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I love the name Houfnice. PI probably decided that Howitzer would be confusing.
(from wiki: The English word howitzer originates ultimately from the Czech word houfnice. Czech houfnice is derived, through the addition of the suffix -nice, from the word houf, "crowd", suggesting the cannon's use against massed enemies.)
 
All right, I came home three hours ago or so - it's time for some comments. Exams went well but nothing exceptional so we'll see, and the free day I had in the end was a very nice one to have. :) Thanks again to everyone for your well wishes!

Also, glad that you guys liked the English joke. :D

That conquistador is definitele BA.

I'd like to think so too. But that doesn't mean that working for him is a good idea. I wonder what those recruits are thinking.

Blocking the enemies' path(s) can be fun. :D

Yup. Especially when it's achieved like that. ;)

+1 for badass.

So we'll make it Badass 2 - Bad leader 0.

France broken, Nice!

:rofl: Masterful!

20000 Spaniards in TI was what I suspected might be out there. I was hoping they'd split there effort equally between North and South America. So ship some units back from Meso-america.

Possibly some, but most troops to reinforce South America will have to be recruited. One reason that I haven't mentioned earlier (in addition to just needing men for fighting the Portuguese, for rebel duty and to beat back any amphibious attacks) is the Portuguese fort situation: they're in large part level 3 so I'm going to need some extra troops based in Central America to win sieges against them. No such problem with Spain, fortunately.

Also, I want to have loads of men. After all, I have no idea how my armies will perform against advanced Westerners.

Perhaps you can now ally with Tuscany or did they re-ally with Spain and Portugal?

Good idea! I'll have to check if there's a chance of acceptance now. Luckily no re-allying at least yet.

Good job blocking the Spaniards.

Cheers! :) One colonization target right now is heading further east in the northern part of South America. Maybe I can restrict Spain's expansion there too? It remains to be seen.

Now just hope that Nice treats Spain nicely in Europe, allowing you to beat them in Americas. :p

Hehe, very nice. :rolleyes: More seriously, Nice has mostly been taking beatings since they got most of France - we'll see if they can turn it around or if they'll be replaced.

Hömm... What was your tech (western,eastern,muslim and so on...)

It was New World, now it's Western.

Great AAR - you're the one who inspired me to get MEIOU and start my own AAR. Thanks!

Thanks for the comment! I'm happy to hear that I've been an inspiration (and been able to showcase MEIOU), especially since yours looks like a quality AAR. I read the first post and the writing is extremely good. I'll have to catch up soon. :)

Ample reward for helping you out so much! Things are looking increasingly interesting with your colonisation race against Spain.

Yeah, fortunately this isn't the AAR where I try to be gentlemanly. :D

It's pretty much a race on all fronts right now, so it's pretty exciting. Colonization, army sizes in theater, technology...

The conquistator is definitely a badass...he had to survive to get back through the Amazon toting his own pack.

So we'll make it 3-0. ;) He probably had a lot of reserve energy at that point, having worked 7000 men to death before.

As much as I like to see a collapse of France, it's really not doing you any favours in this case. Looks like Spain is pretty much unopposed in Western Europe, which means they'll be able to stomach war with you for a much longer period. On the plus side, at least taking Central America off them will be cheap in terms of warscore.

Good analysis. Even though it's good to see their success, it isn't optimal to have Mallorca as the main counterweight. :D

True about the warscores. I think it'll be a question of finding a way to win a war decisively. When that's accomplished, the provinces will probably come.

Nice does hold the choicest bits of France and would be no push over if Spain attacked. It's got to have a chance to reform France

It all depends on whether or not they can get to their feet at some point - whether or not their neighbors allow them to do so, to be precise. In the early going, breaking apart and/or being replaced looks much more likely than reforming France. And Mallorca indeed seems to be a part of their problem...

Spain looks like it is winning the colonisation race with the Incas.

I don't know, ever since I got to my current colonization level I've been able to get first to or steal most of the provinces that I want. Of course they had a sizable head start in the most important region, and war is the only way to rectify that.

Good luck with the exams. May Inti guide you to a perfect score. :D

I gotta give separate thanks here for this is an epic one. :D

I love the name Houfnice. PI probably decided that Howitzer would be confusing.
(from wiki: The English word howitzer originates ultimately from the Czech word houfnice. Czech houfnice is derived, through the addition of the suffix -nice, from the word houf, "crowd", suggesting the cannon's use against massed enemies.)

