how to improve?

[ddb_brutus]

I played plenty with Petra. I beat Petra on every level. real players smart. they build fast and intimidate my build with cav. I guess I need a better mouse and keyboard shortcuts to execute faster.  I like Spartans simple strategy and choices if i get to develop and can use natural barriers,  but I lose if oppo comes right after me early in the game, on wide open and if there are no natural barriers to fortify my build. 

Seleucid is a  good civ but if attack early and don't follow it through I get punished. that's my problems right now, any advice appreciated.

[Stan`]

Hey @ddb_brutus

Welcome to the forums,

I guess playing games as observer, watching replays, and asking good players like @Hannibal_Barca could help you

[Hannibal_Barca]

15 hours ago, ddb_brutus said:

I guess I need a better mouse and keyboard shortcuts to execute faster.

You can rest easy on this one. For years I played with a mediocre mouse that started to die so at the end it was mouse left-click + touchpad right-click. Now that's solved with a new mouse but I never really use keyboard shortcuts much - maximum barracks group and keeping track of enemy hero in regicide mode

 

15 hours ago, ddb_brutus said:

I like Spartans simple strategy and choices if i get to develop and can use natural barriers,  but I lose if oppo comes right after me early in the game, on wide open and if there are no natural barriers to fortify my build. 

early start off is crucial so I suggest watching good players and copying strategy. Never go into fight 1 by 1, always attack grouped (quick grouping tactic that i use is to put them in formation for a bit so that ones behind run to catch up)

The next crucial "trick" is "dancing":you move 1 unit ahead of the others in front of enemy, making it go back and forth and changing directions to avoid missiles - alternatively select damaged horse to retreat behind lines and see enemy units chasing after it while under fire

When retreating a group or unit you must dance too - minimizes casualties: NEVER retreat in a straight line. zig-zag is the way to go.

 

Rest depends on concentration, skill, experience and luck

12 hours ago, stanislas69 said:

I guess playing games as observer, watching replays, and asking good players

 

[ddb_brutus]

Thank you Hanibal and Stanislas, I appreciate your help. I think I am getting there, I work on my build right now. I kinda go 3 farms 1Barack 2 farms 1 Barack until hit pop 100 and hit "town"

still wondering what to build first in town phase. I go with the market first if low on one resource or I go with temple and towers if two gang up on me and raid me relentlessly. Some say I dig in too much.  I don't like to expand too fast unless resources force me.  I have no use for cavalry and is hard to cover vast space and defend using  Castles Palisades,  Range and Miele footsoldiers. I just don't like to have space that is not covered by building fire. I am getting better fast though. If i build another town i like to be almost in the range of next town towers.

I recorded yesterdays build: if someone has time to fast forward id appreciate any comments: 

 

I improved since I use time counter now. Some farms are not completely utilized but I am kinda getting the eye for it. houses are overbuilt but like to build it that way because they usually gang up on the weakest enemy first one so kinda like to look bigger than I am and I cheap way to look bigger. also, keep  attackers busy destroying nonsense if I have to run and build against the wall.

Edited December 13, 2017 by ddb_brutus
typos

[Grugnas]

I suggest you to start on low resources ( 300 ) since it is the standard in multiplayer games among medium-high skill players.

While prioritizing food is the way to go in Village Phase, it is also the resource with the highest gain/sec you can have that grants you an adeguate defense, basically because cavalry is a nice defense / offense and can also hunt high rates of food.

You will need 5 grainfields then, and eventually 1 barracks if you want to train out soldiers and boost your population as fast as you can since soldiers gather wood faster than women ( there is a threshold after you can notice the difference between soldiers and women gather rate on wood ) to eventually switch from wood to mines.

if you have advantage in population and/or not enough food gain, you can still research technologies before to build your 6 and 7th grainfield ( usually 7 grainfields grant enough food for almost any situation but for champions and especially champion cavalry )

[SirPope]

I played ceasefire against the AI on 25 minutes, then 20, so on and so forth. Eventually, you'll get a pattern going.

If you put in on for 15 minutes and can spend a few minutes on city phase just spam-building CC's or military colonies next to the enemy (do to boredom, not to torture them)... you are ready to shut the ceasefire off. When you do that switch to upgrading troops at the blacksmith and building siege ( Elephants <3 ). Even if the enemy attacks you early, you should have enough citizen soldiers to fight them off. Make sure not to just focus on one type of citizen soldier, they tend to cost the same and have the same train speed so, train an array of each. Best to be prepared for whatever comes your way.

