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Originally Posted by JimMorrison
Independents = 9 is the most sensible learning advice available. It is the only game that will reliably hamper the AI more than you.
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Agreed. One should also eyeball the independent types. Feudal provinces (heavy infantry, knights and archers) are pretty nasty if you lack shields or lance-absorbers (e.g. Dispossessed Spirits). Lizardmen provinces should be avoided if you're relying on an SC pretender. Barbarians are slightly ugly in melee, but fare poorly under concentrated arrow fire.
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I found the game easier to learn with Production-3 in my scales. The reason being, until you have the knowledge of what units are best, and what to build when - you need the capacity to meet a horde with a horde, if nothing else.
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Prod-3 might depend on the nation, of course. Sometimes it's gold that's the bottleneck.
The AI tends not to overbid for mercenaries, at least on low difficulty levels, so bidding 1+base rate works. Some of the mercenary companies are good for capabilities you might not have (like heavy cavalry, amphibious infantry, or other magical paths) and others may be more useful as cannon fodder. Good for early expansion.
Along with this, don't overspend on temples early. Unless you started near a very happy blood-sacrificer, you shouldn't be in danger of dominion death early on, and the gold would be better spent on mages or troops.