^ Weird. Are you playing on Siwas on beginner? If you are raiders/slavers should not be this frequent or deadly.
MG infantry, single brigade, with an attached recon buggy battalion should be able to wipe all raiders by pushing them into pockets and getting that sweet, sweet 200% concentric bonus. Even without the buggies attached, you still get 100% bonus for full encirclement with mixed HQs. Note do not add militia units to an encirclement attack with units from the same HQ as you reduce the bonus. In this case it is worth using them to bombard, even though they are godawful at it, or better to encircle their own pocket. Units under a SHQ can only ever get a 100% concentric attack bonus.
Slavers are much harder and may need tuning down, especially on beginner.
Tech levels means all majors start at the same tech level. Minors do not scale with tech much. T4 will put you at a significant advantage, along with all other majors. Some minors start at functionally higher tech for the first 20 - 30 turns depending on council choices due to getting makeshift vehicles, particularly armour. These are not very strong but they will bully single infantry battalions and militia in open ground.
Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Moderator: Vic
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Everyone starts with lower tech levels at T3 start, but movie's disadvantages are much more pronounced as the tech levels to up. Militia are very poor compares to real units and the more real units you start with unlocked, the easier it is to quickly raise good offensive units to fight them - and to builds up a solid industrial base to support doing so, too. The primitive start is harder than later starts precisely because minors are so much more challenging.
On the low tech start, you only have a very, very defensive units for the most part - infantry and machine guns are just inherently bad at attacking. Buggies are your best bet, but they're very fragile compared to later armoured units. What you really want is howitzer armed tanks supported by artillery, which will take a while to get to from the stone age start.
Form lines, entrench and dig in, don't play offensively til you have the tools. Expand away from the slavers and just try to contain them with entrenched machine gunners til you have the right tools for the job.
On the low tech start, you only have a very, very defensive units for the most part - infantry and machine guns are just inherently bad at attacking. Buggies are your best bet, but they're very fragile compared to later armoured units. What you really want is howitzer armed tanks supported by artillery, which will take a while to get to from the stone age start.
Form lines, entrench and dig in, don't play offensively til you have the tools. Expand away from the slavers and just try to contain them with entrenched machine gunners til you have the right tools for the job.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
I've had my problems with slavers, you have to knock them out early, of course easier said then done, at least for me. I just lost another game. Lasted about 60 turns, metal was my problem. Only one metal resource, and the private business took it and i never had the 1000 coin to nationalize it. Prospecting turned up 8 oil hexes, but only one metal. Took forever to get my IP factory built with the lack of metal, built an oil refinery that took awhile also. I had a lot of territory, i was searching for metal, but only had my militia, one army,and 3 independent buggies to defend. I knew sooner or later it was coming, there were testing my borders. It was just so slow building stuff because of the metal and IP shortage, while trying to upgrade my IP factory and develop oil refineries[needed the cash] i started to run out of food as my population grew. Pretty soon not enough food to go around, shit started to go bad.......and right then...bam..got hit by a minor, rolled me up and finished me off...It was great[:D]
Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Be Yourself; Everyone else is already taken" ~Oscar Wilde
*I'm in the Wargamer middle ground*
I don't buy all the wargames I want, I just buy more than I need.
"Be Yourself; Everyone else is already taken" ~Oscar Wilde
*I'm in the Wargamer middle ground*
I don't buy all the wargames I want, I just buy more than I need.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Hey 76mm, you try the one army start. I always play with the one army start now.
Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Be Yourself; Everyone else is already taken" ~Oscar Wilde
*I'm in the Wargamer middle ground*
I don't buy all the wargames I want, I just buy more than I need.
"Be Yourself; Everyone else is already taken" ~Oscar Wilde
*I'm in the Wargamer middle ground*
I don't buy all the wargames I want, I just buy more than I need.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
All games on beginner, last few on Siwas, before that unclassified.ORIGINAL: Laiders
^ Weird. Are you playing on Siwas on beginner? If you are raiders/slavers should not be this frequent or deadly.
MG infantry, single brigade, with an attached recon buggy battalion should be able to wipe all raiders by pushing them into pockets and getting that sweet, sweet 200% concentric bonus.
