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Thread: ~ StratO's Truck Stop: Age 74 Virtual Kingdom ~

  1. #16
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    The GMT

    The GMT setup was part of my attempt to accommodate the contemporary requirements of an aging player base. Prompting a look at Eliptical Waving, my endeavor is to achieve constant activity by traditional minimum standards. Consider that each division should be up to the 2 uniques a day benchmark I've always found humorous in recruiting. None the less, it's the template of realism. I'm not a player who enjoys predictability, but a lot of guys do. If you forward the math and account for a 10am Singapore GMT first wave and roughly a 10pm second, there will be a cross scale going when perhaps Estonia begins it's first wave.

    There will be avians and tacticians, campers and killers moving in the Elliptical Wave in separate orbits.

    The initial design of TVK 74 wasn't aimed at particular GMT but I tried to apply appropriate divisions from my experiences. Asia was given the most no nonsense division I could provide in that a bocan rogue, elf mystic and orc tactician are pretty solid choices for objective based strategies. Bart can tell you. This division is backed by the sturdy economies of dwarf war hero and human sage.

    I'm skipping to the HQ division because I want to explain the Western European theory. They just have better jobs than most of us and their presence in Utopia has demonstrated a higher activity level. They'll often deny this, but I notice who's on more often than not. Many have a nurturing if exasperated attitude that serves support roles well. I wanted them to have unbreakables to work with and ego boost through helping others. Finally, it appears to me Western Europeans work well in t/m teams.

    The Deluxe and Continental Divisions are aimed at us, the US and Eastern Europeans. We tend to be more attacker happy, enjoying vicious assaults. While we both can be blessed with highly intellectual players we can adapt the strats to compliment our biases. These are the divisions where NM and plague happen.

    The Plaza Division mirrors the Premier with differences in target specifications. A good economy and overall capability aimed at the quiet guys that win wars for the other side. This division finds the enemy who might be maintaing chain alignments, ops and attack in unspectacular fashion. You know the guy that seems to only eat 6 attacks a war? Yeah, those guys. - Anyways, by pushing enemies away we allow Premier to function more freely.
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  2. #17
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    Elliptical Blanket

    Since we're dealing with a kingdom function based in round the clock activity, one of the processes is an elliptical ops blanket. This simply means that fading spells and sabotage take place on a progressive scale. The lone benefit is making it more difficult for enemies to decide if and when they might MV.

    We fall into tendencies in Utopia at times. One is the idea that Nightmare is a wave only spell with almost specific utility in chaining. This isn't fair to one of the best offensive weapons in the game. If we can nuance our focus to defensive-offensive objectives we can use NM liberally, across several enemy provinces.

    Mechanically, the max effect doesn't just apply to attacks. When I was part of a NM chain wave we were instructed to cast until the troop yield was just under 100. We can adjust that perspective to "tap applicable"/ making the enemy defense into what's efficient for our attackers. And this doesn't just apply to chaining; we can apply NM to max gains.
    I'm of the mind that there are reasons to chain and max, and do so fluidly without rigid parameters.

    The objective should be the focus, not instructional starvation. In Utopia, particular to less archetypical kingdoms, is a misunderstanding of tactical isolation. That is to attack in a safe manner to retain strength while destroying your enemy. More often you'll see kingdoms launch into a full offensive, oblivious of their raw flank. We really aren't getting anywhere when both sides are losing equivalent strengths with the victory belonging to the most active.

    Tangent much? Sure.

    “Ask any racer. Any real racer. It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning’s winning.”* - “The Fast and the Furious”

    When you're playing Utopia remember, as in racing, it's not always about mashing the pedal. That inch is what I'm talking about when I say how I've used Amnesia. It's a control measure to keep an opponent in an unlikely position to pass. My endeavor is to impress upon you that innovative use of ops/sabotage doesn't have to be done at full blast.
    Last edited by StratOcastle; 28-12-2017 at 15:30.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

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  3. #18
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    Ways Of The Mind

    You'll notice the way I communicate confuses some. This is a matter of how minds work and I'll demonstrate a real life situation.

    I work in a freezer and we all drive forklifts. It's important that we work efficiently; that's no surprise. So when I'm approaching a forklift that's going across my path I drive to where the other guys forklift isn't going to be. But what happens? The guy sits there confused more often than not. Now we're both not moving.

