Well, I kicked-off a game as Benin in the EU2 grand campaign, played on extremely fast as things were really slow down there by the river Niger. I hyper-teched infrastructure and didn't even try to expand at first, as a relatively isolated African country I needed all the help tech-wise that I could get so I kept small for most of the game.
All slider changes were to enhance technological performance (innovative, free subjects, centralization etc) and while my two neigbours made war with the muslim nations to the north (Songhai and Mali) setting them on the retreat, I kept myself to myself and tut-tut-tutted at the other pagan states wasteful warlike ways, invested in tax-offices etc, and minted no money at all.
This paid off in the long run, I got four weapons manufactories and a artisan academy thing by spontaineous discovery (that'd be having free subjets and innovativeness I think). I only minted money to build two manufatories during the whole game, and to pay off a little debt I accrued in a major war toward the end.
My first few manufactories, I only had to build two, the weapons appeared by themselves.
I kept the Old Ways, from the Old Times, the Old Ways of the Old Ancestors, of er... Old (pagan religion) and resisted Catholic and Islamic conversion as I liked being able to better balance three religions. And besides, why import European or Middle Eastern religion when we make good enough stuff right here at home, eh?
Eventually sometime in the late 16th centuary I diplo-annexed my fellow pagan neigbour Dahomey, that nation had managed to wrest control of the valuable gold-bearing province of Bure from Songhai in one of its many wars with Ashanti against the muslim north, so I got that into the bargain. Tried to convince Ashanti to come over as well, but by then Morroco had made itself known, and the scum-sucking traitorous bastards threw in their lot with the muslims (changed their state religion) which is abit rich, considering that at one point Mali was either forced to change their state religion to pagan- or did so in order to secure royal marriages with Ashanti so that Ashanti would stop stomping on its head so much.
The damn-bastard Morrocons show up.
Anyway, I had to give up on getting Ashanti diplo-annexed, although I was able to vassalise them a couple of times they'd alwasy refuse annexation, and then after I warned them not to get nasty with Mali again, they went and whored themselves out to Morroco and it's insidious backer the Ottomon Empire, and became Morroco's vassal. By then Mali was my vassal, a fellow pagan and under my own beneficient protectorship in the hope of a future unification, but those bastard from the north managed to trick me into joining their vile alliance (Benin only joined in the hope of securing peace and stability for the region) and tried to make me declare war on my own vassal! Can you beleive that? The camel-racing bastards, My Own Vassal!
Eventually I was quite powerful actually, all those weapons manufactories really helped my research as once I got to weapons-level 11 (early 17th if I recall correctly) the pace of development really picked up, at one point I had three or four advances in the reign of one particularly skillful ruler.
by the end of the 17th I'm quite please with myself, sure it's not up there with the likes of France or Albion, but at least it matches (and in some cases exels) the muslim world.
I had three wars with Morocco and Ashanti, the first time I jumped Ashanti after they declared war on my vassal Mali, and then their snide friends from the north intervened and jumped me on their behalf. Still, I gave Ashanti a good kicking before I had to accept a measly peace because Morocco was ringing my neck, I didn't get to do what I wanted to those turn-coating good-for-nothings though.
The second time I waited for the Ashanti/Morrocon alliance to expire, and then I jumped Ashanti again, this time I stomped them good, and when Morocco intervened they probably expected another jolly jaunt through the jungle, shooting at backward natives on behalf of other backward natives that work for them, only that's not what they got, what they got was a damn good smack-in-the-gob and a kick-in-the-ass up there at the border, folowed by a furious blizzard of bullets and canon, because by then I was only two advances in weapons-tech behind em. Benin had caught up good, hyper-tech, all the way.
In the peace Ashanti was left isolated from the provinces it took from Mali, with only two provinces inland as I also isloted it from the coast.
The third war came right toward the end, by the early 18th Benin was doing really rather well, I'd monopolised the Ivoria trading-zone, then I monopolised the Andalusia zone, then I'd monoplolised the trading zone centred on Alexandria. I think the Morrocans didn't like that because they suddenly declared war on me for no reason. I managed to hold them off though, I had difficulty at first only because I had a very small army at the time and wasn't expecting any trouble. good thing I'd gone for Quality and free subjects, the troops of Benin were I think, measure for measure the finest proffesional fighting men in the world by a long shot. Anyway I raided the treasury and gave their invading armies the smack-down again and that was that, just in time for conversion.
They came, and it was found that they were Weak, whereas we are Strong.
By then I'd managed to re-vassalise and annex Mali, which was satisfying, I felt kind of... responsible for the little nation, back in the old days they were just one of "those muslim countrys to the north", but that all changed once they went pagan, and even when they went muslim again, after the way they were slapped-around by Ashanti... well let's just say I don't like bullies, and also I tend to root for the underdogs. It was a pleasure to take them in.
