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Monday, July 24, 2006
Travian Journal - 24-July-2006
I learned a lot more about warfare in Travian. Up to now I'm coming out ahead of the competition, but the system is not a very pleasant one. It all started by me wanting to know more about the other players around me, and pushing my tech tree far ahead to develop cavalry scouts, of which I'm apparently the only one in the vicinity owning any. When you send out a single scout on an "attack", you instead get the option to either scout an enemies defense fortifications or his resources, and in both cases you see his number of troops.
So I'm scouting out everybody around me and notice that my neighbor is preparing for war. I had 20 legionnaires, cheap allround troops to defend myself and do raids on inactive villages. My neighbor, whose village has half my size, was building up troops to a level of 50 legionnaires. At that point I realized the flaw in the Travian system: You can hide your resources in crannies, so nobody can steal them. But hiding troops is a lot more difficult, you would have to send them as "reinforcements" to the village of alliance partner. So if my neighbors 50 legionnaires attack my 20, he could start repeatedly attacking me, and it would be impossible for me to build up an army.
So I first build 20 praetorians, specialized defence troops. But then I thought that attack is the best defence, and build 30 imperians, specialized attack troops. I sent another scout to my neighbor when my troops were ready, and got lucky: My neighbor had obviously just attacked somebody else, and lost some troops, he was down to 30 legionnaires, but building more. So I hit him with all I got. I lost about a quarter of my troops, but completely eliminated all his troops. And since then I attack him every couple of hours, so he can't build up an army bigger than mine. It's a cruel game.
The map of Travian has changed, because inactive villages disappear after a while. So there are less and less inactive targets to raid. Having to attack an active player instead was just a question of time. And sooner or later somebody with a bigger army than mine will come and more or less kick me out of the game, turning me into a "farm". I'm not really in favor of games where it takes months to build something up, and then you can get everything destroyed in a single attack.
- posted by Tobold @ 8:05 AM Permanent Link
Comments:
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Pre-emptive strike - awesome! :) I'd think you'd enjoy PvP in WoW more...
Yeah, it's a tough balance between the hardcore and newbies. Or maybe it's the balance between what players want in a game (each person wants to be a winner) vs. the cold hard reality of a Darwinian system.
Yeah, it's a tough balance between the hardcore and newbies. Or maybe it's the balance between what players want in a game (each person wants to be a winner) vs. the cold hard reality of a Darwinian system.
Have you considered joining an alliance? they offer protection and community in the game, which is definitely a bonus.
i've been playing for a couple months now, and i'm totally addicted. i play on both servers 1 & 6. so! maybe we're neighbors!
i just found your blog today about Travian - it's amusing to read and compare strategies!
i've been playing for a couple months now, and i'm totally addicted. i play on both servers 1 & 6. so! maybe we're neighbors!
i just found your blog today about Travian - it's amusing to read and compare strategies!
# posted by 
: 24/7/06 23:36
: 24/7/06 23:36
I'm pretty new to the game, but one obvious way to build up is to tech up ur crannies to a high level, and build 2-3 crannies to protect resources. With respect to your troops, every time you see someone attacking, or everytime you will be logged off for an extended period of time, send your troops far off to raid a small village or even an oasis. (e.g., if you will be logged off for 11 hours, send your troops 5.5 hours away). In this way, you can continue to build up troops and resources until you feel strong enough to take someone on.
# posted by : 7/3/07 18:40
: 7/3/07 18:40
"My neighbor had obviously just attacked somebody else, and lost some troops, he was down to 30 legionnaires, but building more."
This reasoning is flawed - it is perfectly viable to have an army of 50 and send them out in squads of 10 to raid. That way if your raid comes back empty, you do not have the time wasted of waiting to send to another farm.
This diversification farming is a technique I apply even to my towns over 400 pop.
So although he had 30 when you scouted, the 20 could have been returning from a raid, and could have turned around to attack you after being hit. This counterstrike could have neutralized your army, and possibly, permitted your opponent to come out on top.
The point is - just because you scout twice and see a reduction does not mean that differential force has been destroyed, as you asserted.
This reasoning is flawed - it is perfectly viable to have an army of 50 and send them out in squads of 10 to raid. That way if your raid comes back empty, you do not have the time wasted of waiting to send to another farm.
This diversification farming is a technique I apply even to my towns over 400 pop.
So although he had 30 when you scouted, the 20 could have been returning from a raid, and could have turned around to attack you after being hit. This counterstrike could have neutralized your army, and possibly, permitted your opponent to come out on top.
The point is - just because you scout twice and see a reduction does not mean that differential force has been destroyed, as you asserted.
# posted by : 19/9/07 18:46
: 19/9/07 18:46
It is really well done to be honest, As a gaul with the highest pop for 16 squares in any direction, in the strongest alliance with alot of rl friends close by I have only been attacked once, and that guy had twice my pop at the time, We broke even in the battle and then his village was catapulted to dust, his pop was 7 then we exchanged words and a few days later he had gone.
Just don't totally piss anyone off enough to get them to use catas to break your stuff to pieces and you will be fine, I have a small raiding army with hero but it is all I need to keep the surrounding players at a lower pop than me. the grow slower becasue I keep them under my thumb and they know not to touch a member of the alliance I am in. I made 2 friends outside the alliance, both of them close to me. I attack their alliance members but they know I will not attack them, I support them with resources and defence troops, I attack their enemies.
It's all about how you play the game. Teutons swarm, Gauls build up slowly then smash and romans are just boring.
I don't plan on being the best, I started too late. What I will be is the best I can be.
Just don't totally piss anyone off enough to get them to use catas to break your stuff to pieces and you will be fine, I have a small raiding army with hero but it is all I need to keep the surrounding players at a lower pop than me. the grow slower becasue I keep them under my thumb and they know not to touch a member of the alliance I am in. I made 2 friends outside the alliance, both of them close to me. I attack their alliance members but they know I will not attack them, I support them with resources and defence troops, I attack their enemies.
It's all about how you play the game. Teutons swarm, Gauls build up slowly then smash and romans are just boring.
I don't plan on being the best, I started too late. What I will be is the best I can be.
# posted by : 17/2/08 16:12
: 17/2/08 16:12
Trappers are flawed because the attackers don't lose anything and you have to waste resources everytime you rebuild the traps. The Attackers should lose some troops too.
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# posted by : 22/9/08 06:36
: 22/9/08 06:36<< Home
