US help

[unmerged(7914)]

I need a little advice on the US.

Here is what I normally do:

Tax on middle and upper to 49.22%. Tax on lower to around 39%. Tarrifs maxed (they are small though), crime 50%, education I bump up as I can from 50% social to the max (still zero), defense usually goes pretty low so I have a profit, army maintenance to around 50%, navy to zero.

I set up my trades to sell my surplusses with only a small safety stock. I set up to buy machine parts (though I don't usually get any). Then I work to build factories in Ohio, Indiana, Illinios, Michigan, Pennsylvannia, and New York. I expand RGOs where there is extra population, and the two sulfers in the south. I also occasionally toss in a railroad heading out west towards my factories. The factories I build are usually paper, cloth, clothing, lumber, and steal.

When I think of it I increase my mobilization so that it is around 50-60 by the 1850's.

I trade tech with Texas to get the colony building in Oklahoma and make that a territory.

I occasionally trade tech around the world for cash to help my industrialization.

So here are my questions:

1. What can I be doing differently to improve my economy more?
2. What do I do with Texas? It seems that the event for making them a state doesn't work, and if I try territory, they turn it down.
3. How do I need to prepare for war with Mexico?
4. How should I prepare for the Civil war, and are my choices in all these slavery election issues affecting that scripted event?
5. Should I try for a colony in Africa?
6. Anything else I should try?

I have 1.03b with DR's all in one mod, the province name mod, and the descriptive tech mod.

Thank you!!!

 

[Jerzy_I]

Well the first thing is tax the lower class 49% also. You can lower it later in the game if you want but the lower class bring in more in taxes. Factories seem like a good startup set.

You can just declare war on texas and annex them. Thats the easiest way to get around not having them join and you won't have to trade with them for claims. If you don't like that option if they accept you can edit the save file and make them your nation.

You might want to increase mobilization faster maybe 60 by 45 or there abouts. Build only northern regular units. use a strong force to land near Mexicos capital while your main force attacks along the main front. Satellite mexico to get your claims unles you plan on eventually taking all of mexico.

For the civil war you should win quickly if you increase your mobilization pool and build only northern units. You might want to look at the free slavery events if its important to you. You might want to let the war drag out if you really want the reconstruction event.

Colonies are nice just look at where the more valuable ones are and trace a route from the coast. Prestige from colonies helps but too many cheap provinces can drag your economy down. Trade not very usefull ones off.

Many people think a navy is useless in victoria but i find it quite helpful especially if you have colonies around the world. Also the steel - steamer factory route never fails to bring in the cash

 

[Darkrenown]

1. Why not have poor tax on 50%? Crime can be cut to 0 in the early game for quick cash if you don't mind maxing it out later to get rid of the crime that builds up.
2. Bugged event They normally acceot joining as a territory though. If they don't you can declare war, satellies them (which takes all claimed land) and then DoW and annex in 5 years.
3. Your mobilization pool increases should do, deploying 20-30 divisions should be enough to satellite them with ease.
4. Again, mobilization pool is king. When you're deployong 50+ divisions the CSA is screwed. The slavery hotly debated in X events affect which states join the south.
5. Sure, you get give prestige.
6. Some people like to make an early war to grab all the claim buildings in Canada or later invade the UK to get the liberation of canada event, although that doesn't really appeal to me.

 

[unmerged(7914)]

Thanks for the tips. Here are a few more questions:

1. Should I consider changing my research team? I would think not, but want to check.

2. I have opperated under the premise that I should promote a general as soon as I get to 20 points, since that is my cap, and I cannot accumulate more points if I am at 20. Is this a good idea?

3. Should I consider taking some carribean islands?

4. Is there a way to help Mexico so that they get all but one of Texas' provinces, thus making it easier to eliminate Texas without the BB hit? Of course I don't want to help them too much...

 

[Gwalcmai]

1 - Unless the one you have is really making things hard for you, I'd think not.

2 - Well, if they aren't going any higher, making room for growth is best. But if you already have a pool of generals doing nothing, maybe you should spend that leadership a different way (new army units, colonization...)

