Looking for a mod that will give me a challenge

[Arcadia]

Is this it?

One question I have is I have RTRPE already installed, may I install EXRL on top of it with no issues?

I'm just getting back into Rome Total War, and I installed RTR for my first game. My question is, is the AI more challenging and the gameplay more rewarding in this mod than in PE?

Also, what is the differences in difficulties in RTW. I'm considering a H/H game because I hear VH AI receives bonuses. Are there any other differences?

Thanks.

[Delvecchio1975]

yes, it is more rewarding. the AI in my opinion is not smarter, but the economy is harder to manage. e.g. playing as Pontus i find it hard to finance the conquest of Anatolia, and even after that it's not as if you're basking in gold. In RTRPE, once you get economy started (roads, mines & ports) you became basically unstoppable.
if you use the mod switch version it will simply install itself into a separate directory, so you can keep playing RTRPE afterwards if you feel like.
I usually play M/M as I'm basically crap, but it's also the level that the modders designed the unit stats for. Some play the campaign on Hard, so that the rebel AI actually attacks you (it doesn't much on Medium)

[Arcadia]

Can anyone tell me in terms of gameplay what has been specifically changed in EXRL?

[despot_of_rhodes]

I think the most important change in ExRM is, that the traiding good "grain" doesn´t bust you population growth any more. That said, you need not only to build you cities in appropriate way with severs, farms etc, to keep the population growing, but you actually need a really good gouverneur with good retineus and traits like "farmer" and "superb administrator" or "expert in natural philosophy" to reach 24k mark and build the last upgrade for the gouverneur building ( i currently desperatly trying to get Roma upgraded, without lowering the taxes to minimum, wich would make the gouverneur and the students in there almost certenly "administrativly inept" ).

That also means you should think twice, before sacking a city since it could take decades, to bring the up to the next level ( and eliminate the culture penalty or to develop it to a profitable place ). And, of course, that means you don´t have to panic about uncontrolled growth of your own cities any more, wich used to become only hard rulable, once they hit 30k population mark.

I am not quite sure, because it´s been a while since i´ve played orig. RTR, but some units became more expensive, oh, and cavalry recruiting ( except for Generals ) now takes only 1 turn.

Erm..i think the tax bonus of the last gouverneur building dissapeared too.
Delveccho actually allready mentioned, that it´s really hard to get an adequate income to build up more then 2 full armies. Well, as Greeks, Macs, Romans and Carthaginians it´s still very good possible, but Pontus.. well, it took me bout 30 years, to annect Asia Minor, and only after i invaded Cyprus, taking over the goldmines ther, i was able to take a breath

In ExRM the Macs mostly try to expand toward East, the way Alexander took once. Only if they manage to overrun the Greeks, they start to expand in all directions, into Illyria and Thracia, but since their units became bit more expensive ( iirc ), they do not "swimm" in money any more, even after taking over Greece. Oh, and in the most Illyrian cities 15% unrest expects you extra, and will stay there forever ( i´m not sure, if this happens playing Illyrians or other barbarians though ).

I used to complain a lot about naval battles, but somehow in ExRM they are a bit more realistic, at least if you play on "medium" campaign difficulty ( autoresolving concerns campaign difficulty only btw ).

AI is hardcored, one cann not really make it smarter, but now the battle formations consist at least one reserve unit, mostly they are in some standard formation, wich allows AI to cover it´s flanks.

Well...that´s what comes to my mind right now, there´s surly more.

[Arcadia]

Alright you convinced me. I gave bladerunner's installer a try on steam, yet when I attempt to run it, it says it "can't find steam". I'm not sure how to fix it, but I'll try, can anyone tell me what the issue is?

Edit: For reference it is installed in the correct location, and being mod switch capable, in it's own folder.

[Sorceri]

Can anyone tell me in terms of gameplay what has been specifically changed in EXRL?

