Bad luck?

**Burnindesire90** · March 29, 2012, 06:05 PM

So i started this game today again im turn 105 HRE im rank one in everything and control very most of europe

France havent beena problem they were owned badly by milan and england... milan decided to get cocky and attack me i took their citys and they became my vassal and expanded towards france becoming a third super power but so far they been very loyal to me. They pissed off the pope owning france, Venice attacked me but got pushed back and i took over venice itself turning it into my money cow and then venice gets elected for pope and ruins my perfect alliance with papel states.

Seriously it like they want to piss me off the pope from venice crusade againest Milan which is basically MY land vs vassal and told me to break my alliance or i will lose favor which was only 3 lousy crosses, I sent a stack towards rome killing the pope but the damage was done My alliance with poland/england/spain all broke because they declared war on milan which was my vassal -_-
Then i broke alliance with the BE because they randomly attacked the coastal city of milan which i help defend -_-

Right now me and milan has aperfect relationship but im in trouble im on war in 6 fronts with the HRE and poland is starting to get annoyed at me i cant defend all my citys i already lost half of the holy lands due to me unable to send reinforcements because they keep tryin to sink my ships

Im losing citys fast and my cash is pushed to the max with repairs and retraining while trying to keep up with the tech tree

What do i do

why is everyone attacking my poor milan and why is the pope so anal seriously spain attacked my city then he said ill be exe if i attack them now i have a stack from spain raping my trade route just standing there-_- Im about to set the world on fire D:

tl'dr POPE IS GHEY rivals becoming pope when your relationship is perfect sucks >_>

**Willowran** · March 29, 2012, 07:57 PM

How good are you on the battlemap? In a defensive seige, you can take out an inordinately large number of enemies with an inordinately small number of soldiers, and none of your buildings tend to get damaged except for your walls.

I would invest mostly in ranged militia units. They have a rather small upkeep (allowing larger numbers of them be recruited), and still kill enemies of all strengths. Especially crossbows.

There is little to do but sit and wait it out. Pick a front. Defend on all others (the enemy ai tend to pick a single city per faction, and keep trying to rape it, making defending slightly easier). Don't bother trying to hold on to the holy land (unless there is one or two settlements with a large stack that can sit there and fight defensively for eternity). Defend on all fronts...but the one you picker. Don't try to expand everywhere. Just pick an enemy on one front, and kill them. Once theyre no longer an issue, pick another front.

There are some generic tips i can suggest:
1: militia over military. You can afford a considerably better-garrisoned defense on the back of poorly-armed militia. Walls, towers, streets, and a town square grant a huge advantage for you over nearly any enemy force you go up against, and are CONSIDERABLY cheaper.
2: don't get caught in the field. along the same lines as 1, if you go with militia they tend to get torn apart in the field. Stick to city-city fighting.
3: abandon any sizeable navy. ships don't do much in the game, overall. i mean, in the end, all the important fighting is done on land. Let them blockade as many ports as they want, land forces are by far more important.
4: move all generals to a single front (your offensive front). Generals are reliable cav who automatically retrain, and don't cost much. A bunch of generals in a single army can create a considerable punch for whichever army they go up against, and their retraining (in the field) allow you to push further and harder without having to stop and retrain.

Any of this helpful? If you could provide a screenshot of the size of your empire, i/we could suggest more specific advice...?

**mansch** · March 30, 2012, 04:44 AM

Point 1 you mentioned militia over military. Does militia get a bonus inside a city and if so for garrisoned I should chose militia spears over regular spears?

**Willowran** · March 30, 2012, 04:43 PM

Militia do not get a bonus, no, but some get free upkeep if they are garrisoned in a city. So if it is a city, milita all the way. If not...So far as a garrison is concerned, i say check the cost. I am less familiar with organised military spears (rarely recruit them). If you are playing with an italian faction, definitely go with militia--the statistics are at LEAST the same, if not weighed in favour of the milita. If you are not, i say check the statistics--espeically the upkeep. They should be roughly the same (for the base organised spears vs the milita (not counting heavy spears)), so it shouldn't make too large a difference.

I would likely suggest more militia anyways. If pressed on all fronts it will take an inordinately large amount of money to fund your defense. Personally, i tend to have only one or two (or none at all) fortresses/citadel military structures around any given front. Large towns, or cities, make more money, and can be defended adequately without need of any heavier military units.

**complete noob:(** · March 31, 2012, 07:07 AM

I agree with what willowran has been saying, but if you are going to fight the defensive siege battles, make sure to have archers, and if you can afford them, ballista/cannon towers in larger settlements. You can take out a good chunk of their force, and possibly destroy siege equipment so you can force them into choke point. I also usually keep a unit or two of heavy infantry though, simply because they can really be effective on the walls and help turn the tide of a battle