Help getting into Empire: Total War?

[NerfedFalcon]

Do people ever experiment when they're playing games? This sort of getting scared and wanting a definite answer is a big part of what makes developers dumb their games down.

Well, excuse me for making an impulse purchase and not knowing that this was actually the deepest game of the series, and doing it via digital distribution because of a sale, and not being good at strategy games but hoping this could change it, and that there were nice people on the Internet, you limited ursurit!

(Which, coincidentally, was my Captcha.)

 

[The Madman]

Ehm. SO let me get this straight. When they reach certain population levels you can choose to improve it into castles/cities? Because Im at turn 12 and maybe thats just not nearly far enough.

You've got it! 12 turns is still really early into the campaign so it's no surprise you haven't seen it happen yet but yes, the cities/castles will gain new options as their population increases over time unlocking new units and the like as they go.

Right. So, as I said, experiment, figure things out for yourself.

No harm in asking for help and advice, especially not on a forum dedicated to such stuff. Besides sometimes it can be fun to see how other people play and what strategy they use.

 

[Exocet]

Well Russia didn't do that in my game. France and Austria however DID and took a while for that to stop.

I guess Russians really,REALLY don't like Swedes and Prussians.

 

[Exocet]

Well Russia didn't do that in my game. France and Austria however DID and took a while for that to stop.

I guess Russians really,REALLY don't like Swedes and Prussians.

Not as much as france. It seems its nigh impossible to take over France as Prussia because the negative effects for happiness are damn near biblical.

Or taking over over Britain as the French,probably.

 

[Jandau]

It all depends on what nation you are playing. Let's assume you play an easy one, say England.

1. MONEY!!! Focus on stuff that gives you more money. Mines, factories, things like that. This has a snowball effect by letting you build even more stuff down the line which gives you even more money which lets you build even...

2. TRADE!!! Get trade agreements with as many people as you can. You can have trade agreements with nations with whom you have a land border and your capitals are on the same landmass OR if you both have a trade port open. Also, build Trade ports. You only need one or two Military ports and you should only build fisheries once you are trading with everyone.

3. EXOTIC TRADE!!! Aside from the three major theatres (America, India, Europe) there are several minor areas. These are each home to about a half dozen "nodes" which can generate income. You need to grab these. Mass produce cheap trading ships, send them to these theatres and park one on as many nodes as you can, then proceed to reinforce them with more trade ships and a few escorts. If you're playing the Spanish or the Dutch you get special Trade ships (Galleons and Merchantmen) which don't require escorts. If you can secure a substantial number of nodes, it'll be a huge boost to your income.

4. FOCUS ON YOUR OBJECTIVES!!! If you're playing England, Spain or France, you'll get a mission that will result in your colonies joining you. Focus on that. It's worth it.

5. PICK OFF THE WEAK ONES!!! Indians, minor nations without strong allies, things like that. If you can take something without it resulting in a war with a major nation, it's usually a good idea to do so. Another example are the Barbary states, which are ripe for the pickings. Also, the Pirates of the Carribien are weak and have no allies, meaning free towns for you!

6. DON'T PICK FIGHTS!!! Deal with existing conflicts before starting new wars. Even if you aren't at war with anyone, don't rush into something, use time to build up. Someone will declare war on you soon enough.

7. SPAM LINE INFANTRY!!! Early on, Cannons kinda suck. Before higher caliber models and advanced ammunition come into play, they are a waste of an army slot. Cavalry has its pupose (chasing runners, flanking, killing cannons), but you only need a few units at most. Line Infantry is the workhorse of your army and with good reason. Solid, reliable, well rounded - this IS your army. Everything else is there to give them a hand. Get square formation early on to counter cavalry charges.

For more, give me some specific questions.

 

[SckizoBoy]

And remember,if you go to war with Russia,be prepared for a very,very long war and lots of casualties in between turns when you move your armies.

You would think after Nepoleon and Hitler, people would stop invading Russia in the Winter

Actually, you should invade Russia in winter. The mistake Napoleon and Hitler made was invading in summer. By the time they got to Ukraine, winter hit and they were fucked. If they staged in December, got used to the Polish winter, then head off, they'd've reached Moscow by the following April, with the harvest due to start and no need to scrape for food.

In my defence,they started it and winter comes around way too often.

Now play Napoleon: Total War as the Prussians/Austrians on the Historical campaign (to win, you have to invade Russia) and there's winter attrition for added 'realism'. Once December comes around, I'm like... shit, to billets, NAU!!

I guess Russians really,REALLY don't like Swedes and Prussians.

Not as much as france. It seems its nigh impossible to take over France as Prussia because the negative effects for happiness are damn near biblical.

Really? I found that once I took Paris with a 20 unit army and stuck around for a few years, it was fine. Then I'd turn my head towards Spain...

I loved playing as Prussia because early expansion was so easy and mid-game (my fav part of all the TW games) was the challenge. Regardless of how I went about it, everyone would hate me at this stage so fuck it, attack everyone with everything I've got. The number of times I've taken out whole factions in less than two years was getting ridiculous.

OT: Anyway, as most posters have mentioned: money, always money. I ran a general rule of thumb of approx. +1000 per major settlement controlled once everything's settled. Lots of line infantry with a couple units of cavalry to back them up. However, I found the battle gameplay infuriating (much preferred N:TW) and the artillery pretty much useless until about 1750-75 when you can churn out horse-artillery, howitzers and use canister shot.

And to shore up the line, use dragoons (and once you get them, Light Dragoons are awesome), 'cos they can widen your battleline in a shoot out then mount and chase down any stragglers.

Don't bother to pay much attention to how other nations view yours because it will get to a point where it really doesn't matter, you'll end up making enemies of them anyway!

 

[R4ptur3]

As empire: total war was my first game in the series, I went straight into the american independence campaign, got to the point where the advisor would shut up, and then used everything I could use to see what it does, how effective it is, and generally, what the hell im trying to use, and it managed to show me everything I needed, what was good and bad and so on.

 

[Svane]

Line Infantry are undeniably better, thing is they're expensive to maintain whereas militia early on are still quite respectable in a fight and a certain number can be garrisoned in cities free of charge in many cases leaving more money to either build up your economy or alternatively train and maintain more regular soldiers for a mobile army.

You are right in what you're saying. However, this also proves (which I hope leet_x1337 will read)how very different you can approach the start of the campaign. The quote you used from me is from my experience in my first victory within the time limit, and as I was surrounded by some quite warmonger-ish nations that went to war with each other like we changes underwear, I did not dare risk getting units that were not the strongest units that I could buy and at the same time maintain while still improving my economy. Notice the word "risk" 'cause trying to do a certain strategy involves risks. Which is quite a big part of the game if you play on the higher difficulty settings.