Toward more efficient warfare - HELP!

[-Jrabbit]

I'm a regular but only occasional player of MP (about one game every two weeks on average, more when I can). I'm slooowwly getting better, but sadly, that applies to my game mechanics as well as my playing ability.

I'm especially slow in battle (as several here will no doubt attest). I'm posting this to ask the Poly Brain to spill forth specific thoughts about the organization of SODs -- how to set things up so that attacks on cities go more smoothly and efficiently and I don't eat up too much clock.

Let's look at the catapult-era assault, which is pretty basic to the one-night MPs I play in (rah games). I do know how to group my cats etc, and generally try to have the melee units etc together as a second clump. After the walls are down and the collateral is dealt, it's this group I'm slow with in my attacks. My tendency is to attack with specific individual units at that point - guys I want more promotions for, unit type matchups, etc. Is that smart, or too much micromanaging?

Clearly, this is a problem area in terms of time. At what point do you just throw the whole stack and not worry about it? Or do you group by type (axes, spears, chariots) when attacking? Is there a shortcut for that?

Is there a way to not spend half a turn on promotions after the battle? I seem to spend a lot of time ungrouping units so I can assign them as appropriate to the individual unit.

What other little techniques am I missing? I'm sure there are a few keyboard shortcuts that are second-nature to most players, that I just don't know. (See, I don't have the game on my home comp; I borrow one when I play.)

I feel like I'm clicking as fast as the connection will allow -- but I'm clearly slower than most other players. I don't like to hold things up -- hell, it makes me a target!

I'm looking for specifics here. So what am I missing?

[OzzyKP]

Good questions. I'm not the most efficient in MP combat either. I still haven't adjusted to the fastest finger thing of simul-combat.

[-Jrabbit]

Anyone?

[colonelmustard]

I'm not an MP warfare expert, so please take this for the expertise already stated, but stack attack will take the best odds for the offensive and defensive players both, in almost all cases. I usually keep three groups in my stack: siege, double movers, and the rest. Ever click your units and choose a knight only to see the defensive unit change from a fortified longbow to a pike? This is the game taking the best odds for the defensive player based on your choice.

The case where the odds may be technically better, but you may not be as impressed with the results is when you have drastically mismatched units from different eras. If you roll up on someone with old units and you have a stack of WEs, you could actually do better if you whacked them with a few catas first, but the stack attack may not hit with the catas first because the odds are favorable, even if not as favorable as you'd like. This is why I travel with a separate stack of siege weapons - just to make sure.

Happy hunting.

[Robert]

control-click on a unit and all units of that type in the stack that still have movement-points are selected.
alt-click on a unit in a stack selects all units

select a group of units and press control-# (# = nr 0-9) and then press # again to see that group immediately to be selected and the map to be focussed.

Thus if you really want to be the first after the turn has moved, first select minimize pop-ups from the options menu, then make the groups and assign them control 0-9.
When the turn continues press 1 and attack, 2 and attack, 3 and attack, etc. etc.

[-Jrabbit]

Thanks guys. More welcome...

[rah]

If you hit with enough cats, It doesn't matter, you can just attack with everything else.

I'll usually pre group my units by type. Select the type I'm attacking with an deselect any unit too damaged or ones i don't want to risk until the dreg defenders are left.

Practicing all the shortcuts is usually all you need to do to speed things up. After my mini groups have attacked, I have the time to make a couple of individual attacks. I just minimize how many of them I do.

Yes, to speed it up you risk a few unit more than you might lose if you individually attack with each unit but if you run out of time you're probably risking more units.

[Cpt.Marrvelous]

I believe what your asking is, how do I select 5 axes out of a group of ten axes, when the other 5 are hurt?

Hold shift, for every unit you select it will be added to your unit que. So if you want to hit with the 5 fully healed axes, hold shift, quickly select the 5 axes and then assign them a number... much as was posted by Robert.

select a group of units and press control-# (# = nr 0-9) and then press # again to see that group immediately to be selected and the map to be focussed.

Now everytime you press #1 you will select your five axes. I don't ussually bother with the numbers, I select all or I select them in units.

Example, I have a stack of 30 Horse Archers, I want to split two cities. I shift click 15 Horse archers and move to the south city, kill it. Then I select all the rest easily enough and hit the top city.

I go to options, (Control O) and I turn on units auto promote if it looks like I might be facing a counter attack and need fast promotions. Otherwise, I shift click the units I want promoted shock, the units I want to give vision to, or the units I want to give double barrage. After I quickly pick out the specialists in my army, I select all and just give them the promotions I want to have. Obviously your horse cannot get city defense promos and only your archers can. If that promotion is available to your entire stack, you already know only your archers will get it. It can be a little time consuming, but armed with the shift key, and the other tips here, you will be a gun slinging war machine in no time.