getting real sick of these Khuzaits steamrolls...

[Doktor Barber]

Vlandia 17 fiefs (8 cities)
Western Empire 12 fiefs (5 cities)
Sturgia 13 fiefs (6 cities)
Southern Empire 13 fiefs (6 cities)
Northern Empire 9 fiefs (2 cities)
Khuzait 28 fiefs (13 cities)

every campaign goes the exact same way Khuzaits steamrolling everyone. Its extremely discouraging from even playing the game when you know that in the end the map will look the exact same as the last time, Khuzaits ruling everything...
simply because they have more cav than anyone else and cav wins every auto resolve

 

[Ananda_The_Destroyer]

Meanwhile.....

 

[ArturMorhghain]

What version are you playing on? I haven’t seen this since the mid-1.5s.

 

[Doktor Barber]

What version are you playing on? I haven’t seen this since the mid-1.5s.

1.5.9
in all the campaigns ive ever played this always happened, i dont think ive ever even seen them lose any of their starting cities

 

[Xavyn]

Same for me as well. However Ive only played game for a month or so and have a Vlandian and Battanian campaign so I havent been really in direct conflict with them..

 

[The Bowman]

In my campaigns it's the Aserai who do most of the trouble, taking half of the southern empire early.

 

[Koshkasa]

I don't recall a single Khuzait steamroll after something in the mid 1.5.x range, I don't remember exactly. In my 1.5.8-1.5.9 campaigns the fiefs are almost never evenly distributed, but who gets the relative dominance appears random across campaigns.

 

[Julio-Claudian]

Steamrolling would be if they took virtually everything within a couple of years.

 

[WNxSpectre]

Vlandia 17 fiefs (8 cities)
Western Empire 12 fiefs (5 cities)
Sturgia 13 fiefs (6 cities)
Southern Empire 13 fiefs (6 cities)
Northern Empire 9 fiefs (2 cities)
Khuzait 28 fiefs (13 cities)

every campaign goes the exact same way Khuzaits steamrolling everyone. Its extremely discouraging from even playing the game when you know that in the end the map will look the exact same as the last time, Khuzaits ruling everything...
simply because they have more cav than anyone else and cav wins every auto resolve

I agree from my experience that the game currently favors cavalry units and mounted archers above all else. Its all about the mounted units.
I don't even bother using foot soldiers, I just pour everything into maintaining my mounted units, and converting captured mounted units.

Cavalry should be effective units, but we also need effective infantry strategies for a cunning commander to combat them well, such as a braced spear command that would work a kin to (hold fire) command where we could order foot soldiers to brace their spears to the ground to deter cavalry charges. The command should be effectively useable with various formations like Line and Shield Wall to produce a spear wall, Square to produce a Phalanx, and Circle Formation to form a spear crown defense.

Foot Archers also need to be made more effective versus mounted archers to be viable in confrontation with them. Currently Foot archers often fail to return effective fire and simply get slaughtered by mounted archers swiftly moving around them. I would like to see a (Group Fire) command that would tell archers to fire in repeated unison, With the unit commander yelling "Knock!" for the archers to prepare their shot, and "Loose!" for the archers to collectively release their volley upon the enemy. This type of fire should result in a rain of arrows that should be devastating to anyone caught unprepared (without their shield ready).

 

[Doofus]

I tend to go with maybe 1/2 cavalry, 30% infantry & 20% archers. Cavalry definitely rules, but strong ground troops kept close together can negate that. I'm currently playing Southern Empire & keep alternating between wars with Aserai & Khuzait.. Probably about 2/3rds of the wars I gain a fief & the rest are break even. Khuzaits have lost Akkalat, Odohk, Chaikand & some castles. Aserai have lost Danustica, Husn Fulq, Razih, Hubyar, Qasira, & Iyakis (along with castles). We've also gained Myzea & Amprela, which I don't think we started with. These may have been taken from the Western Empire though, who we were warring with prior to me becoming ruler. We did lose Lycaron to them, but we'll probably eventually get it back. Thankfully they no longer are warring us so its not a priority atm.

