Shogun 2

Kavalree · 20 Jan 2012 at 00:04

OK, So I got this game free (Thanks 5UB and OCUK) But I have NO idea what to do...it's soooo different to Shogun 1...

Anyone got any tips and pointers? I would like to use my age old tactics of having 2 or 3 blocks of ranged flanking the enemy and in front, and then have a few melee units charge in and mop up the residue. Will these tactics still work today? Any other pointers? What is the best 'Dynasty' to start with?

pingwing · 20 Jan 2012 at 00:11

Ah you won it cool!

I got it for £7 back in november, haven't really given it a bash yet but could really do with some help too as its a little overwhelming on first impressions

EdwardTeach · 20 Jan 2012 at 00:21

Its a very good game. It seems a bit harder than other tw games. For the first time ever in years of playing tw games I am facing defeat. One of my allies has just declared war on me, and I am totally defenceless against them. The former ally borders me on the left and I am already at war with two clans on my right. My cities are totally defenceless. I think I will need to go back to an earlier save and regularly donate money to my key allies to keep them onside.

topdog@OC · 20 Jan 2012 at 00:25

I didn't know wtf to do with the real time combat to be honest, so just played the capitalist/political side of the game instead and auto'd the combat apart from a few ship fights where leet driving skills won the day.

With regards to which faction to pick, try a moderate or easy one to begin with, it tends to mean not too many borders to defend at once and can give you a little breathing room at the start to establish yourself before all the clans you've brokered a peace with start turning into backstabbing little ******. I forget the name of it but I went with one of the 'mainland' clans over on the east side of the board, and that was a good gig. The smaller island can be limiting for trying to breach the mainland later, though it's tempting if you play through the tutorial since that's where they get you started.

Speaking of which - the tutorials should give you all the starting info you need really, aside from the real time battles (IMO), so when I next play it I'll probably hit up some youtube vids to pick up some tips on it.

Howitzer · 20 Jan 2012 at 11:22

The basic battlefield tactics should still work, but remember the units are now much more diverse, and the AI is a LOT smarter than shogun 1, they won't just sit there and take an arrow hammering! You need to keep on your toes and don't limit yourself to a single 'strategy' at the start of the battle. Always stay flexible.
Also terrain is really important now. If there's woodland, hide units in it (so long as they only 'walk' they can stay hidden while moving) or use it to cover those weak against missle fire. Even a slight hill advantage can change the tide of battle, keep your eye to the minimap to help you pinpoint useful features.

topdog@OC · 20 Jan 2012 at 13:32

Regarding surprise attacks from other armies whilst you're already engaged elsewhere, I used a mop-up crew consisting of a couple of agents who were able to incapacitate the invading army from moving next turn (freezing them in place) and then taking pot shots at sending their captains/leaders home (either in a bodybag or handcuffs) whilst a small contingent was able to take the time to travel around and see them off. This was also handy for breaking up a larger force of armies from attacking you with mass reinforcements, allowing you to separate them and pick them off one by one.

That would buy me enough time to rearrange/build my forces tactically to be able to defend a new front whilst other stuff was ongoing.

You could still get quite a long game out of not doing any of the realtime stuff so I ended up enjoying that the most.

physichull · 2 Feb 2012 at 12:48

Just starting to get into this one for the first time. I used to love Empire, despite its obvious flaws and if I am honest, I much prefer that setting, but I really am starting to get into Shogun2.

I've never been too bothered about the battles, they always seem a little long and drawn out and I get bored of them quickly so I always autoresolve the battles.

Just started playing the campaign as the Date clan on the east side of the main island. I made friends too easily with the clans around me, they got too strong and cut off all my military access and took the land ahead of me, boxing me in. I therefore had to declare war on the weakest, and unfortunately all my other allies took the side of my prey, abondoning their deals with me. This lead to my navy being wiped out within a couple of turns, all my trade ships destroyed or captured and hugely vulnerable to attack.

Game over and lesson learnt. So next time I am going to wipe out all the small factions near me as early as possible and get large enough to get a big enough army and income to take on the big boys.

What I found really frustrating was that it took many turns to move an army from one province to the other without using ships. More so if you attack a province without roads.

Anyone got any advice to get your income up? Trade ships helped, but I never seem to get much from the mainland.

I also seem to have to maintain large garrisons in captured provinces to keep the peace which is quite annnoying. Other than tax exemption, its hard to keep them quiet otherwise. Lowering taxes is an option but I am usually desperate for the dosh.