What's your Difficulty homie, what are you into?

[LevonVeldspar]

I'm curious about how hardcore we all are 

I play at:

Realistic Saving
Damage to self: Normal
Damage to friends: Normal
Blocking: Manual mouse
Battle AI: Good
Campaign AI: Good
Couching: Manual (hard)
Combat speed: Normal
Battle size: 500
Total difficulty: 190%

And, of course, Vicky is turned on.

This is a no-judgement zone. It's all about what you find fun!

 

[Lord Rust]

Why would you use couching at all? I only *ever* use that to break an unhorsed opponents block-spree in the arena, in combat it's VASTLY inferiour to a skilled thrust.

The thrust has more range and can be repeated much quicker, with a good weapon at decent speed it is lethal in one blow, especially if you aim for a head with a so so helm on it.

 

[LevonVeldspar]

Agreed. Couching still has it's uses though, like solo farming enemies with shields. Thrusts are easy to block when the enemy sees you're coming, even without a shield and sometimes it's safer than going in closer with a slashing weapon. Plus sometimes it's just fun to see big ass overkill damage numbers.

 

[HybridSoldier]

I hate challenge so I turned all to poor and easiest, and I got 18% difficult

 

[Anth]

I run realistic saves and full difficulty except for auto-blocking and couching, just cause I'm too used to those to change. Also my battle size is only 300 cause my computer can't handle more.

 

[Vadir]

Well, I think maximum my netbook can handle is 150 battle size.

As for the rest, I like to play in realistic mode and full difficulty with blocking on mouse movement and manual lance thingie.

Only, I've done the normal game, so whenever I make a new character now it's cheating to the max! (Having 1000 Noldor warriors under your command makes the difficulty settings seem unimportant.) And ofcourse, non-realistic mode.

 

[Lord Rust]

Well, I've got realistic save, auto-block and attack direction because I don't have the fine motor skills to jerk the mouse about (I've got some nerve issues in my hands, it's nothing that bothers me usually but those flicks give me mouse-hand). I have no idea what my couch is on, I think it's manual but I never use the thing. I have battle-size 700 and frankly I've never much noticed the AI changing much from setting to setting so it's probably on good/good, where I usually leave it. Full damage of course and fast combat.

It's not that I feel particularly hardcore or anything, I just find the above gives me a comfortable game.

I can run 1.000 battle-size but sieges and some battles with formations are...well, have you ever experienced the camera twitching because there isn't room for it on a wall during a siege? I'd some times get stuck like that for an *entire* siege so dear sceners, bigger scenes thank you very much.

It's been two years since I stuck my battle-size to 1.000 full gfx without lag, I think it's time we expand the thinking regarding battle size

 

[Pandabomber]

I play on the same settings as you Levon, with the exception of having auto-block instead of manual. I like to play on the ground without a horse, and it gets incredibly chaotic in that giant pile in the field. Horses running you over, arrows flying over you and hitting the guy next to you, etc. I'd rather not deal with trying to block 5 guys at once manually.

 

[NicotiN]

All max except block and battle size.I don't understand you guys.....why you so say bigger battle size is harder?Try bsize 120/110/100 and see if you can survive 5 rounds of fighting.

 

[Lord Rust]

All max except block and battle size.I don't understand you guys.....why you so say bigger battle size is harder?Try bsize 120/110/100 and see if you can survive 5 rounds of fighting.

I've played since version 0.800 something (yes that doesn't make me a veteran I know), I did not have this computer back then, I have tried and it is far easier.

You try dodging 300 bastards with throwing and ranged weapons as you ride around. Or try getting those five rounds of fighting *without* the bonus of regaining HP from your doctors. It's harder and a HELL of a lot more fun

 

[Arcanum]

Well, for me it is damage on troops and myself set to max, manual (easy) lance, can quit without saving (bite me, its my first time through and I'm testing the waters), both AI set to good with Vicky on, combat speed is normal and my battle size is about 250, which is the limits of my laptops capabilities, though I might step down to Direct x 7 and see if it can get increased any more. I don't remember what the difficulty percentage is.

And I refuse to use any sort of cheats, not just the ones that won't trigger the negative achievement.

 

[LevonVeldspar]

Large and small battles each have their own challenges, but my battle size preference isn't really about making the game more/less difficult, but rather more "epic" in the grand sense of great big lines of troops clashing. Though the intensity of charging and counter charging and holding on for that last reinforcement wave certainly has it's own epicnicity.

 

[Lord Rust]

There still are reinforcement waves in 700 size battles you know. Frequently three of them as well (on either side). Just saying when 2 1.500 men armies clash....it usually ends with one army being completely crushed.

 

[DarkTemplar]

try changing reinforcement waves amount to 99 or so (battle size 300+), thats more challenging and real, no 'refreshing' after rounds, no rounds, thats good

 

[Lord Rust]

try changing reinforcement waves amount to 99 or so (battle size 300+), thats more challenging and real, no 'refreshing' after rounds, no rounds, thats good

No it's not more real. What army keeps throwing itself to the attack when they're losing men constantly? Let's not get into a realism debate, let's do what's fun. MnB is not even approaching realism in any way shape or form no way no how in no mod or manner at all.

It's a ****load of fun though.

 

[NicotiN]

Not really, if you fight 100 against 500 i am pretty sure you have to do a lot of dodging but if there are so few troops on the field you have to do a lot of fighting since every soldier counts and everyone with a crossbow can kill you.And usualy 40% of an army is elite, the rest cannon fodder.But it's a matter of choice, with realistic save in the first months of game i get KO a lot since those lucky shots are....lucky and after that i get ko because i want to kill too many

 

[DarkTemplar]

you can retreat from the fight, just press tab, it would need some coding to make ai retreat from already lost fight, but at least its more fun and challenging

 

[noosers]

You do know that an organized retreat under hostile engagement is one of the most difficult military maneuvres to successfully pull off? Only very disciplined, experienced and stout troops can hope to achieve it, otherwise you´re just getting a panic followed by a rout and a fleeing retreat leaving behind too much precious material, open flanks and welcome devastation of your military element.

Apart from that, most casualites inflicted in a battle usually happened during the rout of a side. The glory pursuing days of light cavalry causing havoc in dissolved ranks and plundering their arse off. It´s far easier to stick the pointy end into a fleeing man´s back than his into frontside in a battleline.

And as stupid as the kill them to the last man standing system is, keep in mind what you´re fighting aren´t what one would consider large battles - it´s mere skirmishes. And as such it´s alright. No pardon to the AI, D´Shar and Jatu. Simply kill them all.

 

[galacticz]

On PoP?

20% LIEK A BAWSE 

 

[Dr.Q]

Well i play at:

Non-Realistic Saving
Damage to self: Normal
Damage to friends: Normal
Blocking: Automatic
Battle AI: Good
Campaign AI: Good
Couching: Manual (hard)
Combat speed: Normal
Battle size: 150
Total difficulty: 84%

Battle size works best for me on 150.