Also: Ctrl+Right Click to attack move. The AI and players can be 'capture' jerks. Usually best to just obliterate the building.

The soldier gather rates is important as Grugus said. Make sure to send a female over so the aura can boost their gather rates.

https://trac.wildfiregames.com/wiki/HotKeys

//Some keys are for the svn/next release... you'll have to test out which work.  Ctrl+(0-1) and Shift+(0-1) is very helpful. So is Alt+Double Left Click

[ddb_brutus]

thank you SirPope and Grugnas. Ill focus on low resources, citizen male farmers and allocate more to wood gathers.

I knew mixed farms produced more but didn't think it made the difference.  i need to figure out the definition of "mixed" is it at least one woman on the field or one woman on a granary?

1500+ players raid me right after my town phase chimes. I think I am getting the point.  faster build, male citizen, and blacksmith first.

 

Is the blue circle around the females 10m inspire range?

 

thank you!

Edited December 14, 2017 by ddb_brutus
follow up?

[Grugnas]

10 hours ago, ddb_brutus said:

thank you SirPope and Grugnas. Ill focus on low resources, citizen male farmers and allocate more to wood gathers.

I knew mixed farms produced more but didn't think it made the difference.  i need to figure out the definition of "mixed" is it at least one woman on the field or one woman on a granary?

1500+ players raid me right after my town phase chimes. I think I am getting the point.  faster build, male citizen, and blacksmith first.

 

Is the blue circle around the females 10m inspire range?

Yes

thank you!

if "mixed" means using soldiers to gather food into grainfields, that is counterprductive. Matter of fact, you can find in the technology tree the gather rate of all units and will notice that soldiers have very low food gather rate thereby you shuold always use women only gathering grain.

Farmstead is only used as dropsite to deliver food. Usually grainfields are built near the civic center since it can be garrisoned by women in order to protect them from eventual raids with the addition of some houses.

Basically as long as food is proritized in early game and that you will always have wood problems whenever you try to constantly train infantry soldiers ( any unit but slingers and perhaps swordsmen ) due its initial low gather rate, training cavalry is always effective ( you can then build corrals to keep your cavalry busy ).

Although market is the first structure to build in Town Phase in order to get advantage into goods bartering, I guess that blacksmith could be a good variation only if you plan to research Armor military technology and attack as soon as possible.  This because there is a health increase between phases ( 20% Village -> Town  and 10% Town -> City ) and, since armor is computed on % hp ( it should be exponential: +1 armor is kinda equal to 10% hp that your soldiers would gain by phasing up), you can use at your advantage the fact that you already have many soldiers gathering wood at high rate and quickly gain the same advantage your soldiers would have when phasing up ( and eventually barter the surplus wood for metal or stone).

[Hannibal_Barca]

One  of the most important things - stood out on video starting image

Your farms are very loosely placed: note the gaps between the CC and the farm edge

Farms should be placed as tightly as possible, don't care about aesthetics, focus on productivity - basically as many as near as possible to each other and to dropsite

[ddb_brutus]

 

Thank you again, Hannibal Barca and Grugnas!

I am getting better by the day.  I figured every map is different and there is no definite plan. initially l, I dare to spawn about 30 females out of the first phase 90 pop. I continue with Miele and range citizens. The ratio depends on how advanced the opponent. 

I place females and Miele away from cc, so they don't scramble to CC if I have to hit the panic button, I place range skirmisher around the CC so they provide range cover if I have to whack the intruders with Miele. Since Miele cannot hides in houses, they are easy to group and sent to defend whatever building is in danger.  If the attack is bogus (5 1st phase cavals)  I don't have to panic at all

I don't mind lower ratio farming rates for the benefit of defense, skirmishers gather slower but they walk faster so food gains are tolerable and I can compensate their low rates with a farm or two more. Miele walk slow and storage has to be tight to the resource I guess

I now defend most of the 1st phase raids, still, have problems when good players come back with the vengeance. ( 5 rams and elite cavalry) I am still clumsy in 2nd phase. soldiers bump into each other when defending I forget to assign them defensive roles in the heat of the game, I get overwhelmed with larger pop etc.. ill work on it when I perfect the first stage.

