Reviving the How to Play series

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aquileia
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by aquileia »

Now being in the Writers' forum, it seems you might be open to proposals:
monochromatic wrote:Having the more available
Having more available
monochromatic wrote:The Loyalists are mostly
The Loyalists are a mostly
monochromatic wrote:, with a few notable exceptions
, with a few notable exceptions,
monochromatic wrote:compared most other factions
compared to most other factions
monochromatic wrote:half its unit roster
half of their unit roster
monochromatic wrote:both melee and ranged damages
both melee and ranged damage
monochromatic wrote:However it is outclassed
However, it is outclassed or It is however outclassed
monochromatic wrote:Untimately, this gives
Ultimately, this gives
monochromatic wrote:makes up for these weakness
makes up for these weaknesses
monochromatic wrote:and more weapon strikes
and even more weapon strikes

You might add that "Also, its low survivability is slightly improved by having 70% defense on several terrains."
monochromatic wrote:increases damage and hitpoints
feature increased damage and hitpoints
monochromatic wrote:but also receive large amounts of damage.
but usually on the cost of receiving large amounts of damage.
monochromatic wrote:reinforces the unit
just reinforce the unit
monochromatic wrote:utilizes the firststrike weapon special
add "on melee" or shorten to "With the firststrike weapon special allowing...
monochromatic wrote:as any attack unit
as any attacking unit
monochromatic wrote:units with mot melee
did you mean "both"?
monochromatic wrote:as the most fragile units
as the more fragile units
monochromatic wrote:tactics will outlined
tactics will be outlined


Edit:
As to all of the how to play series, you might add a chapter on "psychological warfare" (for the lack of a better word) as mentioned here (posts by Aelaris and Coffee)
http://forum.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php? ... 0&start=94

Some units like berserkers, troll rocklobbers and horsemen, while themselves not that cost efficient, influence the game by their very presence as they may force the opponent to switch to less than optimal tactics.
monochromatic
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by monochromatic »

iceiceice wrote:Minor point: I'm not sure it's advisable to recruit a mage blind? I certainly wouldn't do this on a map like Caves of the Basilisk for instance. If it turns out you are getting grunt rushed, the mage won't help you during the night and will just be a liability... if your enemy is drakes you don't want a mage except in response to lots of Saurians. I prefer to only recruit mages during the first or second night, when I specifically plan to use them to push / free any villages I lose during the coming day. If you recruit mages before you have formed a plan for them it might take a long time to get them into position later.
Personally, I find the mage to be rather effective against most types of enemies. I do see the risk of spending 20 gold right off the bat however.. perhaps against Northerners is the faction matchup where it suffers to most, but because it is an expensive, fragile unit.
Maybe I'll edit it to say something like that.
aquileia wrote:Now being in the Writers' forum, it seems you might be open to proposals:
Yes, thank you for all of your notes. I had not revised it when I posted it, and you've just made my life easier!
aquileia wrote:As to all of the how to play series, you might add a chapter on "psychological warfare" (for the lack of a better word) as mentioned here (posts by Aelaris and Coffee)
http://forum.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php? ... 0&start=94

Some units like berserkers, troll rocklobbers and horsemen, while themselves not that cost efficient, influence the game by their very presence as they may force the opponent to switch to less than optimal tactics.
Yes, articles like these are great and should be on the strategy section eventually, but I would like to finish the individual factions and matchups first, because IMO they are more important.
monochromatic
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by monochromatic »

Here's the first in the new faction matchups: Loyalists vs. Drakes. I'll be going through the matchups in alphabetical order. Of course, comments and criticisms are welcome.
--

Drakes and Saurians, both with powerful spear units against the trained spears of the Wesnothian Loyalists. They say to fight fire with fire: literally, in this case. The lawful Drakes and chaotic Saurians give the Drakes faction a very flexible flow between Times of Day. In this matchup however, the Saurians will present the greatest challenge to the Loyalists’ units.

