How do you keep up with the AI (troop building)

[Kjeld]

Well, after another pitiful rout, the conclusion is here, I suck
Well, I hope not, but I still cannot hope to win against AIs on normal level, even using fewer AIs than normal map settings, higher independant strength by default ... Well, the only nation I have done consistently well with is Jotunheim, with a strong blood pretender : I generally have the problems I outline below, but Jotunheim province defense and blood summons and artifacts somewhat makes up for my shortcomings.

So, here's the deal : I am constantly outnumbered, litteraly drowned by hordes, and hordes of enemies. My elite units don't really matter. The AI field, bare minimum, 4 or 5 times as much troops. Of course, most is fodder, but who cares ? Of course, my few, small armies win 1 on 1, but I get back 2 provinces, I lose 4 behind, and my scout can see bigger and bigger stacks coming at me.
And that's agains 1 enemy. More often than not, it's 2 or 3 of them that come at my throat. Not even to mention wraparound maps

I have experimented with both high and low province defenses, neither solution seems to work really : with low province defense, it is just easy for the enemy to have 2 or 3 rampaging enemies armies deep inside my territory (and then it is the "guess where they'll be next turn" game), with high province defense, they can be overcome anyway, and it just adds to my problem (lack of troops ...)

So, any tips about what I shall do ? If heavy troops are not sufficient, should I stick to mass production of light troops (like the AI do ?) ? I was under the assumption that it was beneficial to produce a lot of mages (for research, site searching, combat support), but should I just forget that, crank out troops, and only get a mage when times permit ? Should I convert even more gems into gold with alchemy ? Build a supercombatant pretender ?(I suck at supercombatants. My only serious try was with a son of Niefel and Niefelheim theme. My jotun jarl and pretender were cursed by turn 3 by lizard shamans, and blind during their first encounter with marignon - blindness spell)
Or go back to easy AI (but I fear to take bad habits against not so good opposition ...) ?

Oh, by the way : I now take almost always Order 3 by default. It's the only way I can hope to have a chance.

There is a good thread in this forum about game beginnings (the first few turns). This I have no problem with, I can expand just fine. What I am really looking for is more like : It's now turn 20-40ish, there are hostile enemies at my borders, how should I spend my ressources and magic, how can I manage to keep my territorial integrity. ?

[ February 01, 2004, 14:00: Message edited by: Kjeld ]