WOW, you'll need days to read through a changelog. But in my own novice opinion this mod is an incredible balance between historical accuracy and challanging gameplay. I find the fun factor to be through the roof. The armor and unit graphics are beautiful, and the mod's real value is its re-playability as another faction (the faction balance is both accurate and balanced). I play on M/M and find the AI to do a good job IF I roleplay as faction leader with sufficient common sense in regard to the faction I control.

All this being said - I understand that they are working on some very good improvements to this mod which I am anxiously awaiting. Plus the community which plays ExRm is full of some really cool people. I LOVE to read their ideas and reflections on their game experiences. I'm looking forward to reading your own thoughts after you have given the mod a good whirl.

May you find peace and fortune after devastating your enemies.

[Tiberius Tosi]

You could also try TIC (The Iberian Conflict), which is a RTR mini-mod, it has quite good AI if you are looking for a smart AI in battles (the campaign is pretty much scripted on what you do), but I would definitely say ExRM has the best AI of the RTR main campaign.

[Quinn Inuit]

Welcome, Arcadia. (I love that play, btw.) Definitely read the changelog. We've changed all kinds of stuff. Honestly, I don't even remember all of it anymore.* It's a bloody lot harder than RTRPE, though.


*One example: it contains all of my original MightyMiniMod modifications to unit stats, RTRPE 1.9's modifications, new modifications, modifications made based on a long conversation with Wien1938 about phalangites, more modifications, modifications based on Aradan's EDU work, some normalization modifications Florin80 suggested, and to top it all off Jamey** made a bunch of modifications to the barbarians. The EDU is pretty heavily optimized now.

**Jamey is our barbarian overlord.

[Jamey]

**Jamey is our barbarian overlord.

Mwah-ha-ha!

Soon we will destroy the world!

[Caledonian]

Well from a recent campaign i've started as Illyria,i wouldn't say the AI is smarter but the game is MUCH harder.Playing as Illyria i was Allied with Greece and having booted Epirus outta Greece i decided too aid my Allies,however a Thracian\Greek\Ptomley coalition against me has left my fighting for every scrap of land in Greece.The campaign is very fun though and the AI makes good use of EVERY oppurtunity you give it.

[Dgirth12]

I have just started the Extended Mod and i have to say it is harder, I don't think the battle map IA is any harder but the campaign is very much harder.

As the Romans i don't have the funds to make a big army and unless you disband units to make your army smaller you fall into debt within a few turns and with the Greeks breathing down your neck and looking for a fight you have to be careful on which units you disband.

I have left my 3 best city dwelling generals in the 3 cites you start with, disband half of my army leaving me a small army of my best troops to defend my land while i try and build my cites up.

Gaul and the Greeks are now marching into my lands

As the changes to the campaign AI have made it so much harder, this in turn makes the battle map harder as i have to take a smaller army into battle and really think about what I'm doing as i need to win my battles with minimum troop loss..



I love this mod!

[Quinn Inuit]

I'm glad you're enjoying it!

The changes we've made to the battle map AI don't necessarily make it harder. What they do is make the general marginally less likely to suicide charge and make the ranged units (both yours and theirs) much more responsive to orders.

[Dgirth12]

I'm glad you're enjoying it!

The changes we've made to the battle map AI don't necessarily make it harder. What they do is make the general marginally less likely to suicide charge and make the ranged units (both yours and theirs) much more responsive to orders.

Aye i have noticed that about the general, I know have to go and hunt the enemy general if i need to kill him fast, which i try and do when outnumberd.

In your opinion what would you say if the hardest faction to play VH/VH with this mod and does the difficulty setting make much diiference ?

[Quinn Inuit]

I think the difficulty setting makes tremendous difference because of the high unit cost.

The hardest faction on VH/VH is probably Armenia. Maybe Epirus or the Seleucid Empire, too (I'm mentioning these because they have so many enemies bordering or nearly bordering them. The $ bonuses the AIs get will functionally stack if you're fighting >1 at once.).