World Domination or A Little Place I Like to Call Home

[Spartacus041]

Additionally, the idea of "factions" within your nation and political intrigue could also add more pressure as your empire grows. Historically no empire was able to get too big before internal rivalries and civil wars started to rip it apart. If they do this well, the late game could be really fun.

[General Maximus]

I always play very slowly, never expand too much too fast (unless it is that damned realm divide in Shogun II). And I always take territories historically. For example, as Romans I never expand past Rhine into Germania, or cross the Danube. I never expand into Persia as Rome, or Britain as Greece. In Medieval II, I always expand only if I have to.

For Rome I never ever expand out of these areas:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In Shogun II, while I don't have the game myself (only FoTS is what I could get) I do have a good experience in playing most of the factions. For example, as Oda, I never expand out of what shown in this map:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In Empire, I expand on historical colonies. In Napoleon, I try to expand upto the border of the real French Empire of Napoleon but nothing more.

I am more of a peaceful economy builder than a fighter. I don't AT ALL care about victory conditions or winning or losing the game, I just want to rule my little empire. I love trading, managing economy, industrializing, fortifying and all things likewise. I am a defensive player, I don't invade anyone unless he has the territories I want. And I only want the territories which were histoically owned by my faction. I am a developer, not a conqueror.

And I don't keep a huge empire, either. I like to manage small-to-medium sized factions. A huge empire is fun, but it is hard to do my usual peaceful development while constantly managing a sprawling area.

[Spartacus041]

I really hope that given the large number of unplayable factions that every region will have an "emergent" faction tied to it. So instead of having to conquer another rival superpower (which inevitably happens in TW late games) I will be able to grant independence to it's regions and revive factions and create client vassal states. This will give the late game a lot more interesting complexity and choices, rather than having to engage in repetitive "total war" of annihilation.

[Cvetko]

World Domination or A Little Place I Like to Call Home

SASSSSPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAARRRRRTTTTAAAAAAAA!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av98U0JE0TI
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Is the answer, RED all over the # map.
Uhm good night

[jsully16]

I might actually try an Egyptian campaign semi-peacefully. Conquer enough to establish a trade empire, amass wealth, build defensive armies, support the factions I want with my disposable income and maybe send them an army to help in the field.

I've almost always gone offensive and conquered. Should be interesting to try a new way as well.

[AGaming]

If I'm playing a Island Nation, i.e Chosokabe or the Iceni, unify whatever isle I'm on. In RTW2 it'll be secure the Italian Peninsula or something like that. After creating an army or two, go out and campaign, taking vital provinces which provide me with a good stream of income. After becoming insanely rich, mass produce armies and take out masses of land bit by bit. I also like to dominate the seas.

[General Maximus]

If I'm playing a Island Nation, i.e Chosokabe or the Iceni, unify whatever isle I'm on. In RTW2 it'll be secure the Italian Peninsula or something like that. After creating an army or two, go out and campaign, taking vital provinces which provide me with a good stream of income. After becoming insanely rich, mass produce armies and take out masses of land bit by bit. I also like to dominate the seas.

This. I never expand out of Italy if I have not conquered it fully, and on islands I try to unify them before I do anything else outside them.

Most of the time, I expand on land, not on seas. So if I am playing Rome, I will expand only using the land, conquering border territories one by one, before expanding to other territories. I use navies only to conquer islands I have not yet captured, and to protect my coasts and ports.

[CptAustus]

I'll have a ton of provinces to call home.

[1cmanny1]

This is why an alien invasion would be a good idea. It could make you actually have to struggle to defend your empire.

[Octopus]

I go through phases of gameplay with a new TW game. I will start with fast world domination where the world is MY oyster, with each faction to see how it plays. Next I will pick the one I found interesting and finesse play it with more ally helping and diplomacy. I like to help the major factions to become as large or larger then me before I actually start to try, thus making the game more of a challenge.

In FotS I would help all the other 8 major clans until all of Japan was taken over by the 8 of us then I did Realm Divide and had an epic North vs. South.


Who knows maybe the R2 vanilla AI will be competent enough without my help for 100 turns.