The Official ETW Frequently Asked Questions Thread

[roaringsilence]

Hello.

By investing in a nation (read gifting it with lots of money) will I help it boost its military?
I'm playing Dutch, vanilla, and there are some factions , which I don't want to affiliate myself with but which I want it to fend off the opposition its facing, that I've been handing bags of money for free.
Persia was an example. I donated to it, in the hope that it would survive the maratha and ottoman assault. I didn't watch closely, but Persia is now history.
Does it work?

No! At least not in my experience.

Gifting money to another nation doesn;t have any obvious effect on their behaviour. What it does do is boost their relationship with you slightly. It an essential tactic
in Shogun 2 to offset the negative penalty of Shogun influence after the realm divide.

Giving another nation all money in one go will not increase their money. However if you offer money per turn it will increase that nations money.
However, my experience is that AI nations are very poor at army management and will gladly spend all of your financial support on armies.
BUT once your flow of money stops they will have recruited more armies then they can afford to support which leads to attrition.

[apostrophefz]

So, it's doable if I tribute them semesterly with the money's worth for, let's say, 3 regiments? Maybe in the span of a 6 turn wars it may reap rewards.

[Akarios]

Giving another nation all money in one go will not increase their money. However if you offer money per turn it will increase that nations money.
However, my experience is that AI nations are very poor at army management and will gladly spend all of your financial support on armies.
BUT once your flow of money stops they will have recruited more armies then they can afford to support which leads to attrition.

I've used this tactic to undermine nations I want to invade, especially once I have a good bank roll going. You get them used to a subsidy, then you cut it off, knowing they'll suddenly go into bankruptcy. Send in some rakes to blow up the money making stuff, and they're half beaten before you've even declared war.

[apostrophefz]

Since you mentioned rakes, how to effectively use agents to disrupt a region? Does sabotaging farms and other things hurt the AI? Does converting population help in anything?
Also, can I hurt the AI's money? If I blow up workshops, ports and tax collectors, does that effectively do anything?

I ask this because in Medieval 2 spies could wreak severe mayhem in towns, and that by just standing there.

[poa]

i dont use rakes, but i use to ruin maratha by ramming my ships in all their ports 20 times before end turn,
it does not take long to bankrupt them

[apostrophefz]

Question: shooting down the masts of an enemy ship in battle and withdrawing from it, what happens to the demasted ship?

[Sar1n]

Question: shooting down the masts of an enemy ship in battle and withdrawing from it, what happens to the demasted ship?

Pretty much nothing. After battle, ships repair the damage doen to their masts and sails, plus bit of hull damage. Knocked out crewmen and guns stay that way though.

[apostrophefz]

pity don't you think? quick light ships would have a new strategic importance if this was so.

[Juliiduke16]

Would ETW run on Athlon Amd 2 x4 processor? and is so then on what conditions?