Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

...Does one get a benefit when attacking from 2 or more provinces into a single enemy province?

I know it's probably in the manual..but tonight is Friday. I play, not read (much) heh

Thanks for any help

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

The only advantage is that you might be able to catch an enemy army coming from the attacked province if you're moving FROM the province that they're moving TO, and have the whole combat occur in the attacked province, rather than chasing the enemy around your back provinces.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

True. jfp3, don't overlook the fact that you could split your army accidentally. If I'm in Washington and Idaho and my enemy is in Oregon, and I try to move both my armies into Oregon to attack him, it's possible that I will take Oregon's PD with my Idaho army while he slaughters my Washington army in Washington (if he tried to move into Washington).

When two armies try to move directly at each other, it's semi-random which province they actually end up in. In my example, if I were unsure whether half my army could defeat him by itself it would have been safer to move the Idaho army to Washington first and then attack both from the same province simultaneously.

On the other hand, sometimes it doesn't hurt to try to "block" his movement by moving a lone scout or something straight at the enemy province (set to Retreat if a battle does occur). Usually won't work but sometimes does.

-Max

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Ok Great info guys. I'm pretty much just stomping Indies right now, and I'm assuming that they will never attack out of their provinces.

Since I wrote the first post though, I have finally come across my first non-indy enemy. His province is undefended, but may have a PD force. The plot thickens.

I also wonder how I may "up the resources" in some provinces where I like the recruits. I don't know who (which unit type, I'm playing "Man" Middle Age) to move to a now "border" province to start buiding a new Castle. I understand this will increase income/resources from surrounding territories and enable me to start building some heavier units which I'm sure to need soon.

Again...bless the Friday Nighters who're stuck at home for some reason and able to answer a greatful Newbies queries. Can't be Dominions alone can it? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

You can often build an indy commander in the province in question and have HIM build your castle instead of one of your nationals. Won't work if the indy commander in that province is a shaman or something (needs a temple and/or lab), but you can probably find an indy province somewhere close that does offer cheap commanders.

-Max

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

No--the castle increases the available resources in the province you put it in at the expense of the provinces around. Neither the total income nor the total resources are affected.

The only way to affect the total is what scales you chose when you started the game.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Thanks Max...I must say this is brilliant so far and I'm only scratching the surface. Thanks for indulging me tonight as I can only get myself to the manual during small breaks (and they won't be many tonight :-)

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Is a "Fortified City" something one progresses to from let's say a "Hill Fortress"?

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

No.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

> No--the castle increases the available resources in the province you put it in at
> the expense of the provinces around. Neither the total income nor the total
> resources are affected.
>
> The only way to affect the total is what scales you chose when you started the
> game.

This is absolutely not true.

Building a castle will increase the income of the targeted province, without
affecting the income of the surrounding provinces.

As for resources, not only does the castle increase the resources from the
targeted province, it also brings in resources that were previously not
present in the surrounding provinces. Now, when you have more than one
castle drawing from one province, things get trickier, and you can (will)
reduce the resources in the uncastled provinces.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

A fort does not bring resources to surrounding provinces, it takes a percentage of resources from surrounding provinces based on its Admin rating. It DOES propagate supplies to neighbors however. Big differece.

And it usually takes more than 1 fort to take half or more of the resources from a neighboring province to the point where it starts reducing available resources for building in that province, unless one is a capital.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

More great info. I still wonder though, is my starting "Fortified City" the only one of it's kind I will have in the game unless I capture from another player?

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

> I still wonder though, is my starting "Fortified City" the only one of it's kind
> I will have in the game

This depends on your nation. Some nations build a lot of fortified cities. Some
cannot. Some players, and I am of their number, think that the high admin forts
are actually a pain in the ***, and wish that they could build the cheapest fort
in the game in every province.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

To elaborate: in the manual, it says which fort types your nation builds in which kinds of terrain. (When there are multiple terrains, forest is preferred over mountain. I'm not sure about the order of the others.) Fortified City is usually a plains/farmland city for most nations that have it, while Hill Fortress is usually in the mountains. Hill Fortress gives better defense and is cheaper but boosts income less (doesn't matter much) and collects less resources from surrounding provinces (but that's usually offset by the hill fortress province itself having more resources). I like Hill Fortresses better in most ways.

-Max

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Pages 41-42 of the manual explain fortress resource collection in detail.

When a fort is built, provinces produce double the resources they produces before the fort. The resources collected from the neighbouring provinces are first collected from the potential resources the province would have if it was castled, so 50% of a province that has 13 resources is 50% of 26 resources, or 13. Manual has pictures and other things and explains what happens with two adjacent castles.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Yes it's explained very well in the book. Hey, it's Saturday morning, going to read a bit of it before plunging back into play. Glad I didn't have the Coins to build one last night. I would have inevitably built in the wrong province before reading this.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Can anyone explain "Supply" in a couple of simple sentences? The deeper I get into my game (@30 provinces so far on the 480 province map), the more boggling this is becoming really.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Also...can I leader start a building (Fort)and then move on next turn or must he stay for the entire building process? If he moves on, and the construction halted, does the Coin get returned to the pool?

Perhaps I should break these questions into new separate threads...if so let me know.

Guys you are great for helping this Newbie get into what must be one of the best Strategy games I've ever bought. And I started in '90 or so~~~ ;-)

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Supply: Most units in the game require 1 or more supplies depending on their size and/or special traits(gluttony). Some units don´t eat supplies (like magigal/constructs/undead) while some eats a lot even though they don´t need to(some demons and magic summons) which is only a problem if they are mixed with units that eat.

If the units in a province needs more supplies than is provided there they will begin to starve. This lowers their morale and may lead to diseases killing your troops. AFAIK commanders never starve. Nature mages, some units and a few items produces supplies which can make the army feed itself. Necessary when fighting a war against for example LA Ermor.

A fort one commander has started building can be overtaken/continued by another as long as you do not the province in between. So the commander if your invading army can start building a fort while you are recruiting an indy commander who can overtake the construction when your leader needs to move on or build something else. You cannot get your money back once they are spent.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Excellent words Ylvali, thanks. I have a huge force coming at me at like 4-1 odds, but they are mostly Missile units. I'm looking forward to the next turn (30 mins or so to answer). I've implemented a +30 PD, and have units incoming at the same time (assuming they will attack this turn). On his flank about 3 provinces away come 2 large forces of mine unhindered. I wonder if the enemy will divert? At this point his fate is sealed (I think), but the play out of his death-throes is the kind of gaming that we live for~~~ This battle at 3-1 is in a "pass" and I can't help but think of the movie "300".

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Archers are among the best basic units in the game. Don´t underestimate them. Especially if your troops have low protection and/or no shields. When facing missile troops always put a decoy of a few expandable shield bearers (like 4 or 5) in the front and then the enemy will waste his first volleys of arrows on them.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

Unless they like, script them or something.

Re: Newbie Question: Attack Benefit
 

My Archers set to hit his, massacred them. While my Heavy Inf sat back for a turn or 2 -- I still worry on the friendly fire they took. Does this become a larger factor in "huge" battles? Would like to know before I hit something bigger than this one. Thanks.