THE GAME IS HARD.

[Grouchio]

I started my first campaign, the 455 Constantium campaign, with 4tpy. Today, I am surrounded by colossal dificulties (Even though I cheated, got lots of money, and kept order within most settlements) like Hordes and Hordes of barbarians, nearly the entire empire wanting to revolt, and the fact that Constantius has no blood heirs! I just won a hard, bloody battle on the Danube River that ran VERY red on turn 2 versus the Lazyges, and I am ready to quit. I desperately need guidelines for this campaign as well as for the Kidarites! Some long, high quality guide on what I should do to keep the empire from collapsing would be surely helpful!

[Knonfoda]

Read a few AAR's. Disbanding unnecessary units, sticking to one religion, and setting up 'bottlenecks' around the Empire's borders usually suffice. It's not an easy game, restoring the Roman Empire of the 4th Century should not be an easy task, and I am surprised you are having difficulty if you are cheating.

[Deutschland]

Lol i wanted to suggest to disband unecessary units and desconstruct some buildings but you cheated money already so no need for that.. Well i suggest you focus on one border then and try to stabilize it and rexonquer the lost territories at the other borders once you have secured your position.

[Grouchio]

How to play as Armenia? What is the recommended time, turn, and difficulty settings as well as a guide for it?

[Justinian Australis]

Well, my advice is...grow some balls and swallow a huge bag of cement and then hang on for dear life!

Not very practical unfortunately. Overall you need to be very patient and fight each of the battles to begin with. IT ALL STARTS IN THE FIRST TURN! Before you click 'Next Turn' think what your about to do.....what I like to do is go on the offensive immediately and take a big wheelbarrow load of pain to my enemies. Fight on river crossings (as the AI is stoopid and it usually helps beating the likes of the Quaddi or lazyges who have Sarmatian killing machines in their ranks...the further you are from their arrows the better) Also have a look at what troops you have, learn which will be effective at killing the enemy. Limitaeni and the likes are ok soldiers but will get their arses handed to them by elite francesca units you may face when taking on the Franks. I like to try and massage my elite troops (the cataphratcs, legio comitatensis) numbers and not waste them frivolously

Go for a single religion to reduce your disorder, demolish buildings that may be affecting order, disband troops can help financially but I generally do not disband any of my forces as you need what men you can to fight your enemies. Take the first turn to build happiness buildings and any buildings that will help with squalor (I think there a some to start with may have issues)

Armenia? Can't help you there as I've been whipped several times playing as them. Maybe you should ask Cocroach (have a look in the one of the stickied threads), he gave the Sassanids a good hiding.

[roman glory]

I will tell you what i've done...
I fought every battle around... (i got a few ctds after some battles, so i DID use the "auto_win" cheat in those battles that i've won 'cause the autoresult was always on their favour.
I've changed my religion to Arian, that made my empire to lose a lot of provinces, so micro managing and fighting was easier (I've tried to keep all of them, but lost Italy (except for Rome and Ravena, lost Africa, and a part of Egipt).
I fought and fought, so i maintained my borders, but my income went down severly.
I've used my little money to get all economic buildings i could, so, after 40 turns my +15000 income and a border secure, so i've started reconquering, first Italy, and then east africa. Conquered all the way up to Susa, and stayed there,
By turn 80 beaten Goths (Therovingy and Gethuringy) Lazyges and Vandals. I've settled them on many of my territory as protectorates, and to the Vandals i gave them Africa.
Iuliani was almost wiped out by the franks and Alamani, so i'm Helping them

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

Armenia? Secure alliance with the Romans, get trade rights and start paying tribute immediatly - that will avert their attention for some time. Keep one stack on the Roman flank, one in your heartlands to fend off in case the huns attack (don't take that city in Daghestan and don't destroy the rebel army in Colchis, those make good buffer) and go straight for the Persians. They won't be able to respond quickly on 12tpy allowing you to take most of Hyrcania and Media before you face any decent armies. Don't be afraid of elephants, and use cheap 0 turn units for garrisson - I beat a large and strong Persian army with like 9 paighan and lots of boiling oil. By the time you have Gazaca, Ecbatana, Rayy and Arsakia/Nishapur, you won't have to worry about monehs.


Troops: Levy archers, aspet-i-armeni lancers/cav plus a few units of paighan and some elites will destroy most Sassanid armies. The elephants are bugged - they are useless against infantry. Onagers are useful too. But when you near Mesopotamia, it's good to have deylamites and stronger cav in your ranks.

[Deutschland]

Uh and dont forget the romans .. They suprised me quite a bit when they decided to attack turn 50..

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

I kept armies poised to strike in case they did. The real goal is to focus more stacks in one place than the enemy, while delaying them on other fronts.

[the persian Immortal]

any guide for sassanids if only the indians and the white huns agreed to kill each other onstead of me .
do you think they will agree to do so if I ask them nice .

the promlems with the sassanids is that you really don't know how to defend the east since you face two different enemys with to compelitly different warfare one is HA baced while the other is ele baced both have tarrible infantry though .

[Merula]

any guide for sassanids if only the indians and the white huns agreed to kill each other onstead of me .
do you think they will agree to do so if I ask them nice .

the promlems with the sassanids is that you really don't know how to defend the east since you face two different enemys with to compelitly different warfare one is HA baced while the other is ele baced both have tarrible infantry though .

Destroy the white hun armies by staying in your cities and letting them get killed on your walls, and use your horse archer armies on the indians

[the persian Immortal]

Destroy the white hun armies by staying in your cities and letting them get killed on your walls, and use your horse archer armies on the indians

yeah , thanks for the advise , though still it would have been more awesome if they some how agreed to kill each other instead , I still think my opinion about asking them nice is the best Idea

@ to roach ........ actually no answer to roach he needs to be ignored for a while and than the troll that is in his soul will go away .

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

Roll over and die.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

I meant that literally: if you can't handle the huns and Indians with ease, you really can't win. The Sassanids are already overpowered. They have op infantry and op cavalry.

[Grouchio]

How to play as the Kidarites?

[Merula]

How to play as the Kidarites?

With skill

[Julianus Flavius]

Not sure if this is current, but I THINK you have access to the only phalanx unit in the game. Use them, extensively haha

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

That phalanx is kinda bugged, they have no secondary weapon.

[Julianus Flavius]

My bad, they seem to have lost it at some point
they're still solid infantry but no longer the bridge battle gods they used to be

[Grouchio]

How to play the Julian Campaign of 355?