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The Watchfire Controversy

DeletedUser26120

Huge waste of space imo, you're clearly an active player and it would be difficult to plunder you even if your defense was zero.

There's so many more things you could be doing with your city if you got rid of all the stuff that's giving you that much def.

But in AF/OF I suppose there's nothing to do but sit around so I guess it works.
 
ITown

ITown

Well-Known Member
iAmArtemis said:
I completely get that defense is a personal choice. There are obviously variables at play that will prevent us from foretelling any particular player's future circumstances based on their decision to opt in/out of a city defense. Are there any players still around from the game's beginning in 2011? I ask because it seems to me that people that have been playing a long time could really provide some insight into whether mounting a meaningful defense was worth the space they gave up. Likewise it would be great to hear from players that chose to use little to no defense and how that turned out for them long term. Does anyone in retrospect wish they had done it differently or maybe you had to change your decision later? I'm just wondering if a 4-5 year window of time could provide a broad enough sampling that one could arrive at a consensus one way or the other. Possible? I do no know.
Click to expand...
I've played since open beta began (before the us server opened) back in april 2012.

First of all, watchfires didn't even exist until Easter of 2013. Same with rogues.

To answer your question, in later ages watchfires are pretty irrelevant. I can clear 400% boosted defenses that are one age above me and only lose a couple units.

In the later ages, the only way to stop neighbors from attacking you is to either max out deal + sbc + have 100+ watchfires... or just collect on time and choose defenses that counter the attacker's units.

I did build the two defense GBs, have them at level 5 and 6. I basically stopped leveling them a couple years back. I only have a handful of other defense structures, i.e. tigers dens and a couple watchfires for a total defense boost of about 33/70.

It's very rare for me to get attacked, but when I do get hit, my defenders kill anywhere from 0 to 8 units, depending on what the attacker uses.

My personal feeling is that the defense GBs weren't worth building, but since I did build them, I'll keep them around to level when I'm bored.
 

DeletedUser26154

ITown said:
In the later ages, the only way to stop neighbors from attacking you is to either max out deal + sbc + have 100+ watchfires... or just collect on time and choose defenses that counter the attacker's units.
Click to expand...

I'm getting there.

my sbc.png im getting there.png

Are Watchfires a great deterrent and make plunderers look for easier targets?
Absolutely.

When you see one hundred Watchfires in a city, are you going to think, "Easy Target"?

No.

You look elsewhere for an easier target.
When you are at this point, just about everyone else in your hood is an easier target.

ITown said:
just collect on time
Click to expand...

ITown tells you the Honest Truth about the Best Defense in the world.
Collect on time.

obey.png

It's better than One Thousand Watchfires.
 
ITown

ITown

Well-Known Member
ardak kumerin said:
I'm getting there.

View attachment 3312 View attachment 3313

Are Watchfires a great deterrent and make plunderers look for easier targets?
Absolutely.

When you see one hundred Watchfires in a city, are you going to think, "Easy Target"?

No.

You look elsewhere for an easier target.
When you are at this point, just about everyone else in your hood is an easier target.



ITown tells you the Honest Truth about the Best Defense in the world.
Collect on time.

View attachment 3314

It's better than One Thousand Watchfires.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but throwing away a 13x13 space in your city to "deter" people from attacking you is not a sensible thing to do, in my opinion. You can build two alcatrazes in that space and still have some leftover room.
 

DeletedUser26660

I deleted my Deal and StBC and used some of the recovered space for other things like the new Cherry Blossom buildings which give attack and defense boosts and some space for more watchfires and ritual flames. My defense is in the high 400s. I may have lost some retaliatory attack power by deleting Deal and StBC but the increase I have in defense offsets this I feel. The visual deterrent as mentioned of seeing 100+ watchfires is also worth a lot. Finally having the right combination of defense troops also pays dividends, if you have for example MG Teams they deliver retaliatory attacks if enemy is within certain range so they are worth having in your city defense team.
 

DeletedUser26154

ITown said:
eah, but throwing away a 13x13 space in your city to "deter" people from attacking you is not a sensible thing to do, in my opinion. You can build two alcatrazes in that space and still have some leftover room.
Click to expand...

You are right.
It is a lot of space.
Though it's mostly dead space.
Gaps one little square wide.
Not a lot I can fit in there.
So Watchfires work for me.

jaelis said:
But ardak that is a wretched defending army. Do you just post it here to mislead attackers?
Click to expand...

Yes.

0725001932e80fce241ccd517bd6d498.png

Because...

1 he thought.png 2.png

It works.

Especially when they try for Tower Points.
Someone brought Modern Era Units against my Contemporary Era city.
And yes, I rotate my defenders after every visit.
 

DeletedUser26120

Victory Towers would benefit you more than watchfires. :)

Even if you've already finished all expansions, medals are still valuable for all ages gvg.
 

DeletedUser26154

Dursland said:
Victory Towers would benefit you more than watchfires.
Click to expand...

This is true.
99.9% of the time, my Watchfires sit there, looking pretty.
But produce nothing.

vt.png

I thought about it but for some reason I like Watchfires more.
 

DeletedUser26120

I made the leap today and deleted my monastery. I'll remove the remaining flames and watchfires once I get something to replace 'em with.

Have been raiding this hood for over 2 weeks now on a near-daily basis and hardly ever get hit back and when I do, they don't get to plunder.
 

DeletedUser

Victory Towers are a huge waste of space for me as I don't do GvG, and their 7 day cycle combined with their relatively low medal production doesn't justify taking up the space. I'd rather do current age decos in those 1x1 spaces and give my friends/guildies/hoodies something to polish.
 

DeletedUser11463

All very interesting points here. Much depends on hood and even world you are in. Some worlds seem to be more fighters than others. I keep a mix of some watchfires and deal/St. Basil. Although the occasional person does get through, many don't plunder anyway. Also, it seems that less people that do attack my city come back more than once or twice. I'm around 250 defense, with 33 attack. I think anything over 200 is a deterrent but will never stop a dedicated fighter. But I'm in the same thought process as others here. It's the same reason people put up beware dog or alarm here signs. People will go where the pickings are easier.
 

DeletedUser26120

You may not gvg but your guild does. Way to be a team player there longshanks.
 
Mustapha00

Mustapha00

Well-Known Member
Dursland said:
I just beat someone with 244% defense without losing a single man (cos of hide in forest ability mostly).

How useful were his watchfires/flames then? : )

Massive waste of space I say.
Click to expand...

You're taking advantage of the AI, which is smart. Very smart, in fact.

But you won't always have Stealth/Camo units of your current Age, so the player's DEF boost will count. While you do, however...enjoy...and profit.
 
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