Hard time playing as Rome..

[pokeravi]

Hi. I love the mod and I'm playing as the Romans right now. But I'm having a big problem. I'm playing as the Romans and I'm expanding according to how they historically expanded. First I conquered Greece, then Carthage and then Egypt. And then I also made settlements in Spain, France, and England as well as around Turkey and Israel. However, with the large amount of cities I'm getting huge maintenace fees. I'm loosing over 267 gold per turn! I have to keep going to the world builder and using Great Merchants to add to my treasury. How do I expand Rome to what it was historically without loosing so much money? Thanks.

 

[LuKo]

First- conquer Carthage. Then Greece. In Athens build The Colossus and The Great Lighthouse. Use workers for upgrading terrains (mines, farms, wineries, etc. on resources, cottages where you can, mines on hills), in cities build courthouses, forums, etc. However it;s nearly impossible to expand Rome historically, before Spanish spawn... Good luck

 

[Jet]

The barbs that attack Greece are so strong that conquering it early seems like a strange choice. I'd rather turtle in Italy and build wonders and infrastructure early, then hit Greece around the last wave of barbs, when it should be very weak anyway.

It wouldn't be quite as bad if you knew the Balkan cities would be in the correct defensive positions on the two plains hills, but you rarely find them like that.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

As the romans, you can always build the GW. fixes all barb problems in europe.

 

[LuKo]

As the romans, you can always build the GW. fixes all barb problems in europe.

Is it possible NOT TO build GW? I always build it in Rome (because I won't lose it due to (re)spawn) and I have no problems with barbarians in Europe (before I haven't problems in Africa too ;( I want security in Africa proconsularis!

 

[monolith94]

Yeah, but what if you're playing vanilla, and thus have no great wall option?

 

[Úmarth]

I'm playing as the Romans and I'm expanding according to how they historically expanded.

In that case it should be (broadly speaking) Spain, Greece, Carthage, Turkey, France, Egypt, the Levant and then Britain

As the romans, you can always build the GW. fixes all barb problems in europe.

I cannot believe I never thought of that...

 

[coko]

And when going into Germany you must lose lots of troops! And then lots of barbarians appear in the Balkans and you have to pay them to fight!

 

[biggamer132]

This wasn't with Rome, but I built the Great Wall with Persia and it was a godsend. All those barb horse archers just sat there and watched my workers, and the Wall was finished the turn before the barbs were about to take Samarqand.

 

[coko]

I have yet to actually get a chance to build the national wall, someone else always beats me to it! However whenever Persia/Rome/China has built it they survive happily and last into the time of the European powers...then culture hits them.

 

[Thonnas]

A small stack of praetorians with various promotions (at least one having medic) is usually enough to stem off a tide of barbs.

Its tempting to use slavery with Rome, but if you're going big Caste system is more usefull. You can push out borders win a few turns with an artist and then set a merchant or two (or scientist if you wish) without having to build infrastructure. Let all those invaders in africa pillage the country side, jsut defend the cities you want to keep and run a couple of specialists to keep your economy alive until you recapture europe.

If you built the coliseum, be sure to build and hire out a decent amount of weak units like archers and spearmen. The revenue can add up, and they can't really stand against your praetorians if your enemy hires them.

 

[LukeUeda-Sarson]

I just started my first crack at the Romans last night; doubt I'll win at the first attempt... in other games I've played around this timeline, not as the Romans, China seems to build the great wall long before I'd be able to playing as Rome. Is this the general experience, or do most people expect to be able to do the wall as Rome?

When I played as Greece, Rome did build the wall; but the barbards that headed my way wren't much of a problem to deal with, given the Greek UHV is one big turtling requirement, a stack of phalanxes with the odd spear thrown in to ward off horse archers can cope fairly well.

Cheers, Luke

 

[LuKo]

Is this the general experience, or do most people expect to be able to do the wall as Rome?

For that never was a problem. But you have to do it quite fast.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

In my games the chinese never build the wall. Its always the babylonian.
Ussually as rome I start building the coliseum first and then the GW.

 

[Corm]

What Thonnas said is my experience too. I have never needed to build the Wall as Rome. I dont recapture Europe either I just burn France and Spain to the ground. Not that im saying its easy cause its not all that easy...

 

[LukeUeda-Sarson]

Well, I built the wall (Colosseum was built somewhere else before even got Construction), but come turn 143 it says i don't "control" the Western Empire. I have 3 cities in France, 3 in Spain, 1 in Great Britain and two in Carthage/Numidia, so what's the problem? I have only 2 in Italy - does it want 3 there as well?

Cheers, Luke


Edit. The "problem" I have discovered is the 3rd city in France - if it is Massilia it doesn't get counted, but one square up is OK. That's just silly, IMNSHO.

 

[Corm]

I was going to say it may be the location of one of the French cities I had the same problem a couple of times before I realised (should have really noticed the first time but hey ho). Your totally right about the Colosseum too I havent yet (since BtS) been able to research construction before its built. Babylon is my guess on that one.

 

[coko]

So it might be a good idea to sack a few cities

 

[Mxzs]

So, I was just playing the Romans this morning. I built the Great Wall ... and the European barbarians walked right through my borders, the wall itself, and proceeded to attack my cities.

I don't mean the barbarians that spawn in Spain. I mean the ones that come from across the Rhine and the Danube. Is the Wall turned off for the Romans?

 

[Corm]

You may be getting mixed up between Independents and Barbarians. Barbs are black, Indies are grey (or whiney, limp wristed crappy dancers depending on your location at the time ).