Re: Early Expansion Question
 

As a SP I have some questions.

1. I read somewhere, sometime, that in MP idies are kept at default of 5. Is that so? (I play at indies 9, for no reason other than that is the way my game style developed, but I have trouble making 3 unbeatable armies by turn 8.)
2. If indies are set at 5, what is the reason? Is it because it was the easiest choice to make or because indies at 9 would handicap too many nations with weak national troops.
3. Do you sacrifice almost all research in the opening phase by commiting every piece of gold to troops and commanders?
4. Do you garrison or PD conquered indies with anything more than a mere token force to maximize capitol troop purchases? If so, is this done as a tacit acknowledgment that your neighbors probably will not attack you until phase two starts?

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

I'd say the default, that is 5. Most MP games i've been in run with full defaults except renaming on, some with bigger HoF, rarely other settings are changed. Not that i've been in that many MP games though http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

Indie strength 7 or 9 is an entirely different game.

Not because of the expansion, but the indie mages you get are insane.

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

Have you submitted your pretender?

It doesn't show on the site. However, there wrere a few posts about something being wrong on the BAG thread.

My first expansion army begins attacking on Turn 2.

The others don't get started till Turn 8. But I should be able to take 3 provinces on Turn 8 easily. In a perfect world, I could take 4 provinces of any type. But the world isn't perfect, so call it 3.

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

I don't think you get different poptypes, and thus different indy mages, at higher indy strength levels.

Or do you just mean the defending indies have some insane mages?

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

You can get Amazon's and Druid's on Indy-5. I believe I saw one in about 20 provinces in a solo game I played.

There are, MORE, on Indy-7.

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

Never heard about that. Are you sure it couldn't just be a coincidence? DomII default was indy 3 IIRC, and the amazons and druids were far from rare. The map (=i.e. terrains) would probably have far more effect in this, with plains and farmlands having so many poptypes the crystal amazons appear very rarely compared to tribes of forests, swamps or mountains.

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

Certain maps do tend towards them more often.
The games I've been involved in (all strength 5), especially early era, tend to have one province I must avoid due to blood druids and those blood vine monsters. I've seen other spell casters as well who've devastated an unexpecting expansion army.

On indie 5, I tend to see 20-80 troops to a province. On indie 6, sixty seems like it might be the low end. In the late era I generally saw less indie mages, but that might just be coincidence. Instead, I saw a lot more barbarians, HI, and crossbowmen - on 5 and 6, that is.

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

Late era seems to have less amazons, druids and shamans.

Era's probably the largest source of difference.
Terrain will have an affect too.

Higher indy levels will get you more defenders with mages, even when there aren't recruitables there.

Speaking of the Blood Druids:
Does anyone else wish you'd get them instead of regular ones when you have to fight them? Is there a site you can get them from?

Re: Early Expansion Question
 

Poptypes are VERY dependent on eras. Hoburgs change a lot, as an example. The EA Hoburgs have no Burgmeisters but both the Horticulturist and the priest; the LA has Hog Knights and Burgmeister guards and all that. EA has more mage-types and no crossbows or knight/longbow provinces, and the heavy cavalry has lower prot (~13 at max). In MA and especially LA shortbows are still common, but the archers wear more armor and are harder to mass without castles, crossbowmen are common and prot 15 indep infantry with broad swords and shields is better than some nations' infantry.