Misc observations and comments (SS 6.4)

[Germanicus75]

- I'm loving this mod. Does anyone else keep starting new campaigns with new factions while only getting halfway with old campaigns? It's the building-up phase of the game that I like the most.

- Lusted's AI is really dependable. Playing as the HRE (med difficulty) I've managed to keep 5 factions off my back just by offering them a 100-florin tribute for 20 turns every 20 turns. Works like a charm! Their policy towards me has then been either "reasonable", "amiable", or "good". They have never attacked me and this has allowed me to build up my cities and attack other more distant factions.

- HRE campaign - too many castles close together - Staufen, Bern and Metz (and nearby French Lyon) - feels a bit unbalanced

- AI can still be dumb. France was getting beaten back by England but still suddenly and randomly out of the blue attacked my large empire with a force a lot smaller than the one in my settlement. I repulsed it easily and went on to take one of the faction's castles, after which, it agreed to peace with good terms for me. But at least it doesn't randomly blockade your ports like it did in Rome I.

- I don't know how people win this game.There aren't enough generals to go around to field more than a couple of armies because otherwise you end up with lots of cities without governors. It takes me 100 years just to take several settlements. Maybe I just suck

- Has anyone seen the AI convert a settlement? I never have...

[Duck of Death]

- Yes, I often start campaigns and switch after 100ish turns.

- You dont have to put a governor in every settlement. In options, you can turn off the option of needing a governor in a settlement in order to issue building orders to it.
You can use your generals to govern your more important territories. You can also send armies around without generals (though you risk them betraying you).

- No, never seen a the AI convert a city to a castle or vice verse

[accapulco]

I also enjoy the first 100 turns the most since you aren't settled in nice and cozy and have to fight uncomfortable wars against bully factions and that makes it satisfying. I make sure to marry all my family to make me some leaders. 3-4 castles is enough to supply generals as governors as they come out every 10 turns or so. You might want to take 3 elite units and go win some heroic victories against rebels to get some man of the hour popups and get free generals, or bribe some from other factions if you really need generals asap.

I'm playing with Savage and no matter what the AI will never be my friend . I'm always labeled as a despicable backstabbing turd even though I never initiate fights and always try to keep friendly trade relationships. AI comes raping my fields and plundering my women and the pope will immediately forbid me from attacking them less I risk excommunication, always popoe too.
I tried HRE several times, I love their unit composition and want to play them so badly but I always end up getting swarmed. France, Venice, Genoa, Poland, Hungary, Denmark after 50 turns or so they all turn on me and send wave after wave and its just impossible to defend against. The dumb AI will just ignore all it's other battles and focus on screwing the player and will mindlessly send all its peasants and everything at you, even though you beat them the constant siege doesn't let you rebuild your forces in time for the next one so I don't know what to do there. Good luck to you .

[Germanicus75]

I also enjoy the first 100 turns the most since you aren't settled in nice and cozy and have to fight uncomfortable wars against bully factions and that makes it satisfying. I make sure to marry all my family to make me some leaders. 3-4 castles is enough to supply generals as governors as they come out every 10 turns or so. You might want to take 3 elite units and go win some heroic victories against rebels to get some man of the hour popups and get free generals, or bribe some from other factions if you really need generals asap.

I'm playing with Savage and no matter what the AI will never be my friend . I'm always labeled as a despicable backstabbing turd even though I never initiate fights and always try to keep friendly trade relationships. AI comes raping my fields and plundering my women and the pope will immediately forbid me from attacking them less I risk excommunication, always popoe too.
I tried HRE several times, I love their unit composition and want to play them so badly but I always end up getting swarmed. France, Venice, Genoa, Poland, Hungary, Denmark after 50 turns or so they all turn on me and send wave after wave and its just impossible to defend against. The dumb AI will just ignore all it's other battles and focus on screwing the player and will mindlessly send all its peasants and everything at you, even though you beat them the constant siege doesn't let you rebuild your forces in time for the next one so I don't know what to do there. Good luck to you .

Well said!

[Duck of Death]

I tried HRE several times, I love their unit composition and want to play them so badly but I always end up getting swarmed.

An unorthodox strategy you could try with the HRE that I found fun...
Right off the bat, send your armies to invade the Teutonic Knights. They start with only 2 territories so take their castle then lean on them until they agree to become your vassal.
Once they are your vassal, gift them all of your territories except Bologna (in Itlay).
Now send all of your forces (should have about 3 stacks from your starting forces) south for a massive invasion of Italy.
By about 30 turns in, you should be able to conquer Italy (confine the Pope to one of the little islands or something).
Now you have an awesome position plus all your original territories that you gave to the Teutonics give you tribute every turn and count toward your total territory count.

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

The dumb AI will just ignore all it's other battles and focus on the player and will mindlessly send all its peasants and everything at you ...

The computer is playing against you. Wars between its own factions only happen for the sake of historical realism.

Being labelled despicable is of course annoying but only a gamey thing to make the AI to attack you more.

Duck of Death seems to have hit upon an interesting strategy.