Hey everyone, I’ve been playing in the early access ever since it got released (did about 10 big cities, depending on what each patch allowed performance wise) and I started a new map once 0.9 came out.
I usually play on vanquisher and it was enjoyable, until now. It seems to me that with the current tuning, it almost impossible to really grow once T4 is reached. I’ve spent the past 35 in game year being attacked every year, quite a few times twice a year when invading armies came along.
I usually had no issue fending off attacks regardless of map, but now it seems that without spending hours looking for a good corner on a smaller map, all you do is fend off raiders and spend the rest of the year rebuilding and moving people from one profession to another because so many villagers die. I’ve been stuck around 500-550 population for 20 years because even though I have a standing army of about 100 soldiers, plus numerous towers etc., I lose 20-30 villagers every year to the raiders (not to mention all the armor and swords and crossbows that get lost).
Being positioned relatively centrally on a big map, they come from all directions, so no way to wall off and do cheese like that. I’ve managed to cover off 3 of the 6 angles they are coming from but even with double upgraded barracks, thick walls and towers, its not enough to just “ignore”, i need to micromanage for a good while to even survive.
It seems to me that once T4 is reached, the raiders / armies have such incredibly good armor that they just cut through a lot of defenses. Add to that the bad design of soldiers running out of arrows mid fight and then going outside to die, villagers not retreating from raiders etc, its just been 20 years of 0 growth, 0 town building, only raid micromanagement and cleanup. Not to mention that gold is a struggle with all the soldier re-training costs and if i get one bad year trader wise I’m screwed.
As a player that enjoys making kinda crazy defensive setups I have experienced the other side of this, with the harder and more frequent attacks I’ve had to think a bit more carefully about my defenses.
It is a bit tricky in a game like this to balance things while managing player expectations. On the one hand they can make the hardest mode a challenge for the most extreme players, but that makes it feel maybe impossible for more average players that don’t want to go to extremes with their build but still expect to do well on hard mode. Or they can make it a mild challenge for someone not taking it too seriously but still wanting to beat “hard mode”, but that makes the game very boring for the more seriously inclined players who now have to tied their hands behind their back for any challenge.
So, I guess my question is, why do you not just use the game sliders to turn the raider difficulty down to something you would enjoy?
Valid answer, but not really addressing my question I know I can tune it down, my point was rather about the fact that it a) seems to have changed with this patch and b) it seems that even well equipped soldiers (x-bow, armor, sword) deployed and micromanaged don’t seem to be enough. Even with a crazy maze of defenses and making the raiders walk around forts, the fact that the soldiers inside run out of arrows and go out one by one to die is quite ridiculous.
But maybe you can give me some tips as a kinda crazy defensive player for this type of situation.
It is now hard to survive on Vanquisher above 500=600 but it is possible. I am on a pop of 820 with raids of up to 180 or so and usually mange to survive raids with the loss of half a dozen villagers and a few walls and fences maybe the odd tower.
I am in the middle of the map, no lakes to aid defense and I have 83 guards and 31 Soldiers. I do have my Town Centre and most storerooms on a hilltop with a maze lined with towers. I am using the two relics that give archers and towers etc a bonus. All took a bit of planning and terraforming
Not noticed the running out of arrows problem yet though!
I doubt I would find the game so immersive if it was easier.
My raids are about 130-140 in size. I did no terraforming and tried to build some choke points which do work pretty well, but the amount of time the raiders survive under a barrage of 40 archers from 2 forts is quite amazing. They also seem more intent to just pillage stuff on vanquisher, so doing the old tradeoff and letting get some stuff instead of having your army die every doesn’t really work anymore.
Would love a screenshot of your maze if you feel like it
This is the side of my hill with the best elevation. Those towers and the fort have an 18+ advantage over anything in the walled alley below. I guess that is were most of the damage is done.
The ‘maze’ runs around 4 and a half sides of the hill and is open both ends. So far most raiders are tempted by it with just a few attacking elsewhere.
