Maximizing Replayability

[Kendji]

I find that two rules increases this the most.
1. Disabling auto-resolve
2. Fighting battles only once. No replaying them until you win.

Just lost a game due to these as Amenmesse. The capital got invaded by 4 fullstack armies vs ~1,5 eqvivalent stack defence. I would've reloaded the save and tried to rescue the game by winning the battle, but then it wouldn't sting and the game would become meh if I win every battle. My economy got wrecked by this loss making the battle decisive.

Are there other things others have found increases replayability, any tips?

[easytarget]

If you need house rules to make a game fun that suggests to me the game design is off.

[Eddie G]

If you need to know what other people think about your highly personal and private thoughts, then you may have too much time on your hands...

[Iskar]

Or he just wants to exchange thoughts with other people enjoying the same game.

@Kendji: I personally prefer adding specific goals to restrictions. They add different incentives and keep me from minmaxing everything.
E.g., I set myself the mission to make the western desert border impervious to Libu invaders and ended up planning and setting up a bronze age maginot line with mobile armies in the hinterland.
In my Ramesses campaign I set the goal to obtain his father Setnakhte as a general in my own faction, so I had to work towards confederating him which is a delicate balance betwee actively weakening while nor disgruntling withour getting him killed/eradicated by someone else.

[Defmonkey]

There are different ways to switch up the game. Personal goals and settings.

In the settings you can use random starts, change up resources and can randomize the AI so that that the base AI settings no longer apply. Ive not needed to use these setting changes as of yet, but i understand from others that it can change the game up significantly, especially with the different AI behavior.

[i-dot]

for replayability need more playable factions
- Minoans
- lots of Mesopotamian factions
- Pelestims, Canaans and Hebrews
- Kush, Punt, D'mt, Aksum

[Lor]

I normally only auto-resolve the decisive victories where i have a full army vs like 10 of their weak units. Those battles aren't fun.

Game would be more fun if the battles had actual importance, like real medieval battles. I want each battle to be decisive and risky. It's annoying though because in a lot of my TW playthroughs (not just Pharaoh) AI likes to make really pathetic wimpy armies that my main army chews to pieces.

Best memories on this game are when I've held a town against overwhelming odds, or manage to pull a victory through some clever tactic.

Also when they add new cultures it will be more fun. Never been that fussed over the Egyptians tbh, but I really love the Hittites, or the other BA cultures from Mesopotamia like Assyria, Babylon and Elam.

Tried doing a playthrough after the announcement but just got really bored, I will wait til the sea peoples update I think and hopefully the map expansion releases alongside it.

[Kendji]

Well no need for house rules, you can disable auto resolve completly and I'm sure you can do something similar about the autosaves. I however prefer to keep the saves for other reasons.

Yes I also have goals, but I find they in their selves don't bring as much replayability, since you can put the same goals in new games and reach them again.

I've considered the changing starts

[degumuto_berseg]

Originally posted by i-dot:

for replayability need more playable factions
- Minoans
- lots of Mesopotamian factions
- Pelestims, Canaans and Hebrews
- Kush, Punt, D'mt, Aksum

definetely map is too empty, full of clone factions also they are limited lrosters , so fighting all time with levy soldiers not fun

[Iskar]

Sounds like youre doing something wrong, I never had to settle for levies beyond the early game.

[Nacz]

I completely agree. I used to reload in games such, to remake a stupid decision, lack of knowing a game mechanic, random bugs or when I felt i deserved a redo or some other ♥♥♥♥♥♥ excuse.
Things got a lot more fun when I turned on Ironman, but that's required for legendary right?
Anyways even when i loose a battle because some chariot ♥♥♥♥♥ gets stuck in themself or a wall I accept it as a random event, you didne't rly have full controle of the battlefield back then either right? And game needs a little more challange anyway :)

[Kendji]

True, honestly, alot of battles where lost because of mistakes that at the time seemed logical and the best option. Like in the more modern battle of Midway, when the Japanese should have armed their fighters for air intercdption instead of a bombing sortie and lost their carrier. Or in Battle of Kadesh when Ramesses II believed prisoners of wars, that actually where Hittite plants and thus fell into the Hittite's trap.

Irl you can't redo your battles. :)

[Iskar]

Every battle ruse that worked is another one's reason-to-reload. :P

"Why have I not saved before starting zis battle?" - N. at W.

[Kendji]

Yes, unless your Napoleon ofc, you need to check that max level you general campaign setting and then rename your generals after French generals :D

[Iskar]

You can probably get away with Nappuliuma as a Hittite or Napa-luwa-shun as an Egyptian.

[Kendji]

If go with Aten legacy you can add taten/aten to end of every name. Napoltaten lol