The problem I have is that I'm losing clans & since the Khuzaits & Aserai keep alternating wars with me I don't have time to recruit more lords or reinforce the lands we've gotten (which keeps them warring us). They apparently don't care that they get their asses wiped every time they war us.

Regarding Khuzait though, they do seem to be the dominant culture in most games I've played and if you don't play an empire near them they will likely dominate games. For me its not a problem though as I don't like 2-handed weapons or polearms & prefer horses, shields, & swords. So I usually go with empire, Khuzait, or Aserai culture, which puts me near them anyways.

 

[Yukmouth++]

I tend to go with maybe 1/2 cavalry, 30% infantry & 20% archers. Cavalry definitely rules, but strong ground troops kept close together can negate that. I'm currently playing Southern Empire & keep alternating between wars with Aserai & Khuzait.. Probably about 2/3rds of the wars I gain a fief & the rest are break even. Khuzaits have lost Akkalat, Odohk, Chaikand & some castles. Aserai have lost Danustica, Husn Fulq, Razih, Hubyar, Qasira, & Iyakis (along with castles). We've also gained Myzea & Amprela, which I don't think we started with. These may have been taken from the Western Empire though, who we were warring with prior to me becoming ruler. We did lose Lycaron to them, but we'll probably eventually get it back. Thankfully they no longer are warring us so its not a priority atm.

The problem I have is that I'm losing clans & since the Khuzaits & Aserai keep alternating wars with me I don't have time to recruit more lords or reinforce the lands we've gotten (which keeps them warring us). They apparently don't care that they get their asses wiped every time they war us.

Regarding Khuzait though, they do seem to be the dominant culture in most games I've played and if you don't play an empire near them they will likely dominate games. For me its not a problem though as I don't like 2-handed weapons or polearms & prefer horses, shields, & swords. So I usually go with empire, Khuzait, or Aserai culture, which puts me near them anyways.

Khuzait vs Player is not the issue here. Khuzait vs AI is the issue. AI is unable to fight Khuzait.

 

[Doofus]

Khuzait vs Player is not the issue here. Khuzait vs AI is the issue. AI is unable to fight Khuzait.

Read my last paragraph. I acknowledge Khuzaits are the strongest AI faction. In the games I've played, particularly the more recent ones, its not a steamrolling effect though, its fairly gradual. I think it has to do with technology. Horses are the dominant technology in this setting. From what I've seen the Aserai hold their own against the Khuzaits. No others really do. The Aserai are the only other culture in the game that has horses at lower levels. The other cultures only have high level horses, so there aren't a lot of them in their armies. The Aserai don't dominate like the Khuzaits though because they have a more blended army than the Khuzaits. You can nerf or strengthen whatever you want, but there will always be a dominant culture. The Khuzaits in earlier betas were overwhelming. In my opinion they are now just the strongest kingdom, but not overwhelming & thats acceptable.

 

[Antaeus]

I haven't seen them steamroll for a looong time.

In my current game the Southern Empire has swallowed up most of their empire.

However,

Early game they have the advantage of grazing rights, which can help prevent cities they take from rebelling. But this rights itself once they debase their currency usually somewhere in the early to mid game. Then anything they've taken flips itself back.

They do well early game, and increasingly struggle as you get into mid-late game.

I tend to find that sooner or later one faction will take off, then rebellions and other factions will pull it back. Only through player interaction do large long term empires seem to form (not necessarily through players joining a faction, but often through players weakening other factions)

 

[Karkona]

One time I made an army I thought was unstoppable. 50 Steppe Bandit Bosses and I ran circles around the enemy. And I noticed they couldn't hit anything. Then I noticed they had 120 throwing instead of bow skill. Then I was sad from all the time I wasted.