Reviving the How to Play series

[Doin]

should we post everything here then??
if so, or if not so, maybe a template for the layout would be nice.

[monochromatic]

While trying to quote my first post, I accidentally clicked and edit, and lost it all. So, I'll just tell you for now.

Post the guides as individual threads, appropriately named, like 'How to Play: Northerners vs. Rebels', or like 'Guide to Play Drakes' or whatever. Post it as the first post and as people comment on it, just edit the post until it is ready and approved. For an example template, look at one of my How to Play threads. I don't think we've completely decided on it yet, but that's a start.

[Doin]

ok, will do, starting next monday, I hope

[5dPZ]

Another way of "ranking" the units in certain match up is to give a suggested number (out of 10) for fighting a standard recruit from oppornent.

For example, for Loyalist vs Northerners:

Spearman 6
Archer 2
Mage 1
Fencer 1-
Heavy Infantry 0
Cavary 1
Horseman 1
Merman x

The number suggest that out of the 10 units, 6 should be spearman, 2 archer etc etc, then under each unit's description, the number can be adjusted according to situation, such as for cavary, we can say "recruit more if oppornent goes assasin-heavy".

Other examples:

Loyalist vs Dwarves (balanced)
Spearman 6
Archer 1
Mage 2
Fencer 1-
Heavy Infantry 1
Cavary 1
Horseman 1-
Merman x

Loyalist vs Dwarves (HODOR-style)
Spearman 5
Archer 0
Mage 2
Fencer 1
Heavy Infantry 0
Cavary 2
Horseman 1
Merman x

[Caphriel]

Someone tried to do something like that before. They were presenting "recipes" for each matchup. I believe they deleted all their posts and quit the forum, so you can't find them. It's a good approach to help beginners improve their army composition, but it doesn't tell you what to do with those units, and sticking too inflexibly to a composition balance can lead to trouble.

[monochromatic]

I updated the role of thus thread. Take a look at the first post.

[Huumy]

The philosophy behind it, like what's really the role of the guide, and thus how we should write guides in that light.

I have my own philophy behind my guide, it can be found in my first post on undeads.

Mostly though guides are good for new players. Can't think why a top level player would want to read or comment on my guide, cause he can just get online and own people .

Ps. Havent have much time to write the guide. Maybe I'll find some time (and new computer) soon.

[monochromatic]

For reference, so no one has to leave the thread:

Hello all. There's already few "how to play" posted by different users in this forum. They are good and really helpful for players. When I was starting to play wesnoth like 3 or 4 years ago I read a lot JWs "how to play" usually after crushing defeat. It gave a lot of ideas and observations what I did "wrong".

Anyway the reasons I'm making this how to play series is only not to give other ideas how to play the game. It is also good chance for myself to write down how I see the matchups and hopefully that way also widen my own perspective of the matchups. Also it is good chance to do something wesnoth related when I don't feel like playing. Hopefully giving extra motivation to play. Also it is chance to constantly keep coming on something and update it. Something that I'm awful at.
At this point I say the obvious: english is not my first language I'm grateful for telling me where I typo

Oh right here is the plan:
First I'm gonna have a take on some general stuff.
After that I start going the matchups one by one. On random ocasions I add something to general stuff.

[Fireren]

I recommend that you do it one post per era, and I'm looking forward to reading this when its finished. If you need help composing the thread, I am very adept at thread writing, as well as writing in general as well as Mybb Code. Hit me up.

[monochromatic]

I recommend that you do it one post per era, and I'm looking forward to reading this when its finished. If you need help composing the thread, I am very adept at thread writing, as well as writing in general as well as Mybb Code. Hit me up.

One thing, I'm not going to do UMC eras, at least right now. But feel free to edit my stuff as I am not that great at writing.

[Fireren]

One thing, I'm not going to do UMC eras, at least right now. But feel free to edit my stuff as I am not that great at writing.

Ok, just tell me when you start the official thread and I'll help improve it. I was thinking that you put in a preface (for beginners) a table of contents, and go over common strategies, as well as some basic overviews of popular maps. (perhaps?) Its your thread so these are just suggestions, hit me up when you start!

[monochromatic]

One thing, I'm not going to do UMC eras, at least right now. But feel free to edit my stuff as I am not that great at writing.

Ok, just tell me when you start the official thread and I'll help improve it. I was thinking that you put in a preface (for beginners) a table of contents, and go over common strategies, as well as some basic overviews of popular maps. (perhaps?) Its your thread so these are just suggestions, hit me up when you start!

Ahem. Read, please.

