Meh. Just got Kingdoms, and the game isn't nearly as satisfying as the original. All the campaigns are very easy, but I haven't played them all to completion and with all factions.
First thing I did was load up Brittania and play as Norway. vh/vh By turn 13 the Scots were eliminated, and their fancy Wallace became a neutral brigand forced to live to old age and die alone in the forests of Norwegian Scotland.
By turn 20..well, canterbury was singing hymns to the norwegian throne, London was in my secure possesion, and all of northern/eastern britain was mine. Not bad for old king Haakon. I won the game up turn 35, mostly because it's annoying to have to go back and put down various rebellions by those pesky welsh and irish in their godforsaken shanty towns they call "cities".
Then I loaded up crusades and decided to give it a go as Saladin. vh/vh, as always. Jerusalem fell in less than six turns, Lionhart was killed by some simple bedouin as soon as he stepped into the Holy Land (I'm very happy with the 95% destruction of his army at a cost of 15% of mine), and the mainand kingdom of Jerusalem was exterminated fifteen turns in. Is it me or are the starting units of Egypt pretty much invincible?
Americas was also pretty easy, so far. But I haven't gone south and I have a feeling I won't be running my mouth against the Spanish. I'm liking the Apache. What really irks me is the blatant identical unit stats all the indians have.
The one I'm enjoying most is the Teutonic campaigns. VH/vh, lithuania. in the 20's as far as turns go. It's progressing slowly but successfully. The Teutonic order is obstinate, and I'm actually losing a fair amount of battles even if I am winning the war.
My main beef is the same as what I disliked with the original. The enemy AI is too stupid, especially in combat mode. It's easy to mop up any battle, even if it's stacked against you, as long as you have a varied amount of units and especially cavalry. No doubt other AI mods have been created by the community, but can anybody point me in a particularly challenging one?
"My teaching is not a philosophy. It is the result of direct experience...
My teaching is a means of practice, not something to hold onto or worship.
My teaching is like a raft used to cross the river.
Only a fool would carry the raft around after he had already reached the other shore of liberation."
The Buddha