Infantry brigade? haha, I can't build more than 1-2 infantry battalions for the first several turns, until I have a metals mine and industry to provide metal and IP. And I need those battalions to fend off the roving giant crabs, free folk, etc. If there are raiders as well, forget it. The last game, which I described above, IIRC had a 25% raider population, but I wasn't sure if that was "too high". Now I think it was.
This game, same shortage of resources and lots of aggressive life, but no raiders, so perhaps I'll survive.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
haven't tried that yet...so are your enemies scaled up as well if you start with an army? If so, not sure it would help much...ORIGINAL: budd
Hey 76mm, you try the one army start. I always play with the one army start now.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Then it's a prioritisation issue. If you encounter raiders early, getting a brigade out becomes priority. If pops starve to fund getting a brigade into the field and supplied, then no jokes they starve a turn.
Similarly a lot of new/inexperienced players do not prioritise nationalising their private truck station. You do this pretty much on first turn every time. Certainly within the first 10. It is too important not to. You cannot expand without that truck station nationalised.
I just fired up a quick moon game on regular. Harsh planet really, mostly took the rolls I got. Deliberately rerolled to eliminate mountains. This is six of one half a dozen other because minors get supply in mountains but overall mountains provide a strong defensive advantage against raiders. Lucked out a bit with a good disaster card, paranoia. Paranoia is a good card worth playing if you have unrest problems even if you don't need FP. It's pretty much a must play this early. I get archives, too expensive, 1000 credits and 50 PP as my fate cards. Both the credits and the PP, normally weak options, are brought around turn 5 to stabilise my economy and help me aggressively recruit leaders. I open with a recycling facility, luck again hit with city on ruins and triple ruins nearby. Takes about 6 turns to build due to IP constraints. Private econ eventually gets a water mine on the water deposit. More food, so I can stop buying it, is next.
Hold a ridge line with my militia against two raiders, who declared war turns 2 and 3. Not too many engagements but skirmishing every turn. Luckily one (A), after some initial probes, backed right off when I bloodied him on the ridge but the other (B) has been pretty aggressive. A is coming back into play now and has helped foul up an encirclement, along with the general godawfulness of militia. I am used to higher IP starts at the moment, due to playing on high pop Siwas, so I make the mistake of thinking I have some buggies and reg inf when I do not. I lose a militia unit outright to cockiness on my first botched encirclement attempt, motorised too, and lose a free adventurer militia who starve and are destroyed by roving units at some point. Link up became impossible due to the aggressive B raider.
A half strength inf MG brigade was raised turn 10. I sacrificed militancy, econ and FP to get there but it is done. I will probably be able to mop both raiders now and get two new populated zones. Minimally my city is permanently secure to the east because there is no way raiders take a ridge line from regular MG inf. I will be able to bring them to full strength in 2 to 3 turns. TBH, just sitting for 3 turns and not building anything would probably have got there faster but with even less of an econ base to then reinforce and support the inf.
If I can do it on regular in 11 turns on a moon facing down two raiders speedplaying to prove a point (albeit with a weirdly lucky start) then it will be possible on Siwa on beginner.
If you have your starting autosave for your last problem game, share it and I will either post or PM you a break down of my opening moves with screens. Quite serious about that offer BTW though can't do it now as it's late and I have work tomorrow.
If you want me to do this again with a harder moon, I'm happy to. Also happy to provide a breakdown with screens of these moon games.
This is not to brag. I am not fantastic at the game yet and I made several mistakes in this game, including ones I haven't noticed due to speed. My opener profiles and councils (I opened EC) where probably not optimal for a situation where warfare is inevitable early and required to stabilse. But I am not dead and probably cannot be finished by these two raiders. I have enough cash to buy off any more, though I hope my other neighbor is a scavenger or, at least, a distracted raider. It's more to say it's possible and things will get easier even if it does not feel like it will.
EDIT: all scaling options apply only to majors not minors. Minors will start with standard troops. You will start with a free brigade and even stronger militia. Mixed blessing as it can cause serious resource and logistics issues if you do not know how to handle these properly and ramp them aggressively early.
Just realised with the FP I could have bribed a raider and not tanked my militancy and relations. 1000 credits is a lot of money early. Goddamn...
Similarly a lot of new/inexperienced players do not prioritise nationalising their private truck station. You do this pretty much on first turn every time. Certainly within the first 10. It is too important not to. You cannot expand without that truck station nationalised.