My idea of the preface or something...kind of like the philosophy as well...comment and make suggestions for improvement:

In a game like Battle for Wesnoth, there is no way any single guide could comprise of a comprehensive list of strategies or such. Everyone one plays the game differently, which is one of the beauties of the game. Thus as a 'strategy guide' it cannot fulfill to describe tactics and/or long-time strategies for each and every player. In fact, it would be foolish to do so.

What is the point of a strategy guide anyway? It is to give possibilities and/or pointers to the player so they can make their decisions with less trouble. Not to dictate what the player should do, but rather to give suggestions as to how to play. Thus, the point of a guide like this is to only give pointers to the reader on the game. Therefore, rather than giving detailed and precise comments on particular aspects of anything, it should give a rough outline of what to do and leave the rest up to the player. This way it can accommodate the different play-styles of each player and yet give pointers on how to play a matchup, for example.

With this in mind, the 'How to Play...' series is intended to be a quick, easy guide to refer to in the midst of a game, for example, to check-up on how you are doing, or if there are any alternate strategies or tactics to use, and not a detailed walkthrough of sorts. Also, this guide is not the work of a single person (although we all greatly respect and admire the work of JW, who started all of this), but the work of many who contributed thoughts and pieces of advice to the guide.

Thank you everyone who contributed to the project, especially JW, who began it all; the always-supportive Wesnoth Community, who helped us all the way; and of course all you readers and players, who inspired us to write this all down.

[monochromatic]

So I'm back. In light of a new first post, here's a first snippet that can be used for the Loyalists, which is my favourite faction (HODOR is a close second) and thusly that's the one I'm working on first. Much of it is re-written from the original Loyalists page.

Ideally, it would arranged with unit statistics next to the descriptions of the units.. is it possible to import unit cards from units.wesnoth.org? Or maybe there is a better way to do it? Of course, it can be manually entered in, but that would be a pain..

Comments and especially criticisms are welcome.
---

The Loyalists are a faction of humans who are loyal to the throne of Wesnoth. The faction as a whole has the lawful alignment, which means they are stronger during the day and weaker during the night. Having more available unit types to recruit (8) than any other faction, the Loyalists are arguably considered to be the most versatile faction in the game.

The Loyalists are a mostly melee-oriented faction with costs ranging from 14 to 23 gold. As humans, most of the Loyalists’ units share a +20% resistance to the arcane damage type. In general, the Loyalists’ units have relatively high hitpoints and deal decent damage. Even the scout units have higher hitpoints and deal more damage compared to most of the scouts of the other factions. However, with a few notable exceptions, most of the Loyalists’ units have average damage resistances and average to lower defenses compared to most other factions.

Perhaps the greatest downside of the Loyalists’ unit roster is a general lack of mobility. Compared to other factions, Loyalist units are slowed by most rough terrain (half of its unit roster cannot even cross mountains!), and this may allow the enemy to outmaneuver even the Loyalists’ scouts.

Here is a quick breakdown of the recruitable units:

Bowman — 14 gold. Cheap and reliable, the Bowman can deal both melee and ranged damage, making it a useful 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.

Cavalryman — 17 gold. With 8 movement points and 34 hitpoints, the Cavalryman is easily one of the most powerful units at the Loyalists’ disposal. The ability to deal respectable blade damage almost anywhere on the map is a huge advantage (a strong Cavalryman deals an incredible 9-3 during the day!), with good additional resistances against blade and impact to boot. However, this unit has lower than average defenses and a limiting movetype. It also has a -20% resistance against pierce, making it vulnerable to units with spears and bows. Its leveled up varieties (Dragoon, Cavalier) gain movement points and a ranged attack.

Fencer — 16 gold. Perhaps the most special of the Loyalists’ units, the Fencer has very low physical resistances and low hitpoints, but it makes up for these weaknesses with generally high defenses (for example 70% on key terrains like villages, forests, hills, mountains etc.) and the skirmisher trait, which allows units to be unaffected by enemy Zones of Control. It has four weapon strikes, and synergizing with skirmisher the unit excels at finishing off weak units and sneaking around enemy formations. Its leveled up varieties (Duelist, Master at Arms) gain a ranged attack and even more weapon strikes.

Heavy Infantryman — 19 gold. Along with the Horseman, the Heavy Infantryman has the highest hitpoints of any level one Loyalist unit. With excellent physical resistances and a very strong melee attack, the Heavy Infantryman is easily one of the best defensive units the Loyalists can field. However, a very limiting movetype, low defenses, weak magical resistances and only 4 movement points makes maneuvering this expensive unit difficult. Its leveled up varieties (Shock Trooper, Iron Mauler) feature increased damage and hitpoints.

