to despise your empire and their growth and turn on you.

[boerekovic]

Well,its a Hardcoded feature that the Byzantine Empire will Crumble in the End

[Vor]

The Byzantines where really annoying me in my last campaign. They where one of the largest factions in the game at the time, and kept sending stacks to attack my in Italy (I was Venice) in the end I sent my best general by boat to sack Constantinople. I'm not sure what happened next. But as I took constantinople and killed the Emperor and another two generals the faction was destroyed and a vast area if the map turned rebel.

I assume I killed all the Royal family.. but as I said I only killed 3 generals in the battle as far as I know. And the size they where I was sure they would have more than 3 family members. Ah well.

[The Great /b/tard]

I think I get what's going on here.

You're losing to the AI (WTF) and you're seeking help from the internet.

Well, you could just... cheat... OR abandon your wars in the west and move everything east.

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

wear the jihad down with militia armies fighting a guerrilla campaign until your southern armies are ready to crush them... hold the line in the west, don't expand yet...

[Metellus]

Maybe send us a screenshot and we can help more...