Feudal War - Strategy

[Drakon]

I've got a question: If I have 14 armies next to Yer, and one of my opponent has 13 armies also next to Yer, what should I do? Wait for him to attack first or attack the neutral myself?

Edit: I won't be needing advice, the other player attacked first and I got the village and his castle!

[Plutoman]

I've got a question: If I have 14 armies next to Yer, and one of my opponent has 13 armies also next to Yer, what should I do? Wait for him to attack first or attack the neutral myself?

Edit: I won't be needing advice, the other player attacked first and I got the village and his castle!

Was just going to say to wait, too

[friendly1]

I don't like that, and I haven't seen the top castles win more than the bottom ones in my games.

That said, I'm going to be running some stats soon on all finished 6 player games to see which castles won and to see if there may be an imbalance.

If there is this may be corrected with some neutral value changes, but I doubt we would change layout.

EDIT: Also, gimil's tactic is superior to mine. He beat me pretty well.

Everything below is referring to fog of war games.

When you run the stats, would it be possible to check 2, 3 and 6 player games? I believe 6 player games would be balanced pretty well (realm of might being the least successful), but I do think 2 and 3 player games would be less balanced.

4 and 5 player games will be skewed as starting positions mean a great deal when there are neutral castles - also there should be a large change in strategy when playing 4 and 5 player games. 4 player games are absolutely unbalanced, I say this as 4 player escalating adjacent games are a specialty of mine. The adjacent fortification is a very important part of this.

The northern castles are absolutely an advantage, but only if you have one, and the other northern castle is unoccupied (neutral)

Realm of Might castle is a handicapped castle both for its location, and the fact you are not able to bombard a neutral army of 2. If you bombard the neutral 10's any army outside your borders can see this.

One note: I think this map would be much much better if the neutral 10's which have to be killed to get from north to middle or middle to north were reduced to neutral 7's or neutral 8's. Just an opinion though

I LOVE this map!!!!!

friendly1

[Crystallina]

Bumping. Sorry if making a new thread is preferred; I'm not an active poster and the guidelines didn't mention it. So my question:

Does starting in Realm of Might suck, or do I just suck at starting in Realm of Might? The location, the configuration of 2's, etc.

[daydream]

personally i agree, RoM and rebel are tougher than the others. but the disadvantage really isnt that significant. if you play it well, you shouldn't have a problem

[gimil]

Bumping. Sorry if making a new thread is preferred; I'm not an active poster and the guidelines didn't mention it. So my question:

Does starting in Realm of Might suck, or do I just suck at starting in Realm of Might? The location, the configuration of 2's, etc.

The revamp of this map address a few problems brought up with the map.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=42918&start=0

Pitch your 2p's worth

[Me-Da-MiNoRiTY]

Right well i don't know what i'm doing here but I just read a strategy guide about how too play a FEUDAL WAR game.

Now i'm not saying it was bad but i think it was rather.... well Standard. So i thought i might as well wright one of my own....
Being an experienced Feudal war player i hope you take not onto what i say and i'm not the best with computers so i'll try my best too display it as easy as possible.

NOTE: A brief idea of the rules of Feudal War would make the understanding of this guide alot easier. Also this is assuming that their are NO CARDS.

THIS IS ALOT TOO READ

START GAME

Well the start is tottally luck you can't decide where you start so you might as well just go from where you are.
Taking the Neutral 2's in your Castle area is a good way too start getting these as quickly as possible will no doubtly give you a nice buffer too build on. You'll know you're going good if you have 6 of your castle territories with about 11 armies IN TOTAL.

AFTER BASICS

Once that is done and that is strongly advised for any Feudal War game it is best too start too build. This is where some thinking comes into it. Build up on a territory between your two 10's (If you are in the R.O.M castle then build on whichever side you wish too attack from). Each turn deploy onto that territory but with your castle deployments ensure that at the END of your turns make sure your castle has 5 (yes 5 total not the 5 auto deploy which would equal 6) armies in it. So that when you begin your next turn you should have 10 armies on your castle.
With the other armies move them too your building point.


BREAK OUT

If your 10's haven't been attacked already then you should pick your point of exit. Ensure that you have about 20 armies MINUMIN (the more the merrier! ) On your building point. Using the ability to bombard, bombard the 10 of which you wish too break out of. If your castle attack failed then destroy whatever remainders with your building armies. From there on the game can take a turn too any where.