Horseman — 23 gold. The most expensive Loyalist unit, the Horseman is a specialty unit. It has good physical resistances, 8 movement points and a devastating melee attack. The Horseman utilizes the charge weapon special in its attack, dealing double damage but also receiving double damage. This incredible capacity allows the Horseman to easily break enemy lines, but usually at the cost of receiving large amounts of damage. One of its leveled up branches (Knight, Grand Knight/Paladin) is a versatile scout fighter with a sword and charge attack, while the other branch (Lancer) hones its charge attack, turning the unit into a terrifyingly powerful, albeit fragile unit.

Mage — 20 gold. The Mage and the Bowman are the only two ranged units the Loyalists can field. While the Mage has a powerful magical ranged attack, which means its attacks always hit the enemy units 70% of the time, it is severely lacking in hitpoints. Still, its weapon type (fire) is immensely useful in most cases, so its usefulness often outweigh its fragility and hefty price tag. It can level in a lawful healer (White Mage, Mage of Light) or a neutral spellcaster (Red Mage, Silver Mage/Arch Mage, Great Mage), both extremely powerful.

Merman Fighter — 14 gold. A respectable fighter, the Merman Fighter fights primarily in the waters, giving the Loyalists some much needed mobility in that terrain. Although nothing particularly special, the Merman Fighter is sometimes needed where control of the waters is important. Its leveled up varieties (Merman Warrior, Merman Triton/Merman Hoplite) just reinforce the unit.

Spearman — 14 gold. Cheap, dependable and powerful, the Spearman is the backbone of the Loyalists’ units. With the firststrike weapon special allowing it to strike first even while retaliating, it is a frighteningly effective defender, as any attacking unit is almost guaranteed to take damage. Its leveled up varieties include firststrike units (Pikeman, Halberdiers), swift men-at-arms (Swordsman, Royal Guard), or versatile spear units with both melee and ranged attacks (Javelineer).

In addition, there is one additional leader unobtainable from leveling the recruitable Loyalist units:

Lieutenant — A possible leader normally unobtainable from the recruitable units of the Default Loyalist faction. Exchanging pure staying power for speed and leadership, the Lieutenant can be a powerful influence for the Loyalists’ units on the battlefield, but it is also relatively fragile.

In general, when playing as Loyalists, one should strive to maximize the possibilities of each unit. The Cavalryman, the Heavy Infantryman, and especially the Spearman are optimal defenders, while the Horseman and Mage are excellent offensive units. The Cavalryman doubles as the primary scout unit for the faction, although sometimes the Fencer and Horseman can substitute effectively. During the day, an effective tactic is aggressively pushing forward with Horsemen and Mages while covering up important holes with Cavalrymen and Spearmen. Fencers can sneak around fortifications and wreak havoc behind enemy lines or go on a village-stealing adventure. During the night, Heavy Infantrymen and Spearmen form excellent defensive lines as the more fragile units retreat to prepare for the next morning.

When facing Loyalists as another faction, it is important to take advantage of the Loyalists’ units general lack of flexible mobility. For example, Elvish Scouts and Drake Gliders will easily outrun and outfly the Loyalists’ cavalry units, but beware as both Cavalrymen and Horsemen will make short work of these units. As the Loyalist units will have difficulty spreading attacking power throughout the battle front, often making a coordinated offensive, preferably at night, will cause the Loyalists’ line to falter. The expensive nature of the Loyalists’ recruitment list is also easy to exploit: killing Heavy Infantrymen, Horsemen and Mages first will cause the Loyalists’ economy to fail. More detailed strategies and tactics will be outlined in the specific matchups.

When facing an unknown faction as Loyalists, it is good to recruit a mixture of units, depending on the map. For example: Cavalryman, 2 Spearmen, Fencer, maybe a Bowman. Perhaps another Cavalryman or Horseman if the map is large, or a Merman Fighter if the map contains much water. The scout units should quickly run in all directions, and when the nature of the enemy faction is discovered, then more effective counter-units can be recruited. Because the Loyalists are lawful, first contact with the enemy units will most likely occur at night. Thus, it would be wise to save recruiting offensive units like the Mage until then, to prepare for the coming daytime offensive. Good luck, Officer of Wesnoth!

EDIT 1: Revisions thanks to aquileia.
EDIT 2: Revisions thanks to iceiceice and Velensk

[Turuk]

Moved to the Writer's forum on request.

[iceiceice]

When facing an unknown faction as Loyalists, it is good to recruit a mixture of units, depending on the map. For example: Cavalryman, 2 Spearmen, Mage, Fencer. Perhaps another Cavalryman or Horseman if the map is large, or a Merman Fighter if the map contains much water. The scout units should quickly run in all directions, and when the nature of the enemy faction is discovered, then more effective counter-units can be recruited. Good luck, Officer of Wesnoth!

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.