Albania in 1.8 (without scorched earth)

[Seb19999]

I had a very pleasant game few months ago. I used scorched earth tactics.

Out of curiosity I tried Albania in 1.8 (Ironmen) and it looks like there is no chance because Serbia always gives military access to Ottomans. Even when I DOW Ragusa Ottomans are able to catch me there. I tried DOW Serbia and get military access through Bosnia and Hungary, move my army to Papal State and DOW Urbino but they always have alliance with Aragon by that time.

I guess Albania may be indefensible this time.

 

[Krajzen]

Yeah, I am also wondering how the hell you can defend from Ottos.

Albania should have like 2 - 3 provinces to begin with (compare it with Montenegro in game! come on!).

 

[ErikHeinrichs]

This works everytime (in 1.8.1) if Bosnia doesn't give military access to Ottomans while you at war with them and Austria does not ally Venice:

Before unpause
DoW Bosnia and scorch Albania
Military access from Serbia
Start fabricating on Ragusa

Unpaused
Stackwipe Bosnia
Siege Donji Kraji and take it in peace deal
Peace out with Ottomans giving Albania to them
You are OPM again with Donji Kraji that you can't core
Fabricate on Dalmatia
DoW Ragusa and annex. Venice will give military access.
Now you should already be allied with Austria, PLC and possibly Hungary
DoW Venice and take Dalmatia

Core your three provinces, make Dalmatia capital and add Dalmatia to HRE. Tada, now you are a prince in HRE and can freely conquer the world.

 

[Krajzen]

While I am impressed by people who invent such heists, personally I would prefer not to play Albania at all than use such ridiculous immersion - breaking things. I mean, I would like to play as Albanian Albania, not 'whatever the hell is going on with Croatian provinces'.

If I wanted do play as HRE prince I would start as HRE prince, if I wanted to play Croatian I would start Ragusa...


Historically Skandenberg was able to defend his tiny country from Ottomans for a very long time. What a pity the game doesn't allow to defend Albania (this is not the same as 'run away from Albania to Dalmatia with your court' )

Honestly, I think Albania should not be in a war with Ottomans at 1444 starting date. Gameplay > history; it makes no difference for Ottomans but it would allow human player on survival with Albania.

 

[Seb19999]

This works everytime (in 1.8.1) if Bosnia doesn't give military access to Ottomans while you at war with them and Austria does not ally Venice:

Before unpause
DoW Bosnia and scorch Albania
Military access from Serbia
Start fabricating on Ragusa

Unpaused
Stackwipe Bosnia
Siege Donji Kraji and take it in peace deal
Peace out with Ottomans giving Albania to them
You are OPM again with Donji Kraji that you can't core
Fabricate on Dalmatia
DoW Ragusa and annex. Venice will give military access.
Now you should already be allied with Austria, PLC and possibly Hungary
DoW Venice and take Dalmatia

Core your three provinces, make Dalmatia capital and add Dalmatia to HRE. Tada, now you are a prince in HRE and can freely conquer the world.

I tried to DOW Bosnia but Serbia doesn't give me military access.

Also, I'm pretty sure both Bosnia and Serbia give military access to Ottomans so they will crash me in Donj Krajl. Did you try this in Ironman mode?

 

[AurochsAway]

While I am impressed by people who invent such heists, personally I would prefer not to play Albania at all than use such ridiculous immersion - breaking things. I mean, I would like to play as Albanian Albania, not 'whatever the hell is going on with Croatian provinces'.

If I wanted do play as HRE prince I would start as HRE prince, if I wanted to play Croatian I would start Ragusa...


Historically Skandenberg was able to defend his tiny country from Ottomans for a very long time. What a pity the game doesn't allow to defend Albania (this is not the same as 'run away from Albania to Dalmatia with your court' )

Honestly, I think Albania should not be in a war with Ottomans at 1444 starting date. Gameplay > history; it makes no difference for Ottomans but it would allow human player on survival with Albania.

