How can I mod in some balance?

[ArcticFox]

Ave good people.

I have been playing RTR platinum for about a week now and while the mod is great it suffers from the typical syndrome of over-ambitious mods: balance.
Just as game developers exaggerate playabilty in order to sell, modders exaggerate difficulty as a response.

In all my games: the Gauls, Macedon and Seleucid empire grow like plagues. I have no issues fending them off but Jesus Christ I can´t make any headway since I constantly have to fend off 3-4 full Gallic armies in northern Italy as Rome. I can´t build more legions since my periodical finances are +- 0 already, I simply don´t have more for upkeep!


In detail I have 2 Legions in the north to fight gauls and 1 Legion in the south to fight the Greek and Carthaginian incursions (each stack consisting of a dozen units). I simply have nothing to spare to besiege in order to expand!

So what I am wondering is how I can add in some sort of penalties for over extension?
In particular for the Gauls (come on they have 5-6 free rebel settlements to take and thus their "empire" grows beyond belief: they took out Germania and Thrace for Gods sake!) as well as the Macedon and to a minor extent the Seleucids.
Or the other way around: it would help if the ptolomaics, thracians and germanics weren´t so weak.

Any ideas how to balance things out would be extremely appreciated.

[Imortal]

Hmm..try to launch a early atack on the gauls and take the north towns..once the border is Alps it's a easy one..Good luck

[ArcticFox]

Hmm..try to launch a early atack on the gauls and take the north towns..once the border is Alps it's a easy one..Good luck

Said and done. After I built markets in all my cities (Arretium and Ariminum down to Tarentum and Croton) I finally had the money to get in a tiny little legion to start swiping Bononia and Jeunensis.
Once those money rolled in that tiny legion became another 12-unit stack woo!

But still, the balance between factions is still completely nuts. Gauls, Macedons and Seleucids are all over the place taking out the smaller factions one by one. All three are far too overpowered.

[Quinn Inuit]

Suggestions:
1) I'm floored that Gaul is giving you trouble. They usually get pwned. My plan is usually to swing south immediately to deal with Pyrrhus, but don't take Rhegium. Then I move north and beat the heck out of the Gauls, while building some more armies to attack south again. I usually capture up to the Alps and Sicily at roughly the same time.
2) Play the ExRM mod! (Couldn't resist.) Seriously, though, the Galatians really put the screws to the Seleucids in Asia Minor.
3) The Macs are hard to nerf. The new version of the ExRM mod makes all phalanx units more expensive (long story), which helps, but I recommend nuking them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. Or just giving the bastarnae 50% less defense and 2hp again. That may overcompensate for the Thracians, though.

[ArcticFox]

Suggestions:
2) Play the ExRM mod! (Couldn't resist.) Seriously, though, the Galatians really put the screws to the Seleucids in Asia Minor.

Haha, well I am asking for ANY solution so thank you for the suggestion!

EDIT- Hang on... where, where is it?

[florin80]

Above in the add-ons sub-forum:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86638

[Quinn Inuit]

Oops, yeah, sorry, should have linked it in my post. Mea culpa.

Thanks, Florin.

[Delvecchio1975]

My solution for the Macs is: make all their units twice as expensive, including maintenance and upgrades. They will still beat the Greeks in most cases, but will not be the plague they were before.

[ArcticFox]

Just to give you an idea about the gauls:

Turn 1: Two battles near Arretium and Arimunim, full stacks beaten back
Turn 2: repeat turn 1
Turn 3: Onward with my two battered legions to siege Mediolanum and Patavium (with the intention of assaulting immedeately after)
Turn 4: two new full stacks appear and repel my two legions

Seriously: for every 100 I lose I kill 1000 but they just keep coming again and again! A big problem as I see it is that the Gauls can have a good economy in rtrpe... seriously: an empire built on bartering economy???

[Quinn Inuit]

Are you playing on VH campaign or something? Seriously, I've never seen the Gauls behave like that.

Also, what year is this? It's possible they've been left to sit too long.

[ArcticFox]

Well about 240-220bc... don´t tell me, I´ve waited too long haven´t I?

gah... I thought Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica would be the best way to go. (bogged down in Sicily too... but atleast I expect it from the Carths )

[Delvecchio1975]

yes, you waited too long - by that time italy and sicily should be firmly in your grip ...