Difficulty in new campaigns is too hard

[meleander]

I was able to do all the AOE2 campaigns on hard. Then I tried AOE1 on normal and just went with the codes. And now I remember why. Because it is fcking too hard. On hard difficulty the AI just steamrolls all over you.

Like with the Pyrrus campaign. I had to micro few cav to kill all orange's vills and then had enough cav to kill orange's stables. And when I got "defend" 3 TCs I had about 15 cav and 2 of the TCs were already surrounded by around 50 Centurion destroying them. For the rest of the game I was trying (and thank you for possibility to pause and make commands, without that I would never micro this) to kite enemies and build 4 wall around the last TC (or rather built one, and then was adding more behind just before those were shredded by the AI). Oh yeah and by some luck I was able to snipe the catapults... Yeah add catapults.

This is not a way to create campaigns where each and every campaign is a struggle. This should be fun even on hard difficulty, but all I do is stretch my abilities to my limit. Small mistake means I need to reload the campaign to make it a perfect play.

And every game is the same insane grind. I need to rush each enemy, if I wait 5 minutes too long the enemies have so much units they just shred mine with mass and upgrades... This is so stupid and not enjoyable at all.


Also, some campaigns say that "your massive army made a camp" and that massive army is few scouts...

[meleander]

Difficulty in new campaigns is too hard

I was able to do all the AOE2 campaigns on hard. Then I tried AOE1 on normal and just went with the codes. And now I remember why. Because it is fcking too hard. On hard difficulty the AI just steamrolls all over you.

Like with the Pyrrus campaign. I had to micro few cav to kill all orange's vills and then had enough cav to kill orange's stables. And when I got "defend" 3 TCs I had about 15 cav and 2 of the TCs were already surrounded by around 50 Centurion destroying them. For the rest of the game I was trying (and thank you for possibility to pause and make commands, without that I would never micro this) to kite enemies and build 4 wall around the last TC (or rather built one, and then was adding more behind just before those were shredded by the AI). Oh yeah and by some luck I was able to snipe the catapults... Yeah add catapults.

This is not a way to create campaigns where each and every campaign is a struggle. This should be fun even on hard difficulty, but all I do is stretch my abilities to my limit. Small mistake means I need to reload the campaign to make it a perfect play.

And every game is the same insane grind. I need to rush each enemy, if I wait 5 minutes too long the enemies have so much units they just shred mine with mass and upgrades... This is so stupid and not enjoyable at all.


Also, some campaigns say that "your massive army made a camp" and that massive army is few scouts...

[terrorbyte.exe]

Yeah, I just completed this one and by the end I just kept running around the last TC with scouts so that the enemies don't attack it, not really fun tbh

[Benjin]

If this is true (I've only finished the first misssion of Akkad), then agreed - a balance needs to be struck between casual and hardcore. No one likes having to do super intense micro ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ against overwhelming odds in campaigns, especially not in the earlier missions. Leave most of that for MP please.

[meleander]

Originally posted by Benjin:

If this is true (I've only finished the first misssion of Akkad), then agreed - a balance needs to be struck between casual and hardcore. No one likes having to do super intense micro ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ against overwhelming odds in campaigns, especially not in the earlier missions. Leave most of that for MP please.

Unfortunately it is true... You need to know what will happen and for example send some units to build a maze 10 minutes before enemy attacks...

[L3wis]

At first I thought I was just being bad at the game to be honest, Im on Normal difficulty on the Campaigns, Ive completed 4 of the Rome Campaigns, with some struggles, one example is number 4, the only way I was going to survive as my resources ran out was to break through Armenia and rush to the town centre on its other side In order to get villagers to build up an Army and attack Again, eventually I did it but it was Hard and kinda stupid / cheaty to run through their entire fortress. Another Issue I am having right now is the Epirus Campaign Number 3! I dont know if anyone else thinks the same but that Roman Main camp is an absolute tank and once they get legionaries and Centurions (which they do fast) there pretty much impossible to push back from my experience, they also regenerate their army ridiculously fast. Even campaigns which I have one just seemed like a ridiculous grind-fest with in some cases me just having to use hopilites to destroy one building at a time untill eventually the enemy wares down, they trained units way to fast!

