What difficulty level do you play on?

[Arcinatus]

TBH i usually play on just medium difficulty for the campaign and battles. its easy, but whatever, i'm really not all that great at this game just yet

[SpoiL]

I play on very Hard for the campaign but easy for the battles.

The cities are to big..its hard to keep up without an army built for a battle.

[Wheelchair]

You spelled "play" wrong! lol.

H/VH

because VH On campaign is unlrealistic.

[SPARTAN VI]

Very Hard / Very Hard. Game is too easy, even on VH/VH you quickly hit that comfort zone where AI attacks are less of a challenge and more of a nuisance.

[Arcinatus]

how does VH on campaign make it unrealistic?

[Kinshejsi]

how does VH on campaign make it unrealistic?

The AI gets lots of extra monnies.
I play on M/M, because I've heard it's the most fair (no bonusses or penalties for ai). And because I can't win on VH/VH

[Sascha]

The AI gets lots of extra monnies.
I play on M/M, because I've heard it's the most fair (no bonusses or penalties for ai). And because I can't win on VH/VH

Well, "fair" is relative - if you would be completely unable to learn and would have instead to always repeat your mistakes plus not having a clue of the game in general, then it might be "fair" on M/M.

The way it is, the game is dead simple for any reasonably skilled player even on VH/VH, unless you shoot yourself in the foot with very strict house rules.

The only interesting part I ever encounter these days is getting over the initial shortage in cash and good units, but that quickly becomes a non-issue after 20 to 30 turns.

So, I usually play on VH/VH or H/VH (because it supposedly limits freak AI attacks on you, but it even that appears easily manageable to me, just takes some time each turn to send a diplomat with small gifts like "attack rebels" to each faction), but the game has become so boringly easy that it is getting dull.

I might play some Civ4 again, that game used the same mechanics of giving "unfair" bonuses to the AI, but at least succeeds to present a genuine challenge (to me, anyway ).

Maybe the main "problem" is that TW games just make it too easy to become powerful quickly - in a game like Civ4, it is only well into the late game that you will usually have the resources to really go on a world domination campaign, for most time of the game your power projection capacity will be rather limited.

So that's just my 5 cent (ok, maybe 6).

[SPARTAN VI]

how does VH on campaign make it unrealistic?

I'd like to know this as well. I've played on M/M, H/H. VH/VH, and the only difference I've noticed is on the battle map; it's just harder to force enemy units to route. No way of measuring this, but if the battles are longer, I'm probably going to incur more losses than on the easier difficulties.

On the campaign map, they're no more or less tactical. I'd guess the VH settings gives the AI a financial bonus to the King's Purse.

[Wheelchair]

I'd like to know this as well. I've played on M/M, H/H. VH/VH, and the only difference I've noticed is on the battle map; it's just harder to force enemy units to route. No way of measuring this, but if the battles are longer, I'm probably going to incur more losses than on the easier difficulties.

On the campaign map, they're no more or less tactical. I'd guess the VH settings gives the AI a financial bonus to the King's Purse.

On VH in the Campaign, the AI is far more aggressive and diplomacy is out of reach.

Hard: Diplomacy remains a decisive factor, if you use it correctly. The AI gets money, So what? Sometimes I use moneycheat and give the AI 500'000 florins to get a slight advantage, but I still end up crushing them :]

[Angrychris]

ive beaten it on h/h but i am playing a mulan campaign on vh/vh atm because im extremely good at total war games on campaign mode.

[TheTrueGreek]

i play hard/hard, or vh/m as i tend to do stupid moves like have 6 unit armies take on stacks

[Double A]

i play hard/hard, or vh/m as i tend to do stupid moves like have 6 unit armies take on stacks

Its not if your units are ha's and the AI made another stack of friggin peasants.

[Antissa]

I play M2TW on the Medium/Medium difficulty settings.

[Viking Prince]

vh/vh always. I do not even know what the differences are in the settings. Not that i am that great, but why learn how to play based on an easier setting and develope bad habits that you will regret when you move up to higher settings?

[Old Geezer]

I play on VH/VH because it is easier, at least for an expander/blitzer. On VH/VH I have to fight almost every battle on the field which results in much larger victories. The AI factions attack more readily and therefore give me an easier time at expanding. They tend to get excommed so easily that it is an exploit which leads to more crusades which leads to the Pope being nice and units getting promoted and more money. The AI has more money to improve the infrastructure of its settlements so I don't have to when I conquer them. I don't waste time or money on diplomacy except for the Pope. Because I don't care about diplomacy, I am freer to loot for extra cash. I rest my case.

[S-te-Fan]

Easy...

WHAT!?





No just kidding . I play on Very Hard/ Very Hard

[Sparkshot]

I play on Hard/Medium, and I have to concur with Arcinatus when he states that VH is "unrealistic". Maybe that wouldn't be my exact word choice, more like ridiculous. I discussed this in a different thread and to summarize, I feel as though the AI cheats. In my experience, I can't help but think that the AI goes out of its way to attack me. Seemingly random factions gang up on you for no apparent reason, even when you haven't attacked anyone yet. They want to start a war with you because you are the player (and it is on VH) so since they can't get men to your provinces quick enough, what do they do, they blockade your ports. After that it comes down to a stupid 3 unit siege of a random province so when you attack, it soils your rep and you can't ask for a ceasefire. After that they reap hell upon you.

I turned on toggle_fow several times throughout the game to observe how the AI plays and apparently they don't need defenses at their borders against other enemies, they only need them for you. So consequently I have enemy stacks concentrated on attacking me while their provinces remain unattended and apparently not attacked. What the AI can get away with I definitely cannot due to the fact that the AI is playing against itself, so there is obvious conflict there.

A perfect example of this ridiculousness is when I played as Sicily and captured Tunis with King Roger and Prince Simon. Keep in mind that I have all the released patches. Within five turns, The Byzantine Empire (What?), Venice, and Milan all land at Tunis. Milan attacks first and I defend but then the Byzees ultimately laid siege and killed my two most important generals. The Byzees next unsuccessfully attempt to capture Naples thanks in part to my reinforcements from Palermo via ship. Then a couple turns later the Milanese lay siege to Corsica, then the Moors, then the Moors again, then the Milanese again who ultimately take it as well. So by now I am bankrupt due to the lack of trade, army upkeep, and tech upgrades because I was hoping to hold out long enough to eventually get Gothic Knights, and I have nothing but a castle and a city. It is turn 20 and HRE decides they have nothing else better to do so they start a war with me by blockading the Naples port and Venice proceeds to do the same with Palermo. Then Venice attacks Palermo, which I just manage to defend when Milan comes with a huge stack and proceeds to take it. By now (should have been sooner) the Pope excommunicates Milan (what about Venice?) and I call a crusade on the City of Milan. I destroyed many of the buildings in Palermo because I knew it would be taken and managed to recruit enough Italian Spearmen and mercenaries to join the crusade with my King’s adopted son.

With the low upkeep cost I also managed to recruit more units with my King and he goes for Bologna as the Prince goes for Milan. The crusade was successful—barely—along with the capture of Bologna. I am allowed a few turns of turtling to get my finances in order before Venice attacks the City of Milan which I amazingly defend and unsurprisingly Milan comes with two stacks of reinforcements a turn later. So they take back the City of Milan and France decides to block one of my ports. Next, out of nowhere HRE comes with a full stack heading straight for Bologna and Milan has units from Ajjacio landing in Florence and heading for Bologna--that is when I quit.

[Celsius]

I play on H/H

[Double A]

I do easy/easy but I turtle. Unless I'm Italian.

[Space Wolves]

H/H cause being hard is rock hard.