Need help..

[Yellow_Pact]

Is it just me or is this game much harder than Rome...
In like every battle as France against England, I nearly lose most of my army, general, or even the battle...even to the point where I lose my infantry and have to use my crossbowmen as replacements.
Can you guys give me tips on how to beat them on battles?

[Wheelchair]

Yes...

1. Be smart

2. Don't be stupid. Refer to rule 1

3. Variety is the spice of life, and frankly... Medieval Battles. SeeBelow

4. Balance between Archers, Infantry, Cavalry. Refer to rule 1

5. If you have the Generals, Use them! They retrain by themselves and they make very effective cavalry. however; you risk Losing a unit altogether if you get your general killed. Refer to rule 2.

6. Always Situate on a hill, EVERYTIME. Refer to rule 2

7. If England, make the enemy attack you. Refer to rule 1

8. If your the French... Cavalry, lots of Cavalry. Don't refer to anything

9. Engage enemy Infantry with your own, have 1(preferably 2) unit of Cavalry run behind and attack from behind. I call these Shock Tactics, as it routes the enemy fast, resulting in a win. Refer to rule 1 and 2

10. Refer to rule 2, Don't send your general into 4 units of Knights, he'll get owned.

11. Try and use a general with high Dread for Shock Tactics, as it scares the enemy. Referring is overrated

12. However; Refer to rule 1, and use the search button =D

[Sharpe116]

I don't have a problem with the battle portion of the game i can hold my own when outnumbered. i have a problem with the campaign portion and keeping my empire from going bankrupt .

For battle tips refer to post #2. P.S. referring is overrated

[Monsieur Alphonse]

A. battlefield tactics
There are two basics in defeating an enemy: local superiority and morale.

1. The basics of fighting a battle has always been to create an overwhelming force at the decisive point. The trick is to attack one part of the enemies army with more men then they have and from several directions. This can be done with the basic hold the line with spear and/or sword units and flank with cavalry or fast moving infantry. Soldiers that are attacked from several directions will route and once one unit routs the rest will follow.

2. To make the enemy rout easier you should lower his morale. This can be done by spraying him with (fire) arrows or making him tired. To start with you can soften the enemy with arrows or artillery. Let him come to you; let him climb a hill will make his men tired.

Once you know these basics you should use them against the enemy. You should also remember that the enemy will try to use the against you. So don't get your units tired while marching.

B The economy
Its the economy stupid. The basics is to maximize your revenue and don't have to high costs. You should have a healthy ratio of cities to castles (4 to 1). Cities earn you money and castles provide you with troops and defensive positions (unless playing factions like Milan). The most profitable cities are coastal cities. Ports will bring you the most wealth. There are a lot of threads about the economy and they will tell you the same:
Use in cities only militia as garrisons because of free upkeep.
build: farms (more people), roads (faster movement) and economic buildings like ports and grain exchange. Don't forget the minds of your people by building churches.

[sparty]

Just keep in mind that the race to develop better units and technology is a slower pace. Don't pour all your resources into upgrades that won't have an immediate positive financial impact on your kingdom.

For example, don't spend 2000 florins on the first few turns in a row to build libraries around your kingdom. Look at building roads, clearing land, allowing for farming. More population means more tax income.

Don't build military units that you cannot support for free while in garrison. Particularly early on these units can hold their own in battle and won't break the bank in upkeep! Cavalry is really expensive to upkeep so make sure you have an immediate need for it if you build it!

[Sher Khan]

Battle Planning.

Definitely.

[Xamt]

In like every battle as France against England, I nearly lose most of my army, general, or even the battle...even to the point where I lose my infantry and have to use my crossbowmen as replacements.
Can you guys give me tips on how to beat them on battles?

its hard to give you tips when you dont give us details... anyway the trick is to see what kind of troops your opponent uses and use a counter to them

1) england has superb archers (longbowmen), the way to counter them is either with cavalry, or siege engines... i wouldnt go against them with missile troops, unless my missile troops were pavice x-bows... and always try to have higher ground
2) english armies normally use billmen and spearmen (militias or the castle trained counterparts) - the way to counter these is with some missile troops of your own or with a combination of infantry/cavalry (your infantry ties up theirs and your cavalry cahrges them in the rear)
3) english cavalry is mostly made up of hobilars with a few knights thrown in, since i assume its early game try to use some spearmen against them, or use hire some mercenary knights (better than the ones you can recruit) if u can afford it, an alternative to this is to try and call (or join) a crusade asap and garrison a general with high chivalry in a settlement - this will allow you to get a knightly chapter relatively early and use the knights it provides who are awesome

i personally take a LOT of cavalry (usually 1/3-1/2 of my army) if i can afford it and make up the rest with spear militias and a couple of archer units when i play a french campaign

hope this helps, but still.... give more details about what your playstyle is, what units u like using and what armies you are facing if you feel like you want/need better advice