    I've worked with some of these guys for 10 years. Now let me say that if I chose to drive around them cutting them off they usually gun their excellerator to get by before I pass. I'm perceptive and it's not done out of grief. These guys simply aren't functioning at the anticipatory level, they are reacting like a biological agent. This is not a question of IQ it's a matter of intellectual wiring.

    This relates to Utopia because the majority of players are hardwired for the math, not the dance. You'll notice I'm not listing formulas or build strats because that's not my strength. Any number of players can build better strats than I'm willing to. I'm here to demonstrate the dance; the way we can play. As in my work life I expect very few in Utopia to play at the anticipatory level. This is for the few that can relate.

    In my youth I played football and was made to understand the concepts of blocking: drive blocking, zone blocking, trap blocking. The forklift situation was a trap blocking analogy. I have a fellow blocker who doesn't understand the concept of flow. That I would be where I was intending to go, as would he, if we both simply executed a normal action. But, he chose to evaluate what was happening instead of doing. This same way of thinking; if I was crossing his path I'd have to slow down because his instinct is to "cut off". This is practicing basic animal instinct, not human existentialism.

    As I play Utopia I note most players adhere to these animal instincts instead of their gift of mind. What I mean is, the math isn't the intellectual challenge, it's the way a predator measures his survival. If the player/kingdom is in the dominant position they attack, if they're not they retreat. And when I'm in most kingdoms I sense the discouragement when a strong kingdom aggresses us: the herd wants to run.

    What if we didn't run? What if we really looked at these kingdoms as the animal with big claws on the hunt. We know the predator will run itself through upon the spear set against it. One day you have to trust yourself as humans had to trust their ingenuity with the invention of the spear.

    I've pondered the idea that dogs are mans best friend. My best guess is that man has hands and could throw rocks. Man could kill birds that wild dogs couldn't catch. Eventually the dogs learned the process of retrieval-food-human. The pack has united. With an abundance of food we could now have a camp of keen eyed, keen eared companions that could warn us and help dispatch large dangerous predators. Even without significant numbers, humans and dogs could overcome apex predators because we combined the wild dogs mastery of instinct with the ingenuity of humans. The key element is trust. Humanity earned the trust of the wild dog.

    It brings me anguish to see players treat themselves as a frightened herd. Even if they go against their instincts and fight they often fail because they've hardwired themselves to a mathematical system that places them in the food chain. This is why I try to explain to smaller kingdoms the futility of chaining in the manner they do. They have these brilliant strats with lots of offense, but squander it on inefficient strategy. The bigger kingdom might even have better strats which frightens a lot of players, especially the t/ms. This is a falicy in gameplay. The whole point is the adventure.

    The adventure is the reason we play. Sure, you do it with people you consider your friends. Even without friends, look at the raw game. You might think you do it for the crowns, but without obstacles the crown is worthless. It's a game. You can look down, find worms to eat in the form of small disorganized kingdoms...or, you can war the best. I'm from the gaming environment where you fight the dragons, you fight the demons, you fight the titans. The Utopia I see is foreign to my roots in adventure gaming to the point that I cripple my own play style to enjoy the challenges.

    My hope is to see some players rise to the challenges and fully enjoy the adventure. The tools are there if we work together.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
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  4. #19
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    The Virtual Symphony

    The Virtual Kingdom isn't defined as a war, whoring, ghetto or honor kingdom. There are elements that separate the kingdom in how it functions. There's no wave time so warring is done in accumulated metrics. You won't have 25 players waiting for the shoe to drop if they understand that we aren't a warring kingdom...but we can war.

    How is this done? The Kingdom will gravitate to the climax, but I've never been into the dictation of when or how war starts. It's war. Just because the other guy bunched up his kingdom into a GMT monolith is no reason is adjust everyone's schedule. We move in our time. This is not a statement of indignation. I can respect the other kingdom but my interests are not in his kingdoms sleepy time; it is however vital to mine.

    Suffice to say, if you war well enough to bump into the whoring tier you'll have whoring neighbors. This kingdom obviously isn't designed for whoring, but we do understand pump and diplomacy. The bottom line is if we belong we stay and if not we get hammered out of whoring range. Now when I say this kingdom isn't designed for whoring I mean we have more of a war kingdom balance in t/m ratio. You can see that war kingdom "ratio" kingdoms are in the whoring tier this age so this isn't a pipe dream. It can and is being done.

