Some Military/Technology Questions

[unmerged(606683)]

I'm playing my first game right now; it's around the year 1215 and I've united all of Ireland under my rule. Currently looking to edify my lands financially, militarily, and scientfically before I undertake anything else beyond my island.

So some questions:

1. How do I form retinues? The tab in my military overview is greyed out. They sound pretty good... a standing army with no maintenance after they're done building? I'd like some. I saw it has something to do with your maximum levies and military organization technology.

2. How are other kingdoms getting such ridiculous numbers of men? Is there some sort of "everyone that can possibly hold a sword, report in" button? Calling all my demesne's levies, plus all the levies of my vassals yields only 5,000, which just won't cut it when my enemies can muster anywhere from 25,000 (England), to 100,000 (HRE, Denmark). I'm dead meat if any superpower is green with envy for my Emerald Isle.

3. How do I expedite technological research? For example, I've been trying to upgrade my, I think it is called, castle fortification to 2 so that I can build advanced castle buildings in Dublin. To this end, I've had the focus set to this technology for the last 50 years, I have my Marshals go in to speed up military tech by 100%, and the two cities I have in Dublin both have universities built. Still can't get this one technology. Just moving like a snail.

Thanks in advanced for all replies.

 

[Grifen88]

(1) You need the Legacy of Rome DLC to form retinues. Retinue size are affected by military organisation and the size of your realm's leveies.

(2) Only 5000 men in 1215?

I think you probably missed the fact that you can upgrade buildings in your holdings to train even more soldiers. As King of Ireland, I can raise 6k alone in my demesne with partially upgraded holdings. 15k with vassal levies. This is considering the fact I'm not powergaming to get the maximum amount of troops.

As for (3), technology research has a chance of advancing by 0.1 each year, modified by how far ahead you are, the relevant skill modifiers (stewardship, martial and learning), the presence of a university and probably countless other innumerable factors which I neglected to mention. Even when fully expedited, you get a very large ahead penalty as you power forward. Best be focusing on other tech.

 

[gornard]

1, If the tab is grayed out it either means you do not have the legacy of rome DLC installed or it is not installed correctly

2, England and HRE are going to be more powerful than ireland, the only ways to close the gap are to make retinues, improve relations/levy laws with vassals, save money for mercenaries and most importantly improve the buildings in your demesne.

3, I believe the castle building tech is economic, so its researched by your steward not you marshal. You can also try putting your spy on a province with high castle infrastructure tech.

Hope that helps

 

[unmerged(606683)]

Well I don't have Legacy of Rome, so that explains that.

I've been upgrading my holdings. Currently, my Queen's demesne is 6 counties while the others are held by vassaled Earls; I consider Dublin to be my kingdom's capital as it is my starting county and also the most advanced. To be fair, in Dublin alone, I can muster ~2,000 men. I guess it is just a matter of getting my other counties in order. Still sounds like I won't be approaching the military size that other kingdoms are seeing, but I suppose that just comes with the territory when you're as small as Ireland.

As for technology, is it best to just enhance it where I can and then forget about it? Seems like it is relatively out of my hands.

 

[Typee]

(2) Don't forget that the percentage of men you can levy depends on how much people like you. Check the red and green bars in each holding to see how many men you can raise.
If you can't get people to like, screw it and increase the crown power. At absolute level, all vassals will give you 40% of their troops minimum, even if they dislike you.

(3) Yeah it's slow, even with academies. Don't forget to make monastic schools in your bishopries too.
Also, build universities and monastic schools in surrounding counties, as technological progress is driven by the progress in the surrounding area.

 

[Grifen88]

It's 80% now on absolute CA with the latest patch. (20% increment for each level of CA.)

 

[Typee]

Oooooh, I thought it was only for muslims. I didn't try catholics since the patch.

 

[unmerged(606683)]

(2) Don't forget that the percentage of men you can levy depends on how much people like you. Check the red and green bars in each holding to see how many men you can raise.

Oh alright, you answered something else I had briefly wondered about. Wasn't sure what to make of the green/red color scheme on my vassal levies.

Yeah, I suppose my tiny military and backwards technology are just the result of being a tiny kindgom ruled by kings and queens stumbling their way ineptly through their reigns. I also took a while to unify Ireland, so it isn't as if I've had most of these lands a long while.

I'll just try to maintain the peace with my neighbors and have a couple of quiet, peaceful monarchs who simpy build up the kingdom. Once I've consolidated my power I'll see about doing other things.

Thanks for the helpful responses.

 

[trajan]

Yeah, I suppose my tiny military and backwards technology are just the result of being a tiny kindgom ruled by kings and queens stumbling their way ineptly through their reigns. I also took a while to unify Ireland, so it isn't as if I've had most of these lands a long while.

You say you haven't had some of these lands a long while. Is it possible you might still be suffering the "recently conquered" penalty in some of them? That would prevent them from filling up to their full levy potential.

 

[Ahaz Flagg]

Scotland and England have Civil wars a lot, so you should be safe. Without your Ret though, you cannot hope to match England, Scotland should be even with you if you continue to Upgrade. I found this works for me, your milage may differ.

Upgrade order, Level 1 walls, Castle city, level 2-3 walls next level for castle city. This will get you max tax for your holdings until you tech up some more. Then build all your heavey infantry upgrades, this is because your culture building is HI. A word of waring, never build culture buildings unless you know you can stay Irish. If you say, have an heir that is Italian, and you bult the culture building, and the heir takes over, you just wasted 200 gold, or more if you were at level 2.

Always, and I mean always Educate your top 2*3 if you can* heirs yourself, unless you are trying to change cultures. It is a real pain when your find your new ruler is not only Greek, but not Catholic.