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Thread: Greek Cities Speed Run

  1. #21
    Genius of the Restoration's Avatar You beaut and magical
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Thanks Hakomar, glad you like it. Yeah I brought in a new army from Greece for the assault against Rome. didn't fancy my chances with four phalanxes and a general

    @MaceMan
    It does. Luckily it didn't impact my speed because my army was all out of movement anyway. I actually had to bring some Milita Hoplites in from Capua to besiege Rome to build some ladders because the main army had no movement left at all. I even kept some javelins in case one got away but I couldn't hit him.
    Last edited by Genius of the Restoration; September 02, 2009 at 09:57 PM.

  2. #22
    decimator22's Avatar Vicarius
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Nice advance man, keep the machine going.

  3. #23
    Genius of the Restoration's Avatar You beaut and magical
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Hopefully it will be getting even faster as new fronts are opening up. I'm setting a new target for myself of 25 turns.

  4. #24
    MaceMan's Avatar Miles
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Quote Originally Posted by Hakomar View Post
    I have been waiting for this for a long time, you do not fail to dissapoint.
    P.S, Maceman, I love your videos.
    Thanks mate, glad to see some people appreciate what I did, even though I've retired. Mine were by no means the best, though.



    "...and MaceMan outflanks with a dose of reality..."
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  5. #25

    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Another excellent set of turns, Genius of the Restoration! Nice job against the SPQR, I always hate that battle. Keep it up!
    Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast) - Gaius Julius Caesar
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  6. #26
    magraev's Avatar Biarchus
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    This is very interesting. The later turns must take ages to complete. Impressive tactics you're using and I appreciate the tactical pointers.

  7. #27
    Change's Avatar Semisalis
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Now you REALLY have to rest ur troops! u don't wanna see me angry!!!

  8. #28
    Chicken's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    loved reading this, keep it up!!!!

  9. #29
    Genius of the Restoration's Avatar You beaut and magical
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Thanks for the support everyone. Turn Thirteen has taken me about two hours so far. Taken five settlements this turn and planning where to launch a new wave from Greece. I'm thinking of taking a boat across into Gaul. Or rather into Italy, walk across the mainland and then get on another boat to go the rest of the way.
    The next lot of battlefield stats will be lacking a bit because I forgot to turn FRAPS on. I was sitting there pressing F10 without realising nothing was happening . Only missed about three of the battles though so it's no big deal.
    I also took a screenshot of a perfect use of the tactic I described in Lesson Four so I'll post that new pic there now.
    Last edited by Genius of the Restoration; September 03, 2009 at 10:55 PM.

  10. #30
    High Chunker Greens's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    That is ridiculous! I probably couldnt do that on easy Keep going!

  11. #31
    Parzival2211's Avatar Ducenarius
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Really impressive. I am trying to follow your example taking on large odds with my cavalry in my Scipii campaign. Now, I am facing more than 1000 guys with 1 strong general unit and 3 units light cav. Problem is, the Spanish are fielding 3 general units, 3 more cav units + inf. We'll see how that goes tonight or tomorrow.

  12. #32

    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Epic! Love the campaign so far - really enjoy the pointers as well.

  13. #33
    Genius of the Restoration's Avatar You beaut and magical
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Update coming within 24 hours. Only done 3 turns but it'll be a while before I get to 6. How'd you go Parzival? It's hard beating armies with superior cavalry when you don't have much to counter with.

  14. #34
    Genius of the Restoration's Avatar You beaut and magical
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    The campaign is finished. I took my 50th settlement in the winter of 263BCE. This will be a four turn update of how I got there in my remaining turns.

    Thirteenth Turn (264)
    At the end of my last turn the Julii attacked the army that was besieging their settlement of Arretium, but with 9 units of cavalry on my side they were always doomed to fail. This victory allowed me take Arretium in their turn and move at once to split the army to besiege both Segesta and Ariminum in my own turn.


    I also had my revenge against the Seleucid diplomat that had annoyingly taken Mazaka through bribery. I was presented with a bit of a problem with him, as the faction rankings scroll told me that the Seleucids had plenty of cash, so I thought it would be entirely possible for him to bribe another city. I wanted to recruit an assassin but the nearest settlement that could recruit them was Rome, and the other places that had the population required were too far away as well. Instead, I trained a diplomat and bribed the briber. Who then went and bribed another diplomat outside another settlement, and again. I bribed three diplomats this turn and a couple more in the following turns, just to make sure I didn't lose any more cities.


    Salamis, Thapsus, Segestica and Tylis also fell this turn.

    Fourteenth Turn
    The Julii again tried to defeat an army that was beseiging their city, this time attacking the army outside Ariminum. They against suffered a crushing defeat.


