129 replies to this topic

[MajorDima]

Its simple, just rush the enemy very early. go for production buildings and resources, AI doesn't get the chance to do anything. Get a few low cost siege equip (like rams) and get some units to escort it, and the AI shouldn't survive this.
You should never sit in your base and wait\build up anyways even in the former S.E.E version or in BFME2 in general - camping isn't a good strat, rushing is the core of the game, even in S.E.E.

This is my strat with Isengard:
BO: Furnace>Furnace>Dunland>Uruk>Furnace [until you get to 1k]>3 Lumbermills>Siege works

Basicly this strat is based on money flow, build units asap, upgrade all of your dunlands with torches and send them for RBs, then you should build raiders, by this time you should have enough money for a forward base, build up a tower and a siege works closer to your enemy's base and build some warg sentries in the main access points to your base, by this time the AI should build its own siege works\entmoot if you did this correctly, first take out the biggest threat - the siege works, then go for the fortress, 2-3 rams with the cover of dunland and some uruks and the game is yours.

[Lord of the Rings Junkie]

Its simple, just rush the enemy very early.

Yes, it's a bit unfortunate in my mind, but I have realized this. Hey, you can't have everything, right?

You should never sit in your base and wait\build up anyways even in the former S.E.E version or in BFME2 in general - camping isn't a good strat, rushing is the core of the game, even in S.E.E.

Camping worked very well for me in Beta IV.

Edited by Lord of the Rings Junkie, 08 October 2007 - 04:27 PM.

[MajorDima]

I mean, there is very little strategy in sitting in your base and building an insane army and then whiping them out with one strike, I like fighting from the very beginning of the game, imo camping ruins the entire early game, and early game is the most important part.

Camping can work, but its a lazy mans option - attacking, and crippling the enemy's economy is the way to play.

[Lord of the Rings Junkie]

Does anyone use the planning mode at all? (The one you get into by pressing the Z key.) I've thought about using it, but always do fine without it.

[Sûlherokhh]

It's not really suited to rts.

It would be cool on a skirmish game, if toggling it would pause the game. But this way, there is just no time to use this feature, unless you are a super pro and know exactly what to input when in this mode. But then again, when you are a pro, you will be even better when NOT using it!

[zachdaddy_3000]

Building walls and camping is usually my strategy, since the walls are actually, you know, WALLS OF STONE now (THANK YOU S.E.E.!). I guess my strategy is to play defensively first. Just like S.E.E. intended. I have just recently started using the "hold down both mouse buttons" option to get all of your units in a more logical order (pikemen in front, soldiers and heroes to the side, archers in back, then trebuchets or whatever support units, then calvary on the flanks). It works pretty well for me now. no longer having to worry about my archers much anymore (since they usually outrun my other units, so they'd always end up in front, where all the "bad guys" are.

[Nazgûl]

I mean, there is very little strategy in sitting in your base and building an insane army and then whiping them out with one strike, I like fighting from the very beginning of the game, imo camping ruins the entire early game, and early game is the most important part.

Camping can work, but its a lazy mans option - attacking, and crippling the enemy's economy is the way to play.

I think it's safe to say that S.E.E. playes any way like it too. Naturally you can raid the enemy early and play the game like EA intended it . But you'd most likely end the game very early that way too, and you'd do it in "cheap" guerilla warfare, not proud epic battles. So... it's your choise off course but SEE is, as Zach said, intended as a prolongued epic battle between large armies. And if you give the game 5-10 mins the enemy will already be far to strong for you to win without using Siege, and units to protect the siege, and heroes to support the units, and flyboys to attack the other flyboys, and so on...

There are ways aroud most things if you really look for them, and when you think about it, that's also a way to win a war (guerilla warfare), so I don't mind that the option is still there. I do however think it takes away the point of playing all together. Personally I always camp, build a wast army and a powerful base behind walls and towers, and by the time I'm ready, noone will survive my Mordor army, moooah

[Lord of the Rings Junkie]

Until AotD or some other 4th tier power wipes them out. Call the Horde makes it easy to replace troops, but for siege units and heroes... And you are completely screwed if they use AotD and earthquake at the same time. Call the Horde is no good if there are no more orc pits to use it. Hmm, perhaps I should make one or two emergency reserve pits off base...

Edited by Lord of the Rings Junkie, 10 October 2007 - 04:32 PM.

[DragonLord]

Let's see, my first experiances with SEE.....

Goblins (PC) vs. Dwarves:
High Pass...
I got to say, that is one of the worst setups for me, the dwarven base was almost impossible to destroy. Sure, they couldn't destroy mine either, but still, harder than I thought. Ended up quitting because it was late. AI was set to easy.

Elves (PC) vs. Mordor:
Rivendell....
Now this was a fun battle. I had my CAH (He's a wizard I made when BFME2 origionally came out, and made him have full firepower... ) on the one bridge, while I filled all of Rivendell with Mallorn Trees, and eventully unit buildings. Meanwhile, as my resources towered, I made all my heroes. While all this was happening, I had my 2 eagles wreaking havoc in the enemy base. I eventully had to take them out. Once my great army was finished, I attacked. And it was LOOOONG! It was like a city. I eventully won, even though it took like 2 hours. AI set to easy.

Men (Rohan)(PC) vs. Isengard:
East Emmet...
Still on this map, saved it. Not too much trouble, pretty easy....

[Hobbit Hunter]

I personally love to camp and build up a HUGE army of all elves except mirkwoods. (ill come back to them)
Ents are of course in great numbers + the two eagles. I then send out my mirkwoods and hide em all over the place to ambush and generally piss the enemy off. When i reach their base and those ents get bashing you are seriously screwed.