    The only reason to do traditional waving in TVK is if everyone in TVK agree. It's not a matter of skepticism on my part as much as a sense of empathy that the elliptical system is in place. I've functioned in good chain waves and to some there's an austere pageantry in having 25 stars online declaring nw and offense. But to me that's a picture and not a movie. It's not the undulating movement of the octopus, the changing colors, the hypnotic independence of each limb. It doesn't offer itself to the rhythm or melody of Utopia.

    Not just in war but everyday, gliding gracefully from kingdom function and interactions to armed encounters. I've stated in previous TVK threads the idea of every province in the kingdom choosing one kingdom from a diverse list to Snatch News. This allows TVK to see the game in depth. Maybe I'll repost the council array, but we'll leave that for now.

    The Quick Tactical Pointer:

    Most of my zone tactics have been established by my attempts to chain stall. Chain stalling can happen in any number of ways, but independently I've done this:

    General #1: trad march the closest enemy in range below my nw
    General #2: ambush the closest enemy in range above my nw
    General #3: repeat #1 against a different enemy
    General #4: repeat #2 against a different enemy

    This is the genesis of zone control in strife. You let bigger enemies go that are above your nw/acre zone but ambush to improve your return time and reduce their offense. You trad low nw to pressure the enemy economy and reduce gains in subsequent encounters. Now I would practice a system of spreading my generals over my entire unique to achieve constant acre flow and reinforce the zone. You distribute your armies into break-ability packs, and can at opportunity allow certain armies to catch up to others for heavier encounters.

    The drawback is you're not going to be wrecking t/ms, and some kings get their panties in a bind because they don't understand the tactical bridgehead that serves the overall strategy. We need an aircraft carrier to launch fighters: perhaps the most formidable platform of cross-conventional modern warfare.

    In other words, to sustain a number of killers there should be a soft landing in vicinity. By creating a zone you offer your killers a place they can gather and launch. When I build attackers for interference I'm pushing rax and GS not TG and stables. What we see in most war kingdoms is the same strat across the kingdom. I see it, lol. That means a counter is more effective because it works against all targets.

    Argument 2 is if only certain guys build GS then the enemy will avoid them. This is ridiculous because that means they're letting your plan work better than expected. Like anything in Utopia things are not on full blast or totally off. I mean if I'm running an orc I can pretty much break a t/m anyways. I don't need to overbore to do an inherent job.

    Look at real tactics and you'll come to understand why there are bunkers, pill boxes, mine fields...need I go on? It's to funnel enemies into the heart of your artillery batteries or some other horrific blood flood. Look at football tactics with linemen. Not everyone on the field are 300 pounds; there are variables that serve purpose.

    Enjoy the game and Happy New Year.

    Edit: To clarify the zone tactic; it is'nt that you're letting huge attackers off the hook. What you're doing is reinvigorating and enforcing your kingdoms ability to chain hard. You're offense will shrink, yes, and so will theirs. Your zone is created to promote alignment in your attacker array. The zone isn't a static presence, it's in constant flux. The conduct is to pull a bigger enemy attacker down with some attacks and push smaller attackers down with others. As your attackers gravitate into the zone the zone amplifies.

    This isn't conducted in one area. Zones can be established to create clamps around enemy pockets, say like bottom chain tier to lower mid tier, lower mid tier to upper mid tier. When these zones collapse on enemies in the pocket the zones converge, and the push-pull dynamic continues.
    Last edited by StratOcastle; 14-01-2018 at 16:46.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

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  5. #20
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    The Air That We Breath

    Kingdom economy is a virtue I've valued in many aspects. Some subjects don't come to light till your back is against the wall and we may wonder why all this offense and incredible spell power doesn't equate to victory.

    1. Building ambushed acres. Ambushes are great for getting fast acres and cutting down enemy offense, but the back of that acreage carries no build credits, no spec credits. We need gold to make those acres work for us. In fact, we can look at build economy like that of the dwarf and begin to understand. What if we double the gold so the building can be done through acceleration? You certainly need an economy for that. What does it get us? We get productive acres faster so those acres are producing while others are simply in the 16 day pipe.

