STAGE 1: START
The American campaign is very different from what we have already seen in other expansion packs.
Here the action is dedicated to the era of Geographical Discoveries, when big and vicious men with guns conquered entire continents. In the main campaign, the developers divided the factions into European (colonial) and Indian. Of the European ones, only one Spain is available, although as you progress through the game, England and France subsequently appear. Of the Indians, the Aztecs, Mayans, Tarascos, Tlaxcalans, Chichimecs and Apaches can be distinguished. Each Indian faction has its own culture, which will need to be assimilated immediately in order to avoid unrest in the cities.
The easiest way to play here is of course for Spain. By leading the conquistadors, you run the risk of quickly ending the campaign.
The Spaniards from the very beginning occupy Cuba and the city of Veracruz. The Europeans have a lot of problems with the call of a normal army, so they will have to fight mainly with starting troops. Or you can constantly transport soldiers from Cuba to the mainland, but the demographic situation in Havana may collapse, and then you will simply have no one to hire. Therefore, it is recommended to take a lot of mercenaries from among the locals.
Delay is clearly contraindicated, since for more efficient and faster destruction of enemies, you can receive special points from the King of Spain. These points provide special bonuses, up to new types of troops, buildings and access to powerful artillery.
From the start, you must immediately declare war on the Aztecs. Otherwise, you will face billions of enemies in the future. In addition, beware that the North Indians may announce to you the Warpath, the local equivalent of Jihad. Other peoples will undoubtedly join the campaign of the tribes.
Act very quickly and efficiently. The cities of the Indian states are rich and majestic, so that the treasury can be replenished in no time. In real-time battles, try to take out generals. Fortunately, you have good cavalry and artillery, and the enemy has only a bunch of savages. Try to destroy the enemy not by auto-battle, but live. This way you avoid unnecessary losses. Get used to it: war is the main direction here, so forget about the development of cities and castles. Just go forward, destroying everything in your path. Try to completely crush the Aztecs and assimilate their lands in the first 20-30 moves.
Playing as Indian factions, get ready for the fact that you will have to fight endlessly with your neighbors. But it is better, of course, to try to immediately destroy Spain. The Indians do not have a fleet, but Veracruz and the surrounding cities are quite possible to capture. The economy of the Indians is huge, so there will be no problems with money.
In battles, try not to lose commanders, and destroy enemies in droves. In a war with Spain, it is better to get allies. Enter into trade agreements and alliances with your neighbors and do not seek wars left and right. Your first enemy is Spain. Crush him, and then think about hitting the neighbors. If the neighbors attacked you, remember that they can only be defeated by even larger crowds.
In battles, 5-6 thousand soldiers will die, and this is quite normal. By the way, the Chichimeks and Apaches also have cavalry at the last levels of development. Use it boldly against hordes of opponents, especially if they are Aztecs, Mayans or Tarascans.
STEP 2: assimilation
If you correctly follow the advice at the start, then soon you can already get a good state.
The economy allows you to hire 10-20 thousand soldiers here. After destroying the Aztecs for Spain, boldly go to the Tarascos and Tlaxcalans. Try to win all the battles live, but do not lose any guns or artillery. Kill enemy generals on the battlefield. If the enemy nevertheless laid siege to your fortress, try to immediately send reinforcements and beat the adversary with cavalry. Cavalry against millions of savages is the best way to achieve victory.
The King of Spain will reward you with every combat exploit. Everything will come to the point that the flow into your treasury will become simply endless. Call on the help of priests and missionaries to plant Christianity.
As the Indian factions, continue the carnage. No matter how cruel it may sound, do not leave your captives alive. These captives would then run back to the enemy and join the ranks of his army.
On high difficulties it will be very difficult to fight with one infantry, but there is no way out. Try not only to storm enemy settlements, but also develop your own in parallel. Developed cities will give access to more advanced troops. Build temples and special buildings to increase the experience of your fighters. Only experienced warriors can win this campaign.
Try to hire shamans for cultural assimilation. Always keep taxes at an average level, neither raising nor lowering them. In the case of Chichimecs and Apaches, everything is easier, since they have cavalry. The cavalry in this campaign is the key to victory, which should not be missed. But factions with an abundance of infantry were less fortunate. We’ll have to fight to the last with some naked savages. The most hardcore situation is observed in Tarascos and Tlaxcalans. They generally have to fight on two fronts.
STAGE 3: fight for colonies
It should be noted right away that only Spain has the opportunity to capture the entire map here. None of the Indian factions can build a fleet. Accordingly, it is impossible, for example, to conquer the surrounding islands for the Aztecs or Mayans. Therefore, for the Indians it is recommended to strictly follow the conditions of victory.
But for Spain, you can go further and capture all the territories, including the lands of the current United States. Toward the end of the campaign, information about the approach of colonialists from other countries appears. The British and French appear with a good army. For Spain they are nothing. A couple of attacks could very well end the obnoxious occupiers. Try to destroy their leaders, and then the factions will die. The English and French are represented here as horde factions, and this is their main weakness. After the destruction of adversaries from the Old World, serious enemies are no longer expected. You can already calmly about the capture of all of America.
But for the Indians there will be no simplicity if new pale-faced ones appear. The British are attacking the Apache and Chichimec lands from the west. The French also come to the possession of the Maya. In an open battle, it is useless to beat them if you do not have the most powerful cavalry of the conquistadors. Even the Chichimec horsemen are unable to challenge the armored knights from England and France. Force them to besiege your cities, and then try to destroy them by the thousands inside the settlements. Trap them in squares and squeeze them from all sides.
When besieging cities, enemies act in the traditional Medieval 2 style, using towers and stairs. Defending is always easier than attacking. So try to destroy all enemy leaders and notably wag their hordes. After the elimination of these factions, the problems will completely dry up.
UNOFFICIAL ADDONS
The American Kingdoms campaign is well done. We were waiting for a unique gameplay, an interesting opposition of factions and all sorts of new scripts that helped us in the course of the campaign. But some players were dissatisfied with the fact that we were deprived of the opportunity to fight for England and France. In addition, everyone forgot about another powerful force of that period – Portugal. If all this does not suit you, there are many unofficial mods and add-ons that fix the mistakes of the developers.
Of the interesting projects, it is worth highlighting 1500 Campaign and Americas Mod. These minimods significantly improve the position on the map of America, add new factions and new units, complicate the gameplay. Portugal, England and France are quite playable countries with unique troop lines and victory conditions.
These unofficial addons are great for those who are already tired of the original gameplay and the monotonous situation on the map. 1500 Campaign is placed on the already installed American Kingdoms campaign with full file replacement. But Americas Mod is a switch project that is installed separately from the original additions.
DOWNLOAD 1500 campaign DOWNLOAD americas mod
