Request for assistance

[Saxon]

As you can see, there are as many ways to play this game as there are people. No one mentioned the Super Combatant (SC), but it is something you might want to experiment with. It does not come naturally to those of us who’s first impulse is to buy lots of heavy infantry, but that is one of the fun parts of the game.

In essence, you equip and power up one magical unit so far that it trashes armies all by itself. Many of the high level summons can be used and many people design their god to do this. They use things like life drain and regenerate to ensure they can not be killed and then give then some nasty weapons. Take it to the extreme and you get amazing results. Really, one unit that kills an entire enemy army of 100 or more. If you can get that tactic down, you will find things easier.

Sure, you can beat the AI with only normal troops, but why play Dom if you want a historical battle. Total War covers that rather well. This is a fantasy game, so play with the magic, make it the heart of your army.

[Manuk]

I can tell you my first tactics. I believe combat is rather standard.

TACTICS

Front: Heavy infantry(any cheap armored infantry) at hold & closest. If you make two groups of them few enemies will come trough since enemies are lured to engage hand to hand if they are fairly close.
Don't use light armored troops if you can afford heavy as they cost the same gold.
mages that buff your troops are welcome here.

Immediatly behind: Missile troops (maybe indy crossbowmen if you don't get longbowmen), javelineers can fit here too and then get archers a little behind.
They will soften the enemy and if they are close will hit more often.

Cavalry: If you fit cavalry or anything faster than your heavy troops (light infantry or militia or flagelants) put them on the flanks to hold and attack rear (or archers) if you are lucky they will pass the main army and hit archers but if it's a luxury type like knights put them on flank and very rear so they meet battle only to chase units that rout so few of them escape.
Example: if you get light units of an event treat them as your first flankers to aid your heavy centre and your cavalry (use heavy and never light cavalry) just to chase.

You can make this armies fairly good if you build castles on good resource provinces like mountains so most of your force is cheap armored soldiers.

using magic is a little trickier but as you conquer you can divert some gold to do it.

Oh, there's another dirty trick. Put a very armored slow troop with feew units at hold and attack rear placed on flank and very foward. They will atract missile fire and survive (with shields of course) if they are wounded better, some wounds slow them down (crippled for example) and they will never see hand to hand because your faster troops cover by the time enemy gets there.

[Manuk]

SRATEGIES

Don't start a war.
Let them do it for you. If you are in peace you can prosper and let them fight each other.

If you have 2 enemies that are next to each other let one of them conquer that region alltogether so the other will have no road into your country unless he attacks the new owner (this will eliminate one enemy without even a fight)

Every one know the cheap tactic of leaving a province without defence so you know enemy will attack that one.
Just move a good army there and kill them all.

As you play games you can foretell what the game will be so you will design your pretender better.

If you dislike magic play Pangaea with oracle (zero cost and dominion 4) and rest of your points on a cool castle (wizard tower for example) and good scales. With enough gold you can make centaurs or armored minotaurs en masse. and if you want more gold set taxes in a populated province to 200% and patrol with harpies.

[BigJMoney]

Manuk said:
I can tell you my first tactics. I believe combat is rather standard.

TACTICS

Cavalry: If you fit cavalry or anything faster than your heavy troops...

I was wondering how possible it is to use the "flight" spell to affect the troops you want it to be cast on. If I placed a mage and a group of cavalry way off in the rear, away from my other troops, do you think I could get away with setting the mage to cast flight on the cavalry and then telling them to "attack rear" with the intention of killing the mages/archers? It's hard to do specific tactics like this bcause the AI is in control.

=$=

[Wish]

you would want to script it as hols and attack rear, which gives your mage three rounds to get the flight spell right.

[Arralen]

BigJMoney said:
I was wondering how possible it is to use the "flight" spell to affect the troops you want it to be cast on. If I placed a mage and a group of cavalry way off in the rear, away from my other troops, do you think I could get away with setting the mage to cast flight on the cavalry and then telling them to "attack rear" with the intention of killing the mages/archers? It's hard to do specific tactics like this bcause the AI is in control.

Yeah .. the mage will cast flight on himself and any archers in range. Alltogether they'll fly off then towards the next enemy SC to get themselves slaughtered