Falling stars

**nikkami** · August 20, 2012, 04:24 AM

Hi guys

I am playing the Byz Late era on VH/VH, longer assimilation on SS 6.4 and I noticed that my general's (except Vasileus) commanding skills are decreasing big time. I won some battles here and there against the Turks, have taken Sinop, Isparta and 2 other cities/castles but no commanding skill increase whatsoever, even when I achieved heroic victories. Now, I am sieging Ankara atm and despite my superior forces when I storm at walls my soldiers are crying like babies before reach them and retreat. I even lost a couple of battles against skill buffed Turk General and I understand that this adds an extra difficulty to the game + flavour which is fine by me.

My question. Is there any way to increase commanding stars? Cause winning in the field cant get any. I read on the forum that u have to put new FM to a city with school, lib etc. Other people are claiming that the best way is to put new FM to a castle (without school, lib ofc). Which is the best way?

Tnx in advance.

**CloacaMaXima** · August 20, 2012, 05:05 AM

You should be gaining command stars from battles, especially from heroic victories...

I suppose you don't have BGR V submod? Haven't played the newest version myself, but I understand that it limits your command skills severely in order to even the odds against the AI.

Regarding the education, if you wan't to increase FM's command skill via education you'll have to put him into a castle. Schools/Libraries in cities give him administrative traits (although the educational traits from cities do give some command skill also). More developed cities with higher level schools+libraries and other administrative buildings give better traits and faster and I think same would apply for military education in castles aswell.

Also, you've perhaps noticed that all of your FMs/Generals are classified either as "militarily minded" or "administratively minded". This indicates that which education line (administration from cities/military from castles) is more "natural" to them. Militarily minded means that the character learns military skills more easily for example. You can however develop either of these skills regardles of which "minded" the character is, it can just take longer

**nikkami** · August 20, 2012, 05:41 AM

No BGR mod, I save this for later

So it is then. Use castles to increase command skill not cities. I persume the existance of late barracks in castles help to the skill development. The possibility to gain a star with heroic victrory is reduced I think. And if so, they are loosing the star after 2-3 idle turns (retraining units, preperation for next assault etc). Anyway...

many tnx

**nikkami** · August 20, 2012, 05:48 AM

I also noticed that u need a general with at least 3 stars to hold against a high skilled enemy. Otherwise ur troops will start running away before engagement.

**tudor93** · August 20, 2012, 06:56 AM

Nikkami, you overestimate the power of the commanding stars.

**nikkami** · August 20, 2012, 07:27 AM

Not sure. It seems to play major role in siege battles when I have to take a settlement. Even late era units with good morale are fleeing before they reach the wall.

**Vissewalde rex de Gerzika** · August 20, 2012, 09:36 AM

Myabe your generals just have lots of traits that decrease morale, like coward and the one that decreases hitpoints(forgot the name)?

**Byg** · August 20, 2012, 11:09 AM

Sounds like a civil war scenario, have you checked your traits to see what is going on?

**nikkami** · August 21, 2012, 02:26 AM

@Baltic
Didnt check. But I counted the traits that give stars and those that remove it from the general. Something is wrong, cause a specific general must have 2 stars and he has none. I started a new campaign...

@Byg
.... with BGR IV, which is amazing. Byg I appreciate your work like many others in these forums. I have to plan ahead every single move and the decisions are really complex. But I am learning (save-load). Byz late era again M/VH. I read alot in forum to achieve something worth mentioning like selling Trebizond to Turks for money and alliance, marry princes to Hungarian heir for alliance, took Heraklion, Rhodes from the Venetians, recapture Constantinopole, Athens, Corinth, Thesaloniki when rebels were out of the city. Still strugling to bring economic stability but I am close to that. And the winter is coming

The thing is that now the commanding skills are increasing properly via heroic victories and generals in castles.

**Byg** · August 22, 2012, 02:08 AM

Well I wasn't talking about bgr as you stated you were not using it. Just letting you know that stars might (or might not) decrease by the civil war feature which is in SS by default and not related to bgr.