Viking Scenario pre patch - post patch.

[ColinTH]

There are three attacking civ choices.
There is one defensive civ choice.
Pre patch, I found King level very easy to win as a defender.
Post patch it is a very different story trying to defend, first effort post patch I failed misserably. I think this highlights the defensive changes we are all adjusting to in a regular civ game, coupled with the fact that Knights are now very good City attackers.
This is not a moan or a rant, but just an obvious way of seeing the patch change offense - defense medievil era differences!

 

[noncognosco]

That is interesting. I assume that it is also true that the patch makes the scenario easier for the attacking civs for the same reasons?

Pre-patch I found the scenario to be quite easy even on Emperor, which is the highest level I have played so far.

 

[Bob_]

I have started two games on emperor post patch and got rushed both times. There is a significant improvement in their tactics - They attack quite clever and do not anymore use insufficent forces.

I do not wonder about what ColinTH says. It is another indicator that they really improved offensive AI.

 

[Keejus]

As either Scandinavian civ you now have to cope with weaker berserkers, though!

 

[Ravellion]

As either Scandinavian civ you now have to cope with weaker berserkers, though!

Yeah, that's why I went and got the "surviving Ragnarok" achievement as soon as I had read the patch notes.

 

[ColinTH]

In the context of a non scenario civ game, irrespective of the now weaker Berserker, City defenses are even weaker still, which might explain why so many people are talking about being rush attacked by the AI so frequently!

 

[Silverfuturist]

I just won on deity as the defender in just 26 turns - the AIs only took 3 cities, by the time I had the doomsday book built in London, I captured 2 of them back, it felt easier than pre-patch. I had 8 doomsday shire courts build for extra measure, near the end one of the AI tried an amphibious rush to the East, but it had no idea what it was doing. If all 3 AIs simply rushed me with all their units at the beginning, maybe I would not be winning so easily. A nice trick was putting a specialist in a workshop and turning the GE into the 4 hammer improvement.

I also won as Denmark, it took 52 turns, the other 2 attacing AIs didn't seem to try at all, even though the stats said their armies were much bigger than mine.

Anyhow, I still found the scenario fun as attacker or defender, I enjoy playing on real maps with a historic setting.

 

[jdog5000]

CoinTH: Was it France and William the Conqueror who did the most damage? Seems like everyone else got nerfed a little.

With the boost to Longbows and the (relative) boost to Knights, picking up the CS allies for their special units should be even more helpful (the two in Wales for longbows, the ones in Scotland for knights).

 

[ColinTH]

CoinTH: Was it France and William the Conqueror who did the most damage? Seems like everyone else got nerfed a little.

With the boost to Longbows and the (relative) boost to Knights, picking up the CS allies for their special units should be even more helpful (the two in Wales for longbows, the ones in Scotland for knights).

Harold Godwinson starts with -
1 Great General, 2 Crossbowmen, 3 pikemen, 1 horseman, and 3 Huscarl.
Become Allied with Gwynedd - 2 longbowmen and 1 Spearman. Now you have 100 gold left and only 20 per turn coming in, City Walls cost over 300.
I send all Pikeman and crossbowmen south to Wareham, Chichester and Dover.
I send all 3 Huscarl, horseman, Great General and 2 longbowman to make a stand at Lincoln.
Turn 9 - I have lost all pikemen and the up graded Spearmen. Lost Dover and Wareham, Chichester can't hold out without troops. The defenders at Lincoln are too far away. I have built 2 more horse and 1 pike but it is too little too late.
Turn 9 Lost York turn 3 - but held off Harald hardrada at Lincoln I lost 1 Huscarl - He lost most of his invasion force.
Still on turn 9 Sweynn11 is invading Ipswich and Norwich, they are not defendable, I have pillaged all road connections to give myself time to move troops around and defend from Thetford.
I was building triremes in Wareham and Dover, they would have been a big help!

Pre patch I used the same tactics, but was never in any danger of loosing the South coast ports. The Knights are having a devastating affect post patch, coupled with the fact that Cities are not as strong defensively.

So yes you are quite right, the Knights are the difference post patch.

Silverfuturist obviously knows how to play the game properly (I also do the neat trick), but this thread is not so much about my abilities or tactics, more a case of highlighting how difficult it is to defend post patch. Oh! and just so I don't forget to mention it, I don't know if I have a bug or not, but I am attacked on turn 1 North and South unlike Silverfuturist!

EDIT - I think it's the attacking Norman Crossbowmen that are tilting the balance post patch, they seem to be able to withstand an attack from a pikeman and inflict alot of damage.