I thought the base game was fun enough. DLCs add more events and such but if you don't like the base game the DLCs aren't going to change your mind. Safe to check it out and see if you want to expand it imo.
I'd get the Sacred and the Profane DLC too. It adds quite a lot to the religion gameplay. Everything else is strictly optional.
You can tweak pretty much everything in the advanced pre-game settings. You can also use PvP mode or whatever the name was to disable the more dramatic events. The bigger maps are seriously huge and there's probably a mod to make them even bigger. I've never seen anyone complain the maps are small, so if the biggest map is too small for you, and might be a you problem.
"the old world" is not. scale is just a bit slightly smaller than my usual civ4 maps, which span the whole world.
Ah, the premade maps are set in size, yeah. The Grand Vizier is a weird mechanic and you can only get one through events. It used to be so that you can appoint one and some characters gave you so many benefits when bring Grand Viziers that it completely offset the inability manually queue things in cities. Now it's mostly downside, but you can assassinate or plot against the GV to get rid of them.
It's Tribesman/men, Mr. Trudeau.
The combat aspects are actually quite complex, so you might not be using the right troops or the right tactics. Or they might just be a lot more technologically advanced and fielding swordsmen against your warriors or something.
The other civilizations begin much better developed than you, that's a core aspect of the game. Try playing on a lower difficulty level until you've got the hang of everything.
It makes sense: when you start a game, the difficulty level is set for AI + bonuses. It’s rare in those games for the AI to know how to play the game effectively, that is the case in oldworld, it doesnt need those bonus so step that down one bit. Then, you face Egypt, which has a significant bonus when building farms near river tiles, generating massive gold income. This gold allows them to rush production with the right ruler.
Suck less.
If you don't want to use counters, that's the problem. Not only do you need to use them, but you should also take advantage of the terrain, level up their abilities properly, and add a general that complements them. If you’re not enjoying it and feel bothered, there’s nothing wrong with switching to an easier, similar game like Millennia, Humankind, or Historia Untold.
finally something i didn't know. and quite interesting too. but also rather silly, considering those dynamics, as a general i'd be motivated to show off on the field, gather fame and power, and topple the asshole ruler i hate, not just the emo way of giving up and die.