[meleander]

Originally posted by L3wis:

At first I thought I was just being bad at the game to be honest, Im on Normal difficulty on the Campaigns, Ive completed 4 of the Rome Campaigns, with some struggles, one example is number 4, the only way I was going to survive as my resources ran out was to break through Armenia and rush to the town centre on its other side In order to get villagers to build up an Army and attack Again, eventually I did it but it was Hard and kinda stupid / cheaty to run through their entire fortress. Another Issue I am having right now is the Epirus Campaign Number 3! I dont know if anyone else thinks the same but that Roman Main camp is an absolute tank and once they get legionaries and Centurions (which they do fast) there pretty much impossible to push back from my experience, they also regenerate their army ridiculously fast. Even campaigns which I have one just seemed like a ridiculous grind-fest with in some cases me just having to use hopilites to destroy one building at a time untill eventually the enemy wares down, they trained units way to fast!

I agree with you, I have the same experience. Once they get Centurion it is ridiculous. And helping yellow is just stupid, yellow fields almost no army and you lose valuable time.

[Etho]

Yes, the campaigns are way harder than I have anticipated. Currently playing on moderate difficulty. Finished the Trojan campaign and especially the last was a bit tricky. All in all first 2 trojan missions can be completed with Longswords, next 2 with helepolis (make only helepolis) and the last its a combination of ships (from my perspecticve it cannot be done without them) and helepolis (do not waste making any other units) due to constant spam of units. Destroy most of docks before creating navy.

Currently on akkad campaign and the 3rd mission gave me a headache but was won on 3rd attempt with camels.

I do think that the campaign are created so that there is only one way to victory, for now at least.

[XŦĦ§¥]

For "What Would Alexander Have Done?";
What I did is play standard difficulty,
-Boom with 3 TC straight away, 18-20 villagers on wood until you don't need wood anymore then lower to 6-8 for farms maintenance + catapult
-Max to 20 villagers on farms and 20-24 trade carts to your farthest ally market
-Wrap up all those essential upgrades
-8 barrack, 6-8 academy, 8 stables, 2-4 siege workshop - Spam hoplites/swordsman/cavalry
-Take out everything orange has except a single stable to avoid the following event
-The next step is tedious but very doable, just keep helping your allies, pushing back (Teal?), slowly make your way to the right side, start destroying academys and towers with your handful of catapult.
Just keep pushing and spamming unit, mostly infantry, a few cavalry to snipe those pesky catapult. PUSH PUSH PUSH until you wipe the floor with him, then finish red.

At this point you can trigger the next event by destroying the last stable and since no enemy s are left standing, there is no timer and you automatically win.

[Cryptic]

completely disagree. i loved them. very enjoyable and perfect difficulty balance. i really found them to be quite fun

[Bad Name]

I'm having trouble with Sargon 4 on hard myself. Even with me doing all the side objectives, the enemy just overruns me with cataphracts. Only camels can put up anything close to a fight. But once gold runs out, I just melt. I dont have any idea how they expect you to deal with that.

[meleander]

Originally posted by Bad Name:

I'm having trouble with Sargon 4 on hard myself. Even with me doing all the side objectives, the enemy just overruns me with cataphracts. Only camels can put up anything close to a fight. But once gold runs out, I just melt. I dont have any idea how they expect you to deal with that.

I was able to make a change into Phalanx and then upgrade them to Centurion. After that you just overrun them as your units deal much more massive dmg.

It's ok to go camels first to prepare, but you need to move to academy units quickly. Also play with pause button as you need to attack their outpost from the get go to get the gold from their houses to buy catapult triremes so you can quickly shoot red's shipyards.

[Doctard]

On hard, pyrrhus 1 i barely made it, lost the last allied town center about 2 seconds after the timer finished
Pyrrhus 2 i had to relocate bases 3 times either because of the betrayals that i saw coming but couldn't do enough for, or because i made poor ally choices and was sandwitched. Should have gone with alexander V instead of lysamachus

[Kirmukarmu]

I strongly enjoyed the difficulty. I find that campaigns in the DLC are often way too easy even on Hard. Hard difficulty should be hard.

[meleander]

Originally posted by Kirmukarmu:

I strongly enjoyed the difficulty. I find that campaigns in the DLC are often way too easy even on Hard. Hard difficulty should be hard.

It is bugged if you destroy main roman camp before the one sieging the second city you won't win even after destroying all enemies

[2GenL]

AOE1 came out before the crybaby generation. So, AOE1 was made to be a challenge instead of holding your hand