    2. The ideal acres. There are no rules on this, but if we can shift our attention to winning ages rather than simply battles we can look at productive acres. I remind you to refocus on pragmatic nuance and not on full blast ideology. In Utopia we will be attacked so we can't just go full production in the hopes of outstripping waves in total economy. If we're top side whoring we can, but otherwise most kingdoms are subject to a plethora of outside interference. The sage virtue of 20% science protection is a foundation for accumulation through attrition, so to should be your attention to build ratios.
    We want robust economy so we aren't depending on standing resources that attract theft and plunder, but offer the ability to produce considerable yield. Humans and dwarves, sages and paladins aren't a crutch; their presence is that of overall health. They can provide help, but as independent entities they can function without the aid necessitated by most forms of interference.

    3. Counter economy is a system of assuring our kingdom is winning those battles. The undead plague, blizzards, dragon type, all encourage an eye toward forcing your enemy to exhaust resources while maintaing and improving yours. We don't want them rebuilding their ambushed acres. We do want them to waste mana and runes curing plague.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

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  6. #21
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    The Triangle and The Challenge

    Captain Tracey: They sacrificed hundreds, just to draw us out in the open. And then they came, and they came. We drained four of our phasers, and they still came. We killed thousands and they still came.

    ~ The Omega Glory: Star Trek TOS ~

    In a previous TVK I demonstrated the concept of the triangle. Simply the ability to break and be broken in the 3 attack modes:
    ____________^____________
    < Wizards ^ Army ^ Thieves >

    When we face opponents we can conclusively break we aren't progressing in any skill set other than intimidation. It's useful against cowards but not against those who embrace challenges. Those who embrace challenges will do both. Observe your top kingdoms; again, take Emeriti as your benchmark. They warred and lost with a purpose. They aren't intimidated.

    So what did we just learn? The most successful kingdom in the game loses wars and wins ages and aren't intimidated. They're the best. This is your invitation to join the game.

    When we face kingdoms with near to fully unbreakable provinces we can begin our journey. There are few shortcuts. When you Fireball a loaded dwarf you have to knock hard and often. It's here where we can appreciate the mechanics and tackle the questions. Instead of ignoring powerful enemies we look to them as willing teachers. You have to take your corner of the triangle and make it part of the whole. Observe the question, look at the division you're in and seek the answer.

    You say you're not in a division? If you're in a fragmented kingdom, find the attacker, the rogue, the mystic. Find the 2 other players. Heck, I've been in 5 player kingdoms and none of us really worked together; we tried to stay out of each others way. It's not a great task, but requires a little effort to get two others in your GMT of diverse builds to join you in an effort to solve the many puzzles in Utopia.

    Just remember, it's the pressure on 3 fronts and not just 1. It's the pressure on all your enemies, not just the ones you can push around.
    Last edited by StratOcastle; 15-01-2018 at 00:05.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...+say&FORM=VDRE

  7. #22
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    These are pretty great Strato. I'll admit I haven't read the last two chapters yet though. I save them for savoring with my evening tea when I bother to make some.
    Too bad I've given up on spending too much time on this game since there are some interesting concepts here that I wanted to try out.
    Age 65 - FreeakStyle - FeyrPlay Alliance Win - Dwarves Stole My Bike
    Age 66 - FreeakStyle - #1 Honor & Warring Kingdom - Making FS Great Again
    Age 67 - BeastBlood - #1 Honor Human(Prince) - Steve from Walmart
    Age 68 - BeastBlood ft OldSchool - #1 Honor Kingdom & Avian - We Are All Feyr
    Age 69 - Ancient Spartans - #1 Kingdom in The History of Utopia - Clever Use of Words
    Age 70 - Ancient Spartans - #1 Land(25325 acres) & NW Faery - Spartan of Redeeming Qualities

  8. #23
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    Thank you, Matija.

    Many of the concepts are aimed at getting lower level kingdoms up to a control level to better understand their strengths and weaknesses.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

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  9. #24
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    Command & Control

    One of the more notable weaknesses in ailing kingdoms is the idea of giving orders. For instance, orders will be given for targets with the intended objective not being defined.