I just fired up a quick moon game on regular. Harsh planet really, mostly took the rolls I got. Deliberately rerolled to eliminate mountains. This is six of one half a dozen other because minors get supply in mountains but overall mountains provide a strong defensive advantage against raiders. Lucked out a bit with a good disaster card, paranoia. Paranoia is a good card worth playing if you have unrest problems even if you don't need FP. It's pretty much a must play this early. I get archives, too expensive, 1000 credits and 50 PP as my fate cards. Both the credits and the PP, normally weak options, are brought around turn 5 to stabilise my economy and help me aggressively recruit leaders. I open with a recycling facility, luck again hit with city on ruins and triple ruins nearby. Takes about 6 turns to build due to IP constraints. Private econ eventually gets a water mine on the water deposit. More food, so I can stop buying it, is next.
Hold a ridge line with my militia against two raiders, who declared war turns 2 and 3. Not too many engagements but skirmishing every turn. Luckily one (A), after some initial probes, backed right off when I bloodied him on the ridge but the other (B) has been pretty aggressive. A is coming back into play now and has helped foul up an encirclement, along with the general godawfulness of militia. I am used to higher IP starts at the moment, due to playing on high pop Siwas, so I make the mistake of thinking I have some buggies and reg inf when I do not. I lose a militia unit outright to cockiness on my first botched encirclement attempt, motorised too, and lose a free adventurer militia who starve and are destroyed by roving units at some point. Link up became impossible due to the aggressive B raider.
A half strength inf MG brigade was raised turn 10. I sacrificed militancy, econ and FP to get there but it is done. I will probably be able to mop both raiders now and get two new populated zones. Minimally my city is permanently secure to the east because there is no way raiders take a ridge line from regular MG inf. I will be able to bring them to full strength in 2 to 3 turns. TBH, just sitting for 3 turns and not building anything would probably have got there faster but with even less of an econ base to then reinforce and support the inf.
If I can do it on regular in 11 turns on a moon facing down two raiders speedplaying to prove a point (albeit with a weirdly lucky start) then it will be possible on Siwa on beginner.
If you have your starting autosave for your last problem game, share it and I will either post or PM you a break down of my opening moves with screens. Quite serious about that offer BTW though can't do it now as it's late and I have work tomorrow.
If you want me to do this again with a harder moon, I'm happy to. Also happy to provide a breakdown with screens of these moon games.
This is not to brag. I am not fantastic at the game yet and I made several mistakes in this game, including ones I haven't noticed due to speed. My opener profiles and councils (I opened EC) where probably not optimal for a situation where warfare is inevitable early and required to stabilse. But I am not dead and probably cannot be finished by these two raiders. I have enough cash to buy off any more, though I hope my other neighbor is a scavenger or, at least, a distracted raider. It's more to say it's possible and things will get easier even if it does not feel like it will.
EDIT: all scaling options apply only to majors not minors. Minors will start with standard troops. You will start with a free brigade and even stronger militia. Mixed blessing as it can cause serious resource and logistics issues if you do not know how to handle these properly and ramp them aggressively early.
Just realised with the FP I could have bribed a raider and not tanked my militancy and relations. 1000 credits is a lot of money early. Goddamn...
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
hmmm, I don't play on moons, I usually play on Siwas, with alien monsters or one sort or another. I have no idea how different they are, other than that the various creatures are a real pain.
For me to prioritize starting with a brigade, I would have to basically sit in my home city for several turns until I had enough resources to do it, meanwhile the neighbors would be drawing the noose around me. Maybe next time I'll try it, but I'll be surprised it if does much good. Last game I created a regiment instead of a battalion, only to see it completely fail vs a small raider unit.
For me to prioritize starting with a brigade, I would have to basically sit in my home city for several turns until I had enough resources to do it, meanwhile the neighbors would be drawing the noose around me. Maybe next time I'll try it, but I'll be surprised it if does much good. Last game I created a regiment instead of a battalion, only to see it completely fail vs a small raider unit.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Moons are much, much harder than Siwas. They are the hardest planet type by far. They have the most chance to spawn raiders and slavers and other aggressive minors. They have very poor resources, poor terrain and no habitability. That's the whole point.
