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Post by Angry Sheepdog on Feb 16, 2007 16:19:13 GMT -5
We all know that in Imp action games almost everyone chooses England. I was just playing a game where there were also 2 Chinas, me and the enemy. I did the typical "keep making civs and army until you have 10x more units than he does" method and so did he. My ally was a noob and died early, so that was about all I could do. When I decided to attack him, I used mainly China's puny gun inf and he attacked back with cavalry. So I started making spears, and I made a lot. This guy knew how to play China, cause when I attacked, his Taoist Sorcerers froze my spears and he killed them off easy. Then his ally came over with a bunch of everything and killed me  I want to hear what other methods you guys have of using Taoist Sorcerers. The volcanoes are useful if you can get a couple of them next to his army / buildings. All strategies involving Taoist Sorcerers are appreciated  ! |
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Post by GoSailing on Feb 16, 2007 21:48:15 GMT -5
Thats quoted from me in Two Swords Inn at EH. The priests can be used in totally serious competitive strats as well, though. I generally take 5-10 of them with me in mid-late game battles. They heal units which is great, and they are useful for retreating by petrifying enemies, or creating a volcano behind your army. They are even better for stopping an enemy retreat by doing the same things. Also let it be noted that petrification+siege=ownage.
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Post by Angry Sheepdog on Feb 17, 2007 20:32:19 GMT -5
Yes, they are particularly effective that they can make a volcano and then petrify the enemy units, then heal the wounded as you retreat. They are good against England because you can make a volcano that kills the slow-moving and weak cannons or petrifying the horses. I have never looked at how these techniques could be used in a combo, previously it never hit me because most other units can only do 1 special thing, except a few other religion units.
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Post by GoSailing on Feb 19, 2007 15:16:54 GMT -5
Well another overlooked part about the volcanoes themselves is you can't walk past them. You can use them to block off a choke point for ~30 seconds which can be useful even if you aren't damaging the enemy. For example you are playing an evenly matched oponent (doesn't matter which civ) and you are at a stand off between a bunch of trees or some unpathable object. You can set up a trap with canons and cav and the chinese researches. The problem with the trap is that there are often other ways around. That, however, is when the priests come in. You can make a cano right in the pathway and the person will find another way thinking he dodged a bullet. Then you can block the path behind him with cano's (which also will damage him if you do it closely) and hes SOL.
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Post by Angry Sheepdog on Feb 21, 2007 8:16:49 GMT -5
I just realized that you can make volcanoes in the water. you could give them the distance bonus and they could block/damage the enemy navy while you send troop ships to cross over onto his island. Of course this only works with smaller maps. Also, in the rivers map, you could make one right in the middle of the enemy army when they are crossing and therefore only have to fight 1/2 of his army at a time. This would give you an advantage.
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Post by GoSailing on Feb 21, 2007 10:23:10 GMT -5
Exactly. The real great thing about the volcanoes is the ability to force somebody to go somewhere or to seperate him. I actually had not tried using a volcano in deep water (I knew shallow worked but never thought of using it in the ocean), but I always put sight on my priests if I have more than 3 or 4. If I have less then I put sight on siege, but the siege benefits enough from extra power that sight on priests is worth it. Also, you don't even need to use a volcano to seperate their military. If the person isn't the best at micro and hes running thru a choke point, chances are his military will be coming in groups... Cav, then inf, then siege. Fight the cav group then petrify the infantry then after the cav are dead you kill the inf and then you can cav attack the siege and they do nothing. |
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Post by Angry Sheepdog on Feb 22, 2007 10:03:11 GMT -5
You don't need to use the volcanoes just for separating units either, we are totally forgetting about using them for killing the enemy  . You can sneak some in behind the enemy into his cities and use them to destroy them with the volcanoes. You could do some serious damage with them. You should petrify the cavalry, not the infantry as the cavalry tend to be sword-cav. Then they are easy to kill using cannons, as Chinas gun inf are generally too weak to do the job quickly and effectively, they are used more as a "human wall" to defend the cannons and preists  |
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Post by GoSailing on Feb 23, 2007 12:54:32 GMT -5
I'm not at all forgetting that volcanoes have offense strength, I was just thinking about stuff that others don't normally think about. Putting volcanoes in the enemy base (while fun and effective) is basic and doesn't need to much discussion About petrifying the cavalry, when I play, people's cav tend to be gun, not sword... but of course if they were sword cavalry you would want to petrify those since they have no range. If they are gun cav, then its pretty pointless petrifying those since they will already be in attack range. For petrifying the infantry, you would have to do it so that the inf are out of range of your units so that they are rendered useless for a couple seconds while you decimate the cavalry. |
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Post by Angry Sheepdog on Feb 24, 2007 12:55:58 GMT -5
Hmmm... I still would petrify the cavalry. Mainly because their whole purpose is speed, the reason they cost more then inf is so that they are stronger and have more speed. This is taken away when they are petrified and killed with cannons, making it useless for the enemy to have spent the resources on cavalry. I would never really use Chinese gun inf to take them out because they are incredibly weak, and would prob get killed by the enemy, I would use cannons while holding back my inf right in from of the cannons in case any get through. Enemy inf would be slow enough to kill with the cannons as the approach, I would use the sorcerers to make a volcano behind them, pushing them up to my towers. Of course this tactic wouldn't always work, but I am one of those people who gather stone for tower, some people aren't. Are you planning on killed the petrified units with gun inf or cannons or both? I'm assuming your talking about using gun inf (if you aren't then your strategy would work  ) Remember, the gun inf have a range of only 4. |
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Post by GoSailing on Feb 25, 2007 19:53:00 GMT -5
Well duh I'd use canons... I always use Chinese cannons, they are too good not to, besides the fact that Siege in general is a necessary part of any military. I don't think you understand quite what I have been saying (my fault, in all likeliness). If any enemy army comes strolling up all in a group, then I would, of course, petrify the cavalry. There are obvious advantages to petrifying cavalry over infantry, which you have said already. I'm saying that if the enemy doesn't use group speed, his army will split up into 3 groups of cavalry, infantry and siege. The cavalry would come first with the infantry maybe 10 seconds behind depending on the distance traveled. If the enemy's army comes with the military split up, petrify the infantry, splitting the cavalry from infantry (no reason to petrify the siege as it will be WAY behind). The point isn't petrifying the infantry while you kill them, its petrify them to isolate them from the cavalry while you destroy them. Cavalry alone will be easily countered and over powered since it would be only one portion of the enemy military. The principle is power in numbers, but put in reverse. Weakness without numbers. Seperate and Destroy |
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Post by Angry Sheepdog on Feb 26, 2007 7:50:17 GMT -5
Ohhhh. Now I see what you are talking about. Yes, it is probably partly my fault as I am always getting confused and not understanding what everyone says.
The Chinese have 2 canons, the weaker cheaper one and the expensive stronger one. I have found that the more expensive on works best usually when given more range and a bunch of cavalry in front, as the cavalry will go right up to the enemy and hold them back while the siege picks them off. I guess any unit could really serve this purpose. The bad thing about China is that the siege in the middle ages is horrible, so these tactic would onto work in gun/imp.
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. You can sneak some in behind the enemy into his cities and use them to destroy them with the volcanoes. You could do some serious damage with them.
) Remember, the gun inf have a range of only 4.