prepping for beginning expansion

[Gandalf Parker]

I dont know why Indep 3 is the default. I guess because it matches AI-easy.

I think that hurts the game. Indep 5 is more human-setting. The setting of 3 is more in favor of the AI than human players. It leads new people to think they arent doing well because the AI swarms into them early in the game. Im continually telling new players to turn indepts up until they learn the game better.

I play consistantly on Indep 6. Just gard enough that it takes skill and effort to expand, but just easy enough so that a Combat Pretender can be of use with or without an army if you desire.

I would admonish all Newbies to play on at least AI 5+ in order to better learn how the AI functions in the Battlefield.

[HJ]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
The setting of 3 is more in favor of the AI than human players.

Actually, higher settings benefits the AI as well, as the AI shows up with bigger armies that they need to accumulate to conquer indies at 6+. This also means more national troops, and less mad rushes with militia armies who are either insufficient to conquer indie provinces, or get killed in the process. If by "benefit" you meant that they get more provinces more quickly, that's true, but they get to use them better and more thoroughly (as well as their home province) on higher settings. In my experience, in its current state the AI plays best (as in - provides the best opposition) with indies at 6-7, rich world and sites at 50.

[Gandalf Parker]

Wel actually I usually word it the other way. That higher indept settings benefit a human player more than the AI. A human usually does better at avoiding the hard ones and prepping for the others.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
Wel actually I usually word it the other way. That higher indept settings benefit a human player more than the AI. A human usually does better at avoiding the hard ones and prepping for the others.

I've found that the AI benefits as much, if not more, than the benefits the human reaps for high indies: High independent settings force the AIs to build up more before making attempts, so when they encounter you, they'll be better armed. However, higher indies also tend to slaughter the AI's entire army at times.....as a result, some of the AIs won't survive this phase and will be culled from the herd: The herd, as a whole, however, is stronger for it, as the AIs are then less crowded in and do not cripple themselves on fruitless internecine warfare.

On the flipside, the human benefits from a reduced risk of an early-game AI dogpile. If the human player is wielding an super-SC pretender, the AI's dogpile will be stomped into the ground anyway, but a higher independent setting gives more viability to noncombatant pretenders: It also tends to make it more likely that the human player survives....and faces a smaller number of tougher AI nations.

So, overall, a higher independent setting benefits an individual human more than an individual AI players, but higher independent settings, collectively, benefit the AI players more.

[Vynd]

To give you specific advice, cpbeller, I think we need to know more about the problems you are having. What do you typically do with your starting army and/or 1st turn builds? Can you take out one or two indie provinces but then you're left with too weak of an army for more? Or are you having trouble right out of the gate? Is there some sort of pattern to how your battles, particularly your losses, go?

[MythicalMino]

the game i am playing at the moment, it is turn 19, i have control of 5 or 6 provinces. Indeps at 5.

I had a very bloody battle and lost 37 troops about 4 turns ago taking a high income province (no knoghts, but heavy cav). I won that battle only because of my Wind Riders taking out their 2 commanders, forcing the indy army to route (thank God for that, my army was getting slaughtered).

I have secured the provinces surrounding my capital, but have now come in contact with C'tis on the south-eastern border (they are still 2-3 provinces away from me, but my dominion has spread enough so i can see them). Also, R'lyeh is on my north-western border, right next to a key province of mine (connects one land mass to another). R'Lyeh only has 50 troops right now (Lobo Guards, Slave Troopers, Crab Hybrids & an Illithid Lord).

I guess, I have trouble with all of it. I personally think my early expansion hasn't been so bad until that large battle, losing 37 guys. What I have a lot of trouble in though is formations (for one thing).

Also, building a good army with such low resources. With the resources my capital can use (71 resources), I can only build 2 elite troops per turn, and that doesn't include commanders.

I am currently nearly right in the middle of the map, with water directly north (bordering me), and open land to the south, and especially to the east (C'tis).

Here is the game info:

- using Golden Age Arco, Arch Mage (4 Fire/4 Air/4 Water/4 Earth/1 Death).

- the Forgotten Realms map (huge map, over 400 provinces)

- Indeps set to 5

- magic sites set to 50 (I think)


I think that is pretty much it....the thing i really have a difficult time is the formations, and building units (what kind exactly, and getting the most out of my resources).