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Thread: Suggestion to a new player

  1. #1

    Default Suggestion to a new player

    Hello everyone!
    I would like to congratulate you on an amazing mod! This is what Rome 2 should have been!
    I am currently wrapping up my first campaign as SPQR on medium/medium and I found it, well, easy. Even with moderate amount of roleplaying (following the cursus honorem, only fighting defensively with praetors and invading ONLY with currently active consul leading the army) I still managed do steamroll Italy into Sicily into Carthage into rest of Africa from one side and Cisalpine into Translapine on another simultaneously. Now I'm about to massacre the Greeks with 5 full stacks of Polybian troops and achieve all victory requirements.
    I intend to try most factions eventually, but I would like to try a Hellenistic faction second. Possibly on hard/normal so that the Eleutheroi are a bit of greater threat (do I understand correctly they actually actively assault and besiege you on hard?).
    What would be the best faction to begin with to get a good feel for the "Greek" side of things? I read the manual on Koinon (THE Greeks), but their reforms seem extremely confusing with having kings of various cities moving about and all the sympolite this and that governments! With Rome it was so easy, Italian gov in Italy and allied oligarchy/democracy into province once the first client ruler dies of natural causes everywhere else. So who do I play next? Macedon? Pergamon? Ptolemaioi? Seleukids (seems scary too)?
    Thank you very much for your replies!

  2. #2

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    On Medium campaign difficulty, AI factions do not hire mercenaries. It's basically a free resource pool for the player.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    I suggest playing in H/H, the battle balance is fine and imo better than in medium, when some units refuse to rout against incredibly odds. I've played a lot on H battle difficulty and find it more realistic. I prefer how all units (player and AI) fatigue more quickly, encouraging the use of reserves. As for faction, I recommend Macedon if you want more of a challenge, it also received historical scripts and puts you right in the middle of the hellenistic world.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    I agree, definitely recommend H/H as the most enjoyable setting for EB2. At medium battle difficulty you can just steamroll the ai, at hard they hold a bit longer without being immersion-breaking tanks. If you have superior troops they still feel superior, but a closely matched full stack under an ai general with a good few stars will give you some interesting fights.

    Hard campaign difficulty lets the ai hire mercs which I don't find super impactful but allowing only the player to do so under medium is basically an exploit in favor of the player over the ai (!). Apart from that it makes the ai slightly more aggressive without kamikaze tendencies. You can still have good allies and long periods of peace.

    These settings give the most realistic feeling experience I think.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Im playing very hard campaign with PiterAI and having a lot of fun, took Epidamnos/Dyracchium and left it undefended only to find out KH had taken over the peninsula and declared war on me.

    https://i.imgur.com/8tZSJWs.jpg

    I landed with this army with the 2nd one behind it and unfortunately im also playing on medium, they outnumbered me overall having another 2 full stacks in the fog of war one north in epidamnos and another somewhere northeast near Pella and it was relatively easy to win taking casualties at 1 to 4.

    I don't like playing on anything other than medium in total war because of the unfair bonuses the AI troops get but i guess i have to reconsider.

    In fact what do the bonuses for battle in EB2 give them on higher difficulties? Is it morale or morale AND stats?

    "I may not like what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

    - Voltaire(1694–1778)

  6. #6

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    The members suggesting hard battle difficulty have a solid point, but I would like to suggest a different approach. Play hard campaign and medium battle difficulty so that equal units perform equally.

    Instead of steamrolling, roleplay so that you won't become overly powerful too quickly. Spend your money on building infrastructure and only spend on military what is left after making sure that every settlement is developing something. Or if you get attacked and need emergency recruitment. I played a long and very enjoyable campaign by not initiating conflict really at all. Also, in the long run, you will develop a happy nation where leaders develop good qualities and you do not have to deal with annoying uprisings and the like. Trust me; on hard campaign difficulty, you will not run out of factions to battle but you have real feelings of emergency and also the satisfaction of running well-managed and developing society.

    As your area grows, keep a notebook at hand and make a note of every settlement that finishes construction so you will have an easier time to allocate projects at the start of every turn.

    Edit: oh yeah, welcome to the forum! And congratulations for discovering a true gem of a total conversion. Europa Barbarorum II is truly amazing in more ways that I can count.
    Last edited by Septentrionalis; January 18, 2021 at 01:34 PM.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Thank you all for your amazing suggestions!
    I shall try Macedon on hard/medium next, see how it goes, and if I still have no trouble at all, next one will be Carthage or one of the Celts on hard/hard!
    I am incredibly glad I found this mod <3

  8. #8

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Hard campaign difficulty, because EB2 looses a lot of its flavor on Medium. On the Hard level the independents besiege settlements instead of only raiding the fields. The diplomacy remains functional on Hard.

    Galatia and Sicily become much more entertaining on Hard. Live hand grenade flushed down the toilet levels of entertaining.

    KH and Macedon are the two most "stereotypical" Hellenic factions, depending if you prefer the city-state or the kingdom model. Others are more of a "local flavor".
    Last edited by Satapatiš; January 19, 2021 at 06:21 AM.
    Furthermore, I believe that Rome must be destroyed.


  9. #9

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Hello nikola!