Drakes have low resistances against cold, pierce and arcane damage and high resistances against blade, fire and impact damage, while Saurians have high resistances to pierce and arcane and low resistances against blade, cold, fire and impact. This flexible unit composition can make recruiting against them difficult, but the Loyalists have a particularly distinct advantage: while the cheap Bowman and Spearman are very effective in this matchup, Drakes tend to be rather expensive. Therefore, trading one unit for another is ultimately better for Loyalists. A good Drakes player will recruit more Saurians when fighting against Loyalists in an attempt to neutralize this. All of these aspects together give an extremely fluid and interesting flow to this matchup.

Bowman — 14 gold. This is a solid unit, both defensively and offensively. Solid pierce ranged damage will discourage the powerful fire ranged attacks from the Drakes, and even discourage Saurian Augurs to attack during the day. However, the Bowman has lower-than-average hitpoints, so be wary of mobbing tactics from Drake Clashers, Drake Fighters and especially Saurian Skirmishers.

Cavalryman — 17 gold. This is still a decent scout in this matchup, as its blade melee attack can rip apart Saurians during the day, but ultimately it is less useful due to the presence of many piercing attacks from the enemy units. Depending on the composition of the enemy units, the Cavalryman may or may not be terribly useful.

Fencer — 16 gold. Suffering from low physical resistances, Fencers are only marginally useful. Their high defenses are rendered useless by the marksman ranged attack from the Drake Glider and the magical ranged attack from the Saurian Augur. Other units, like the Drake Burner and Saurian Skirmisher, have four weapon strikes, increasing the chance of hitting a Fencer that is even on 70% defense.

Heavy Infantryman — 19 gold. Although this unit is tempting with its high hitpoints and impact attack, ultimately this unit is not worth its price tag. Furthermore, its low resistances to fire and cold make this unit one of the weakest defenders in this matchup. However, if the enemy has over-recruited Saurian Skirmishers, its use is marginally increased.

Horseman — 23 gold. This is a deadly scout, taking into account the Drakes’ general low resistance to pierce and low defenses. Its charge attack, which doubles attack damage as well as retaliation damage, will easily tear most Drake units (with the notable exception of the Drake Clasher) apart. However, this unit is vulnerable to the Drake Clasher and Saurian Skirmisher, and there will be plenty of these units on the battlefield. Do not over-recruit these units, and if recruited, protect them since they are very expensive.

Mage — 20 gold. Because of the Drakes’ universal high resistance to fire, the Mage is not very useful in this matchup. However, because a Drakes player will tend to recruit more Saurians when playing against Loyalists, the Mage can be useful in dislodging hard-to-hit Saurians on defensive terrain. Unfortunately, the Mage’s low hitpoints and high cost ultimately reduce its effectiveness.

Merman Fighter — 14 gold. The Merman Fighter’s pierce attack is useful in this matchup in general, but one should only recruit this unit if there is much water on the map. If so, the Merman Fighter will dominate the seas, as the Drakes cannot match its 60% defense on watery terrains.

Spearman — 14 gold. The Spearman will be the backbone of your unit composition. Its firststrike pierce melee attack, which allows it to strike first even while retaliating, makes this unit an excellent defensive unit. Even though Saurians have a +20% resistance against pierce, a strong Spearman during day will still deal 8-3 damage, which is no joke. When leveled up, its Swordsman branch is probably the most effective unit at killing Saurians, while both the Pikeman branch and Javelineer are terribly effective against Drakes.

Additionally, here are some of the Drakes’ most effective units against the Loyalists. For more detailed information, please read the Drakes vs. Loyalists article.

Drake Clasher — 19 gold. This is the greatest obstacle to a Loyalists’ daytime offensive. In addition to having firststrike on its pierce melee attack, it also has a flexible blade melee attack. The Drake Clasher also boasts increased physical resistances, compared to the other Drakes. Bowmen should target this unit first, before mopping up with Spearmen.

