Napoleon: Total War (Not an Expansion for Empire)

[Caliga]

Actually IMO all of the 'grand campaigns' in the CA games *suck*.  I always play the 'side campaigns' only, which is why I usually wait for the expansion packs and buy the game + expansion.  In M:TW II 90% of my play time was the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and in M:TW probably 99% of my play time was with Viking Invasion.

[Ed Anger]

Actually IMO all of the 'grand campaigns' in the CA games *suck*.  I always play the 'side campaigns' only, which is why I usually wait for the expansion packs and buy the game + expansion.  In M:TW II 90% of my play time was the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and in M:TW probably 99% of my play time was with Viking Invasion.

I'd play the Teutonic campaign, just to crush Spellus' Russians with Ritterbruders. Dead Russians = Spellus tears.

[DGuller]

Actually IMO all of the 'grand campaigns' in the CA games *suck*.  I always play the 'side campaigns' only, which is why I usually wait for the expansion packs and buy the game + expansion.  In M:TW II 90% of my play time was the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and in M:TW probably 99% of my play time was with Viking Invasion.

I'm exactly the opposite.

[Cecil]

Actually IMO all of the 'grand campaigns' in the CA games *suck*.  I always play the 'side campaigns' only, which is why I usually wait for the expansion packs and buy the game + expansion.  In M:TW II 90% of my play time was the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and in M:TW probably 99% of my play time was with Viking Invasion.

And 90% of the reason the GC always blows is that CA cant program a campaign AI worth a damn. Scenarios much more limited scope makes it much easier to hardcode specific behaviours making the AI fare a lot better.

Besides I tend to think the scenarios suck as well. I wait for the mods to get out. I made an exception with ETW which I aint likely to repeat anytime soon.

[Caliga]

And 90% of the reason the GC always blows is that CA cant program a campaign AI worth a damn. Scenarios much more limited scope makes it much easier to hardcode specific behaviours making the AI fare a lot better.

Yes, exactly.

Honestly the only 'grand campaign' I actually liked was the one in Shogun: Total War. 

[Viking]

I'm playing broken crescent 2. After being spammed by elite egyptians and turks as the crusaders I looked in the campaign scripted events. Yes I'm good. But 15k ducats and topping up defenders in besieged cities with high quality units just meant that my pathetic attempts to beat 6 chevron ghazis with fucking useless levantine spear milita just left my tactical and strategic skill lacking.

Conducting a successful cannae under those conditions just results in my encircling forces being broken by the tight packed encircled forces.

[Faeelin]

Actually IMO all of the 'grand campaigns' in the CA games *suck*.  I always play the 'side campaigns' only, which is why I usually wait for the expansion packs and buy the game + expansion.  In M:TW II 90% of my play time was the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and in M:TW probably 99% of my play time was with Viking Invasion.

I agree with this, which might be why I loved The Road to Independence. Especially conquering the British Isles with Nathanial Greene. 

[DGuller]

I'm playing broken crescent 2. After being spammed by elite egyptians and turks as the crusaders I looked in the campaign scripted events. Yes I'm good. But 15k ducats and topping up defenders in besieged cities with high quality units just meant that my pathetic attempts to beat 6 chevron ghazis with fucking useless levantine spear milita just left my tactical and strategic skill lacking.

Conducting a successful cannae under those conditions just results in my encircling forces being broken by the tight packed encircled forces.

I'm playing Stainless Steel 6.2 Byzantines grand campaign, and I've already taken 42 out of 70 territories required to win.  Surprisingly, I've actually managed to make and keep two allies, which means that I'm only at war with 9 AI factions (although a couple have been marginalized).  The healthy AI factions really come at me, and it's constant warfare on the frontiers (as well as near Constantinople, with those stupid Jihads).

Good thing the siege AI is pretty passive, or all that warfare would get pretty tiresome.  I just kill all the ranged units with my cavalry, and then send out my ballista units to their infantry flanks.  To their credit, the enemy is very disciplined, and keeps the formation even while the bolts are ripping through their sides and taking out a whole rank at a time.  They keep their composure even as the ballista is standing 100 feet from them, and has already racked up 600 kills.  They're too professional to do something rash, like charging that ballista.

[Valmy]

The reason I cannot play the TW grand campaigns is because you really cannot decide not to conquer an AI faction...generally once you reach a certain size they will all fight you to the death...and just keep sending wimpy armies in you defeat and then they build another and send it in and this rather tiresome process continues forever.  You just cannot conquer them because your empire gets harder to manage as you get bigger.

The only thing more tiresome is in EU3 when you come into contact with the Ming Empire.  Fucking Ming Empire ruins that game.

[DGuller]

The reason I cannot play the TW grand campaigns is because you really cannot decide not to conquer an AI faction...generally once you reach a certain size they will all fight you to the death...and just keep sending wimpy armies in you defeat and then they build another and send it in and this rather tiresome process continues forever.  You just cannot conquer them because your empire gets harder to manage as you get bigger.

It does?  I think it actually gets easier to manage.  Once you're large enough, most of your cities are not on frontier anymore, and thus don't require strong garrison.  That lets you keep bigger armies on the frontier without straining your economy.

[Valmy]

It does?  I think it actually gets easier to manage.

The tend to revolt and get ornery.

[Cecil]

It does?  I think it actually gets easier to manage.

The tend to revolt and get ornery.

Huh? Dont think that happened since MTW1. And that was scripted into the game.

[DGuller]

Huh? Dont think that happened since MTW1. And that was scripted into the game.

It didn't happen to me either.  Valmy, how do you set your taxes?

[Valmy]

It didn't happen to me either.  Valmy, how do you set your taxes?

The lowest I can usually.  Heck I do everything I can.  The cities grow and they revolt.  Meh.

[Valmy]

Huh? Dont think that happened since MTW1. And that was scripted into the game.

Well it sure happened in Rome: Total War.