If there is more than one enemy i have lorien ambushers to supplement my mirkwoods. Then i take out the enemies one by one MWUHAHAHAHA!

[Nazgûl]

Now that's the way I play too... kinda... but without the sneakiness.. and the Elves... and Ents... Well come to think of it, I play nothing like that

Seriously, I'm a camper too. But since "my" faction is Mordor I usually camp in a heavily fortified base, until I have: The Grond, The Nine, 5-10 Catapults, a number of Attack Trolls and a LARGE army of Orcs and then I... hm, well I won't give all of my stratey away

*going to play Private Beta 4.6a*

[Elrond]

well i my self love to play at iyhtillen build up amn army in my fortress be a pain in the ass by hiding rsangers in the woods and then send cav to harss my enemys recourse structures the whip my ememy out with all my heros and a huge army of swords and pike men

[Mercyy]

Today I had a great game
Isengard(me) vs Men vs Goblin vs Men vs Goblin vs Elves.
All Brutal CPUs


I can say only one thing:
WONDERFUL


In the end I died, cause two of the three Enemys, which were still living attacked me from two different directions all the time. I was able to kill all their units, but then they used Cloud Break all the time and then there was a flood in my base.
I was able to rebuild my base and to fight all units again, but then the MenCPU used Army of the death and shortly after that Earthquake in the middle of my base.
After that I leaved the game, cause hardly all my buildings were destroyed^^
But it was a great game.
I had thousands of wildmens and hundreds of uruks. And both Fellbeasts Level 10 =)

Spamming with wildmen (with fire upgrade) is working really good.
If you have enough statues they cost only about 125.
Between them a few Crossbowurks and spearuruks and you can kill hardly every army of the AI.
With both Fellbeasts you can destroy all of the enemys Economyplots and large armys
It was great to play that, I think I'm in love in this mod

Edited by Mercyy, 10 November 2007 - 06:16 PM.

[sniggles]

Hi guys,

great stories here and just like to add my wee bit...

I like to play defensively like Naz and always play on Hard (seems unfair to limit the AI spell purchasing etc) but with SEE 4.5 you never know what may happen.

The cost of everything is virtually perfect and it is a struggle to hold off the hordes in the early part of the game (defensive portion) You really have to think and use some strategy - do you go for towers, get that expensive hero, upgrade your fortress or start your army etc etc.

Then with your lovely new army you storm there fortress confident in the knowledge that no AI on this planet can beat a human player - NOT!

I have had my entire army virtually wiped out by the amazing AI defense a number of times - bit of luck involved sometimes obviously...

I have had the army of the dead summoned right in the middle of my advancing army and other times the AI has timed the use of it's top tier spells to perfection - a la Balrog or sunflare etc.

Anyone else been this unlucky.

God i love SEE.

There can be a problem with playing defensively in that the AI will quite often start building a second base but i have cured that in my game by setting the cost of fortresses to 60,000.

Since i now build resource buildings all over the map in every skirmish this price is not unreasonable but enough to stop the AI going ' base mad ' (well - they haven't done it yet - touch wood)

Keep up the good work team.

[ttandchotmail]

G'day to all

Just thought I would mention that the new brutal setting is kicking my butt and I'm loving every second of it

I'm starting to re-think my stratergies and the only thing that seems to save me at the moment is a wall built a few paces behind the back half of my fort and adding catapults to it. this way they can't destroy the fort without getting hit by the catapults and they can't destroy the catapults unless they can get past the fort

Great job to all

[Nazgûl]

*loving every minute of your reports*

Sûl's an amazing AI Coder, right?

[av8r]

*going to play Private Beta 4.6a*

LOL
Ahh, membership has its benefits

I dont know where to post this but question: how is it the enemy (usually when I am a good faction vs evil) can run up to an Inn, capture the flag and keep running past on its way to attack and not have to wait for the flag to raise entirely? Whenever I try that, as soon as I move my battalions away from the flag I am capturing the flag reverts back to previous state. I dont get it...

And I am getting my arse handed to me on a silver platter by Mordor when I play as Rohan. I am against their fortress and they have walls (first time in ALL my time playing BFME2 of any flavour that I have seen them build walls! Awesome, guys!) and am using eagles, ents, catapults, elves, all my heroes...and am getting killed. If I could set the rally flag for creating units at the barracks to "attack" when they come out, I could probably leave the game on auto for a few hours and come back later, its that intense a battle, almost a stalemate! LOL

what to do?!

[Lord of the Rings Junkie]

Never play against Mordor with 4000 starting cash.

[av8r]

Never play against Mordor with 4000 starting cash.

LOL!
How did you know?
Some text doc I saw somewhere in the mod files said to play on Hard with 4000
But then one time when I started it, I had 50,000 to start with? Normal?

[Nazgûl]

The starting with 50 000 cash must have been a fluke... Never had any reports on that before.
And the 4000 starting cash is not really a must any more. It was before, sortof. You can go with any cash you want, the game will still play along, but it will be slightly slower at start. In fact, I will remove that recommendation for the next PDF release. I love to go slow and I usually play with 1000 starting cash myself =)

I dont know where to post this but question: how is it the enemy (usually when I am a good faction vs evil) can run up to an Inn, capture the flag and keep running past on its way to attack and not have to wait for the flag to raise entirely? Whenever I try that, as soon as I move my battalions away from the flag I am capturing the flag reverts back to previous state. I dont get it...

This is a bug in EA's codes. We'll try to fix it asap