Tips for a noob

[xenobiotic]

Hey all,

just got this game and im enjoying it alot but im kinda having a hard time.

Im playing as england and ive taken the islands and a few places in northern france, but now im getting bogged down. im pretty good at the tactical battles, but not so much on the campaign map

i have the biggest kingdom, army, and im the most advanced, but i find that everyone hates me so im fighting on 2 or 3 fronts all the time.

so basically how do you make people like you? and how do you get people to stop attacking you? i've decimated so many armies, then the countries cease fire and attack me once they build up again.

Also how do you get the pope to like you? i havent been excommunicated but i have 1 or no crosses.

Thanks.

[Ged]

Gift old Popey money or settlements, and do the same to other factions to increase your repuatution with them. Try and secure alliances and map info as well, be prepared to offer money to them for an alliance.

[malcolm mcdowell]

there is whole threadon rep somewhere. basically if you have a high overall rep (found by hovering over your faction symbol in the diplomacy screen) then people will be more inclined to ally etc and then hold the alliances.
the pope likes you if you build churches and convert. and dont go all out on other catholic nations, especially if you start the war.

[Kahn]

The key to diplomacy in this game is to use your head when you make decisions.

If I exterminate this city, are people going to think I have a good rep? No.
If I attack this faction, are their allies going to be mad? Yes.
If I do whatever the pope wants, will he tend to favor me? Yes.

Another big key is to not start wars. If you just wait a few turns, somebody is bound to attack you. The computer wants to expand, just like you do, so it's just a matter of time before your borders are breached.

It's all very straightforward.

[Lost Crusader]

i have the biggest kingdom, army, and im the most advanced, but i find that everyone hates me so im fighting on 2 or 3 fronts all the time.

Welcome to the Total war!

[xenobiotic]

Welcome to the Total war!

hahaha I was waiting for someone to say that.

Well thanks for the advice, I started a new game and I'm doing much better.

[pwijnands]

I wouldn't give other factions money, only the pope. At the start of the game take your diplomat all over Europe to make as much alliances as possible. It's much easier to start one at the start of a game. An alliance with the pope should be on the top of the list, it more or less guarantees excommunication for the faction who tries to attack you.

[Evolution]

how do you get people to stop attacking you? i've decimated so many armies, then the countries cease fire and attack me once they build up again.

Thanks.

Well, when that happens to me i just make sure they can't rebuild by capturing their castles and advanced settlements and then destroy every building (giving me more money) (oh don't destroy any Christian churches) and then I gift it them back.


If your England then i do not see how your are having any major trouble. Britain is a strategic island that can easily repel other factions.

[vonKrysiak]

Also everytime you release the prisoners and take over city without looting/slaughtering population you get positive bonuses.

[malcolm mcdowell]

sacking i think is not bad, but not good. just occupying settlements is the best

[29 days later]

Hey all,

just got this game and im enjoying it alot but im kinda having a hard time.

Im playing as england and ive taken the islands and a few places in northern france, but now im getting bogged down.

i have the biggest kingdom, army, and im the most advanced, but i find that everyone hates me so im fighting on 2 or 3 fronts all the time.

So you play and Engalnd, your country is the greatest at everything and everyone hates you. Well at least we can say the game is historically accurate.

[crucify_ego]

Hey all,

just got this game and im enjoying it alot but im kinda having a hard time.

Im playing as england and ive taken the islands and a few places in northern france, but now im getting bogged down. im pretty good at the tactical battles, but not so much on the campaign map

i have the biggest kingdom, army, and im the most advanced, but i find that everyone hates me so im fighting on 2 or 3 fronts all the time.

also kinda sounds like the U.S. circa - right now!

[NobleNick]

Welcome to M2TW.

...so basically how do you make people like you? ...

I don't know. As England, everyone hated me.

...and how do you get people to stop attacking you? ...

Pretty tough. One thing that might work is to keep stacks on your borders; but that is spendy. First off. do not attack anyone NEW (otherwise you would have 4 or 5 enemies instead of 2 or 3). Next, pick the weakest enemy and put everytning you have into exterminating them. Dodge their armies and take their cities. Pick the next weakest, and so on. Once down to 1 enemy, try to keep it that way.

... Also how do you get the pope to like you? i havent been excommunicated but i have 1 or no crosses.

Yeah, my rep with His Exoneratedness was always in the toilet until I followed advice from this forum --> As another poster said, get your diplomat down to the Papal states and gift them about 200 denarii every turn. It works wonders. Also, build cathedrals (the Pope really likes them). Also, join crusades, if and when they are called. Finally, do NOT attack Catholic factions (wait for them to attack you).

[Old Geezer]

Also, if and when you capture a city of another faction do not sack or exterminate or your standing with the Pope will drop. If you just do nothing your standing with the Pope will deteriorate over time so it is best to keep on giving every turn. Giving the Pope a city will make him really happy. Give him a Byzantine city and when they retake it from him you can be a hero again by recapturing it for the Pope. The only problem is that the Pope will get ticked if your troops march in his lands sometimes, so once you give him a region you'd better take a direct route out asap! (It's just about impossible to get an alliance and military access from the Pope on very hard difficulty.)