Quote:
Originally Posted by Baalz
Well, sure you have to use the right tool for the job, and part of being the right tool is cost effectiveness. I'll counter your rather exaggerated example with some specific example of when deploying tactics as I suggest would be a very effective deployment.
Lets say you're Atlantis fighting against EA Oceana using dual blessed (W/S) knights of the deep. This is not an extremely contrived scenario, I think this would be a common situation facing Atlantis in the earlish game with light research. It will also clearly show that you don't have to have similar troops to benefit from these types of tactics, we'll use normal atlantis line troops - not even their sacreds. Under a "line them up and let them fight" strategy you're going to be smeared across the ocean floor.
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I don't say that will not work, but you are completely missing my point.
You're limiting yourself to a position where a good number of spells don't work and your enemy is fixed. Let's consider this from a realistic game start position - you are a land nation and your enemy could be anyone. Well, for the sake of argument let's assume you know at turn 1 who your enemy is.
Then you are still not using early magic by my definition. With that research you could get Basalt Kings with const6-gear for example. Your enemy could already have chaff clearing spells or SCs as well (ok, underwater that's not so easy, but uw is a niche).
Now, if you get into your 1st war at turn 12 you might have the numbness, but not the sharks and the friendly currents. If you are using it then you're worse of according to my tests in many equal matchup situations. Troop density certainly plays a role as does movement and placement, I assume there are situations in which naked numbness is useful. But then your enemy could have a bunch of slingers in front (fire + retreat) that take the numbness and don't care. And as long as I can somehow do a better or even slightly worse job with a bunch of extra troops than with a mage, I'd recruit the troops and focus my research on something that makes a big difference (assuming I'm not desperate for a counter to something my troops can't beat or need the biggest force I can muster).