Medievil Total War 2

[Heen06]

1)What are princess for? should i use them as opposed to diplomats?
2)Is it important that i make use of my merchants?
3)Are priests/cardinals important (and whats the difference between them)?
4)I have NO idea what i should be doing...as in, should i upgrade to castles, wooden castles, etc? the game is leading me to believe that if i do i cant build any of the old buildings i hadn't already built.(
should i build any buildings before going to a castle? or should i build anything before going to a city? can i only make cities and castles, or is there another upgradeable path too?)
5)Any other tips in general about the game, or about settings to disable for much better performance?
6)after i win, there is a column that shows some number after men lost and men remaining, and it has numbers and then parenthesis. Example: 939(359). what does this mean?
7)how can i reduce my military upkeep? its costing me tons.

[GameMaster]

Let's find out if anyone has the game first.

[Neo]

The game looks tight, but I'm waiting for Star Trek Legacy.

[Professor S]

I want this game... badly... but unfortunately the gaming rig I bought ro RUN the game at high levels still isn't working right because the ass-clowns that built it installed an incompatable video card!!!

Now I'm buying a house so I have NO money to replace the card so I have a gaming rig that can only play Dawn of War: Burning Crusade without artifacting.

SONS OF BITCHES.

To answer some of your questions:

Princesses are used to marry other country's family members. This makes for string alliances, especially if they have kids.

Priests and Cardinals are used to convert areas that are nonbelievers. Cardinals > Priests

Cities are for trade - Castles for defense and unit building. Put your Castles in strategic areas, usually at the outskirts of your empire, and one big one in the middle to provide support in case of invasion

Military Upkeep is tricky - Keeping a large standing army is expensive, especially if you are using mercs. Tip - Build your huge army just prior to a military campaign. Once the campaign is over, disband at least half of it, keeping a majority of units that are excellent at defense (pikemen and archers). These units usually have the smallest maintenance cost (keep track of that too, cavalry are friggin' crazy expensive to maintain, along with Elephant units). Using crusades is also a cheap way to wage war, and suck resources from Christian rivals without creating a war. Place the army in cities and castles to reduce cost. The develop the economy of the areas conquered and repeat. Eventually you'll be able to keep a HUGE standing army if you have managed your economy well. Wars are won not by strength of arms, but by the size of your wallet.