Rome II

[Gusington]

You're Armenian? I am ethnically Azeri (not to be confused with Azzuri).

Prepare to die.

I think I have finally decided on a starting faction as long as I finish the Prologue tonight...Iceni.

[W8taminute]

^Holy moly Gus!  I did not know that.  Can we still be friends? 

[Yskonyn]

I have Polish ancestry. Where do I fit in? XD

[Martok]

Just be careful if both a German and a Russian sit on either side of you.  ;D 

[Sir Slash]

German/Irish. I want to invade everyone but then get drunk and forget about it. Meng, I'm thinking about going down to "Easy" level and restarting as even on "Normal" the Pontics aren't doing too well for me.

[Boggit]

The Auto-resolve for battles is quite a bit different. You can now choose between different stances for your army to take, each with a predicted outcome as to how you will do. Tactical AI on "Normal" difficulity is pretty good. So far no susicide charges by the enemy General. Slingers seem to be over powered, with their Precise Shot skill activated they're deadly even against armored opponents.

That's not so bad. Roman armies preferred slingers to archers in the earlier period, partly because slingers were argued as more effective. Balearic slingers were reputed to use different slings for different ranges, and different slingshots ranging (excuse the pun) from lead bullets to stones. If not necessarily better at penetrative wounds like the bow, they more than made up for it with the concussive effect on armoured opponents. They would be comparatively lethal with the bow against unarmoured targets too.

[Boggit]

I'm having a much tougher time as Pontus on "Normal". Took the first city from the Capps, then had to wait for Public order to rise before moving on. Meanwhile the Galatians declared war and the Capps sent an army against my eastern city. The Cappadocian army beat mine but then was defeated by my city garrison and withdrew. I have been able to direct my allies, Bithynia and Trapezios to concentrate against the Galatians and soon hope to go on the offensive again. I'm also at war with Cimmeria but they've only sent ships across the Black Sea so far. It's fun even if I'm completely sure what the hell I'm doing.

  The normal world must be very different from the Easy World.  We the easy Pontics salute your alternative cosmos!  Unfortunately, in an Easy World, I was tempted to dabble in Egypto-Greco-Macedonian politics and as a result all my satrapies fell and the Armenians crushed Trapezios.  Even in an Easy World, the Armenians can be serious trouble.

My copy is due imminently. I am so envious of you guys who already have the game... :'(

[Gusington]

Hard copy? That is so 375 BC.

Don't sweat it W8, I was kidding. I am actually Cambodian Orthodox.

My point being is that you never know who is hanging out here, so you don't want to call any group out as inherently evil even if you are convinced they are.

[mikeck]

That is awesome about the differences between the Prologue and the real game. If i am intrigued by the Prologue I will love the rest.

+1

have played very sporadically due to work - it will receive a full battering this weekend

Well, that was my perception (and Jarhead's I believe) but I have no concrete evidence for it. Seems to be the conventional wisdom though


Ok, on the garrison front, the reason I asked about extra units is that my public unrest is through the roof and still dropping. When I plop an army down in the city, public order comes up. Of course, I can't waste armies like that. Any ideas how best to reduce unrest? My taxes are as low as possible

[Boggit]

^Holy moly Gus!  I did not know that.  Can we still be friends?

If Gus' family are from northern Azerbaijan, then genetically he is more likely to be related to the Armenians, and Georgians. If not his family are likely to be more closely related to the Persians, or Oghuz Turkmen.

What does this mean for w8aminute and Gus?

It determines whether Gus plays multiplayer using the Parthians/Seleukids (nearest big power?), as an ally, or as an enemy to w8's Armenians. Either way, it's only pixellated blood that gets spilt. ;D ;)

[mikeck]

HEY, new SLOWER BATTLES MOD

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?618513-Radious-Moral-Mod-!!!!

If your Interested. Looks like it basically causes armies to fight longer resulting in higher casualties before retreat...so not a perfect fix

[MengJiao]

German/Irish. I want to invade everyone but then get drunk and forget about it. Meng, I'm thinking about going down to "Easy" level and restarting as even on "Normal" the Pontics aren't doing too well for me.

Well, the fun thing about easy mode is that you can make pretty big mistakes and still recover.  Makes for a pretty wild game with lots of extreme moments.  From my experience, you can still take a beating in easy mode, but you get a better chance of fixing your mistakes and getting back into the flow, which I think gives you the broad experience of the game more quickly and with less repetition than more difficult settings.  You can develop your understanding in easy mode and then refine it at more difficult settings.  That's my theory anyway.

[Gusington]

So is easy the new normal?

[JudgeDredd]

Always was for me

[Nefaro]

Ok, I am still playing the Prologue.
Now have control over Salernum, Buxentum en Lucernum. The Samnites have only 2 settlements left. Their capital Bovianum and the settlement to the east of Bovianum sealing off the pass towards it.

I still have a cap on amount of standing armies I can have of 3. Is it possible to raise this number?

Yes, but it's tied to your Fame/Infamy (or whatever it's called in this one).  As you progress and expand, it'll hit certain points where you'll get a message saying that your army, navy, and agent limits have gone up.  So you don't necessarily just unlock it but your overall advancement sets the pace. 

I like the new system with restricted generals, and only being able to recruit with a general inside the province with the barracks structures. It makes for tough decisions since you're not allowed to have a buttload of armies running about with a constant stream of new units being sent through enemy territory.  :D

As you can see 2 of my 3 armies are tied to putting down civil unrest while I'd rather have them march onto Bovianum.
How would you proceed?

I've not played the prologue at all.  Just speaking from a full campain point of view, here. 

I'm finding it safer to leave my armies in newly captured cities for a few turns, until the biggest of the revolt modifiers tapers off and the negative amount every turn is much lower.  Move a .. Dignitary (?) agent into the province because they start off with a base +2 Order effect and they also get extra level-up skills that provide more order bonuses to the province they're in.  Just remember to set them on their tax collection action while standing there, mainly to gain xp and level up in teh future.  I've also been using a 3rd army as a domestic police force, keeping it stocked with a few primarily low-upkeep units, and garrisoning that in one of the cities of my worst province.  While still needing the other two frontline armies for awhile, after conquering a region, I can move a big one off before long and move the smaller one in to take over subjugation duties.

I've also been researching the first couple + stability unlocks fairly early in the game (along with the first Pop Growth one and some Culture conversion) for the nation wide bonus and the buildings.  It helps subdue unruly new conquests faster and as an added bonus the provinces with overall stability in the green get additional pop growth and tax income boosts.  Be sure to check all the pop-up tooltips on the Stability window (bottom left) when your province is selected.  The little symbols at the bottom also have an extra effect; some like the above high stability bonuses and others pertaining to random events.