    I had my first loss this turn. It was a naval battle against pirates, but luckily they didn't sink my Biremes carrying a half stack of Armoured Hoplites and Militia Cavalry (probably wouldn't have really mattered in the end, I don't think they ever saw combat).

    I continued my campaign against the Nile by taking Alexandria and moving on to besiege Memphis this turn. I love it how ill-defended this region is. It's a terrific way to get rich. Simply send in a small number of troops, exterminate all three cities for 10,000+dn each and you're laughing. I killed the faction leader and last of the surviving Romans this turn as I took Segesta. I attacked some Armenians on a beach which was quite pretty.

    Fifteenth Turn (263)
    Mt army besieging the Dacian capital of Porrolissum with a captain-led army got a Heroic Victory in a defence against Dacian troops that also gave me an awesome Man of the Hour. He was going to be a six-star general with Drillmaster for extra movement. But unfortunately, he died before I could adopt him.

    To make me even more angry, my Faction Leader finally died of natural causes this turn too, leaving an army in Thracian territory with no general or cavalry. Uh-oh.

    I besieged the Numidian city of Cirta because I'm a nasty sort of bloke who doesn't like any factions being on friendly terms and because it was only a short stroll from Carthage so I figured I might as well take it while I was there. I'd sent some of my forces that took Carthage on a journey to take the islands the Carthaginians owned, they finished this turn with the fall of Palma. My army that had been resting in Tarsus finally moved in and attacked Antioch and got lucky with some spies (it was actually more likely that they did open the gates, so I'm not sure if I can still call it luck...). It fell without a struggle. I also had some luck with spies in Kotais and took that too. Alexandria fell and I besieged Thebes with the left overs. My army that had taken Epirus, Dalmatia and Illyria now made it to Pannonia and took Aquincum from the Gauls. My armies that had just killed off the Julii moved on to lay siege to the Gaulish settlements of Mediolanium and Patavium.

    After taking Kotais I sent my spy around the corner to see if I could also take Artaxarta. Much to my disappointment I saw a full stack brimming with Horse Archers. No chance of getting a half stack of Hoplites and Milita Cavalry through that; even the Rome AI manages to use Horse Archers reasonably intelligently in the field (i.e. not charging you with them). To ensure I didn't lose Kotais before I got to my 50 provinces I started to do what every good general should do on the defensive, I built forts. The wondrous thing about forts is that they require your opponents to lay siege and build rams and then attack, which buys you extra time. A bit of extra time was all I needed at this stage. I thought I'd need an extra two turns, turned out not to be the case.


    Sixteenth Turn
    I had some successes and a major failing in the AI turns between my fifteenth and sixteenth turns. The Gauls brought an army in to assist Patavium and were decidedly crushed.

    LESSON SIX: Grouping units
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Grouping units can be a good way of ensuring that your units keep formation as you march them. In the pre-battle set up I often group my units in a battle formation that I intend to use later. They don't necessarily have to start in this formation, but having it already selected makes it easy to change formation mid-battle. In this image you can see that I've grouped my troops in a standard battle formation. What I will do is run so that the first army engages me and when they rout (with my formation in disarray from various enemy and friendly charges) I will use my grouped units to resume my formation in preparation for the next wave of units.




    Grouping units can be particularly valuable if you want to use multiple formations in a battle. Because the AI tend to send all of their units in at the same time, this is more useful when you face armies that have reinforcements. Simply assign the second formation you want to use to the units in the setup stage, then take up the other formation and march with that. When you click and drag all the units later they will assume the other formation.

    On grouping, remember that if you want to add a unit to a group in battle you have to de-group all units before adding another one. If you don't do this, only the new unit will receive orders while the rest of the group will just sit there. It's an unfortunate bug that CA really should have straightened out. Also, be wary of directing a whole group to attack a target, as they don't generally do this well and often charge whatever is closest. Manually assign each unit its target.

    The Gauls also stumbled onto an ambush that I laid (while running out movement points, not an intentional one). I've never seen a worse ambush scenario. Honestly, how is it possibly an ambush when there's a river between the armies?


    The battle was won, but I lost my first family member in a battle, when Aristides fell while fighting a unit of Barbarian Cavalry... oh the shame. As a side note, always ensure your general uses his Rally ability before you charge into the enemy, because he will stop and thrust his sword, putting him out of harms way for the initial charge. Makes them survive longer.


    I then lost my second battle of the campaign. The army that had been besieging Campus Getae was attacked. This was the unfortunate army that had just lost it's general, my old Faction Leader. This meant it no longer had the awesome morale and killer cavalry unit it was used to. The enemy flanked and a nicely timed captain death on my part quickly routed my three units of Hoplites, Cretans, Mercenary Peltasts and Thracian Mercenaries leaving only my Spartans to be swamped by their superior numbers, Faction Leader and Faction Heir. It was a very sad day for me. I should have saved the battle so other people could try it out, but I always think of these things after I quicksave.