    Admitted Generalization: In top kingdoms the micromanagement tends to dictate their success but still doesn't clarify the objective. We can perceive the objective, but we aren't controlling the path to the objective. What you have in top kingdoms is depth of understanding: the best leaders know exactly what to do, and it's great if the supporting cast is mechanically inclined.

    When you're from kingdoms that aren't versed in all mechanics we should consider the strength of task force correspondence. In TVK the division system is the shortcut to micro. The order is to achieve objectives not to dictate who to hit. Oftentimes leaders with lack of intel end up missing creeper strats the enemy has in place.

    Edit: my workday is starting so I'll complete this rambling a bit later.

    Continued...

    Perhaps I should mention certain aspects that I've found useful.

    1. In war, attention should be paid to all enemies. Many lower tier kingdoms let intel go and tend to neglect important enemy provinces. Even tertiary threats can mutate into serious threats because kingdoms don't recognize resource draining aggression.

    This is barely recognized as kingdoms accept chaining as just part of the game without considering the cost related with maintaining a chained province. This might be all the edge the enemy needs to train more thieves than we are. To then exert that strength in sabotage like Assassinating Wizards. Which then leads to less blanket ops coverage and superior enemy economy due to higher peasant counts to draft.

    2. Sacrifices must yield results. If we ask an attacker to take bad acres in the name of some kind of leverage we have to assure that leverage is exercised. Let's say an attacker is asked to ambush poor gains on the part of an enemy to reduce that enemies elites while resulting in a hard chain of our attacker. While our attacker is now functioning in a trash vs trash survival environment the enemy simply has lower acre yield, yet retains the same credits earned in their original attack. Our attacker is bringing in empty acres with a crashing economy and limited range with no credits. We've already suffered an economy fail so we would be wise to invoke the same on our enemy.

    3. Investing in dragons and/or investing in province strength. This is a fluid situation. If we invest in dragons and chain as a primary strategy we might find ourselves coming up short to pay for said dragon. Once we start a dragon that news is declared to the enemy. So the counter, if money is being poured into the dragon, is for the enemy to stymy our economy. A good way to do this is max gain, semi-chain, develop or use current thieves to sabotage and steal. Thus we have to perceive our telegraphed moves(declaring the development) with untelegraphed preparation. We know what to do when we actually launch a dragon(ops, wave, etc) but we have to learn how we achieve the launch with a fair amount of certainty. A simple plan would be to train thieves, move scientist, build dens and watch towers...prior to declaration.

    So why have I stopped in the middle to offer perspective? Because the system of giving orders becomes increasingly complex and difficult to articulate without micromanagement.

    We want to get past the questions of "why" and get to the rest of the "where, when and how". The division system offers the ability to adapt quickly within a given framework to the constant variables in conflict. We aren't asking our one leader to articulate every nuance of the combative environment. Each division has hands on tools and ability with backup from other divisions. We minimize the risk of fellow provinces suffering critical losses with help arriving late all too often. When an attacker comes up short we can take action to mute enemies intent on taking down that attacker. Initiative is key.
    Last edited by StratOcastle; 16-01-2018 at 23:44.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

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  10. #25
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    Premier Division

    The task of the Premier Division is to take on enemy t/ms, super thieves and mages. The Premier Division Triangle includes a bocan rogue, elf mystic and orc tactician with dwarf war hero and human sage in support. the Triangle targets are clear but the support is there for variables. Support can run initial interference, offer economic support and fluctuate builds to best serve the Triangle.

    Note that the wave ellipse will include the extistential Triangle of the Deluxe and Plaza divisions: these wave times overlap prime activity. So the interference heavy Deluxe Division including dryad warrior for further t/m bashing is in close proximity. The hybrid bashing Plaza Division may even launch prelude to the Premier.

    The Special Division HQ is overlapped by the Deluxe and Continental. Thus, heavy interference and ops support lay the groundwork to keep the piercing divisions in relative health.

    This doesn't equate to winning, but providing authoritative roleplaying to the division in question. In winning or losing the evidence will be apparent and offer clarity in the field. Mistakes should be easier to diagnose without the broad brush of misunderstanding clouding evaluations.
    Last edited by StratOcastle; 17-01-2018 at 00:17.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...+say&FORM=VDRE

  11. #26
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    So Triangles

    Province Triangles - your 3 aspects of defending and attacking: casting, marching, thievery.

