I found backing up a game, then loading it got detected as a reversion in the score count.
I imagine you can use it to make multiple reversions count as only 1 though.

Also you see the entire map

It has never counted as a reversion while I've been playing.

Do keep in mind that if you forcequit (closing the program with the task manager), THAT will be
counted as a reversion in your log, even if it was for out-of -game reasons. (I haven't tried it, but I imagine that a forced shutdown/system crash/etc might result in a +1 Reversion count too.)

IOW, make sure you haven't done anything that would be counted as a reversion before you make the backup, and exit the game (by normal means) before you do so.

I agree with your post but wanted to comment on this little bit: I guess what you meant to say is "and exit the game before you restore the backed-up save folder".

That is, if you lose the battle, just exit the game, restore the old save folder, and go back to playing ("Continue").

Yeah, it's quite hard. Mainly when my enemy has expert level for some reason, although I play on "Skilled", when his hero is level 11 and has 13 ranged damage when he went to kill me, while mine was still level 6 and when your enemy uses rank 2 units although you haven't unlocked any yet.

I suddenly like this game much more... :-/


Yeah, it's nice to see how enemy grows much faster than me. :-p

Its nicer to see all the strategic resources and how you can easily reach the enemy castle for
siege early on.
And hey, after you win you can can attack his shard and kill him by winning one fight (which is what
I did)

OS. growth is measured in hero XP and to a smaller extent in province income, strategic resource acquisition & castle constructions. Not in provicne count.

Heck, province count is actually BAD as it increases your empire wide corruption score

Yeah, but in this small map he wasn't in danger of corruption (Ït's small map I think, average maybe but it contains a lot of seas) and the bigger province count means that he had about 15 and I had to buy 4 to get to 10. And he grew in hero XP more than in provinces as I mentioned above. I thought I am doing quite fine but when I met his hero and he was twice mine level, I quickly sobered up. 3 ballistas + 13 ranged damage hero were way too much for my lvl 6 hero to handle nd the bad thing is, that I fear it will be same when I'll try to replay it.

buying provinces should be reserved to those containing wood or iron when you have no access to them and CANNOT conquer them yet.
By buying htem you lose out on the XP from conquering them but get access to stronger troops faster which translate to more XP faster.
Generally speaking though, you should conquier provinces for the XP from killing their defenders.

An excellent tactic is to build a storehouse and a fortress on an unexplored province of the right level range. Explore, fight whatever it finds (that you can defeat), replenishing troops and repair items thanks to the fort and storehouse respectively. Saves turns running back and forth meaning more XP per turn meaning you are more likely to be higher level then AI when meeting him.

Also, consider lowering difficulty

Hard to say but it avoids a lot of the things that have turned me off about other fantasy 4X games. Namely, a lot of fantasy 4X games have breadth, but not a lot of depth once you get past the number of features they have. Eador's got some breadth to it, sure, but where it really shines is in the interplay of all of the different elements.

I think the single biggest flaw is that it gets repetitive and some of the maps go on too long, but that's something inherent to strategy games, sort of.

Also the tutorial is sort of misleading and had me convinced that the game didn't have much going for it -- till I realized that if you play the rest of the game like you play the tutorial, you lose fast.

I rarely buy provinces (only when I want it and enemy is too strong), but there it was last resort, when I saw how good enemy is doing and I needed to take them before enemy does and wouldn't be able to take them without heavy casualties. And one of them was iron. ;-) And I was grinding with my main hero, I was buying them with other hero.
I knew I am throwing away exprience, but I saw it as only option there.

Yes, I will probably be forced to lower difficulty. It worked so far, though. I raised it to skilled only after I knew how the game works and all enemies I fought were either beginners or skilled and suddenly games throws expert AI at me, and it does so in map I am not allowed to lose and he uses rank 2 units while I have none. No, I don't like it. This is not why I play TBS and it's stupid situation.

I think in the campaign you have to fight for shards that give you good advancement first, my priority is crystal, then fort and 2nd tier units. I'm at the 3rd shard now and have already thugs and horse archers (I'm playing at expert). Also, I only hire guards for important provinces (horse/iron) that are in risk of rebellion, and I spare the adventurers in the case that I meet an opponent very soon, so that he isn't powerful yet and he will not attack them. I don't know if AI has an independent unit progression, but you do your best to have the best units you can.

The AI is the same on all difficulties. Easy mode just handicaps the AI economically and in terms of neutral monsters.

Ok I take it back, I just lost my campaign! That dork elf defeated me with a scout, 2 sorcerers and 3 shamans. Shouldn't have taken the stupid warrior, it was useless, although things were going great.Had really good equipment, early elven alliance. I was even thinking about going from competent to expert.
Man 1 month of playing, 200 hours, 35 shard battles, and now I messed it up. This is incredible, I dont think I have felt such a sense of loss for a game before, this is now in my top 5 games of all time.
I would recommend not trying anything new on shard defense.^^
Should have gone with my tried and true Scout-Swordsmen-Healer team. Hrrrm, off to start over...

in my last 2 shards I've taken the wizard as second hero (after the scout), he's still dependent on good 2nd level spells you may find, but I think he's more capable of handling fights than a warrior. Warriors need really top equipment to be good, until then it's dangerous to fight even easy stuff

You could as well go for expert, if you think you have enough practice already.

back up your save directory people, seriously!

Ye, should make backups at least on defense missions. I was too confident after a string of wins without danger. I have already restarted and its still amazing fun, the dialogue after the tutorial skipping with Zarr is priceless. SO I will definitely just play on.
Now I also realise the extent of the learing curve, the first missions are ridiculously easy once you know some stuff. Its even a higher diff than when I first played them.