STRATIGIES

LOCATION SCHEME
Seeing as it is a fog of war game try using territory counts and auto-deployment notifications from the game log to find out where opponents are. Anticipate on what you're opponents are doing and where they are. For example a simple player who is in Barbarians Castle would take their Neutral 2 territories and then break out of the Barbarians 7 Neutral 10. After that they would Advance for Yer village and claim it for themselves.
The way the game log would display it would look something like this:

Player one gets 5 armies added too ?
Player one gets 3 armies added too ? (*2)
Player one Recieves 3 armies for holding ? (*3)
Player one Recieves 3 armies for holding 8 territories

Take note of your opponents Territory count It is your base for making a Judgement of where your opponent is.
Even though you can only see ?'s all over the map you can still see the map itself.
So by assuming that your opponent has 6 castle territories as you will be able too tell (see *3) it only leaves room for 2 extra territories and one must be the Neutral 10 at the castle territories border.
So by being able too work out 7 of the 8 territories you will be able too tell that None of the 7 territories are villages. Which means that the 8th is a village and you know that this is a village by the game log (see *2). So the only logical place close enough too a village is Barbarians Castle as no other castle is close enough too have 7 castle territories and then the next Adjacent territory a village.

HOWEVER the strategy is not perfect. They might skip one of their twos and break a 10 and still get 3 armies for holding 6 castle territories.
Also using a detection scheme like this is never 100% accurate there are some players who play differently this is just a generalisation of how people may play.

MOVING AND EXPANDING YOUR FORCES
Seeing as Feudal War is a rathere big map compared too others try not to get too carried away with conquering those little Neutral territories. It's simple logic that if you expand too quick then you spread much too thin and are ripe for the kill. So advancing slowly around the board would be wise. Try going for 3 territories at a time. So if you have 9 territories then expand too get 12 thus giving you an extra army next turn.

But don't expand with out considering your opponents. Sometimes it is best too be patient and just build up your forces to either embrace yourself for a possible attack or too build for a strong, fast assault. If you plan too build it is best too get a hold of a village OR another castle (explained later). It would be best also too bottle neck your forces. I mean that you want the least amount of points of entry behind your back lines and you want good places that can attack multiple areas.
FOR EXAMPLE
If you begin in Barbarians castle and have taken Yer village and have a total count of 8 territories (i.e 7 castle territories and the other being Yer village). It would be a good idea too build in Yer as not only do you get the auto deployments but it is a good place for Attack and Defense.
If an enemy comes too your right then You can push them back that way providing you have the forces too.
If an enemy comes from the north you will not see them at first but, unless for their own purposes take the Neutral territory Lake Mistello 6 which is situated right next too Yer village and enabiling you to attack them and possibley push them back providing you have the forces.
If they however go through Barbarians 6's Neutral 10 not only did they do you a favout but you can go up through the Neutral Lake Mistello 6 and stop them from making any advancements further into your territories providing you have the forces.

In a Feudal War game there are many good stronghold points on the map so if you want too find them then dig around. You'll find that the best points arn't only villages or Castles.

People in Feudal War games wouldn't usually expect you too grab a castle early on in the game. So grabing another castle would surely benifit you but make sure that, yet again taking the castle won't leave you scattered around the map.

FOR EXAMPLE
Rebel territory castle and Feudal Empire are both very close castles as they both have Bordering Neutral 10's. Taking one or the other depending on which you start in would have its positives and negatives. Positives would be simple, More armies and more territories which would result in a more powerful force. Negatives would be that you would possibley have too deplete your entire force too get more armies in the long run. You may also run into an opponent which may spark problems if they have reserves on their backlines. You may also become targeted as a powerhouse and be hunted down (more on that later).

Expanding and gaining territories in Feudal war is a certain RISK indeed especially in F.O.W games so make your movements and advancements carefully and don't get too greedy about taking territories.

IT'S NOT ALL FIGHTING AND WAR
This is what seperates Winners from losers

Feudal war games can become huge problems when you run into more than one person or when one person has become strong whilst others have been fighting. You may find yourself in a good position too sit back and build your forces whilst others are fighting. By doing this not only do your opponents get weaker but you get stronger. Having opponents fight each other in these games are the best things that can happen for you but TAKE NOTE. You may want too step in when both forces are at their weakest and conquer them both giving you both their castles and 2 less opponents too worry about. But don't become too one way minded keep an eye on what any other opponents are doing and don't fall into the scheme of having yourself weakend down and then a strong opponent run over you! .