Saurian Augur — 16 gold. Relatively cheap, quick and hosting a respectable magical ranged attack, this small wizards can literally ruin a Loyalists’ line at night. These units should be targeted first during the night, in order to avoid potentially devastating attacks.

Saurian Skirmisher — 15 gold. As its name bears, the Saurian Skirmisher has the skirmisher trait, which allows it to sneak through the Loyalists’ formations and kill that weakened Mage. When groups of Saurian Skirmishers attack at night, it is very difficult to protect wounded units.

A good first round of recruiting would be: Horseman, 2 Spearmen, Bowman, and perhaps a Cavalryman if the map is large, and a Merman Fighter if the map contains much water. Ultimately, recruiting depends largely on the Drakes’ recruiting style as well. If the Drakes player goes heavy on Drakes, one should recruit more Spearmen and Bowmen. If the Drakes player goes heavy on Saurians, one should recruit more Cavalrymen, Mages and Spearmen. If the recruiting is balanced, however, one should recruit accordingly and balance anti-Drake and anti-Saurian units.

Ultimately, the Drakes’ units have more mobility than the Loyalists, with a better movetype and flying units. Therefore, the Loyalists should not leave hanging units (especially not wounded ones) and always have a consolidated position. If the Loyalists can survive a Saurian nighttime assault, there is a good chance they can advance forward during the following day. Good luck, Officer of Wesnoth!
Velensk
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by Velensk »

I am also somewhat dubious with mages as a first turn recruit. Not only do you risk running into drakes or northerners but also mages are an incredibly offense oriented unit and you likely will not be attacking on the first night which will give you plenty of time to pick up a mage for your attack if you feel that it will help.
"There are two kinds of old men in the world. The kind who didn't go to war and who say that they should have lived fast died young and left a handsome corpse and the old men who did go to war and who say that there is no such thing as a handsome corpse."
monochromatic
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by monochromatic »

Alright, I am convinced. I will edit my post to include that.
monochromatic
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by monochromatic »

Loyalists vs. Knalgan Alliance. Comments and criticisms are welcome, on this or any other article that came before this.
--

Historically two of the greatest human-based civilizations on the Great Continent, the forces of the Wesnothian Loyalists and Knalgan Alliance are surprisingly contrasting. The Knalgan Alliance relies on slow but sturdy neutral Dwarves supported by chaotic Outlaws, as opposed to the Loyalists’ steady lawful units. Since there are many ways of playing Knalgan Alliance in this matchup, the playstyle of the Knalgan Alliance player will largely affect the Loyalists’ unit composition.

Dwarves boast high hitpoints, high physical resistances and high defenses on terrains like Mountains, Hills and Caves in exchange for fewer movement points and low defenses on most other terrains, while outlaws happen to occupy the inverse. In other words, Outlaws tend to have more movements points and high defenses on most terrains in exchange for lower hitpoints and average to low physical resistances. This presents the Knalgan Alliance with more variation in playstyle, which can be difficult to counter if done properly. However, this playstyle can also fall short to the well-coordinated Loyalist units.

Bowman — 14 gold. The Bowman can fare decently in dealing ranged damage to dwarves without retaliation, but ultimately its role is rather limited in this matchup. Its lower-than-average hitpoints reduce its defensive abilities. Thus, the Bowman should primarily whittle down enemy units before another unit comes and cleans up.

Cavalryman — 17 gold. This is a very good scout unit in his matchup. Its excellent blade melee attack will deal with Outlaws very nicely, and its excellent blade and impact resistances will fare very well defending against units like Dwarvish Fighters, Dwarvish Ulfserkers, Footpads and Gryphon Riders. However, if the Knalgan Alliance fields more Dwarvish Guardsmen and Dwarvish Thunderers, its usefulness is decreased.

