invasion armies teleporting in?

[Dunadd]

I'm playing as Dale and i took Dol Guldur from Mordor. A couple of turns later Sauron calls an invasion of Dol Guldur. So i make sure i finish a network of watch towers i already started after i took Thoronburg and that there are spies about further out to watch for invading armies heading for Dol Guldur. Then a couple of turns later a Haradrim army led by an invading / crusading Haradrim character just appears beside Dol Guldur. No way it could have marched there by any route without me seeing it.

So is that scripted? That invading armies can just teleport in? I like a lot of the mod and as i've played it it's grown on me, but i don't like that much.

[Eönwë]

No it isn't teleporting or a scripted event there movement points are greatly increased, same as with the Crusading/Jihad armies in vanilla MTW2

Spies or watchtowers have little use now unless you have several overlooking the whole route, you can only make sure you have a strong garrison before they eventually show up

[Dunadd]

Ok - thanks for the info - they must have their move increased to 4 times normals or something then because i had watchtowers throughout wilderland, some around Dol Guldur, on the borders with Mordor and Harad and spies about too. Must have come through Rohan or up the Anduin or through Isengard lands too because i had armies and spies and stuff on the Mordor and Harad borders.

Don't understand why the MTWII designers thought crusading armies moved faster - they certainly didn't historically - except for the peasants' and childrens' crusades which were really just mobs of civilian fanatics who died of starvation or as soon as they met the enemy.

p.s what is your sidepic photo by the way?

[Eönwë]

I always have watchtowers all around and spies on the major points, for example on Dagorlad, or just south of Dol Guldur, south of Pelargir and around Isengard...and more but can't recall right now.

I believe they imagined that crusading armies didn't have a slow supply part cause of the raiding of lands they crossed, not sure...

You mean my avatar? It's Gil Galad with his Noldor troops fighting in the frontline in the War of the Last Alliance.
My signature pic are Numenorean steelbow archers firing volleys at the Orcs in the War of the Last Alliance.

[Dunadd]

i'd taken Dagorlad but i gave it up because it wasnt defensible and gave no income , so i pulled back to Thoronburg while i was taking Dol Guldur with a second army.

I believe they imagined that crusading armies didn't have a slow supply part cause of the raiding of lands they crossed, not sure...

All medieval armies raided any enemy land they crossed - not raiding would have been the unusual part - and raiding takes time too - and raiding on it's own wouldn't be enough to provide supplies. Big medieval English raids across France with whole armies usually ended with them running out of food. English armies before almost every major battle had run out of food too.

Only thing that made them faster was giving everyone a horse (even the infantry as "mounted infantry" who dismounted to fight), but even then they needed at the least horses or mules carrying supplies and if they were going on a very long journey of months like a crusade they needed supply trains or they'd starve and all the horses would soon die if being ridden hard and not having oats/ grain to supplement grazing.

[Ngugi]

The speed is increased 50%, and why not, it's the crusade-meachics after all, and the armies are filled with a bunch of folk who really want to go somewhere and get mad if not so

If you want to edit it open descr_campaign_db in the data-folder (I use Notepad++ for it which is a shareware, but normal Notepad might work to) and change this:

   <crusades>
       <required_jihad_piety int = "1"/>
       <max_disband_progress float = "0.5"/>
       <near_target_no_disband_distance float = "4.0"/>
       <disband_progress_window float = "1"/>
       <crusade_called_start_turn float = "1"/>
       <jihad_called_start_turn float = "1"/>
       <movement_points_modifier float = "1.5"/>
   </crusades>

[Dunadd]

Thanks Ngugi - may do that if the invasion drags on, but will leave it for now.

Once Sauron has called one invasion of Dul Guldur will he just keep calling more invasions for the rest of the game? (in which case i might be tempted to just turn it off in the end as it'll be almost impossible to take new territories from the evil factions or build up the economies of my existing towns so i can support more armies if i have to fight off crusades constantly)

Did manage to see another two crusading armies long before they reached Guldur. I think i was missing a crossing at the falls of Anduin and didn't have watch towers on the mountains South of Thoronburg as i'd wrongly thought they were impassible.