I'll roll a Siwa quick with as many raiders I can get and as many monsters. I'll post a quick guide (not AAR but guide) to my opening moves, on regular, after work tomorrow. Maybe in the morning if I am super quick about it. I'll do this win or fail to show how I react and to point out what is unwinnable, for me, early. If you get an unwinnable start and recognise it there is no shame in rerolling.
My point again is it's possible to stabilise most, though not all, situations.
EDIT: stories on or off out of interest? They are a mixed blessing.
Planet rolled. Aggressive 5m carnivores, 2 species of big herbivores. Human supporting atmo but very arid. Widespread deserts. Decent pop for all that 150 mil pre and 3 mil post. 30% raiders. Fingers cross I'll end up in a desert surrounded by raiders and we'll see.
I'll roll a Siwa quick with as many raiders I can get and as many monsters. I'll post a quick guide (not AAR but guide) to my opening moves, on regular, after work tomorrow. Maybe in the morning if I am super quick about it. I'll do this win or fail to show how I react and to point out what is unwinnable, for me, early. If you get an unwinnable start and recognise it there is no shame in rerolling.
My point again is it's possible to stabilise most, though not all, situations.
EDIT: stories on or off out of interest? They are a mixed blessing.
Planet rolled. Aggressive 5m carnivores, 2 species of big herbivores. Human supporting atmo but very arid. Widespread deserts. Decent pop for all that 150 mil pre and 3 mil post. 30% raiders. Fingers cross I'll end up in a desert surrounded by raiders and we'll see.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Sounds interesting, thanks. Current game started OK, but happiness has been plunging relentlessly, and now all of my units are out of supply... Probably time for me to hang up the game for awhile and finish RTFM and watching the tutorials, because not getting very far on my own.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Ah, ah, Laiders, your passion for the game is amazing.
I noticed luck and luckily were leitmotives in your report, but it does not detract anything from the fact you've been giving sound advice, at least in my opinion.
Looking forward to your next experiment.
(And this inspires me a suggestion.)
I noticed luck and luckily were leitmotives in your report, but it does not detract anything from the fact you've been giving sound advice, at least in my opinion.
Looking forward to your next experiment.
(And this inspires me a suggestion.)
-
AttuWatcher
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2009 3:15 pm
- Location: Hex 181, 36
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
ORIGINAL: Laiders
My point again is it's possible to stabilise most, though not all, situations.
Agreed. The game (on beginner) is not as hard as you guys are making it sound here. While I certainly find the low-tech start challenging, I always choose it and I really enjoy it. I also play on beginner.
I suppose it could be argued that beginner should usually allow for somewhat safer and slower starts, but again I really don't think it's that hard.
The start of the game is quite fun really, never a dull moment. It's later on when you have tense cold wars with Majors and you are second-guessing your tactics and strategy and how well it will line up in a big military exchange that the game gets scary, IMO. [X(]
I think the amount of experience you have with 4x games is also quite important. If a lot of people here are coming from a heavy traditional wargaming background this game will likely not be very easy, even to just survive on beginner, until you've had considerable practice and spent considerable time reading the manual, watching Das's videos etc.
The most important general keys to surviving a tough start are resource management, (get your income streams and stockpile those resources ASAP) and making sure that you expand very carefully, don't get overextended and don't venture too far from your home area unless absolutely necessary. Also get a Command Bunker Level II ASAP once you've stabilized your early resources.
I've recently started paying a lot more attention to entrenchment and readiness values and that has also made a very noticeable impact.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
It heavily depends on the start though. I am playing a game now where I was in a fight with a minor and the minor was causing me serious problems, I was able to hold the line outside my one city for a while but I couldn't push them back. It wasn't until my research guy finished the research for the light tank that I finally was able to push them back. Light tanks with howitzers won the war for me, otherwise I would have been screwed. This is a slow (epic) research game. I like research to go slow.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
It definitely take from this discussion that the types of minor regimes present on a planet work in effect as an additional difficulty level, i.e. raiders and slavers are much more likely to swarm you from the start, even on beginner, if you happen to have them as neighbours, than farmers or scavengers. (Although I've yet to see a scavenger culture minor regime.)
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Had the same experience from the OP
I am playing on beginner level and with only militia at start.
one comment here made me realize what the problem was….
Started a game with 1 army and that makes a huge difference – can handle raiders now..... thanks!
