M:TW Help
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Eel Snave
- Posts: 2868
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:09 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
- Contact:
M:TW Help
So, I just picked this one up (for $10 used! Cheap!) and I'm kind of lost. It looks like I could have a lot of fun with it, but I'm just...lost. Any tips for a n00b?
Downwards Compatible
We're playing every NES game alphabetically! Even the crappy ones! Send help!
We're playing every NES game alphabetically! Even the crappy ones! Send help!
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Kelric
- Posts: 30197
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:20 pm
- Location: Whip City
Win more battles than you lose.
What you want to do is get your economy functioning. Build ports and ships to encourage trade (not to mention trading posts, or whatever they're called in game). An uninterrupted line of ships from sea to sea can bring you a lot of cash. The lower farmland improvements are important early on (or at least I think so) in any of your farm produce territories. Don't build them everywhere and don't build all of them at the expense of other important buildings. Once you have plenty of money coming in and your borders are secured, then you can work on improving your basic infrastructures around your empire. Don't forget to watch your territories loyalty. Never let it drop below 100 as anything under that leads to a chance for revolution. I'm a micro-manager in these types of games so every turn I check every territory for tax issues, what can I build/recruit, etc. - I do the same with armies after every battle. You can have the computer auto-manage armies (mixing units when some guys are wounded) but I prefer doing it myself.
Don't build real strong castles in every territory until you are completely secure and can afford it. Try to find a good choke point territory (Constantinople to your west if you're in the Holy Lands to start with and the territory to the east of the Black Sea that seperates you from Russia) as a defensive position. Other good ones are the Spanish/French border and the crossing point between England and France (take the French side if possible as England) as well as the upside down U-shaped territory in Southern Spain that is a crossing to Africa and cuts off the last Southern Spainish territory (which is also a crossing). You want a front line of defense with strong castles at key positions. Anything you conquer beyond that should be considered expendable if worst comes to worst. Of course after a while consolidate your holdings there and expand the castle ring beyond that.
Don't forget to use bribery and assassinations on your enemies - it comes in very handy. Bribery is great when you're pulling in thousands upon thousands of Florins every turn and can bribe a few generals all at once. Taking half of the enemies' armies just by paying them is a huge advantage. Spies can be useful but I don't use very many of them. Mercenaries are important as well. If you can raise two or three mercenary armies, bribe an important enemy general and then roll through their front lines you should be able to take an enemy empire within a few turns.
For battle, remember that spears beat cavalry, cavalry beats archers, archers can annihilate footmen (until they go hand-to-hand) and other basic rules like that. Never fight uphill unless you have to and good luck trying to cross bridges. Try to use auto-calculate for battles as little as possible as you take heavier losses that way as a built in way of the game. I prefer to lay siege to a castle without actually attacking - you lose less troops this way. If you are going to attack a castle, you need siege equipment. The more siege equipment, the better.
Also, don't forget that you don't need to occupy and subdue every territory you come across. Sometimes it's useful just to attack and conquer a few territories simply for the money you can get by taking them and then destroying every building in the province. Sometimes this backfires as the place rebels and your enemy receives a nice strong army, but other times they don't rebel/they get liberated by the enemy when you withdraw/they rebel but stay as their own faction. Ransoming back enemy prisoners will get you money, but sometimes it's better to slaughter them before the battle is over. Also, you don't always need to ransom back your own troops.
I think that covers most of the facets of the game rather quickly. If you need any more help, post away.
What you want to do is get your economy functioning. Build ports and ships to encourage trade (not to mention trading posts, or whatever they're called in game). An uninterrupted line of ships from sea to sea can bring you a lot of cash. The lower farmland improvements are important early on (or at least I think so) in any of your farm produce territories. Don't build them everywhere and don't build all of them at the expense of other important buildings. Once you have plenty of money coming in and your borders are secured, then you can work on improving your basic infrastructures around your empire. Don't forget to watch your territories loyalty. Never let it drop below 100 as anything under that leads to a chance for revolution. I'm a micro-manager in these types of games so every turn I check every territory for tax issues, what can I build/recruit, etc. - I do the same with armies after every battle. You can have the computer auto-manage armies (mixing units when some guys are wounded) but I prefer doing it myself.
Don't build real strong castles in every territory until you are completely secure and can afford it. Try to find a good choke point territory (Constantinople to your west if you're in the Holy Lands to start with and the territory to the east of the Black Sea that seperates you from Russia) as a defensive position. Other good ones are the Spanish/French border and the crossing point between England and France (take the French side if possible as England) as well as the upside down U-shaped territory in Southern Spain that is a crossing to Africa and cuts off the last Southern Spainish territory (which is also a crossing). You want a front line of defense with strong castles at key positions. Anything you conquer beyond that should be considered expendable if worst comes to worst. Of course after a while consolidate your holdings there and expand the castle ring beyond that.
Don't forget to use bribery and assassinations on your enemies - it comes in very handy. Bribery is great when you're pulling in thousands upon thousands of Florins every turn and can bribe a few generals all at once. Taking half of the enemies' armies just by paying them is a huge advantage. Spies can be useful but I don't use very many of them. Mercenaries are important as well. If you can raise two or three mercenary armies, bribe an important enemy general and then roll through their front lines you should be able to take an enemy empire within a few turns.
For battle, remember that spears beat cavalry, cavalry beats archers, archers can annihilate footmen (until they go hand-to-hand) and other basic rules like that. Never fight uphill unless you have to and good luck trying to cross bridges. Try to use auto-calculate for battles as little as possible as you take heavier losses that way as a built in way of the game. I prefer to lay siege to a castle without actually attacking - you lose less troops this way. If you are going to attack a castle, you need siege equipment. The more siege equipment, the better.
Also, don't forget that you don't need to occupy and subdue every territory you come across. Sometimes it's useful just to attack and conquer a few territories simply for the money you can get by taking them and then destroying every building in the province. Sometimes this backfires as the place rebels and your enemy receives a nice strong army, but other times they don't rebel/they get liberated by the enemy when you withdraw/they rebel but stay as their own faction. Ransoming back enemy prisoners will get you money, but sometimes it's better to slaughter them before the battle is over. Also, you don't always need to ransom back your own troops.
I think that covers most of the facets of the game rather quickly. If you need any more help, post away.