Fencer — 16 gold. Since the Knalgan Alliance’s units do not have access to weapon specials like magical and marksman, which increase a weapon’s chance to hit, the Fencer’s universally high defenses will prove difficult for the Knalgan Alliance’s units to tackle. Its skirmisher abilities, which allows it to evade enemy Zones of Control, enables it to dispatch of wounded units behind lines. The Fencer should however be wary of Dwarvish Ulfserkers, as can they be easily killed that way (unless the Dwarvish Ulfserker in question is wounded).

Heavy Infantryman — 19 gold. The Heavy Infantryman is an incredibly important defensive unit in this matchup. The Knalgan Alliance’s units will have trouble taking it down, especially during the day. Its powerful impact melee attack will give the Dwarves some trouble and outright kill wounded Outlaws, given a lucky strike. Be careful not to over-recruit this unit however, as it is rather expensive.

Horseman — 23 gold. The Horseman is very useful for charging wounded Dwarves on bad terrain and Outlaws in general, but recruitment of this unit should be taken with some caution. Its high cost can easily be felt if Dwarvish Guardsmen, Dwarvish Thunderers and Poachers get the chance to pierce this unit apart.

Mage — 20 gold. Thanks to its ranged magical attack, which guarantees a 70% chance to hit, the Mage is extremely useful in this matchup for dislodging enemy units on highly defensive terrain. However, its low hitpoints and pitiful melee attack are susceptible to Dwarvish Ulfserkers, which can dispatch of it without worry.

Merman Fighter — 14 gold. If control of the water hexes is important, then the Merman Fighter is worth recruiting. However, it is vulnerable to Gryphon Riders, which can make short work of it.

Spearman — 14 gold. This basic and cheap unit is imperative, in order to maintain defensive lines and hold villages. However, their offensive capabilities are slightly hindered by the Dwarves’ excellent physical resistances, although it excels exceedingly well against Outlaws.

Additionally, here are some of the Knalgan Alliance’s most effective units against the Loyalists. For more detailed information, please read the Knalgan Alliance vs. Loyalists article.

This section depends largely on the Knalgan Alliance player’s style, but one can expect two primary unit composition types:

Defensive Dwarves with Outlaw Support: This means the Knalgan Alliance will try to pronounce the excellent defensive abilities of the Dwarves while filling in the holes with Outlaws. In this case, the usefulness of the Bowman, Fencer and Heavy Infantryman increase.

Dwarvish Guardsman — 19 gold. The Dwarvish Guardsman is the closest thing to a wall. Its steadfast ability, which increased physical resistances while defending, will trouble the Loyalists’ units. A Mage can break the balance, however.

Dwarvish Fighter — 16 gold. This unit is the staple of the Knalgan Alliance’s units. High physical resistances and respectable melee attacks make this unit a juggernaut that is difficult to dislodge.

Dwarvish Ulfserker — 19 gold. The Dwarvish Ulfserker’s unusual berserker melee attack, which repeats the combat period until one unit lies dead or 30 rounds of fighting have occurred, renders the Bowman, Fencer, Mage, and wounded units very vulnerable. Loyalists should counter with good melee units, like the Heavy Infantryman or the Spearman.

Gryphon Rider — 24 gold. The Gryphon Rider is an excellent shock trooper: it can burst out of the fog and quickly dispatch a wounded unit behind lines. However, this can be its own downfall: surrounding and killing a Gryphon Rider will deprive the Knalgan Alliance of the most expensive level 1 unit in the Default era.

Aggressive Chaotic Outlaws: This means the Knalgan Alliance will utilize the chaotic nature of the Outlaws and assault the Loyalists at night. In this case, the usefulness of the Cavalryman, Mage and Spearman increase.

Footpad — 14 gold. Perhaps notorious for its ability to harass units and dodge enemy retaliation, the cheap Footpad can easily hold the Loyalists’ forces in check, thanks to its universally high defenses, while the rest of the enemy units can systematically eliminate the present forces. However, combined pressure, especially from a Cavalryman or Mage, will ultimately strike it down.

