[Question] Better to advance to HMA or level Attack GBs?

[DeletedUser40064]

I'm pretty new, but I've been LMA for a little while and getting itchy to advance to HMA (I know good to advance to next age on Tue, after GE restarts).

I have Zeus and CoA and level 6/4. Would it be best to get each of them to level 10 before advancing?

I feel like my top priority should be to handle GE3/4 more cost efficiently...

Thanks in advance.

 

[Godly Luke]

LMA for a little while and getting itchy to advance to HMA

That is not possible; I think you may have it backwards. lol

And to answer the question, yes, do not make the same mistake I did in the Middle ages.

 

[DeletedUser40064]

Ooops, yes I actually meant EMA to HMA (and no, I haven't managed to develop the time warp plugin for FoE...)

Thanks!

 

[DeletedUser29726]

With a few exceptions, unless you plan to camp for a prolonged period you probably shouldn't expect to fight most of GE4. It's meant to be a challenge to those well beyond the normal level of progression for the age. GE3 is meant to be a challenge to people at a normal level of progression for the age (and you have plenty of boost to handle that until at least colonial or industrial age).

That's not to say you should stop leveling your GBs - but if you feel like you want to move up and don't have a strong reason not to, it's not going to hurt you much and might convey benefits as well.

 

[DreadfulCadillac]

as long as you camp in hma for as long as i did(half a year) im happy!XD

 

[Godly Luke]

(and no, I haven't managed to develop the time warp plugin for FoE...)

Plugins aren't allowed on FOE servers.

 

[DeletedUser40064]

With a few exceptions, unless you plan to camp for a prolonged period you probably shouldn't expect to fight most of GE4. It's meant to be a challenge to those well beyond the normal level of progression for the age. GE3 is meant to be a challenge to people at a normal level of progression for the age (and you have plenty of boost to handle that until at least colonial or industrial age).

That's not to say you should stop leveling your GBs - but if you feel like you want to move up and don't have a strong reason not to, it's not going to hurt you much and might convey benefits as well.

Makes sense.

But last GE I got through the end of GE2, all of GE3 and made a dent in GE4 with negotiation. It was expensive in terms of goods, and I spent a handful of diamonds at the end when I ran out of certain goods. Plus ~6k tavern points for the extra turns (which I would've preferred to spend on Tavern build out).

I think it was worth it, but I think I should probably prioritize getting through GE3 by fighting. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to moving into the next age.

 

[Snarko]

Do you have enough rogues to keep fighting with 1 unit 7 rogues? If you do then 40% bonus can be enough to beat all of GE in HMA except one encounter without losing units. That said I don't recommend trying unless you have 60%+ combat bonus. If it's only ~40% you have to reset some maps until you get favorable terrain or lucky with the damage.

The advantage of HMA is the power of the trebuchet. Since it's at the end of the tech tree, where you shouldn't go if you'll be camping a long time, you'll need to get them from GE first. I would recommend stockpiling goods for a couple weeks of negotiating GE before you move to HMA.

My logic for choosing unit in HMA was this:
Does the enemy have siege units?
- If not use 1 heavy infantry 7 rogues. Can autobattle most encounters.
- If yes can 1 trebuchet 7 rogues kill/hurt enough enemies before they reach my units?
-- If yes use 1 trebuchet 7 rogues. Can rarely autobattle.
-- If not use 1 champion 7 rogues. Generally shouldn't autobattle if you can't afford to lose units. If you do autobattle you should generally skip the champions turn first.


The two most important factors for advancing in GE by fighting is rogues and time. If you have enough rogues and enough time to micro your units around then you can come far in GE even without combat bonus. In the lower ages you mainly need combat bonus to clear GE 4.

The AI is predictable so if you watch it you can learn to predict every move it makes. This means you can often know if the battle is winnable before your units have even taken damage. It also means that the same strategies can be applied to the same encounters over and over, only needing to change occasionally due to terrain.

 

[DeletedUser40064]

...
-- If not use 1 champion 7 rogues. Generally shouldn't autobattle if you can't afford to lose units. If you do autobattle you should generally skip the champions turn first.

