especially with the new update, it seems completely impossible. I’ve tried the macao strategy, but now portugal wants me to cede the entire fucking state of guangdong! yeah i banned opium but now i have to get that whole fucking state back! is there another way?

  • kleeon [he/him, he/him]@hexbear.net
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    5 months ago

    I haven’t played the new patch yet but here is some stuff that used to work:

    1. Import artillery and build a shit-ton of cannon artillery units. This will improve your army massively.

    2. Try getting a defensive pact with Russia.

    3. The moment that the British land, do your own naval invasion in the same spot. This usually splits their frontline and confuses the AI.

    4. You could avoid naval invasions entirely if you keep sending 1-ship fleets to intercept their invasions. Naval battles take a lot of time event if it’s a huge British fleet vs 1 junk. While this is happening, do a naval invasion in one of their colonies in Africa to get a ticking war score.

  • Alaskaball [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    5 months ago

    Most of the times I’ve won its by relocating the capital to like ningxia or somewhere west on day 1 then reorganizing the armies so the green armies that are all infantry divisions are also packed full of conscript levies and use them exclusively on the defense with the proper banner armies receiving proper artillery and upgrading the calvary to like dragoons or lancers and using them on the defense in the main front or for being sent to defend against landing attempts in vassal states.

    Also rush tech for line infantry while spending the time in the lead-up to and during the actual war building either artillery factories and/or firearm factories and resources to feed into them.

    Focusing on absolute defense to bring the war to a white peace draw wins the war in your favor ultimately. Even taking an income hit by accepting to pay war indemnities to push the negotiations over the edge to end the war is acceptable as it doesn’t fulfill any of the loss qualifications for the opium wars quest.

    • Alaskaball [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      5 months ago

      I’ve also occasionally won by cheesing the brits by counter-invading random fucking places to draw their armies out and even one time invaded Ireland and almost capitulated them before they kicked me off and those bought me enough time and war exhaustion points to get a ceasefire without moving the capital

  • ThomasMuentzner [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    5 months ago
    • Relocate your capital deep into china behind some mountain ranges

    • get Russia or Spain or the Sikhs as allies.

    • let them bleed themselfs dry with their landings and make sure that you land yourself where they have their breakthroughs…

    • Conquer Burma before.

  • machiabelly [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    5 months ago

    I tried and just got railed by england. Those debuffs are brutal, i don’t now if they are new in this patch. I think my infantry were 6/6 against englands 24/32. My solution was to not ban opium, which didn’t feel great. I’m not good at gaming the combat at all though. I mostly just fight things straight up.