GET DIPLOMATIC in these games when you feel the need too!
Some people grunt at other people when they bring politics into the game but war isn't all Smash and Bang.
If you feel the need too ask an opponent for a truce then do so! An example of a time when you need a truce is if you find yourself fighting an opponent whilst another opponent has been getting stronger by building or just attacking neutrals. Also if you have met an opponent but don't wish too fight with them at this time then announce so on game chat and ask for peace.
WHATS IN IT FOR ME??? you may be thinking this but take these into consideration. You may have recently just conquered another castle or defeated another castle and be at a weak point. So by directing presure off your weaknesses too anothers Strengths is a good tactical thing too do. By persuading opponents to attack other opponents will not only let you re-form your forces it will direct the tension of a possible attack which could Severly weaken or even kill you.
But don't be too "inactively passive". When you truce with others they normally want something back, This will usually include you helping with their assualts with your armies so building and sitting back will quickly draw attention too yourself and draft others against you.
Even though when it comes too politics and truces and peace your opponents may benifit but if you "control" the game log then your words could heavely effect the game play.

INTIMIDATION AND MIND GAMES
This is something that messes with your opponents minds and a bit of logic.
There's not much too say here but you want too get into the minds of your opponents. The human mind sees that something like a whole number would seem more intimidating than something with a mixed number. For example a 10 looks alot more whole than an 11 or a 12 so perhaps having a 10 may pshyce out your opponent from attacking you and may just save your behind! .
Although using that strategy may be a good pashyce out effect it may effect your attacking force and you may not be able too move as much further as you would want. So having as many armies as you can on your frontlines is a good thing too have but take into thought mind games you can play with your opponents (also your castle auto deploys can be found intimidating if found like a whole number or like 20, 25, 30, 35 etc).

Also having 2's all around are alot better than ones. If you own a small amount of territories and you're a few rounds into the game where people may have more armies consider spreading your forces and giving each territory 2 armies. Having 2 armies give the defence roll 2 dice and that is alot better than having just one die too defend with. Although it is a good defence technique if you are on a rather desperate assault it isn't advised too spread out your armies too make a good powerful defense but a poor offense so it is not wise too pull your forces back if your opponents are Ripe for killing. "Spiking" as I call it is also useful if you have just taken another player out and want to best your defenses for quite a possible strong assault from a stronger player. Spiking is a good intimidation method as seeing as a 2 is an even number looks more whole and the human mind would react as it being strong and a challenge and having them spread out makes the mind think it could be difficult too overcome all of the 2's. It works better too spike your territories if you know that if you mass your forces they will be eliminated so having 2's in your backline will surely help.

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Also as a general rule use something I call the Attacker advantage.
3 dice onto 2 give more probability of succes. Seeing as an attacker gets 3 dice and the defender gets 2 the attacker has the advantage of more die EVEN if the defender wins on equal rolls/

There is no real right strategy into winning feudal war games. Every player plays differently and this has just been a brief guide (yes brief ) on how too play a better, more improved Fuedal War game.

If you've read this far thanks for reading!

Contact me if you have any questions or suggestions for this guide

Thanks
Me-Da-MiNoRiTY

[Plutoman]

I hate to be critical, but I disagree with much of the play, and I do not think diplomacy really has any place in a feudal game. I also disagree with some of how the human mind thinks, such as with the 10 against 11 or 12, but I do agree with the 2's all around. It does look a bit more intimidating.

I also have to definitely agree with the territory and log watching, as that is extremely important.

My strategy is quite different, and will win against this one most of the time, but I am not quite willing to share it, as if used against me, my odds of winning do go down quite a bit

However, this will improve your game in general on this map. Hopefully it'll spark some more opponents for my feudal games.

Good guide overall, and 10 for the effort. Since I'm not willing to share my own, I can't really complain that this one is bad, especially since it is much better than any average strategy.

[Me-Da-MiNoRiTY]

Hehe any feedback is appreciated and thanks for reading it lol

I'll have too play you some time and put our strategies too the test

[MOBAJOBG]

Thanks for the pointers, I'll try my best to apply it.

[Me-Da-MiNoRiTY]

And not 1 on 1's aye????

