SS6.3: Which factions are you playing? How's that going? What's missing from you're campaign?

[Mega Tortas de Bodemloze]

Alright then... Who's playing what and how's that going? Is it better or worse than SS6.2? Why and Why not...Blow out you're praise and frustrations here. Yes this will go into Stainless Steel Standards 6.3 so please pour on the details for the benefit of others...

I will be tracking a manual graph later, so that's why it's not an automated vote. Thanks very much for your participation. Remember that the modders visit these threads and give credence to you'alls input here. Right then...Have at it chaps..."and all that"...

SS6.3: Which factions are you playing? How's that going? What's missing from you're campaign?

[Kazuhiro]

I am playing an Early Era French Campaign and have not gotten far. One change I did notice is that the garrisons of Toulouse, Rennes, and Bruges start out big with fairly good units. But the garrisons of Metz, Antwerp, and Dijon are 1 unit!!! And the rebels at Lyon, although originally a strong garrison, walked out except for one unit, making it also too easy to grab. To anyone playing an Early Era French, HRE, or English campaign, I'd recommend sending a general with spear militia to nab these settlements quickly.

[Scandal]

Im currently playing and Early English campaign for my first of 6.3. Going well but i decided not to blitz Scotland straight away so their still around with Aberdeen and Inverness and currently at war with me(obviously).

I manged to get marriage alliances with Denmark and Leon and forged a pretty strong alliance with Sicily (where about the last 4 popes have come from) im at war with france after they attacked me at Bruges and Duke George is currently besieging Paris, Norway also keeps sending raiding stacks to York but there no match for Longbowmen at the moment.

My king (stephen of Blois, the younger) is ona misson in the holy lands taking, rebel and Fatimid settlements and giving them to the crusader states in exchange for money (alot of) and an alliance. So far hes taken Damascus Tortosa and Acre (the last being from the French).

[Alpha Zeke]

LOVE IT! Especially the fact that rebels left alone truly become independent, and they mean it!

[Cahoma]

I'm also playing an early era english campain (savage ai, no rr) and It's going awesome

I have vassalised Scotland and I took Rennes, Angers ,and Bordeaux from France

Then I attacked Moors (they were taking control of the Iberian peninsula) and I'm finally having troubles.
I got 3 stacks down there but only hold Granada(crusade target) the 2 other stacks are stuck in forts

the only thing I miss is better cavalry(I only got Hobilars) and some kind of swordsmen

and I have even battled Moorish handgunners at turn 50!

edit: oh, I'm at turn 68

[Xiphias]

Hi,

i started a Late Era Campaign as France. I play rather passive early on to allow the AI to build up. I also try to avoid killing my major Enemys.

I crusaded in Europe a few times (Granada, Genoa, Nottingham) and maybe because of that lack of support the Crusaders died fairly quickly and the Mongols went more or less berserk .

I tried desperatly to keep the HRE alive as my Main-Enemy later on but Venice crippled them hard, not sure if they will survive a real war. AI simply cant handle more then 1 Frontline.

Novgorod is allied with the Mongols and that means a rather big Superblock is forming to devour Europe . I regularly have to fight 2-3 Stacks with 1 of my own as even tiny Nations can afford massive Armys.
The only odd-thing are my Merchants. I have so far never been able to take over another Merchant no matter the odds. One time i reloaded about 30 times with a 42% chance...no luck so i gave up.

Btw. the Popes has about 12 full Stacks and owns only 2 Regions...but he is always French so im not really worried

[feanor910]

Hello. This is my first post, but I've lurked here for some time viewing from my phone. Any way I didn't play 6.2, but I did play 6.1, and 6.3 is great. I'm very early in an early campaign with Aragon. As stated before some of the garrisons, notably toulouse, are stronger. So far the gameplay is much like before, but the feel of the campaign map is improved. Graphically it looks better, I like that my merchant won't get shoved off the glass resource by every Venetian army that passes, and the ability to choose a.i. for each campaign is awesome. Battles seem a little slower, infantry especially spearman, seem to hold a little longer but maybe its my imagination. I like the new skins as well. I'm playing savage a.i.(like to turtle and and Rp), RR, watchtowers, hard/hard.

[gord96]

what AI are u using Xiphias?

[Meneth]

what AI are u using Xiphias?

I'm guessing Savage AI, with Gracul AI, the Pope would probably go on a rampage throughout Italy
BTW: Grammatical error in the thread title, it should be "your", not "you're"

[Xiphias]

what AI are u using Xiphias?

Savage AI without Byg (im not ready for that yet) its either VH/H or H/H i dont remember.
In turn 95 the Turks went down under and now in turn 100 Cairo is under Siege from the Mongols ...Fatimid and Moors wont last long.
But there is hope yet, the Crusade against Jerusalem has been started and everyone joined in, also the Alliance between Novgorod and the Mongols ended because of it.

The next look without Fow will happen at Turn 150 or 200 depending on how it goes

[Gogolometro]

Started 2 campaigns, with RR-RC, one with Venice in early era, second with teutons in late.
So far, AI like a fairy, kind, amiable and easy to crush. In my pomeranian/prussian provinces is like a charm, they go to shopping in the woods, all stacks. Already made lituanians minus 2 provinces. We start making fortress fast. Still rebels spawn ships in lakes in my venetian campaign. There greeks are not so terible. I can say almost too easy to manage. Poor guys in turn 30 they discover the jihads.Very bad for them and very good for Serenissima Republica. The round shields are back, that is good, the peasents are with forks, thats bad, still 3 stacks of peasents can be a good buffer for feudal cavalry when your best cavalry is mailed and you are outnumbered and lower tech.
Things I think can be implemented, dunno who write the code in RR-RC latest release, but he done a excellent job for rebels. Yes they go in busniess trips in woods and fields, but they have some ideeas about sieging the human enemy. I saw AI factions losing cities not because civilian revolt or religious unrest, but because was captured by rebels. I lose once a city to rebels. Many times I was sieged.