Yeah, IIRC the unit description even mentions something like that. I wonder if Czech players are confused? :eek:
 
Yeah, IIRC the unit description even mentions something like that. I wonder if Czech players are confused? :eek:

[OFFTOPIC]It is not so bad. If they are like me, they will just feel that it is funny. Do you know what is terrible? The HTTT names of Bohemian dynasties (I saw that in gabor's AAR) - for example the ruling dynasty in his game in Bohemia are Flackys - that is miswritten Falckys which is derived from 'von Pfalz'. This German rulers ruled in our country only one winter 1619-1620.
[/OFFTOPIC]
 
[OFFTOPIC]It is not so bad. If they are like me, they will just feel that it is funny. Do you know what is terrible? The HTTT names of Bohemian dynasties (I saw that in gabor's AAR) - for example the ruling dynasty in his game in Bohemia are Flackys - that is miswritten Falckys which is derived from 'von Pfalz'. This German rulers ruled in our country only one winter 1619-1620.
[/OFFTOPIC]

Okay. You know what the misspelling reminds me of - our very own YHC! Yahuar Hacuac, which I've been running with since you'll see it that way in the screenshots, is just a misspelling of Yahuar Huacac. Or Yáhuar Huácac if you want to be really accurate.

Update coming in a sec!
 
Chapter Forty
1602-1606

To continue our golden age of technological progress, production tech 14 (+1 % PE) is reached in December.

I then notice an annoyance:

43_01.jpg


It also seems that they've reached a high enough trade tech level for Settler Colonization - their colony is actually gaining 100 people a year instead of people dying if left alone as we've grown accustomed to.

Tilantango converts in February 1603, while we reach government tech 19 (Theocracy) the next month.

May sees another important step forward:

43_02.jpg


That's one extra infantry fire pip to both categories.

Chiquinquira becomes a city days later.

Constable becomes available the next month as we reach government tech 20.

43_03.jpg


It's more expensive and has less of an effect than the vanilla building, which is nice since the vanilla version is insane.

I still build around sixty of these puppies, using almost my whole treasury. Even at only +20 % direct tax it pays for itself in a century in all but the worst provinces while having a huge benefit in the rich ones.

Switzerland diploannexes Verona in July. I worry for their safety - they have too much unlawful Imperial territory and, barring some quick cores which I don't bother to check, will probably end up over the infamy limit in the next couple of decades.

Huecotzinco embraces Inti the next month, while we get trade tech 19 (+2 % TE, refinery) in September.

October sees a new colonizer.

43_04.jpg


That's Normandy. I think they're taunting England and Netherlands or something, I mean what are you supposed to think with colony placement like that?

Our Conquistador finds another Spanish province on top of his other discoveries.

43_05.jpg


It's going to be a race for the inland provinces.

Guahibo gets its resource in April 1604: cacao. Good, that was scarce before.

Later in the month Cusi returns from the jungle having lost all of his men again. While the regiments replenish we put him on a boat and send him to discover Galapagos Islands.

Texcoco converts in May, while Ireland is united when they diploannex Tyrone.

With the Constables finishing in June, our yearly gain jumps from 484 (already an all-time high) to 672. Then the next month we might actually be well on our way to being competitive militarily.

43_06.jpg


We're now in the same military tactics category as the Iberians.

Tlaxcallan is the next province to convert in November, while Mallorca beats up Naples and grabs a third of Sardinia.

Netherlands reacts predictably to the aggressively placed Normandy colony: it's seized on Christmas Eve.

March 1605 features the discovery of government tech 21 while, more importantly, trade advances in June:

43_07.jpg


With monopolies in my four CoTs, trade income jumps from 30 ducats a month to 53.

We get yet more tech in September, this time land tech 19. I'm starting to wonder about different ways to express tech level increases in an AAR, but I suppose this speed won't last forever.

The late year sees interesting changes in Near East:

43_08.jpg


The Timurids finally went down, with Persia and the Shaybanids emerging and the Muzaffarids getting an additional province as well. Meanwhile, Syria breaks free from the Mamluks.

To cap off the year, there are 4600 plague deaths in Sechura, while Guahibo grows into a city. No colonies bordering Spain - or anyone else for that matter - anymore!

Palenque converts in February 1606, while Tukano is the next place for an Inca colony. It soon starts producing sugar.

43_09.jpg


England has expanded its colonial presence - one province in the most remote part of northern Canada, and another in one of the small Caribbean islands. They sure don't do continuous land.

Speaking of colonial presence, now that I know the extent of the Spanish colonies, I'm comfortable enough to get an F12 map for the first time:

43_10.jpg


Hmm, Chagatai isn't as big as I expected, it's just really long so it can fit huge letters.

And finally, in October, we get the technological advance that I've been waiting for (along with the earlier military tactics increase).

43_11.jpg


Therefore, we're able to get Westernised South American infantry...

43_12.jpg


...and American Swarm Cavalry.

43_13.jpg


Compare to the units that I had as recently as seven years ago. It's night and day. Then again, that's what you get for rising nine levels in eleven years.

I'm now confident that my technology is good enough to beat Europeans - only ten levels behind now. When I also notice that Portugal and Spain aren't allied anymore (no idea how that happened), it's time to get the numbers up to par as well. I start recruiting troops all over, as well as hauling armies from Mesoamerica to Colombia...
 
