Tell your house rules

[gangster19]

Playing as the Getae, I think I cheesed the game too much profiting the AI. For example, Rome declared war on me so I went to all factions telling to join the war against them. Now Italy is basically a playground for 10 or more factions that have invaded them and Rome is virtually destroyed, cause they're at war with almost everyone.

Also I have made defensive alliances with other 10 factions or so, and millitary with 4.

Do you think I have profited to much diplomacy?

Also, I would like to know your house rules to make mid-late game more challenging. Because right now almost everyone is happy or allied with me and I can choose who to fight wothout problem.

[Ygraine]

1. Never reload/save scum, no matter what happens.

2. Do not become friends with everyone, pick a few factions and stick to them (unless they betray you). "A friend to all is a friend to none".

3. Do not run around the borders of the map waiting for time to pass in a battle to win by default. Shame on you if you do.

4. Always take walled cities manually, it's a lot more difficult and losses will be higher even if auto says you'll only lose 1%.

5. If you constantly use fortification stance against the AI, shame on you. Save it for when you're severely outnumbered.

6. Do not go on an exploration spree to discover tons of factions, keep it fairly local (this way you also avoid factions on the opposite side of the map declaring war. The AI does not take distance to you into consideration declaring war, which is immersion-breaking).

That's how I play!

[gangster19]

1. Never reload/save scum, no matter what happens.

2. Do not become friends with everyone, pick a few factions and stick to them (unless they betray you). "A friend to all is a friend to none".

3. Do not run around the borders of the map waiting for time to pass in a battle to win by default. Shame on you if you do.

4. Always take walled cities manually, it's a lot more difficult and losses will be higher even if auto says you'll only lose 1%.

5. If you constantly use fortification stance against the AI, shame on you. Save it for when you're severely outnumbered.

6. Do not go on an exploration spree to discover tons of factions, keep it fairly local (this way you also avoid factions on the opposite side of the map declaring war. The AI does not take distance to you into consideration declaring war, which is immersion-breaking).

That's how I play!

Wow thank you so much! They're all very interesting.

About walled cities, the sieges usually take so long and I only can take them because I outnumber 2 to 1 the enemies. What tips or strategy can I follow to not turn it into a human wave assault?

And about diplomacy and friends, it's very hard to find a balance, because at the start lf the campaign if you don't make treaties you are dead. But now I can befriend anyone...

[Antiochos VII Sidetes]

If an AI Army does something foolish and/or has an utterly depleted force, I use the Save Parser to replenish their forces so I can have a full set piece battle.

If an AI army does something idiotic like send all of its troops out to die on the sea for no reason, I reload and use the SaveParser to speed up my forces so I actually have to fight their army to conquer their lands.

[Dumanthis]

Some house rules I and my friends have used in our versus mpc games, these are the gentleman's rules :

1. Play the campaign until the end, fortune favors the bold

2. Cornercamping is not allowed in the battle map corner, however using one side of the map border is allowed in battles

3. Commit to the decision of the AI. If the AI starts a battle in an unadvantageous point, you fight it instead of making a u-turn and retreating the forces

4. When defending port cities, using navies in the water to wait the timer elapse is not allowed

5. Use autoresolve on mutual consent and on trivial battles where the outcome is certain and casualties are acceptable to the other player

6. 60 min battle time

PS. We have also played games with "no rules" meaning you can do anything in the game that is possible, which can turn an honorable war into a very ugly one. It's playable, but it's an ugly war

[Olmsted]

1. Only use balanced armies, except where the faction demands otherwise. For example, it’s okay to have a pure horse archer army as a nomadic tribe. I also have a couple of special siege train armies for attacking walled cities.

2. Use the most appropriate looking formation for the faction.

3. Limit the use of fire missiles to siege situations.

4. I personally detest the slow development pace for technology. I use save parser to accelerate technology development to the maximum extent possible. I do the same for favored AI factions. I love the reforms mechanic and don’t mind waiting a long time for Marian or Imperial legions, but waiting twenty turns to build a quinquireme instead of a bireme really bothers me. As either Carthage or Rome, I can go round the long way and conquer a complete land path through Gaul, Spain, and North Africa long before either navy is in an equivalent place to the starting position for the Punic Wars.

5. Use save parser to put your finger on the scales. There are certain factions who always seem to do really well and expand rapidly (Iceni, Massalia, Arche Bosporus). I just don’t like this. I religiously replenish and complete constructions for their most common opponents. As the Romans, I also have a soft spot for Parthia, Armenia, the Suebi, the Arverni, Carthage, and the Seleucids. I buff them up quite a bit.

6. I use save parser to put more factions in contact with each other early on. Trade networks were hundreds or thousands of years old by this point in history.

Those are just a few of my house rules.

[Tenerife_Boy]

As a greek faciton player: Elite units goes on the right A L W A Y S