    This turn actually saw a lot of autoresolving. The winning of the campaign would be done at the same speed no matter how many troops I lost during my sieges, so I pretty much skipped them. Cyrene, Mediolanium, Campus Iazyges and Lepcis Magna fell with no battles played on my part. I'd been kicking myself for losing the battle against the Thracians because it had meant that I'd fallen short at 49 settlements. I thought that I'd have to spend one more turn so that my other armies could take that one more settlement that I needed. However I then remembered the trick that had been played on me a couple of years earlier. I sent one of my diplomats to the lightly garrisoned Palmyra to attempt to bribe it. He failed. So I took desperate measures to ensure I finished on this turn. I sold every building except for ports in every single settlement. This gave me an extra 42,000dn, which was enough to bribe the settlement for the win! Here are the final screens:






    The finalised battle stats. I've decided that they're a bit misleading because the same army often attacks a big army and a small army, which makes the number of troops I had appear more than I actually did.




    Some other miscellaneous information:
    10 Famous Battle markers. 15 spies. 5 diplomats. Killed Macedon, Brutii, Scipii, Julii, SPQR, Pontus and Dacia. At war with Egypt, Seleucia, Carthage, Gaul, Armenia, Numidia, Spain and Thrace.


    Hope you've enjoyed reading this. It's been good fun to play. I was originally aiming for a 25-30 turn finish, but it turns out I underestimated myself a fair bit. Thanks to everyone who recommended the Greek Cities, they really turned out to be an excellent choice. I hope you've learned something through these posts.

    Fin!
    Last edited by Genius of the Restoration; September 07, 2009 at 12:58 AM.

  15. #35
    Parzival2211's Avatar Ducenarius
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Looking forward to your next chapter + pictures.

    I suprisingly managed the battle against the Spanish without taking too many casualties - mainly because they came out of Scallabis one by one. Some of the cavalry units used a 2nd gate, but still reached me separately.

    I've also turned my invasion of Greece into a speed run to outdo the Brutii. Met huge odds outside Athens - 1 excellent general unit + 1 legionary cav + some archers and 4 units Pretorian legionaries against 4 Greek general units + 3 militia cav. + lots of armoured hoplites, hoplites + heavy peltasts and Cretan archers. Difficulty was to keep the their cav at bay before they could wipe out my archers. It was manageable thanks to the better quality of my cav - I could take on 2-3 of theirs with each of my units. And again, the AI didn't use their overwhelming numbers, but attacked wave after wave.

  16. #36
    Chicken's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    OMG!!!!!!!!

    U DID IT IN UNDER 21 TURNS!!!! (EVEN BETTER THAN THE MEDIEVAL 2 GUY!!!!)

    THAT WAS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I DOUBT 16 TURNS WILL EVER BE BEATEN!!!!!!!!!!
    Quote Originally Posted by Hakomar View Post
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  17. #37
    magraev's Avatar Biarchus
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Incredible achievement.

    Maybe you need a mod that can challenge you a bit more? I reccomend XGM, where the greeks have a more developed roster that in vanilla. Would be interesting to see how fast you could conquer the world in that mod!

  18. #38
    SoulBlade's Avatar Vicarius
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Quote Originally Posted by coolguyz View Post
    OMG!!!!!!!!

    U DID IT IN UNDER 21 TURNS!!!! (EVEN BETTER THAN THE MEDIEVAL 2 GUY!!!!)

    THAT WAS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I DOUBT 16 TURNS WILL EVER BE BEATEN!!!!!!!!!!
    The "medieval 2 guy" controlled the whole map =P
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  19. #39
    Genius of the Restoration's Avatar You beaut and magical
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Quote Originally Posted by magraev View Post
    Incredible achievement.

    Maybe you need a mod that can challenge you a bit more? I reccomend XGM, where the greeks have a more developed roster that in vanilla. Would be interesting to see how fast you could conquer the world in that mod!
    I'm thinking of moving on to mods now, or maybe BI. I got it again (after giving it for permanent loan to a friend) recently when I bought Gold Edition, and haven't actually played it much. I'll see what's on offer, though I've heard good things about XGM.

    @coolguyz
    Heh... thanks

    @Parzival
    Good to hear you did it. Oh how I love some good cav... they really make all the difference.

  20. #40
    Eat Meat Whale Meat
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    Default Re: Greek Cities Speed Run

    Quote Originally Posted by Genius of the Restoration View Post
    I'm thinking of moving on to mods now, or maybe BI. I got it again (after giving it for permanent loan to a friend) recently when I bought Gold Edition, and haven't actually played it much. I'll see what's on offer, though I've heard good things about XGM.
    Give RTR: The Iberian Conflict a try, if only for the first few battles. The first Carthaginian battle in particular is known for being a bast.

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