    I have played my fair share of this mod as well, even though i just now registered in the forums.
    From what i have understood, it would be better to refrain from playing Epeiros, since there are major changes incoming in the next patch. My experience playing the Hellenic and Hellenistic factions suggests that a good starting faction is Pergamon, with a solid foundation, light scripts mainly concerning Anatolia and the kingship, and a fairly manageable diplomatic and military situation. Good balance between classical hoplite warfare and alexandrian tactics, as well. But i'd suggest you do not abuse diplomacy, otherwise it can get a bit TOO easy...
    The Koinon Hellenon is not as daunting as it seems, even though you are a part of the Greek trifecta, due to its very strong infantry roster that can make quick work of the early sieges. Makedonia requires a hefty amount of skill during the first turns in order to get the kingdom back to shape and the scripts can be quite demanding on a beginner. The most interesting of the hellenic factions is by far the Bosporitai, but that is an entirely different beast on terms of difficulty for many reasons.
    The Diadochi factions are a good challenge, with Arche Seleukeia being (quite surprising, i may add) the easiest of them. I concur that the Ptolemaioi are in need of some economic boost in the beginning, their situation is way too fragile.

    In the end, you do you, and have fun!

  10. #10

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Yes indeed, I've started to play on hard CAI and the fact that rebel attack you really transforms the experience. Like for exemple in medium when you have minor faction (Eleutheroi) neighbooring you it's no big deal you'll take care of it once your neighbooring faction is dealt with while on hard big rebel stacks are litterally existancial threats to one province starting factions. hard BAI also makes it more interesting while not beeing immersive breaking due to having to cheese due to AI units beeing OP or something.

    In terms of faction it depends on what you like. The mod isn't hard to get into if you understand that you have to pay attention to the informations given and read buildings and units description, also read the first couple of pages of the player guide. Just don't expect to make any money before 10-20 turns if you start with only 1-2 settlements.
    "To pillage, to butcher and to despoil, they call the false name "Empire" and where they make a desolation they call it peace."
    Calgacus, leader of the Caledonians: C. Cornelius Tacitus, Agricola 30.5

  11. #11
    Roma_Victrix's Avatar Call me Ishmael
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    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Quote Originally Posted by nikola.mincic View Post
    Thank you all for your amazing suggestions!
    I shall try Macedon on hard/medium next, see how it goes, and if I still have no trouble at all, next one will be Carthage or one of the Celts on hard/hard!
    I am incredibly glad I found this mod <3
    Just FYI, you did not play a long enough Romani campaign to call it quits, not even close if you didn't even reach the Marian reforms after turn 600. When that happens, Rome can recruit Marian provincial units outside of Italy in nearly all provinces that have directly-controlled provincial governments, i.e. ones without allied oligarchies or democracies.

    That means you get to recruit Roman legionaries, elite Antesignani, and Marian era auxiliary cavalry in territories such as Gaul, Germania, the Iberian peninsula, the Balkans, North Africa, Anatolia, the Mediterranean islands, the Levant, Egypt, etc. If you want to play a cursory campaign that only goes into the Polybian era with Polybian units that can only be recruited from Italy and Sicily, that's fine, but you did not play any meaningful or full Romani campaign.

    I hope you enjoy your Makedonia campaign, but quite frankly you should return to your Romani one or start a new one and play it slower this time, expanding more gradually. At the very least wait until the mid-2nd century BC to conquer the entire Mediterranean Basin, because that's when Marian reforms become available, circa 150 BC or so.

  12. #12

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    i Would recommend to not use more than 2 pike units in any army, as they are VERY under powered compared to RTW counterparts due to the engine changes. I also would suggest to not Steam roll any faction, and instead spend the first 20-30 turns at peace with other factions as best as you can, Or if failing that, try to just take 1-2 towns. Because if you just blitz at the start the AI gets seriously crippled for the rest of the game, and it feels to easy for the rest of the game. Also i would recommend to not spam Elite units, as it will also make the game super easy, and just kills how cool an army could look.

  13. #13

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Quote Originally Posted by moisesjns View Post
    I also would suggest to not Steam roll any faction, and instead spend the first 20-30 turns at peace with other factions as best as you can, Or if failing that, try to just take 1-2 towns.
    Let's face it, the game is easy. You need to roleplay.

  14. #14
    Roma_Victrix's Avatar Call me Ishmael
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    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Quote Originally Posted by Camcolit View Post
    Let's face it, the game is easy. You need to roleplay.
    LOL. No.

    It might appear that way with the only major stumbling block in the beginning being lack of funding to recruit enough troops to defend your settlements, let alone build offensive armies to start taking enemy settlements.

    However, even when you build a large prosperous empire, if you're playing the game on hard mode for the campaign map, guess what happens?
    *Having a large economy above 100,000 mnai leads to corruption, which leads to poor traits for governors, which leads to unrest and rebellion
    *Some settlements have insane levels of native resistance and without a proper governor to maintain public order, will rebel against you
    *The game has a way of timing things, so that when a competent faction leader of yours dies, several once peaceful factions declare war all at once if they sense weakness
    *This cascades into enormous headaches if combined with several important settlements rebelling all at once
    *Without enough decent family members, the player is forced to choose between sending good generals into the field with armies or keeping them behind as needed governors
    *All of this considerably slows down expansion, and basically reveals that you don't know much about this game.

  15. #15

    Default Re: Suggestion to a new player

    Quote Originally Posted by Roma_Victrix View Post
    *All of this considerably slows down expansion, and basically reveals that you don't know much about this game.
    Oh yeah, I'm totally new to this.

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