Whom will you declare war first: the Portugese or the Spanish? Maybe infiltrating either or both administrations could be an option too?

----
... and check who's Defender of Faith!

----
... and btw, Portugal has build a nice Canadian colony. Hope that they don't move/colonise south "en masse".

----
Good luck for your next move!

Yours,
AdL
 
So what state is Spain in at the moment?
 
Looks like Spain is the first target and hopefully there are still some colonies for you to pick off. Can't have the Spaniards colonising south america. That Portugal in the Great Lakes looks eerily familiar.
 
Assembling troops in Colombia suggests you are going to attack the Spanish. Good choice since it prevents a 2 front war, something you would have to contend with when going against the Portuguese first.
 
Good luck! I hope to see that you've joined your Empire during the next update.

Thanks! :D I'm afraid you won't get your wish though - I've played ahead some and it definitely won't be a one update thing. ;) That is to say, getting that connection won't be simple.

Whom will you declare war first: the Portugese or the Spanish? Maybe infiltrating either or both administrations could be an option too?

I've actually been scouting them on and off ever since I got map spread on them. The Spanish will be the first target for several reasons, for instance:

  • There's the danger that they re-ally. I absolutely want to fight the war where I attempt to decisively beat Spain against them only, as such a war will be difficult enough without extra enemies.
  • I want to fight them on my own terms. I REALLY don't want them to backstab me when I'm fighting Portugal.
  • Thanks to our quick teching recently, we're in the same military tactics level with both Iberians now, but they're close to the next one. As Spain is the considerably stronger one of the two, I want to take care of them while they don't have an advantage in that.
  • Simply, they seem to be the real problem here as far as the land connection goes. I prefer to solve the big problem first if at all possible.
  • Warring with Spain could help me win the race to some provinces that I can colonize.

... and check who's Defender of Faith!

Sicily, not strong enough to be a factor in any case.

... and btw, Portugal has build a nice Canadian colony. Hope that they don't move/colonise south "en masse".

I suspect they might. I think I'll have my hands full in just the Americas...

And thanks, I can use some of that luck. ;)

So what state is Spain in at the moment?

The bad joke enthusiast in me was going to list the US states they've colonized, but I won't go there.

They're strong. Undisputed number one power in the world. Easily number one economy in the world with an income of nearly 8500 ducats according to the ledger (I'm second with just under 6000, Netherlands and Portugal at a bit over 4000 are the only others that actually have more than a third of Spain's income) at zero inflation, strong tech, the largest Western military at around 130 k troops (70 k of which are in South America) and behind only the Incas (235 k) and Japan (180 k) overall, about double the navy of anyone else and with an unfortunate transport capacity that they don't seem to hesitate to use.

Some vulnerabilities:
  • Their generals absolutely suck.
  • Their South American troops are somewhat spread out and the biggest stacks are relatively far away from me. So I can perhaps wipe out parts of that 70 k early on before they can assemble.
  • I'm still mostly TI to them, while I see almost all of their land.
  • While their manpower pool of over 60 k isn't bad, it isn't inexhaustible either (which my nearly 170 k comes close to).

Looks like Spain is the first target and hopefully there are still some colonies for you to pick off. Can't have the Spaniards colonising south america. That Portugal in the Great Lakes looks eerily familiar.

Hehe, I think I know what you mean. :)

Unfortunately no colonies left. I am, however, now absolutely sure that not attempting to fight them earlier for those colonies was the right call. From what I've learned, they would have slaughtered my old units and are very stubborn when it comes to signing peace.

I am ready for you to fight the Spaniards, what are their troop numbers?

130 k, 70 k in theater. I figured I'm ready too. :D Those numbers are 235 k and 120-150 k (depending on what you count as in theater) for me.

Assembling troops in Colombia suggests you are going to attack the Spanish. Good choice since it prevents a 2 front war, something you would have to contend with when going against the Portuguese first.

Indeed. And in some sense fighting Portugal wouldn't really change anything. The real problem would still be there.
 
Good luck! I hope to see that you've joined your Empire during the next update.

I first read this as "I hope to see that you've joined the HRE during the next update" :p
 
Good stuff. Nice to see that the time draws nigh for war with a European nation, I think you will have South America to yourself rather soon.
 
I've forgotten to mention two more ... "things":

1) Beware of alliance-DOWs. Spain might ally with Portugal (or with another more harmfull country) after you're at war with them.

2) Beware of those nasty one-regiment-raiding parties the AI likes to send. Though they pose no military thread proper, but they may disrupt your economy.

Yours,
AdL
 
My word, how things can change in the space of an update or two. Spain was looking like a major threat before your latest post, but now it's looking like they're overextended and vulnerable.

Cry havoc, and let slip the llamas of war!