What level do you play?

[jackbush]

Just curious because I've stayed with medium difficulty since I got the game a couple of months ago but, since I'm about to run out of turns for the second time in a row (although I'm doing nicely but nowhere near capturing 45 regions, especially Jerusalem, mainly because I'm England), have been thinking of dropping down to easy level for the next turn.

Anyone else like Easy? Or are you all playing Hard?

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

hard/hard, medieval has a rather well-balanced difficulty system. but there's no point (challenge) in easy.
playing a long hard campaign will mean no historical perspective whatsoever, just steamroll to the east

[jackbush]

I'm not getting anything when I click "Show" on your spoiler alert. Thanks for the advice, by the way.

[Christonikos]

Seriously don't go easy. Just play a bit more offensive in medium. My personal difficulty level is h/h, but in some mods Hard difficulty is hard indeed (TATW for example).

[CELTICEMPIRE]

I started on easy and played there for a few months, but I've had the game 3 years now, and I play on hard.

[Sweger]

I pretty new to the game as well, and started of with e(battle)/m(campaign) and of course, my very first campaign was a real challenge (especially since I played as Venice) but already my second was somewaht too easy, and after my third, I realised that I could easily move up to m/m. I once tried battles at hard level, but lost miserably, so M an battles are still OK for me (I am on my 9th campaign). I thought about moving to, H in campaign difficulty, but I do not like the idea that your reputation is constantly dropping, all too much, it just doesn't seem realistic, you could change other parametres to make it "hard". And don't bother too much If you do not manage to capture 45 areas, when I play, I do not really take that too hard, just focusing at battle skills and general skills, as trining you blitzing-abilities.

[trustno1(2)]

I play on very hard/very hard. The AI is smartest and most aggressive in the difficulty. Even though autoresolve is a little lopsided in the AI favor (well not a little lopsided, more like a lot) you can still fight the battles. If you are a good commander, you can beat the AI forces, even though they fight better on very hard. But I would get practice on hard difficulty first before upgrading to very hard. For your situation I would stay on medium.

[Bringer Of Storms]

VH/VH Stainless Steel BGRV. The combination of those two mods makes you wonder why you ever played vanilla. Ridiculously complicated and hard. Give them a try.

On topic, last time I played vanilla, I played VH/VH, I really don't notice a difference between Easy and Very Hard on vanilla, other than the fact that the AI are more aggressive. As I already stated, BGRV and Stainless Steel make the game a challenge. I've never lost a campaign til I played BGRV, it will humble the greatest of Total War players. I haven't gone back to vanilla since.

[Aeratus]

VH/VH Stainless Steel BGRV. The combination of those two mods makes you wonder why you ever played vanilla. Ridiculously complicated and hard. Give them a try.

On topic, last time I played vanilla, I played VH/VH, I really don't notice a difference between Easy and Very Hard on vanilla, other than the fact that the AI are more aggressive. As I already stated, BGRV and Stainless Steel make the game a challenge. I've never lost a campaign til I played BGRV, it will humble the greatest of Total War players. I haven't gone back to vanilla since.

Yeah the difference between BGRV and non-BGRV is far greater than the difference between E/E and VH/VH.

On vanilla, I play VH/VH.

[The Noble Lord]

I always play VH/VH level. Not out of any arrogance but the truth is that AI is most effective and aggressive on that level!!

[Mhaedros]

VH/VH most often. Sometimes I want a really easy campaign, and then I okay H/H

[Veliky Kaiser Theos]

I go VH for the campaign map and H for the battle map. I think that the bonuses that the AI get from H is enough for a battle.

[_Elysium_]

H/VH, with 0.5 years per turn.

[Eastern.Europe]

I play SS 6.3 on M/M. I'm not interrested in "winning" the game just playing Hungary to better than historical. I am currently trying to have Hungary control the entire Black Sea by the end of the game. Works for me anyway

[Ferdiad]

VH/VH always.

[tudor93]

when I was playing vanilla I was playing on M/M (never E/E), and never went to VH/VH or H/H
now I play SS6.4 and M/M is ok for me

[Aymer de Valence]

Hard/Hard. I find it to be a very fun challenge, without giving the AI ridiculous bonuses

[Blaze of Macedon]

VH/VH, no point in anything else IMO

[SturmChurro]

I usually play every single total war game on either H/H H/VH or VH/VH.

[PrestigeX]

I like play on Hard or Very Hard.

Some of the very difficult mods like, FKOC i'll play on medium.

Its funny how people get accustomed to this game though, typically the mods are actually far superior to the vanilla campaign (kingdoms vanilla campaigns) -- but you start to get used to it , and when you go back to Vanilla -- then vanilla seems difficult.

Mainly, Vanilla is hard because the AI trains loads and loads of artillery - its really annoying when your splendidly arrayed army of exotic mercs, highly skilled elites, veterans, valued Family Members are killed / hit by a dozen trebuchet balls.
The units also seem a lot more flimsy in Vanilla -- a lot of mods, adjusted the units and made them more durable -- so the enemy's forces are a lot harder, but your own men are better too.
Vanilla lacks the possibilities of real tactics and strategies -- whomever has the better units (ie. their army cost more, or contains more elite units) will win.

In mods you can use those low grade troops, with a few supporting elites -- and if you use the terrain, or tactics, or have your Valiant King leading the rabble -- you can pull out a victory, or atleast have a chance of one.