I am playing on beginner level and with only militia at start.
one comment here made me realize what the problem was….
Started a game with 1 army and that makes a huge difference – can handle raiders now..... thanks!
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
My concern is, are the AI Majors having the same issues? Because I feel like they don't get bothered much by minors. I hope that is not the case. I would hate if it was only a challenge for the player
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
ORIGINAL: BlackRain
My concern is, are the AI Majors having the same issues? Because I feel like they don't get bothered much by minors. I hope that is not the case. I would hate if it was only a challenge for the player
Some are. I've encountered AI majors which are basically under seige by a minor culture and so have extremely gimped expansion. On the other hand, the free roads and logi bonuses for the majors do allow them to concentrate more on their military early on, which helps a lot.
Players are very much at their most disadvantaged point in the first ten turns or so, when your IP is extremely low, BP are hard to come by, your population regularly defect to the free folk and your tech level offers no advantages over minors. Having to waste 2-3 whole turns of production building roads or a truck stop when the AI majors can take that IP and push it into a mid-size infantry platoon makes a huge difference on turn 5. By turn 50, not so much.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
ORIGINAL: BlackRain
My concern is, are the AI Majors having the same issues? Because I feel like they don't get bothered much by minors. I hope that is not the case. I would hate if it was only a challenge for the player
yes (at least from my perception), in the same game I am playing now (1st time with an army) I am watching how raiders are fighting against another party. Just waiting for the right moment to profit from it ...
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
Just to comment:
First game: I was at about turn 40-60 or so and was expanding when I ran into some slavers...well I had a good mix of units there and was sorta trying to block them off when all of a sudden they rapidly expanded in my direction without any war declaration taking out my territory. This was impossible for me to block since they were mostly motorized units doing this and I didn't have enough of my own. The result was the brigade group got surrounded and cut off...at this point I declared war attempting to breakt them out. What followed was about 20 units pouring out of the nothingness and surrounding my city cutting off all my troops from supply so even my other 3 groups of troops were killed shortly there-after. Luckily my city had a fair number of troops but even after killing 20,000 slaver infantry and then using my milita, armour, artillery and buggies to engage their formations I am still facing some 27 or so units surrounding my city. I am down to 1000 troops in my reserve pool. I said...ooohkay...try again time.
Second game: turn 3 a mass of slaver units pour out of the nothing-ness and wipe me out. Game over.
Third game: well this one looks to be going better but somewhere around turn 150 I get my first view of the other major...they have 17 infantry brigades. Now admittedly I had a rebellion, and then I made it worse by playing the rebellion card (I stupidly thought it was what I was supposed to do)...and I only finally got power plant and had a bloody food issue I still don't understand but solved it by throwing credits at traders so likely for the time period I'm likely way behind where I should be...but I have 3 infantry brigades plus a bunch of independent battalions and militia and am aiming to take over my 3rd city...but clearly I'm on the poor side here...
So yes slavers are powerful early game. In all cases I started only with militia and what makes them even more powerful is their relatively large number of mobile units. Basically they surround your forces faster than you can respond. And early game improvised tanks, buggies, and motorcycle troops are very powerful due to their mobility. Given then showed up at turn 3...there is nothing you as a player can do about it and they show up with large numbers of units they are easily able to surround your city which kills your army not in your city. Plus they have no supply lines so they attacked in the first game out of an area where I was at the limit of my supply chain.
Also militia does not upgrade...in the 3rd game when militia started showing up in my second city they were completely modern but my original militia units had neither received reinforcement or had upgraded their gear.
Also the other problem I have seen now in 2 games is energy. Powerplant or solar plants are critical but if you don't get them randomly picked (in no game have I seen solar plants) you are stuck at a point where you can't really build anything anymore as you have no power to run it. Also fuel is utterly vital yet so far I think I only once found any outside of in ruins via salvage. Without that then powerplant is useless (unless you can run it at 25% output or something which I think is possible). Also even though in one game I'd developed medium tanks I could not deploy them due to a lack of fuel.
There are certainly a few issues which at least for a beginner is hard to sort out... I also found that while the manual has some very clear illustrations of supply I found in game it hard to figure out which buttons to push to get these clear views. The same issue showed up with trying to place supply dumps and truck stations.
Basically for the beginner player there is a steep learning curve...slavers certainly don't help.
