The term 'absurd' takes a whole new meaning with N:TW

As some of you might already be familiar with, the game engine has a tendency to spawn massive armies during a rebellion. And you might have found out that even if you are bankrupt your existing troops won't disband.

So today I decided to try if you can still change the goverment type in Napoleon, and after 20 turns and 5 revolutions the result is:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I think the picture speaks for itself.



There are 14 3/4 stacks there, totalling about 20.500 units, and I didn't even do my best. Of course my economy is completely broke (a little less than 100.000 expenses for the army and about 6000 income). Because you do not lose units even when bankrupt you can keep doing it forever. On each successful rebellion (each 4 turns) your army multiplies by 1.5, so on turn 24 I'd have 22 full stacks for example. And these are high quality three-five chevron units, consisting mostly of 6 pounders, dragoons and foot. Sometimes the game will even spawn a general (about one per rebellion).

The only bad thing is that the game will slowly run out of portraits for the ruler so you will have to deal with a white square instead of his face.

Discuss.

(oh and yes I am aware that this is turn 21 but I couldn't position my armies so neatly in the last one)

Original (1920x1200) picture here: http://img641.imageshack.us/g/originalba.png/

You found an exploit.

Congrats?

That's not the game, that's you 'exploiting' revolutions. Furthermore, how is this 'absurd?' You now have no money, so unless you disband those armies, you are basically stuck.

Connquering Europe is now out of the question for you, much as you might be surprised to learn, because you cannot afford garrison units, and unrest plus battle casualties will very quickly drain those armies. Without the cash to built new units, you better make those last.

Originally Posted by Thoragoros

That's not the game, that's you 'exploiting' revolutions. Furthermore, how is this 'absurd?' You now have no money, so unless you disband those armies, you are basically stuck.

Connquering Europe is now out of the question for you, much as you might be surprised to learn, because you cannot afford garrison units, and unrest plus battle casualties will very quickly drain those armies. Without the cash to built new units, you better make those last.

I am not trying to exploit anything, it's just...

I feel that it is absurd for the game to spawn so much units of such high experience during a rebellion.

I feel that it is absurd that armies do not disband if you have no money to pay them.

This is everything I wanted to say. I never tried to present this as a viable strategy for beating the game.

In my game when I briefly went bankrupt for a turn due to blockades, my armies suffered desertion. It looked like they had fought a tough battle.

Originally Posted by ♔Sir Reginald♔

In my game when I briefly went bankrupt for a turn due to blockades, my armies suffered desertion. It looked like they had fought a tough battle.

You have a point here. I checked all the other stacks and they are quite badly damaged. Wellington's is particulary bad, but I thought that is because I used it to put down an accidental rebellion in Wales.

Okay, so no exploit, but still, I don't think that four turns after you barely managed to conquer Berlin a full stack of high quality troops spawns a turn away is realistic. And bankruptcy doesn't exist for the A.I. it seems.

I have no problem with 2-3 full stacks of armed citizenry forming up during a rebellion but I hate the fact that they are elite units with experience.

Originally Posted by Reiksmarshal

I have no problem with 2-3 full stacks of armed citizenry forming up during a rebellion but I hate the fact that they are elite units with experience.

I have to agree with you. Logically, it should be the same troops that defend the cities that join the rebellion. Even if it is a military revolt, the highest should be line infantry with 1-2 experience depending on the level of the barracks in the city.

I haven't had problems with rebellions when I peacefully occupy a city.

If you plunder the city, well that's the price you pay, you have to put down the rebellions.

Originally Posted by the_mango55

I haven't had problems with rebellions when I peacefully occupy a city.

If you plunder the city, well that's the price you pay, you have to put down the rebellions.

I never loot if I want to capture the region. I only loot if I don't plan to hold the region and burning the city will damage the enemy (the A.I. just seems to repair everything even if it is clear that it will be burned again in the next turn).

I am talking about the capitals of the main factions, e.g. London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow. Even if I peacefully occupy them and exempt the region of taxes the city happiness is always negative and a rebellion is imminent in three turns. I don't have a problem with this mechanic as long as it would spawn mostly 'civilian' units, like militia.

Sorry I dont understand how you did this. Do to if a rebellion happens in your main city then you choose to side with it or aginst it. SO if you choose to side with the rebellion you only control the rebellion army. If not you dont control them they are the enemy.

Originally Posted by Leatherneck918

Sorry I dont understand how you did this. Do to if a rebellion happens in your main city then you choose to side with it or aginst it. SO if you choose to side with the rebellion you only control the rebellion army. If not you dont control them they are the enemy.

The revolution mechanic is flawed. It will allow you to keep your rebellion armies after the successful rebelion. So after you conquer back the capital all the rebel armies will not disband but you get to keep them. Even if not bankrupt is would make sense to do a revolution every once in a while since you get loads of free and experienced troops. The only bad thing is that you have to repair your capital's barracks and canon factory.

@Reichsmarshal

Nice for you, this is the type of an army the AI spawns for me. The worst thing is that it does not act as a normal rebellion army (does not march immediately on the city) but acts as a normal prussian army at their full disposal. While my army is guarding Berlin this one will probably take Hannover and cause some major trouble in my relatively unguarded rear regions while my two main armies I can afford at the moment are stuck in Vienna and Berlin.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Yes that would be fun and realistic. Your small army of trained soldiers versus masses of armed population.

don't you lose the game if you are bankrupt for more than certain number of turns? I know I did when I first played RTW.

You are right, this is an absurd result. Not one that many of us would try to exploit, but obviously a flaw in the game design. Whether CA would find it worth patching is another question.

I'm sure they'll fix this when NTW2 comes out in a few months....

I love peoples' self control with the hyperbole in thread titles.

It's an exploit, same thing with crusades and free troops.

Originally Posted by Shabby_Ronin

I love peoples' self control with the hyperbole in thread titles.

It's an exploit, same thing with crusades and free troops.

Better than LMAO FUNNY REVOLUTION EXPLOIT LOL maybe? Terribly sorry for wasting a minute of your life with an unimportant matter.

Crusading armies disbanded if you didn't march them to their destination. These are yours without any conditions imposed on their use.

Originally Posted by superca

Better than LMAO FUNNY REVOLUTION EXPLOIT LOL maybe? Terribly sorry for wasting a minute of your life with an unimportant matter.

Crusading armies disbanded if you didn't march them to their destination. These are yours without any conditions imposed on their use.

I forgive you, in the olden days you could call a crusade get the uber units and then disband the crusade and those units remained, I don't remember if it was the first or second, I remember using it.

Originally Posted by Shabby_Ronin

I forgive you, in the olden days you could call a crusade get the uber units and then disband the crusade and those units remained, I don't remember if it was the first or second, I remember using it.

Oh. Well I bought my copy about a year after the release and I always patch thing up...

I'm pretty sure this will be patched up as there is a very simple remedy: split the goverment army in half and give the second part to the rebellion force, fair and easy to implement