Thief — 13 gold. A strong Thief at night can deal 12-3 blade melee damage, thanks to its backstab weapon special, which allows it to deal double damage while on the opposite side of a friendly unit facing the enemy unit. This devastating power can easily tear the Loyalists’ line apart at night. However, it is also vulnerable to Cavalrymen and Mages, which will make short work of it if given the chance.

Dwarvish Guardsman — 19 gold. The Dwarvish Guardsman is the closest thing to a wall. Its steadfast ability, which increased physical resistances while defending, will trouble the Loyalists’ units. A Mage can break the balance, however.

Dwarvish Ulfserker — 19 gold. The Dwarvish Ulfserker’s unusual berserker melee attack, which repeats the combat period until one unit lies dead or 30 rounds of fighting have occurred, renders the Bowman, Fencer, Mage, and wounded units very vulnerable. Loyalists should counter with good melee units, like the Heavy Infantryman or the Spearman.

A good first round of recruiting would be: Cavalryman, Horseman, Spearman, Bowman, Heavy Infantryman, and maybe Merman Fighter if there is much water. After deciphering the Knalgan Alliance’s unit composition, recruit accordingly.

Avoid spreading out and have a wide front—Dwarvish Fighters, Dwarvish Ulfserkers and Thieves will pierce through the Loyalists’ line easily while Dwarvish Guardsmen protect their rear. A concentrated push at a weak spot would be most effective against defensive Dwarves, while a united defensive front would be most effective against attacking Outlaws. As always, wait until dawn to begin pushing forward, in order to maximize the Loyalists' lawful damage output. Good luck, Officer of Wesnoth!

EDIT 1: thanks to Battlecruiser_Venca
Last edited by monochromatic on January 12th, 2014, 1:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Coffee
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by Coffee »

monochromatic wrote:Bowman — 14 gold. Cheap and reliable, the Bowman can deal both melee and ranged damage, making it a useful cheap defensive unit. However, it is outclassed by the Mage when dealing ranged damage and has lower-than-average hitpoints. Ultimately, this gives the unit a rather lackluster role when playing the faction as a whole. Its leveled up varieties (Longbowman, Master Bowman) do not strive to innovate, but rather reinforce its jack-of-all-trades personality.
Sounds good to start with, but by the end they are pretty much put down.

Maybe something like:
Bowman — 14 gold. Cheap and reliable, the Bowman can deal both melee and ranged damage, making it a useful cheap defensive unit. Bowmen are also often seen attacking from positions in shallow water to strike straight through defensive positions. Keeping these guys, sometimes nicknamed 'aquabowmen' by their fellow soldiers, one move away from shallow water is often a sure path to success. :P
Battlecruiser_Venca
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by Battlecruiser_Venca »

and I'd suggest using cavarlymen vs ulfs because their 30% blade res and they can catch the ulfs instead of slow HIs
Velensk
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Re: Reviving the How to Play series

Post by Velensk »

Although against knalgans is one of the few times I feel the heavy infantry justifies their cost and tactical inflexibility, I think they get a bit more praise in this report than they deserve. They're still very slow, and they'll still be easily eliminated if they get caught at night without enough support (like if you have to do a retreat and all your other units run faster) I also think the poacher/thunderer should get some mention because if you aren't seeing them you probably aren't using enough cavalrymen (who still give knalgans a ton of trouble even after the nerf). Guardsmen are quite tough and a pain for cavalry, but they still don't do enough damage that you can effectively counter attack cavalry who don't attack them first (guards can't do enough damage to break cavalry so they can just retreat and heal) and if you can soften them up into the 1-hit kill range for horsemen it's not even all that chancy to try it usually.
"There are two kinds of old men in the world. The kind who didn't go to war and who say that they should have lived fast died young and left a handsome corpse and the old men who did go to war and who say that there is no such thing as a handsome corpse."
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