[clulow]

I'm getting really frustrated with a "strategy" I keep seeing in this game.

Game type: Feudal Empire - Flat Rate, No fog of war.

Problem - The guy next to me immediately goes to our border and just piles his armies there every single round. His turn goes like this: Begin turn, place armies on border, fortify border with castle guys, end turn. So now my only choice is to sit on my side of the border and do the same damn thing so he won't attack me. This goes on for several rounds until eventually we both have like 60-70 armies sitting there. In the meantime, everyone else is out getting territory and getting stronger. This continues until one of the other guys becomes super strong, we have no chance of stopping him, and he wins.

WTF is the point of this? I suppose the hope is that I'll eventually remove my defense and he can march in. Thats fine, but after 7-9 rounds it should be obvious that I'm not that stupid. Plus, after a while can't he see what is going on in the rest of the game? I'd rather sit there the whole game than let one of those lazy bastards win.

It is so damn boring to wait all day to log in just to have to add to my defense knowing that we will both lose the game. I do admit that it is nice when the guy who does this is next to someone else. Then I know that there are two less players to worry about.

[roadwarrior]

I recommend playing feudal in the fog. Try that and see if this is better.

[t-o-m]

Game type: Feudal Empire - Flat Rate, No fog of war.

generally people tend to call the map "feudal war" not feudal empire.

[Snorri1234]

Awesome strategy!

[jrf2c]

How do you win? I just finished a trun where I now control all 6 castles yet the game is still going on. I was under the impression that to win, you had to simply control all castles, not necessarily eliminate the other players.

I was under this impression because clear as day across the top of the damn map it says "Victory is gained by conquering all castles".

Well, you can't lose now, can you?

I can and I will - another player has 53 armies on one spot and is about to cash for another 45 or so armies and then he will inflict alot of pain. In fact I'm probabbly gonna lose because I deployed and attacked in a manner specifically to grab the 6 castles.

It's not enough to just take all the castles - you have to hold them until the beginning of your next turn. I accidentaly won a two player game this way when I couldn't find my opponent's final army.

2008-05-29 12:03:16 - jrf2c held the Unite the Land objective
2008-05-29 12:03:16 - jrf2c won the game

[gdeangel]

personally i agree, RoM and rebel are tougher than the others. but the disadvantage really isnt that significant. if you play it well, you shouldn't have a problem

Beg to differ - Imperial is by far the worst. That's all I'll say on the topic.

By the way, when you revamp this map, make sure you change the numbers so that there aren't two "6's" bordering the same '5' for example.

[Me-Da-MiNoRiTY]

nobody likes my guide =(

[gdeangel]

This guide is really good. I would only say that in a 1v1 situation, you need to tailor the strategy heavily to the starting position, and also some of your assertions about numbers of troops, etc. will break down.

[t-o-m]

nobody likes my guide =(

i like your guide, wanna dubs?

[Kemmler]

This guide is really good. I would only say that in a 1v1 situation, you need to tailor the strategy heavily to the starting position, and also some of your assertions about numbers of troops, etc. will break down.

I could write about 1v1s... + got a saved message from Torter of Worlds, the expert

[t-o-m]

i think that a game is too complicated to teach, you need experience, you need to know what they're doing and when, work things out - you need to experience it, you cant just read it then be an expert.

[Haywood Jablomie]

good job bro...wanna dub sometime?

[daydream]

saddly i didnt have enough time to reaf it all, but this thread certainly has my interest, since i have played over 400 feudal games and also because i have written a tutorial myself (funny how pluto talkes about "his" strategy, after having told me how my tut works out so great for him). I have been intending to rewrite mine, since my playing has changed somewhat since then, but haven't found the time yet. when i do, i will be sure to post here for comparison. Mine is, however, for sunny feudals (with some adaption you can play it foggy of course too...), and originally intended for 1vs1 play.
I know the OP is a good feudal player, played him on his settings once, although i have to admit it left a very bad taste with me after that trick you pulled. So even though i didnt read it all, if you are new to feudal, i seriously recommend reading and trying this. it should help you.

[Army of Achilles]

I'd like to see your guide Daydream

Strategy varies quite a bit based on the fort settings and if it is singles vs. doubles or triples. Foggy or sunny also changes strategy. I don't like the map very much for triples but think it is excellent for singles and very good for doubles.