First game: I was at about turn 40-60 or so and was expanding when I ran into some slavers...well I had a good mix of units there and was sorta trying to block them off when all of a sudden they rapidly expanded in my direction without any war declaration taking out my territory. This was impossible for me to block since they were mostly motorized units doing this and I didn't have enough of my own. The result was the brigade group got surrounded and cut off...at this point I declared war attempting to breakt them out. What followed was about 20 units pouring out of the nothingness and surrounding my city cutting off all my troops from supply so even my other 3 groups of troops were killed shortly there-after. Luckily my city had a fair number of troops but even after killing 20,000 slaver infantry and then using my milita, armour, artillery and buggies to engage their formations I am still facing some 27 or so units surrounding my city. I am down to 1000 troops in my reserve pool. I said...ooohkay...try again time.
Second game: turn 3 a mass of slaver units pour out of the nothing-ness and wipe me out. Game over.
Third game: well this one looks to be going better but somewhere around turn 150 I get my first view of the other major...they have 17 infantry brigades. Now admittedly I had a rebellion, and then I made it worse by playing the rebellion card (I stupidly thought it was what I was supposed to do)...and I only finally got power plant and had a bloody food issue I still don't understand but solved it by throwing credits at traders so likely for the time period I'm likely way behind where I should be...but I have 3 infantry brigades plus a bunch of independent battalions and militia and am aiming to take over my 3rd city...but clearly I'm on the poor side here...
So yes slavers are powerful early game. In all cases I started only with militia and what makes them even more powerful is their relatively large number of mobile units. Basically they surround your forces faster than you can respond. And early game improvised tanks, buggies, and motorcycle troops are very powerful due to their mobility. Given then showed up at turn 3...there is nothing you as a player can do about it and they show up with large numbers of units they are easily able to surround your city which kills your army not in your city. Plus they have no supply lines so they attacked in the first game out of an area where I was at the limit of my supply chain.
Also militia does not upgrade...in the 3rd game when militia started showing up in my second city they were completely modern but my original militia units had neither received reinforcement or had upgraded their gear.
Also the other problem I have seen now in 2 games is energy. Powerplant or solar plants are critical but if you don't get them randomly picked (in no game have I seen solar plants) you are stuck at a point where you can't really build anything anymore as you have no power to run it. Also fuel is utterly vital yet so far I think I only once found any outside of in ruins via salvage. Without that then powerplant is useless (unless you can run it at 25% output or something which I think is possible). Also even though in one game I'd developed medium tanks I could not deploy them due to a lack of fuel.
There are certainly a few issues which at least for a beginner is hard to sort out... I also found that while the manual has some very clear illustrations of supply I found in game it hard to figure out which buttons to push to get these clear views. The same issue showed up with trying to place supply dumps and truck stations.
Basically for the beginner player there is a steep learning curve...slavers certainly don't help.
RE: Overwhelmed by minor regime less than 5 turns into the game
You only had 3 infantry brigades and some independent units by turn 150..?
I do wonder if we're over-expanding early on. Territory is not actually that useful for the most part - it stresses your supply infrastructure, it creates admin strain, it spreads your armies out, and a lot of the time even if you acquire resources from it you may not actually need them and so are just pumping stuff onto the world market, driving prices down.
Grabbing Freefolk villages is useful til you can depopulate them, some of the hex features can be helpful in some circumstances, and some terrain is useful for strategic purposes... but much of the rest of the time, especially early on, you probably don't actually want or need to own anything more than 6-8 hexes away from one of your cities. A lot of the time, we're holding an area the size of China with a total population of less than a million people, and 99% of that territory is actually detrimental.
I do wonder if we're over-expanding early on. Territory is not actually that useful for the most part - it stresses your supply infrastructure, it creates admin strain, it spreads your armies out, and a lot of the time even if you acquire resources from it you may not actually need them and so are just pumping stuff onto the world market, driving prices down.
Grabbing Freefolk villages is useful til you can depopulate them, some of the hex features can be helpful in some circumstances, and some terrain is useful for strategic purposes... but much of the rest of the time, especially early on, you probably don't actually want or need to own anything more than 6-8 hexes away from one of your cities. A lot of the time, we're holding an area the size of China with a total population of less than a million people, and 99% of that territory is actually detrimental.