You want to look over your strategy to deploy soldier when there’s a quick raid or army demand of payment
I start a new map on 0.9.a
Difficulty: Vanquisher
Map type: Arid Highlands
I enjoyed to build an army to fight with the raider than sitting behind multiple layers of walls.
I had stayed at 740 population for ~100 years because my PC could not handle more than that
with 140 soldiers + 21 guards.
I will keep the population like that until there’s new release then start new map.
With new relics feature release, your soldiers are far more effective against champion & heavy raider than tower
The point is you need to combine those relics, 1 set for combat, and when the raid over, switch to food set.
My Town is at the center of the map, so I also got raider from all directions,
The strategy here is you need to deploy your soldiers smartly, near Fort or tower with safe distance so they don’t go out and fight alone. Wait for those raiders come in. They will focus Fort/Towers first, this is when your soldiers start to fight automatically.
Survive until now I never lose more than 5 people(Usually because the villagers try to confront raider themself). My biggest invading was a lord army with 178 raiders mostly heavy infantry with shield, with a bit micro I lose 2 men.
Sounds quite impressive, you must be better at it than me. I always deploy next to a fort, mine are behind double walls and usually two forts next to each other and some towers. If I get an invading army and I deploy my army, it ends up getting slaughtered. I try to move ahead to intercept the rams and then retreat (this usually works well, i might loose one soldier to archers), but then they end up getting kinda slaughtered in a straight fight.
I am using all 3 combat relics (was lucky enough to get them early) and I guess its helped me survive till now, but I kinda just gave up on the map after 20 years of doing nothing else than defense and 0 village growth.
What are combat relics set you’re using?
Mine are:
+Ashes of the Martyr(Not a combat type but I like the most as it also affects your guard+soldiers, 25% health is a huge boost)
+Shard of Markovian’s Blade
+Tusk of the Autumn Boar (nice armor boost to increase survive chance of your soldiers and villagers)
Eye of Hunter is also an option if you don’t have better combat relics
Try to fully gear up your soldiers with platemail + heave weapon, disable the Forts when there no raid or end of a raid, it will reduce consume rate of platemail + heavy weapon, and give you extra labour in peaceful time.
I would recommend to call out all soldiers to melee fight with invading army once they get through wall and start to hit the Fort, because crossbow is not affective as melee(I saw 20 soldiers shoot a champion and only took 1/3 his health board) and your soldiers will turn back to normal villager once the Fort destroyed.
Using Makrovian and Eye of the Hunter (ranged dmg), I don’t have the Tusk. As a third relic i was kinda forced to use Gildar’s Coin Purse because I have no gold after 20 years of fighting.
Regarding disabling forts - isn’t that very gold intensive? If I look at my gold overview I see quite high cost for initial recruitment and I was always skeptical if all equipment is returned when you “retire” a solider.
Disabling forts is not gold intensive as keeping them enable. When get to tier 4, my gold is ~110k now so I’m not bother the different
But Let take my case:
Without Gildar’s Coin Purse
+Disable Forts => 140 soldiers x 25 initial recruit : 3500 gold for recruit/ every raid
+Keep Forts => 140 soldiers x 5 monthly cost x 12 months: 8400 gold
Using Gildar’s Coin Purse -30%
+Keep Forts => ((140 soldiers x 5 monthly cost) - (140 soldiers x 5 monthly cost x 30%)) x 12 months : 5880 gold
Also you not always get raid every year. And all equipments are still in the storage when you disabled the Forts.
I usually keep half or more than half of my soldier available in case there’s quick raid, and my soldiers cannot gear up fast enough
Combine your relics to strengthen your army that’s the key
If you don’t like to micro soldiers during battle, this was how I deployed my soldiers against invading army. Chose your battle ground and deploy all soldiers you have around it and let them in.
I know I can tune it down, my point was rather about the fact that it a) seems to have changed with this patch and b) it seems that even well equipped soldiers (x-bow, armor, sword) deployed and micromanaged don’t seem to be enough. Even with a crazy maze of defenses and making the raiders walk around forts, the fact that the soldiers inside run out of arrows and go out one by one to die is quite ridiculous.