 

[Raph]

Thanks for the tips. Here are a few more questions:

1. Should I consider changing my research team? I would think not, but want to check.

2. I have opperated under the premise that I should promote a general as soon as I get to 20 points, since that is my cap, and I cannot accumulate more points if I am at 20. Is this a good idea?

3. Should I consider taking some carribean islands?

4. Is there a way to help Mexico so that they get all but one of Texas' provinces, thus making it easier to eliminate Texas without the BB hit? Of course I don't want to help them too much...

1. Not really. Traditional Academic allows you one of each research types - the problems with it would be if you desperately need a certain tech ASAP and can't go with researching another while waiting for it to appear, you might want to change your intellectual establishment to, for instance, army-industrial if you want more army choices, and so on. Usually, this isn't worth the prestige hit.

2. Generally, yes. The only problem with this is that it brings you to 0 leadership for a while, which makes you unable to build divisions with attachments as well as colonies. If you don't do that, though, you would just waste your leadership if you didn't make generals.

3/4. Can't help you with those, since I haven't played the US.

 

[valen]

Thanks for the tips. Here are a few more questions:

1. Should I consider changing my research team? I would think not, but want to check.

2. I have opperated under the premise that I should promote a general as soon as I get to 20 points, since that is my cap, and I cannot accumulate more points if I am at 20. Is this a good idea?

3. Should I consider taking some carribean islands?

4. Is there a way to help Mexico so that they get all but one of Texas' provinces, thus making it easier to eliminate Texas without the BB hit? Of course I don't want to help them too much...

1) I recommend agianst it. I don't think the other research establishments are worth changing and I like the ability to pick any tech.

2) Promote some more pops to officers. I usually pick grain farmers, as grain is cheap and readily available on the WM. This will increase your current leadership, max leadership and rate of increase. I usually want enough to make a couple of leaders and a little extra for the things that cost leadership.

3) I've played 3 games now and for some reason the british always attack me in the 1860s or 1870s after the civil war. I don't think its BB, In one game I was pretty agressive agianst Mexico, but in the current I've gotten all my cores in the southwest and then pretty much left them alone.

When the british decide to pile on me I spend all my time over running canada and crushing large scale landings until Britian's war exhusation is high enough that they offer me peace. I've just learned about the 'f12 neiville' thing though, so now I'm going to use that to make them see reason... very frustating. Maybe now I'll have time to consider the islands. I assume there is a spanish-american war event that you could wait for to grab Spains possessions in the Carribean.

4) I've never though of this, I guess you could give mexico some army tech or something. I suppose you could even get good relations with them and then buy all of the southwest a province at a time from them...

 

[unmerged(28992)]

You can get most of the UK's Caribean islands by trading your claims in the northwest of the US. It's a bit of an exploit (okay it's a total exploit) but you just build up your relations with the UK and then swap claims from Oregon, Washington etc for the islands and then when the Oregan Treaty event fires the UK just cedes all of the US states back to you (usually after nicely railroading them for you). An amusing side effect of this is a number of British POPs in the north-west states that you can recruit as 'native' troops. A couple of tech trades with France and Denmark will get you their Caribean possessions cheaply if you've got good relations.

 

[Theodotus1]

You can get most of the UK's Caribean islands by trading your claims in the northwest of the US. It's a bit of an exploit (okay it's a total exploit) but you just build up your relations with the UK and then swap claims from Oregon, Washington etc for the islands and then when the Oregan Treaty event fires the UK just cedes all of the US states back to you (usually after nicely railroading them for you). An amusing side effect of this is a number of British POPs in the north-west states that you can recruit as 'native' troops. A couple of tech trades with France and Denmark will get you their Caribean possessions cheaply if you've got good relations.

I'm going to bring this "strategy" to the attention of VIP, so that it can be taken into account in what we do. (You're right, because of the way USA can get back the traded territory, it does seem to be a total exploit.)