I still have two more questions about the first phase;

1. If you look at my farmers at 7, 1/3 I don't understand why they take foods to the cc if the farm is closer to the farmstead? Is there any way to fix that or is just the way it is?

2. when I hit the panic button, why some remote citizens within the border of the village but kind of far ignore the silver panic alert?

I truly appreciate your help!

Edited December 17, 2017 by ddb_brutus
typos

[gentz]

1 hour ago, ddb_brutus said:

 

-snip-

1. If you look at my farmers at 7, 1/3 I don't understand why they take foods to the cc if the farm is closer to the farmstead? Is there any way to fix that or is just the way it is?

I'm not sure what video you're referring to, but you can fix it by selecting the women, left clicking on the farmstead then shift-left clicking on the farm. (Telling them to move to the farmstead then move to the farm)

2. when I hit the panic button, why some remote citizens within the border of the village but kind of far ignore the silver panic alert?

I explain it to myself as that they are too far to hear the bell.

I truly appreciate your help!

 

[Grugnas]

On 12/17/2017 at 3:28 AM, ddb_brutus said:

 

Thank you again, Hannibal Barca and Grugnas!

I am getting better by the day.  I figured every map is different and there is no definite plan. initially l, I dare to spawn about 30 females out of the first phase 90 pop. I continue with Miele and range citizens. The ratio depends on how advanced the opponent. 

I place females and Miele away from cc, so they don't scramble to CC if I have to hit the panic button, I place range skirmisher around the CC so they provide range cover if I have to whack the intruders with Miele. Since Miele cannot hides in houses, they are easy to group and sent to defend whatever building is in danger.  If the attack is bogus (5 1st phase cavals)  I don't have to panic at all

I don't mind lower ratio farming rates for the benefit of defense, skirmishers gather slower but they walk faster so food gains are tolerable and I can compensate their low rates with a farm or two more. Miele walk slow and storage has to be tight to the resource I guess

I now defend most of the 1st phase raids, still, have problems when good players come back with the vengeance. ( 5 rams and elite cavalry) I am still clumsy in 2nd phase. soldiers bump into each other when defending I forget to assign them defensive roles in the heat of the game, I get overwhelmed with larger pop etc.. ill work on it when I perfect the first stage.

I still have two more questions about the first phase;

1. If you look at my farmers at 7, 1/3 I don't understand why they take foods to the cc if the farm is closer to the farmstead? Is there any way to fix that or is just the way it is?

2. when I hit the panic button, why some remote citizens within the border of the village but kind of far ignore the silver panic alert?

I truly appreciate your help!

Usually workers always deliver resources to the closest storehouse / farmstead instead of the civic center then gather stuff near to the place where they deliver goods.

Alert bell has a fixed action range, that's one of the reasons why having women near the civic center to gather food is convenient beyond the fact that it can protect many units

[Hannibal_Barca]

20 hours ago, Grugnas said:

2. when I hit the panic button, why some remote citizens within the border of the village but kind of far ignore the silver panic alert?

If you manually ungarrison units that were garrisoned by the bell, those units will be insensitive to the next bell

[ddb_brutus]

thank you that really helped!

[ddb_brutus]

Thank you! I think I kinda figured out the eco build. I follow the AI build advice,  by alekusu, but mix in more skirmishers for 1v1 versus good player. I place them around the cc after the 4th farm. I carefully watched the inspiration circles and I think 2, 3 mixes work. I am still clumsy farm swapping 2V for 2S but getting there.

I usually have Females on 90-degree cross farms and Skirmishers on corner farms. then I take two females off and fill the empty space with next two farmers and finally put females on 2 empty on last skirmisher farm on 8-circle. It still takes too much time away, but ill get better. after 4th farms i usually have some extra wood i am able to spare.

I group those around cc to fight off the first phase wave of c if necessary. if there is wood to collect in front of the base that kinda allows me to put more females around cc because skirmishers cant make it to the front of time if the back relative to threat. if there is no wood upfront I have to mix them in around cc.

Also,  if the farmstead is not parallel or diagonal with cc, the farmers take the longer path to drop site as they would otherwise for some reason prefer/gravitate to farmstead as the drop. farms have to snug in tightly between cc and farmstead in case villagers decide to use farmstead drop site to avoid long walks. 

one week more and ill have it down. then I have to figure the blacksmith upgrades. many thanks, guys!

Edited December 24, 2017 by ddb_brutus
mistake