By your above argument, if you want to play as a country not at war in 1444, don't play as Albania. Each country has its own situation to deal with. Albania's is certain annihilation.

 

[Leon_Aditzu]

Main problem of Albania is that the entire Ottoman army is near you. I think that ottomans should have the forces divide in many small armies stationed near wallachian border(game start short after battle of varna) or anatolia(after the Karaman march to Ankara). Giving a small time to defeat first army and reorganize.

 

[ErikHeinrichs]

I tried to DOW Bosnia but Serbia doesn't give me military access.

Also, I'm pretty sure both Bosnia and Serbia give military access to Ottomans so they will crash me in Donj Krajl. Did you try this in Ironman mode?

I only play Ironman. And yes, this works everytime i try it. I'll try this in 1.9 after my Jerusalem achievement but i don't see how it has changed at all.

 

[Seb19999]

I only play Ironman. And yes, this works everytime i try it. I'll try this in 1.9 after my Jerusalem achievement but i don't see how it has changed at all.

You were right. It's doable. Even easy with good military advisor.

 

[ErikHeinrichs]

The strategic i posted earlier still works just fine.

 

[zorkman]

This works everytime (in 1.8.1) if Bosnia doesn't give military access to Ottomans while you at war with them and Austria does not ally Venice:

Unpaused
Stackwipe Bosnia
Siege Donji Kraji and take it in peace deal
Peace out with Ottomans giving Albania to them
You are OPM again with Donji Kraji that you can't core

This never makes sense to me, & is a weakness of the AI in general. Why would Bosnia in reality concede a province just because that one is occupied, when they still have three more unoccupied. Particularly when Bosnia knows Albania is currently at war with a regional power who is likely to crush them. By that time you as Albania would already be annexed. It would be better in a game, if a country already at war attacked another, that their original enemy joined up with their new one. In this case OE joined up with Bosnia & was war leader.

This is nothing against your strategy, more with frustration with the game.

 

[yerm]

This never makes sense to me, & is a weakness of the AI in general. Why would Bosnia in reality concede a province just because that one is occupied, when they still have three more unoccupied. Particularly when Bosnia knows Albania is currently at war with a regional power who is likely to crush them. By that time you as Albania would already be annexed. It would be better in a game, if a country already at war attacked another, that their original enemy joined up with their new one. In this case OE joined up with Bosnia & was war leader.

This is nothing against your strategy, more with frustration with the game.

Technically, you could fully occupy all of Bosnia. As long as you have one province sieged, the Ottomans don't 100% you. There's nothing stipulating that all their provinces except donji can't be sieged, just that it must be FINISHED being sieged before the ottomans finish sieging yours, or you lose. You can very well go on and siege the rest!

Having an aggressor join on the defensive side of the defender's new wars is NOT better for the game. That leads to so much potential abuse. There is nothing unreasonable about ai logic in having a country that could potentially be sieged into full annexation relent just one single province to their enemy. There is nothing unreasonable about the Ottomans not caring if Bosnia is split into Bosnia and Albania, if they're getting Albania's core province one way or the other. There is nothing unreasonable about Serbia or Hungary not letting the Ottomans through to do something about it.

 

[Pilot00]

Yeah, I am also wondering how the hell you can defend from Ottos.

Albania should have like 2 - 3 provinces to begin with (compare it with Montenegro in game! come on!).

Eh...Which ones?

 

[JimboJJ26]

I think Kosovo possibly. It's a largely Albanian culture region nowadays. Not so sure during 1444.

 

[Pilot00]

I think Kosovo possibly. It's a largely Albanian culture region nowadays. Not so sure during 1444.

Seen as it was a political and spiritual center of the Serbian kingdom at the time I am loath to agree. If the Ottoman archives are anything to be trusted with (they kept records only on religious not actual ethnicity populations) then it would be 1600+ that the population of Kosovo became split between Serbians and Albanians. And that is because they refer to the rebels, nothing that can be considered accurate.