well thanks to marthb and sir mark anthony for the 2 duels i lost em but leard alot just got one question

gems or metal
ive notices in my first game agains mark that i got creamd by attack and defence tecs (aswell as a foolish spliting of my forces)

and matrhb got me on outproduction as affter swining a threw both of the main resorse pile areas i took the metal he got the gems then just creamed me whith troop numbers

im of the belife that gems are more importent then metal right now but would like to ask the opinion of you vets at the beining of the game if you can get a gem pile or a metal pile what would you go for?

because i realy dont see much use for gems once you have troop prodution your econ and the sight range
but the metal can be used to produce better troops and get your upgrades somthing that can have some masive advantages as the many bloodspots vs sir mark showed me

There are generally a lot more sources of metal than gems, and you have to have gems for a number of vital techs and upgrades. They are also worth a lot more if you need cash.

I'm with MOG on this one...Gems are the way to go. I rush to find 'em, then HOLD THEM... Metals are important but a little easier to find...

gems

In almost every duel I've lost, it's been because of a mismanagement of my METAL.

I've only lost one duel because I neglected to get enough gems.

It's important to go through your tech path and realize ahead of time how much of each resource you actually NEED, and then compare it to the map at hand. Just because gems are the rarest resource ON AVERAGE doesn't mean they're the rarest on your particular map.

Gems are important for lots of things, but I find that most maps provide sufficient piles for getting the essentials. But as far as metal goes...you need 6800 metal to upgrade yourself to master weapons and armor, in ADDITION to all the metal you need for everything else.

Having your opponent upgrade their weapons and armor faster than you all but destroys your ability to combat them. So while gems ARE important, I personally lean towards metal as the ultimate resource. Make sure you get enough gems to get those must-have techs, but in the end, the game is decided by combat, and you can't win the combat without a ton of metal.

100% agree with Sage!

i think i also agree whith sage affter reading the resioning
thank you guys very much

gems are always nice to have when u wanna snuggle with da girls...lol

I have 82565 gems, does that mean I can get any girl I like?

at least untill your out of gems lol

lol share the wealth man..lol

for the rest of your life...

LOD with your fictional gems you can get any fictional girl you like. Real girls like real gems.

I knew if I waited long enough someone else would pipe in . Sage said more or less what I would have said, only in half as many words

That said, gems are a difficult resource to manage well; you have to be very forward thinking, know what you can afford, and not screw yourself out of key techs by wasting them. It goes without saying NEVER sell gems in the early game; only under the most dire straits where you absolutly need the stone, metal, and wood and can't sell any buildings does selling a few gems become an option, and even then you must be warry of selling too many. You may win the battle, but loose the war if you are unable to secure a steady income after your spending spree. Gems will become a cash-cow eventually, but until you've reserached the key techs you need and secured a steady flow be very warry of your gem spending.

Metal is of course easier to find; I'm not aware of any maps (outside ones with bugs ) where you don't start with at least one natural metal mine, several piles in easy reach, and perhaps an uncontested logical expansion. Req has even reduced the cost of the troop techs, making early upgrades there possible without going broke. However, in my mind, metal is still the absolute key resource over which most of the battles in the early game should be fought. The reason, as Sage points out, is that the vast quantity of metal necessitates multiple mines in order to stay competitive.

If you question that assesment, ask yourself what the key techs/upgrades are in the early-mid game; the ones that are really game breakers. Not the troop techs, since new troops take a while to train in any real quantity, and req has nerfed the cost of them substantively. No, the instant game breakers are the attack and defense techs; the ones that instantly change the dynamics of battles already happening, and that is key. Researching it a turn sooner can make a HUGE difference if that turn is a key attack, counter attack, or defense. We all know that the difference between a one pop scout living or dying can sometimes be the difference between your opponents HC attacking for free or not (and vice versa). In the heat of battle +10 att/def can be huge; reserching them a few turns before your opponent is a sizeable advantage, but researching it ten turns before them is devestating. If you've caught your oppenent neglecting his metal suplies, or have won the early battle for mines, you've all but one the game if you can field expert and master techs before they can (assuming equal skill, of course ). If you can upgrade and consistently pump andvanced and expert troops out your opponent is doubly screwed. They can't well go back to making basic troops, even though their army is constantly draining the very resrouce it needs to upgrade, so they'll have to live with the delay or completly withdraw from the battle (and stop training troops) until they catch up.

It is much more probable to screw yourself over with gems (i.e. spend the ones you have with no means of getting any more), but more likely you'll loose the game because of metal (keep in mind none of the att/def upgrades require gems).

Last Edited : Saturday, 20 September 2008 - 08:01

Why compromise?, get them both. Plan ahead and take them!.