as to your strategy of having full stacks, it is good for maximum kills and all but many times you should vary depending on what you want to do, for instance mace you would probably want to get as many as you could if you were defending a small pass but say you had to cover a place of about 3 spaces you would probably opt for 2 stacks of 5 if you get what i''m saying, also maby with squires if your facing off against spears you might get 5-7 in a stack because thats enough and with more stacks you''ll be able to kill more rather than just over killing. also its a good thing to keep in mind, have some 1 stacks to soak up damage when both attacking and defending.

Yeah I was only putting them in stacks of 10 for the purpose of making it easier to count them in the training game. lol.

I find that a an average stack size of 5/6 works out well.
Although archers I often try and pack to bigger stacks as it makes them much more effective I found.

you always want some big hitters as well to clear the path quickly or if you get confined.

One day I might go through this whole forum and get tid-bits of advice like these ones you guys are giving me, the Zoc stuff etc., and compile it all into one big thread for everyone to read.

Very handy dandy stuff for use newbs.
Although 24 runs of the training mission have helped me out heaps. lol.

got alot a initiative and ideas that might just make the cut here in wol, if you got the time im sure everyone would be interested in what you find

Last Edited : Wednesday, 29 August 2007 - 22:36

Initiative? Is that the word you so nearly spelled? Dictionaries! Buy one! Read one!

L:lol:L

Dictionaries are for sissys! gfive me a sword and I will make you spell it my wy!

"History is writen by the victor" (so is language!)

The Samurai must be as skilled in poetry as in swordsmanship. Sissies are quite dangerous when actually aroused. They go wild! You could get a scratch!

o_O

Well my tactic is working well in one game abut dying horridly in annother. lol.

But I think I can see the flaws in my strat and the mistakes I made.

your origanal idea had some pretty visible flaws but for a first draft very well placed, i can see you using and perfecting this to good effect in the future

yes good ideas from a new player , however in the campain games ,example you could be training a specific troop type for an attack somewhere against a weaker enemy troop which takes time to produce of course then at the same time you are researching a specific tecnology or upgrading to suit this troop and all of a sudden something happens on the next turn from a different direction okay cool you got the troop you wanted but now theres troop types and stronger troops then yours coming from another angle and you just spent plenty of resources planning on this troop an an attack bummer things dont look to good hahahaha , it might of been a good idea to save some cash back for an extra 10 percent defense for ya troops to bad you spent it the previous turn , hope this made abit of sense i had to read it twice myself lol.

I''ll say what has been said dozens and dozens of times here in the forums vast and wide:

Troop production must eventually be balanced - period. It is a good tactic to build the fast, stout, and relatively cheap scouts early on. They do well against other basic and even advanced troops when moving in proper numbers - and when backed by ranged, well, they are even more effective. This does not preclude the fact that eventually the expert and master troops will sweep them aside like so much fodder. As a game progresses, one should find the best method to build a balance of Rock, Paper and Scissors troops - looking at the specific attributes and bonus features of each and utilizing them to the best of one''s ability.

For example, we know that Squires have a range defense - and that they take care of rock type soldiers effectively. Squires should be produced to counter the eventual ranged masses that one will face in an on-going campaign. Still, we know that we need sufficient Rock type soldiers to counter the many Scouts, falcs and HC that hit the turf, so we should look to Macemen backed by some Pikemen to handle that area. Making use of the Maceman's unlimited retaliation ability should be of interest to most. Oh, but the need for Scissors types to counter those Squires and Knights exists as well - so Falcs and HC are a must. Knowing that HC can inflict maximum damage should weigh on one's desire to use it as a powerful offensive tool. Same should be noted of the Knight, with a zero-retal. defense - finding a way to strike first with the Knight will apply it's maximum effectiveness. To defend all, Ballista are produced fast enough to raise a great ranged force if you have the time, and their range exceeds even that of the Marksman. If, on the other hand, you can find the time to produce Marks, they have no range penalty, and when stuck in towers can extend far enough to match the on the ground ballista in distance, but with far more devastating results.

In short, a balanced army, properly compiled and arranged on a battlefield, backed by sufficient ranged troops, and commanded by a player that makes good use of each engagement's R/P/S opportunities and the specific attibutes of each is far the superior strategy to any specific type troop production en-mass.

Jmacattack D~S

Last Edited : Saturday, 1 September 2007 - 02:22

I agree with Jmac and I''ll add that siege troops and commandeers are a drag to build, but without them the game is far harder. In a siege war, catapults trump all. It''s tough to basically sideline a barracks to produce them but when you need them they just can''t be replaced.

theres a wide variety of troops here and all of them are of great use and used in different ways. all depends on your stile and situation. sometimes you can get away with just the origanal commandeers and sometimes even without seige.

I think gai''s plan is more aimed for a bumb rush to try and catch the protector off guard and get in the castle and keep the enemy out while the heavyer units come in to clean up and take the castle. this is however very ill suited for prolonged seiges and if they happen to have an outpost up then all suprise is lost and thats probably what your going to get.

overall i''d like to see him persue this and perfect this, it could also be very usefull if you lure his main force away (after taking out his outposts) about 3 or 4 turns from his castle and then send in the cavalry probably ultimately ending in a route of your enemy (well if all goes well)

It''s an interesting idea.

But at turn 22 or 34 or 40, which are the turns he took screenshots at, he won''t be able to `bum rush` anyone.

All those spears or scouts will get bottled up outside the castle and make nice blood spots for the sieged player''s balista or marksmen...or even archers from towers.

I''d like to see his results from actual game play.

Neb

Neb the screenshots were just showing what I could produce by those turns.

They would neither be all in stacks of 10 nor hanging about like that till turn 40. They would be put to use when made.

So far the tactic has worked awesomely against fufu in a duel.

Once I finish one of the 2 campaigns I''m in I am going to try this in a campaign setting as well and see how it goes.

The idea is to maxamise troop production, not produce nothing but one troop type (except for the first 8-10 turns. lol.)

Its a tech strat mainly.

Then to use your numbers properly you have to be prepared to destroy mines etc.

You swamp them but don't touch the castle unless its open.
That draws them out where 4/5 units at once can hammer one unit and you can attack groups from all sides at the same time.

This whittles down the enemy troops and denies them resources.
Then later on a pile of elite troops comes in to back up whats left of your early rubbish and you storm the castle.

Combined with good diplomacy this should work well in campaigns I think.

Last Edited : Sunday, 2 September 2007 - 18:53

Jmac and Mog,

A balanced strategy, eh? Is that what I''ve been doing wrong? I''ll have to change my ways so I can get better.

Oh, you''re just lucky is all.

Yes, Mog, I''ve been lucky to have friends like you that just welcome me into their castles. Thank you!