    Division Triangles - same aspects regarding the division.

    Ellipse and Kingdom Triangles - amplified to kingdom level.

    All triangle based aspects are applicable and relative to everyone else in the game. There are characteristics that influence how these aspects play, like avian birthrate or dwarf free build. It's these features and weaknesses that influence the specific strength of this concept.

    Asset retention characteristics like undead, paladin and sage can be used as passive leverage when engaging enemies not equipped with such aspects. These are the little things we use to select targets. When we adapt to applying yield to province actions we can apply them on a larger scale.

    We also begin to understand the value of unpredictability. The idea of doing something inefficient on the surface to achieve greater efficiency at the foundation.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...+say&FORM=VDRE

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by MyNameIsMatija View Post
    These are pretty great Strato. I'll admit I haven't read the last two chapters yet though. I save them for savoring with my evening tea when I bother to make some.
    Too bad I've given up on spending too much time on this game since there are some interesting concepts here that I wanted to try out.
    I would like to clarify my comments earlier in that I don't believe I'm a better player than anyone else so I don't categorize this thread toward players who've competed on the highest levels like yourself. I'm happy if anything I've illustrated triggers further brilliance on your part.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...+say&FORM=VDRE

  13. #28
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    Apathy, Machismo & Shame

    In the more monolithic kingdom strats; yknow the ones you see all the time, there tends to be communication gaps. Even in some tops and many solid war kingdoms there can be a misunderstanding regarding the value of communication.

    If you're in a tough war you may notice your t/ms aren't maintaining the ops blanket or enemy provinces growing unchecked. Some like to play it up like a raze doesn't hurt them or a massacre isn't effecting them as much as it really is. Part of the division system is to integrate different province builds much in the tried and true blitzkrieg. We want to know how our triad is being compromised by the enemy, where unbreakability raises its ugly head.

    Sure, we can review intel, news, assess an abundance of information, but that's slow. Just as in real war there are details that serve both the invasion and strategic retreat. If we can see that our wizards are being assassinated and we aren't likely to reestablish an advantage we can adapt a defensive position. But we need to know when it starts, what was the prelude, how it was organized. Silence gets us nowhere. It's not whining when your attackers may suffer one sided ops while still being instructed to engage paripheral elements.

    It's not that traditional wave timed kingdoms can't react, it's that they require a particularly polished and active player roster that simply isn't that common. Most wave based kingdoms have to absorb whatever the enemy throws at them for 12 ticks. Then at wave time they have to scramble intel, chain alignments, rune, mana, stealth, pending Mystic Vortex with 20 some players sitting with army home at a predictable time.

    When you don't have the whole day at your disposal and you want flexibility you might consider a division based strategy. It won't carry the umph of a full 1 tick wave, but it offers much better maneuverability and intimate correspondence with fellow players. I'm also aware not all players have comfortable access to all kingdom tools. They may find the information barrage overwhelming and distracting. I know I have to mine my own intel a lot, just to see the enemy array and target enemy weaknesses. I've seen many off wave kingdom mates stranded without intel, gold and vital kingdom information.

    By compacting the action into an attention bandwidth we can all understand, we can bring otherwise lost kingdoms up to speed and encourage them to take initiative.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...+say&FORM=VDRE

  14. #29
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    The Water Is Fine

    Looking around the kingdom I'm in now I can say some of the worries we have about certain builds is unnecessary. Some comes down to the quality of the player. We have a dryad sage who's doing fine and has all age. We have avian tacs which have been striking t/ms all age. We have a couple players running dark elf heretics doing well; I had serious reservations myself. Bocans seem like a great deal of fun.

    There are differences in our style of play. I've been ruining my own homes pump all age because I'm too sloppy to time this stuff out. Some guys don't handle chains as well as others, but it just takes a little tutoring to get players to feel comfortable, prepared and aware of what's important to retain when you're getting run over.

    My tendency is to keep a roll of cash and enough thieves to steal a little from the enemy. Apparently lots of guys release thieves and release specs earlier than necessary. I'd imagine the fear is that of being PK'd and I can understand that. I'm active enough that I can flirt with retaining a high wpa and monitor my peasants down to the last few.

