SS 6.2 VS SS 6.4

[Green Warrior]

I'd like to get the opinion of other SS players.

I play almost always as the Byzantines because I like the furious action of dealing with aggressive Catholic factions to my north and west while at the same time dealing with hostile Muslim factions to my east and south. That makes for wild campaigns.

I love 6.4 but do not like the fact that I am swamped with cash. I am able to build all I want in each province and have no shortage of funds to support enormous standing armies. My merchants nearly become an after-thought because they're not so desperately needed. Much of the challenge of fending off my enemies while struggling to stay afloat financially is gone.

So I tend to play 6.2 where the money doesn't flow so freely and the challenge of fighting hostile factions all around me while striving to keep up financially has me on the edge of my seat turn after turn.

I should add here that I do not play with BGR.

Thoughts? Reactions? Suggestions?

Thanks.

[Strengelicher]

I have been wondering about that for some time. Yes, there is actually too much money around, that is why we need all those additional difficulty tweaks BGR so graciously provides. Why did the SS team add all that money going from 6.2 to 6.3? And do you happen to know where it comes from? What was changed from 6.2 to 6.3 that produces all the money? I presume it must be trade. The tipping point once you have consolidated a couple of provinces is noticeable, so I presume that once you have a certain volume of "internal" trade secured, money becomes abundant.

[Voice of Treason]

I played a late 6.4 campaign as the Teutonic Orden..and could never get enough cash...constantly at war with Danemark, Lithuania, Rus, Poland etc.
So I started an early 6.4 campaign as France (with Byg II activated) , and I prefer it ... a much nicer cash income.
If i have too much money, I "gift" it away to factions in a pecuniary state...to "buffer" them...

Plus, it's always convenient to make a 30000 florin donation to the pope to get a "perfect" standing...just before I convince him to declare a crusade...which conveniently passes through a rivals territory!

I'd rather have too much money, and control the pace of the game, than not have enough and one faction run away with it...

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

Green Warrior, you are not playing the late campaign. On the early campaign, the Byzantine Empire starts as one of the strongest factions. The late Byzantine campaign, however, with Gracul AI on vh/vh should be a decent challenge.

The Crusader States should also be reasonably difficult and so should the late period Khwarezmian campaign and I'd guess the Teutonic Order. Still I think the late Byzantine campaign should be one of the hardest, the faction is one of the poorest, has no natural allies (and is unlikely to even have any), must defeat three reasonably strong factions and is within reach of the Mongols. If you find that campaign easy, then BGR IV/V is a necessity.