I didn't like that the African graphics are all zulu guys, who live thousands of miles away to the south, but then the program has its limitations I suppose, but then I was nnoyed afresh when my guys didn't start visibly carrying guns when I'd got to the gunpowder tech-level, just the same old grass-skirts and funny club things as before. Didn't inspire confidence when the arabs turned up bearing muskets I can tell you, even though my guys apparently had muskets too. Things will be different in Victoria I can tell you, images of which follow shortly...
All slider changes were to enhance technological performance (innovative, free subjects, centralization etc) and while my two neigbours made war with the muslim nations to the north (Songhai and Mali) setting them on the retreat, I kept myself to myself and tut-tut-tutted at the other pagan states wasteful warlike ways, invested in tax-offices etc, and minted no money at all.
This paid off in the long run, I got four weapons manufactories and a artisan academy thing by spontaineous discovery (that'd be having free subjets and innovativeness I think). I only minted money to build two manufatories during the whole game, and to pay off a little debt I accrued in a major war toward the end.
I kept the Old Ways, from the Old Times, the Old Ways of the Old Ancestors, of er... Old (pagan religion) and resisted Catholic and Islamic conversion as I liked being able to better balance three religions. And besides, why import European or Middle Eastern religion when we make good enough stuff right here at home, eh?
Eventually sometime in the late 16th centuary I diplo-annexed my fellow pagan neigbour Dahomey, that nation had managed to wrest control of the valuable gold-bearing province of Bure from Songhai in one of its many wars with Ashanti against the muslim north, so I got that into the bargain. Tried to convince Ashanti to come over as well, but by then Morroco had made itself known, and the scum-sucking traitorous bastards threw in their lot with the muslims (changed their state religion) which is abit rich, considering that at one point Mali was either forced to change their state religion to pagan- or did so in order to secure royal marriages with Ashanti so that Ashanti would stop stomping on its head so much.
Anyway, I had to give up on getting Ashanti diplo-annexed, although I was able to vassalise them a couple of times they'd alwasy refuse annexation, and then after I warned them not to get nasty with Mali again, they went and whored themselves out to Morroco and it's insidious backer the Ottomon Empire, and became Morroco's vassal. By then Mali was my vassal, a fellow pagan and under my own beneficient protectorship in the hope of a future unification, but those bastard from the north managed to trick me into joining their vile alliance (Benin only joined in the hope of securing peace and stability for the region) and tried to make me declare war on my own vassal! Can you beleive that? The camel-racing bastards, My Own Vassal!
Eventually I was quite powerful actually, all those weapons manufactories really helped my research as once I got to weapons-level 11 (early 17th if I recall correctly) the pace of development really picked up, at one point I had three or four advances in the reign of one particularly skillful ruler.
I had three wars with Morocco and Ashanti, the first time I jumped Ashanti after they declared war on my vassal Mali, and then their snide friends from the north intervened and jumped me on their behalf. Still, I gave Ashanti a good kicking before I had to accept a measly peace because Morocco was ringing my neck, I didn't get to do what I wanted to those turn-coating good-for-nothings though.
The second time I waited for the Ashanti/Morrocon alliance to expire, and then I jumped Ashanti again, this time I stomped them good, and when Morocco intervened they probably expected another jolly jaunt through the jungle, shooting at backward natives on behalf of other backward natives that work for them, only that's not what they got, what they got was a damn good smack-in-the-gob and a kick-in-the-ass up there at the border, folowed by a furious blizzard of bullets and canon, because by then I was only two advances in weapons-tech behind em. Benin had caught up good, hyper-tech, all the way.
In the peace Ashanti was left isolated from the provinces it took from Mali, with only two provinces inland as I also isloted it from the coast.
The third war came right toward the end, by the early 18th Benin was doing really rather well, I'd monopolised the Ivoria trading-zone, then I monopolised the Andalusia zone, then I'd monoplolised the trading zone centred on Alexandria. I think the Morrocans didn't like that because they suddenly declared war on me for no reason. I managed to hold them off though, I had difficulty at first only because I had a very small army at the time and wasn't expecting any trouble. good thing I'd gone for Quality and free subjects, the troops of Benin were I think, measure for measure the finest proffesional fighting men in the world by a long shot. Anyway I raided the treasury and gave their invading armies the smack-down again and that was that, just in time for conversion.
They came, and it was found that they were Weak, whereas we are Strong.
By then I'd managed to re-vassalise and annex Mali, which was satisfying, I felt kind of... responsible for the little nation, back in the old days they were just one of "those muslim countrys to the north", but that all changed once they went pagan, and even when they went muslim again, after the way they were slapped-around by Ashanti... well let's just say I don't like bullies, and also I tend to root for the underdogs. It was a pleasure to take them in.
I didn't like that the African graphics are all zulu guys, who live thousands of miles away to the south, but then the program has its limitations I suppose, but then I was nnoyed afresh when my guys didn't start visibly carrying guns when I'd got to the gunpowder tech-level, just the same old grass-skirts and funny club things as before. Didn't inspire confidence when the arabs turned up bearing muskets I can tell you, even though my guys apparently had muskets too. Things will be different in Victoria I can tell you, images of which follow shortly...