    I've seen a lot more high defense chained provinces the last few ages. I'm happy to see these new approaches in the lower tiers. While I'm a proponent of high offense chained, I think there's room to stagger these builds for best results.

    The way I'm setting up TVK is to offer an option. Not just the divisions, not just the race and personality, not just ways of looking at the game. You might have an idea for dark elf undead becoming progressively stronger or offset divisions with different array or focus. I've shown my ideal based in preferences. It goes without saying, you can do whatever you want, and my ultimate hope here is only as muse.

    Tactically, the elliptical wave isn't particularly special. What it does passively is introduce the kingdom to warring differently, and encourages warring in ways relatable to military strategies.

    If we look at Germany invading France in WW2 you'll note the offensive was on a broad front with the actual spearhead coming through the Ardennes. Spearheads are relatable to chaining in Utopia. Thus, when I see a wave that is exclusively designed to only engage one or two enemies my subconscious screams "Watch Your Flanks!"
    Without designing in tactics to cut off enemy pincer movement we risk our entire attacker core. The reason they, chain waves, work and little harm is usually encountered is because many kingdoms use the same tactic. - If you've been around you may've seen entire attacker cores disabled by overpopulation like I have. This is because the enemy might be doing a fully t/m supported max gains wave vs a chain wave.
    Last edited by StratOcastle; 19-01-2018 at 02:00.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...+say&FORM=VDRE

  15. #30
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    The Special Division HQ

    Part of the dance of dividing a kingdom between all races and all personalities is getting them into viable positions. The Special Division HQ is the peculiar blend that provides support and is ultimately the kingdom rally point.

    If there's teeth in this division it's the bocan rogue, elf sage and human undead. The support is the faery paladin and tac, but these are more universal. We have a faery tac in our game kingdom and it's an oddly effective province. Providing aid, intel and self spells like all good provinces, it also includes effective army return times. The paladin benefits from plague immunity in that it can follow the human undead in attacks with no harmful effects.

    In my somewhat nonsensical approach I rol(L)ed this division as Western European. Honestly, in my playing time I've noticed they boast the most activity as a whole..when motivated. I think they'd enjoy this more sophisticated position, and I think they grasp the unbreakable ideal more than some of us do culturally. Again, this is a wide brush I'm painting with, but I've run t/m types and I'm off the chain with zero regard for breakability.

    But let's look at the elf sage because I think some see this as underwhelming. This is an all encompassing build with a moral zero sum team approach. Amnesia gets a bad rap in my opinion, but it's not seen in the battery I perceive it. If you'll notice spell effects, amnesia and nightmare work similarly in 2 separate fields. I want this high penetration unMVable capability to compliment the drastic bombardment of the dark elf mystics on either side of the division array.

    What few kingdoms think about is the suppression effect in dropping Amnesia and Nightmare as a slow drip spell together. Because our 2 other sages are on the outer divisions, Premier and Plaza with Nightmare casters in the inner divisions, Deluxe and Continental. What's the point? These aren't only applicable to war, these can be follow up to counter abduction. So let's say some big kingdom crashes your mystics for abduction. They give relations. You counter with abductions which kick in gb protection, but follow with amnesia to sink the degree of loss deep on the counter victim. Sometimes you have to give a giant a bloody nose. He'll be alright if he backs off. The books will flow back. If not I'm showing you how you establish the triangle of breakability and to keep farm provinces to fuel the cause. As a rule I don't believe in letting big kingdoms off the hook unless they shave beneficial acres or show consideration due to unforeseen circumstances. But I digress.

    The human undead is the dial up attacker here. If all divisions are carrying their own weight The Special Division HQ can embark on its own ventures. Here as the main attacker, the human undead can benefit from a great deal of divisional support. Since The Special Division HQ is bracketed by the Deluxe and Continental, a continuity of plague spreading and immunity is congruent with the avian and orcs: speed and power.

    The bocan requires little explanation. The field of sabotage is shallow compared to ages past, but the capability here is unquestionable. We defend bocan interests because they can kill wizards and we like them for who they are.
    Last edited by StratOcastle; 20-01-2018 at 22:51.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bishop View Post
    Correct me then, instead of being a dick about it.
    love that thick mahogany back with no belly carve or anything...pure thick wood ! The thing ROCK is made of !
    ________
    Weed bowls

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...+say&FORM=VDRE

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