Snarko, this is a really great reply and a real eye opener. Very helpful for a noob like me to take it step by step like that.

I'm finally starting to understand how rogues work and why they're great. I don't have 7 rogues yet, but I've got 2 hideouts, have bought the training slots (sounds like it's worth the diamonds).

One question though: why the champion? I thought champions only got their bonus when there's only one of them in the army. So don't you lose the bonus when rogues become champions?

Also, are you using any unattached units (champion or otherwise)?

I've been trying to avoid that as then I always hate the choice of spending diamonds for resurrection or losing them forever...

 

[DeletedUser29726]

Snarko, this is a really great reply and a real eye opener. Very helpful for a noob like me to take it step by step like that.

I'm finally starting to understand how rogues work and why they're great. I don't have 7 rogues yet, but I've got 2 hideouts, have bought the training slots (sounds like it's worth the diamonds).

One question though: why the champion? I thought champions only got their bonus when there's only one of them in the army. So don't you lose the bonus when rogues become champions?

Also, are you using any unattached units (champion or otherwise)?

I've been trying to avoid that as then I always hate the choice of spending diamonds for resurrection or losing them forever...

It depends on the age. For the first many ages a champion is basically just a fast unit - and people use them (if they do) because the barracks is small and only takes 1 population and then they use the Traz to make more of them (because the traz can make any unit you currently have a barracks for). The stat boost for having only 1 or to every other unit for it dying is not typically a big factor.

Starting in PME the champion becomes a unique unit.
PME - Fast stats, but counts as a heavy which makes it an all-rounder
CE - Heavy, but with higher stats than the assault tank. If you have enough boost that the champion takes 4 or less damage, then it's better than the assault tank.
TE - Heavy, without the stealth that the natural heavy has. BUT - higher stats, higher movement, higher range which suits it well to fighting everything in the age pretty much. The from-map auto button kinda replaced it as the main GvG unit because its higher movement means you have to hold it back before you auto where stealth tanks you might lose more units but you don't have to hold them back so STs are much faster to GvG with now.
FE - Heavy, with high stats and no stealth again. Given that most units in the age don't care about stealth (two see through it, 1 has range 1), it used to be an improvement over a hover tank within the age often. BUT after reactive armor being replaced with force field, I think I'd mostly prefer hover tanks now even within the age.
AF-VF - Useless piece of crap. Special abilities become more and more important, and champs have none of note. They also curbed back the 'higher stats instead of abilities' aspect that existed from CE to FE. Now they just have similar stats to the heavy, but still no abilities.

 

[DeletedUser40064]

More enlightenment! Gotta say, I'm loving this forum.

 

[Mustapha00]

If you plan to fight in this game, pretty much whatever the venue (GE, other players, Continent Map- whatever), it's never a bad idea to level your offensive GBs. Take Zeus, Aachen and del Monte all to 10 as soon as you can.

Also, I cannot- cannot- overemphasize the importance of Alcatraz. Getting free units each day- like the Rogues and Champions mentioned above- makes things much, Much, MUCH easier on your fighting progress. If you're in a good Guild, chances are that someone will spot you the higher Age goods you need for free or for minimal FP.

 

[Snarko]

Snarko, this is a really great reply and a real eye opener. Very helpful for a noob like me to take it step by step like that.

I'm finally starting to understand how rogues work and why they're great. I don't have 7 rogues yet, but I've got 2 hideouts, have bought the training slots (sounds like it's worth the diamonds).

One question though: why the champion? I thought champions only got their bonus when there's only one of them in the army. So don't you lose the bonus when rogues become champions?

Also, are you using any unattached units (champion or otherwise)?

I've been trying to avoid that as then I always hate the choice of spending diamonds for resurrection or losing them forever...

I don't lose units. That's how I solve the problem. I don't have barracks or alcatraz.
Now that I have Himeji Castle I can afford to lose the occasional rogue and I don't mind losing the occasional standard unit, they get replaced in GE anyway, but I don't lose champions.

The HMA champion has higher stats than the normal fast unit. That's why it's better. See the wiki.