P.S. For player who was annoyed he fight with moors gunners in early first 25 turns, I recommend use RR with all my recomandation. Belive me I was like you very scheptical, afraid, and high tech unit lover. After 2-3 campaigns in RR, will discover how useless you spend your money on DFK and other shiny armors. The key is to love all your units, even a low tier spearman, to see how develop technology, armors, and after a century or less to see a new unit come to take the lead. Is like history.

[Marku]

im loving my english campaign :-)

[ShadowKiller2000]

Started an Early camaign with the Crusader States, with no RR......and I am going back to it. There are few buildings in cities capable of building low level units before Voulge milita is available.....way to easy to build advanced units.......I am going back to RR for good.

The wrong faction banners bug is annoying.....and the character aging is no fun. Especially when you start with a small family tree and everyone is dying of lod age before turn 30.

I think I am just going to stick with 6.1 RC/RR

[Alpha Zeke]

Started an Early camaign with the Crusader States, with no RR......and I am going back to it. There are few buildings in cities capable of building low level units before Voulge milita is available.....way to easy to build advanced units.......I am going back to RR for good.

The wrong faction banners bug is annoying.....and the character aging is no fun. Especially when you start with a small family tree and everyone is dying of lod age before turn 30.

I think I am just going to stick with 6.1 RC/RR

Ages can be changed with some edits that someone made around here... as they are controlled by campaign script.

RR is only disabled if you put it like that. If you run RR and BygIV, your finished.

[Meneth]

The wrong faction banners bug is annoying.

The banner bug has been fixed, check the Compendium in my sig, under "Problem-solving"

[Praetorian121]

I am playing Late Era with France, i using Savage AI and watchtowers. Mod is great, Scotland and England invading Bruges. I planning attack HRE, i have very good economy. First i build markets, roads, ports..., now i go conquer two rebels provinces, and then i will stab HRE.

[Stario]

Playing early campaign as England. RR/RC/BGRIV/Savage AI. Its going well. The complexity that BGR IV adds is very realistic and adds to the role play IMO.

[HunGeneral]

I have 2 campaigns going at the moment: (haven't played Stainless Steel before, just came to know it with 6.3) Hungary, Byzantine Empire both early H/H with RR withouth BGRIV (not ready for it, don't even know if I'll ever be) with Savage AI.

I like many features: keeping track of bloodlines, good music, RR (finally I'm facing realistic Army compositions and have to work and wait for long to get a well rounded Army of my own, pluss loosing quality units now really hurts since it takes several turns to recruit new ones. I've come to like all my factional units (but that won't keep me from sending them into battle).

I like the AI aswell - it doesn't backstab me without any reason if I keep paying them some gold as present. I have also seen factions fight well on the campaign map for once. In my Byzantine camapign Hungary and Poland were allies as usual and managed to resist several attacks from the HRE and even retook some cities. And by the time I reached turn 50, only the Crusader states had fallen, the Seljuks once more went to war with me and called for a Jihad on Constantinople after I trew them back. In short: the AI seems to be doing much better then I expected them to.

Thank you very much Team, you've done a great work with this mod

The only problems I have come across is:

- Range for non long range Skirmishers: Somehow I have a feeling that average Horse archers have a bit too short range: in some cases javelin throwing infantry could attack farther them my Magyar cavalry - although this could intentional and I'm just not used to it.

- I'm not sure, but the "Camp sacked message" sometimes appears twice after a battle, but I don't seem to notice getting any extre money for it.

[YourOnlineHero]

Only had about 30 turns or so as scotland. Early era with RR, no BYG (or whatever it's called), savage AI

Things went pretty smoothly to begin with. Sent my diplomat and princess around some money and trade routes for map info and making a few allies. Took over ireland pretty easily, although I found russian-like spearmen in galway...? Over 40% of the population were orthodox aswell... Which doesn't really make sense. Then I found out that my merchants didn't stand a chance outside of my own land. Every other merchant I come accross has 4stars plus, even the rebels .
I then took antwerp (taking bruges next to it a few turns later) after seeing that there were only 1 unit defending each. Although before I managed to take bruges the french attacked them, failed then a half stack of rebels jumped out and ran into HRE territory. At around the time I landed a half stack in mainland europe, england took the chance to invade edinburgh. Seiged me with a nearly full stack) family member that had alot of loyality... Surprisingly he rebelled after 1 turn and ran back into england. I turned on FOW to see where he was heading but he dissapeared a turn later . The english launched another seige that I managed to scare away by building a full stack fort next to my city. I've now spent pretty much all of my money on spearmen and mercenaries... Got about 2 and a half stacks in scotland against 4 full english stacks who keeping running up to edinburgh and then retreating without attacking or after laying seige. I've been trying to be sneaky by taking their poorly defended southern settlements but they have a full stack in london which they keep pulling units out of, so far neither of our attacks have been successfull. Although I get the feeling the english have ALOT more money than me. They are now excommunicated now though and the french (my allies) just declared war on them, havent played more than 2 turns after that so have yet to find out how helpfull that will be.

Overall i'm having alot of fun and have been thinking about my next moves while going about my everyday boring life activities... I wish I was playing right now

But yeah, my complaint would be the merchant thing... apart from that everything is going pretty well.

Good job!

[Meneth]

Only had about 30 turns or so as scotland. Early era with RR, no BYG (or whatever it's called), savage AI

Thank you, that one sentence gave me the idea to add abbreviations to my Compendium.
I'll +rep you when my rep re-fills. You've been added to the Compendium credits.