Vanilla vs Darthmod

[carlosbuenros88]

Hi guys, i would like to know your opinion about darthmod. Is it better to play dartmod rather than vanilla?

[The Cure]

Vanilla

[pgeerkens]

Originally posted by The Cure:

Vanilla

Agreed.

Until you have succeeded in Vanilla at higher difficulties you won't even have a true understanding of what Darthmod may, or may not, be providing you. My general experience is that whenever a mod like this is raved over - it is really just making the game easier. I would rather master the game at higher difficulties, particularly if a mod was able to significantly improve the AI in place of just boosting it.

In particular, the AI has no understanding at all of Mahan naval strategy. This really makes it too easy to dominate at sea almost as soon as one can build 5th rates. By playing on Campaign Difficulty = Very Hard (Battle = Hard) and setting the goal of subduing the world by 1750 the AI is able to throw enough twists at me to keep me on my toes: convoy routes always in place, a couple of full stacks always on the European sea coasts for fast response, knowing which major factions can be trusted as protectorates rather than DOW-ing your allies at first chance, etc.

[Inardesco]

Though I've played plenty of DM in the past its just a bore.

Atleast in vanilla I have to plan a bit instead of blindly dowing left and right because I can afford it with my ridiculous 20 turn old economy.

[dev]

Don't waste your time with mods, unless you are completely bored with the vanilla game.

[The Cure]

The only mod I'd recommend is the Blood and Smoke mod.

[Rabidnid]

Vanilla is actually pretty good. Flag and graphics mods are all that is really needed for a better experience. Darth is a cheat mod pretending to be a overhaul mod.

[Rindviech]

Darthmod for quickbattles - if you like all the different units, smoke and better sound

[Marshal]

Darthmod has much more units and is just better overall. You can switch from Vanilla to DM anyways.

[Inardesco]

If units are what you want, there is the Additional Unit Mod. Much better than Darthmod

[BobbyDisastrous]

Darthmod is overrated. If I had to choose between darthmod or vanilla I would go with vanilla.

[UR ESTROGEN DEALER]

Just download Darthmod, bro, you're literally being told to "play vanilla" from the 10 people who thought Empire was good in 2009 while saying "aLl tHe rEvieWs R wrOnG!!! durrr"

To clarify, without Darthmod almost every single land battle (offensive or defensive) will be you marching at the AI, because the AI will refuse to move whether they are attacking or not lol

Once you figure out how Vanilla AI works, all you need to do is send a single unit to harass them into an all out charge while your artillery units at the very corner of the map decimate them and they walk straight into a trap of line infantry.. rinse&repeat

Don't even get me started on Vanilla Sieges... Want to win every vanilla siege? Easy! Never repair your fort, so, the AI constantly goes through the single hole blown into the wall.. The real trick, though, is having 3 line infantry units set up a "trench" before the fight (semi-circle of trenches around the hole in the wall) then replace the middle infantry unit with a Pikeman and leave the 2 side infantry units in their trenches... The AI will proceed to charge, full force, into your pikeman while your infantry on the sides cross fire them down to nothing!

[Inardesco]

You must be playing on a lower difficulty then. I've always had the AI come towards me when they are attacking and stay defensive when I am attacking.

On higher difficulties the AI gains a bonus in melee so they move in to fight in melee.

Next to that, blowing holes in your fort work just as fine in Darthmod as it does in vanilla. The AI in Darthmod isnt any better than the vanilla AI. Let alone the 20k per turn you can have by turn 10 making it posible to just spam stacks making manual battles pointless since you can afford to send 3 stacks at the enemy.

[LordDave]

Darthmod and vanilla are more or less the same, i would simply download it purely for the updated unit textures, blood and smoke and the ability to play any faction you want, including pirates.

[Inardesco]

Which you can do all without getting all the easy mode that Darthmod puts into the game.

AUM provides retextured units + fleshed out roster for most factions.
Blood and Smoke is a standalone mod thats been incorporated into DM.
And with the Empire Total Factions you can play any faction you want.

That ^ would be closest to a vanilla experience. Darthmod is far from it.

[LordDave]

what makes Darthmod easier just out of curiosity, i downloaded it because they said they improved the A.I but if that is not the case i might delete it as i want a harder Empire