 

[Darkrenown]

4. Is there a way to help Mexico so that they get all but one of Texas' provinces, thus making it easier to eliminate Texas without the BB hit? Of course I don't want to help them too much...

Let Mexico annex Texas, then DoW Mexico and satellite it. You can get all your claimed land in one war with no BB

 

[unmerged(28992)]

I'm going to bring this "strategy" to the attention of VIP, so that it can be taken into account in what we do. (You're right, because of the way USA can get back the traded territory, it does seem to be a total exploit.)

That's probably a good idea. I don't think the US shouldn't be able to regain the area if it sells the claims to the Uk and the Uk claims the colony(s), only if the area remains contested by the two nations

 

[unmerged(7914)]

Let Mexico annex Texas, then DoW Mexico and satellite it. You can get all your claimed land in one war with no BB

That would certainly work, but I don't have enough faith in Mexico to declare the second war when I need them too. I was hoping for them to get Texas down to a single province (three or less would do) and then annex that province. I figure I can handle the small bad boy from that.


To others, thanks for the tip on the british carribbean islands, but I was thinking more of something I read in a Texas AAR where they took Haiti. Is this a good target, and or are there others? Or is my money better spent trying to get an african colony or two?

 

[Theodotus1]

That's probably a good idea. I don't think the US shouldn't be able to regain the area if it sells the claims to the Uk and the Uk claims the colony(s), only if the area remains contested by the two nations

In VIP 0.4 we'll probably incorporate the Native American tribes of North America, as is being currently discussed in the VIP North America thread. One effect of that will be to completely preclude this strategy of trading North American provinces to England and then getting them back.

To others, thanks for the tip on the british carribbean islands, but I was thinking more of something I read in a Texas AAR where they took Haiti. Is this a good target, and or are there others? Or is my money better spent trying to get an african colony or two?

According to the esteemed Greenmarine (who's become something of an authority on playing Texas), the Haiti strategy is a very good one, in that it provides plenty of manpower for Texan armies. I haven't tried it myself, but it seems logical that it would work well. (In fact, I may use it as a starting point for brainstorming Texas alternate history, for VIP games in which Texas remains independent. Historically, there were those in both Texas and the southern USA states that favored conquest of both the caribbean and latin america, in order to provide new supplies of slave labor.)

 

[Darkrenown]

Whatever you do, try to avoid this situation:

 

[Raph]

Whoa, how did that happen? Would've been even 'better' if the CSA would still be there, and perhaps californian republic holding the stuff to the west of texas?

 

[unmerged(9953)]

In my games as the US i prefer a standing army over a mobilization based army. You can have a large standing army when you keep the mainenance low and the army spending in the mid-high region. The cost of maintaining a large army when set to minimum is very low, and you have a large army that you can reinforce immediately if needed.

I would guess this is allso cost effective compare to a large mobilization armym since the industry doesnt hurt.

Around 1860's i usually have around 20-30 Infantry Divisions and around 10 Cavalry divisions (to stamp out revolts and use against Mexico early in the game).

Edit: I usually maintain a 10 division mobilization pool early in the game just in case you get involved in a major war.

 

[Zorgoth]

Wow, that's...just not right.
Mental note: avoid said situation

 

[unmerged(7914)]

I tried some of these strategies this morning, and they are working great. I took Haiti, have a couple of colonies started, and my research is at max. I think having the poor taxed at 50% and cutting crime spending were the main things.

Mexico has not taken enough of Texas for my liking, but I will burn that bridge when I get to it.

For colonies I have been aiming at ones that give me resources I have little or none of. Tropical Wood and rubber have been my targets so far.

Thanks to all for the help.

Tord: I am going to try that regular army route this time. Mobilizing is devastating to the economy and my troops will be better with attachments. Anyone have any further thoughts on regular vs. reserves?

 

[Darkrenown]

Whoa, how did that happen? Would've been even 'better' if the CSA would still be there, and perhaps californian republic holding the stuff to the west of texas?

DR + UK + mission to crush USA = USA screwed

I would have backed the CSA, but the USA was too beaten up for the ACW to fire As for cally, that'll be in the next war