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

[diamondspider]

Originally posted by Kjeld:
Thanks for all the answers thus far.
Actually, I am rarely behind (or at least, that much behind ) the AIs in the # of provinces owned, or income.

However, I am starting to realize that I tend to put too many eggs in the same basket. I am often tempted to make "superstacks" of very powerful troops, but I am starting to think that more numerous armies, with a lower but decent number of elite troops/mage backing up lower quality troops might allow me to both expand faster, and control marauding enemy armies. I, however, always fear to spread my forces too thin.

Which leads to a question : how many armies and of what strength do you all feel comfortable with ?

I build my armies with "platoons". This means, say, 4 mages, 1 priest, and 30 men. I try and take indies with one platoon max and only bring them together for big fights with AI enemies.

So, yeah, going for a big stack early can be dangrous as it is an inefficient use of resources.

[Pocus]

Kjeld, if you want to win reliably against a bunch of impossible AI (I know you speak of average here), then you must understand that your chance of winning are not into competing with them about who has the most *mundane* units.

As a player, you should rely on combos & tricks, this is where you should shine, and where the AI sucks. No amount of province defences, or standard troops can win you a game (can happen with luck though) if you dont use the magical arsenal of dominions in somehow clever ways.

For example if you play a nature based nation, then you should plan to get poison ward / foul vapors. Or if you are Jotunheim, search for behemots, and etheralize then in battle. If you are Marignon, use crossbows with flaming arrows, and summon fire serpents. The game is about efficient usage of magic, this is your only hope to outmatch AIs which have tremendous production advantages.