what's the deal?

**ZIMtheGRIM** · July 14, 2008, 10:06 PM

I get RTW but what I don't get is the selucids... and why they are wiped out so fast. In most campaigns they die first. (unless i kill someone before they die!) But it's kind of odd. They have los of money and land and soldiers. But that could also be the problem. They can't hold all the land, even with a well sized army. But they are the top empire then they drop down to last and eventually die. Are the selucids that weak, or the egyptians and everyone else down there blood thirsy? :hmmm:

**Prince_of_Macedon** · July 14, 2008, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by ZIMtheGRIM

I get RTW but what I don't get is the selucids... and why they are wiped out so fast. In most campaigns they die first. (unless i kill someone before they die!) But it's kind of odd. They have los of money and land and soldiers. But that could also be the problem. They can't hold all the land, even with a well sized army. But they are the top empire then they drop down to last and eventually die. Are the selucids that weak, or the egyptians and everyone else down there blood thirsy? :hmmm:

Moving this to Battle Planning.

**ZIMtheGRIM** · July 14, 2008, 10:30 PM

How does the S.P.Q.R. stay alive? I try to play as them and I lose money like mad, Seeing as i have 1 city... but still. They usually are way up there in the financial rankings too. So how do they not run out of money? I don't get it.

**Draugdur** · July 15, 2008, 07:43 AM

About Seleucids...I think it's both factors you mentioned. They have a HUGE empire, but not much commercial infrastructure if I remember correctly, so they can't support enough men to defend such an empire. Of course, it would be quite easy to simply abandon some outlying provinces, consolidate forces - maybe conquer a rich city or two - but AI is usually not smart enough for that.
And then there is Egypt, of course - the strongest, richest and most aggressive faction in the game (except Romans)...

**Legio** · July 16, 2008, 09:34 AM

The SPQR is surrounded by natural barriers and allies.
The Seleucids are surrounded by flat plains and enemies that love to attack them. That is why Seleucids are so fun to play as as well.

**Yojimbo** · July 17, 2008, 05:33 AM

Originally Posted by ZIMtheGRIM

How does the S.P.Q.R. stay alive? I try to play as them and I lose money like mad, Seeing as i have 1 city... but still. They usually are way up there in the financial rankings too. So how do they not run out of money? I don't get it.

That has to be a lie. The SPQR cant be played as they aren't actually a faction. its just code for the senate missions.

I'm playing as the Seleucids now its a toughish but fun campaign just annoying with everyone attacking you from the start.

**htismaqe** · July 17, 2008, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by TrueForlornhope

That has to be a lie. The SPQR cant be played as they aren't actually a faction. its just code for the senate missions.

I'm playing as the Seleucids now its a toughish but fun campaign just annoying with everyone attacking you from the start.

SPQR can be playable with mods.

**Lord Thesaurian** · December 26, 2008, 02:36 PM

about the SPQR: they are protected by the other 3 roman factions, so all they have to do is build and wait till they are strong enough to buy a big army. plus they start out with a crapload of men, and since their army's only function is to protect rome and vanquish tiny little rebels that wander into latium, they really dont need to build their military anyway. their main focus is to build buildings - thats it. Because of this, they are often very wealthy. After all, rome is the biggest most powerful city in the RTW world. This also makes them very wealthy. And on top of all this, the Senate can use the other Roman factions to do Rome's dirty work. SPQR has little to fear within the first 100 years of the campaign.

**C-Rob** · July 17, 2008, 10:11 PM

SPQR ARE really hard to play as. Played by the player they go completely bankrupt, they're surrounded by arguably the strongest factions in the game, and they have almost no area to expand into whithout ridiculous amounts of disorder due to distance from Capital(unless you want to attack the other factions of romans. i tried that and after conquering two cities I was bankrupt again and couldn't reraise an army everytime they sent a stack into my lands and I quit after the scipii took rome). But that is just me and I am NOT great at the game at all.

The Seleucids played by the AI are surrounded by enemies and don't get the chance to build up their forces and their troop quality so they die, torn to shreds by the combined powers of pontus, armenia, parthia, and Egypt. I found that the greeks will ally with them though and they don't go to war with eachother in my games. maybe you can try giving them a village, like, the Crete island or Rhodes(though, really, you may want to KEEP the colossus, though it would help them out a ton). Maybe they'll last long enough to get some silvershields, a navy, and some elephants and start conquering something after you give them a mainland city as well.

**Iphikrates649** · July 17, 2008, 10:28 PM

Battles between AI are always auto-calced. Auto-calced battles are horribly un balanced. Especially when the armies contain chariots. Chariots are horribly un balanced. Egypt and Pontus get chariots. Seleucid get's eaten by Egypts Chariots of the get go. Seleucid Empire's infrastructure is horrible. They don't make much money. Go against Egypt, Pontus, Armenia, and Parthia at the same time with an Empire that is the same size as Egypt's but doesn't have the rich and fertile lands of the nile that continually pump wealth into the coffers and you'd lose too. That's the main reason Seleucid Empire get's wiped out so early. They're tricky to balance.

**Lord Thesaurian** · December 26, 2008, 02:28 PM

it often puzzles me as well why the seleucids die first. I have however concluded that the seleucids tick their neughbors off and attack way too soon (when all they have is a bunch of crappy militia hoplites) and therefore are slaughtered. Ive played as the seleucids before and they win very easily (even on vh/vh). they just have to be at peace with their neighbors or at least fight a defensive war if attacked until they are strong enough militarily and economically to carry on a long, multi-front war. With their powerful phalanxes, companion cav and elephants the only factions that can hope to stand against them are Parthia, Egypt, and maybe rome, but not for long. The seleucids kick @$$ when theyre not run by the stupid AI.