Advice on Machaka appreciated

[archaeolept]

Originally posted by Graeme Dice:

quote:

---

Originally posted by rabelais:
Astral still doesn't get their post-rider MR into the survivable range.

Their MR without a rider is now either 10 or 11, so astral could easily bring that up a great deal.

---

what do you mean by this? I just checked my riderless spider in a 2.11 test game, and he had an MR of 5.

5 is not very good

[Blitz]

I'm surprised you are having trouble with Machaka, I find them one of the more balanced nations out there.

Try going with an Enchatress with F3 W3 E3 S6 as your pretender. Early in the game, she finds most sites that your mages won't, and in the later game she's a walking artillery platform after a nice ring of sorcery and staff of elemental magery.

I usually only build a few more than the starting archer compliment for my initial expansion, concentrating more on the exceptional hoplites for the bulk of my army. They stand up to any independant short of knights. Put your javlineers on the edge and have them attack archers. They will die off eventually, but as we have established... they totally suck.

Later in the game, add some archer spiders to your army, not too many since they are a whopping 50 gold, maybe a half-dozen to slow down the cavalry. Another half-dozen spider riders in front of them set to intercept cavalry will result in your opponent's flanking force being quickly webbed and ganged up on. Hoplites still comprise the bulk of your army. They can go toe to toe with most infantry, but adjust your tactics if you see tramplers!

I like to keep a seperate growing force of hunter spiders on their own, led by my prophet. Use this army to quickly reinforce border areas the hunter spider is arguably the strongest recruitable unit, and a group of 12 or so backed by skeleton summonings and priests is a match for many armies 3 or 4 times it's size.

As for the horrendous PD of Machaka, I usually plant a necromancer in my remote border locations, quietly researching until it comes time to back up the 20 strong militia. Give him a +death staff and a cheap regen item and he'll try his best to stem the tide. It's not the cheapest solution, but costs near nothing after the initial investment, and ensures you won't lose provinces to a flock of blackhawks or two knights and a priest =(.

Lastly, remember that your research chicks can morph into spiders. Try the combat sequence (stoneskin, fireshield, change shape, attack). Not bad huh?

hope this helps.

[tinkthank]

Hey thanks very much again.
I suppose my problem is the reluctance to rely on hoplites so much, simply because I find them so unsexy. But surely they are a great unit.

Blitz: I have never been able to script "change shape" -- where and how can one do that?

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by tinkthank:
I have never been able to script "change shape" -- where and how can one do that?

You can't. They change shape automatically when wounded in battle. The sorceress heroin can change shape at will, though.

[En Forcer]

I'm having a lot of fun with these guys actually. I have a rainbow sage with 4 in everything and I've been having decent results with the shortbowmen and the hoplites have been everything people have said they are. So far I haven't put the spider troops to use yet but it's only turn 25.

It's been a struggle to survive but that has made it all the more enjoyable. Sometimes I wonder about the guys who post specific roadmaps and by turn 10 they have all this crap accomplished. I'm just glad to be holding my borders at that point!

[PvK]

Not sexy? Machaka priests are great!

* The Ear is stealthy +10 and carries a shortsword and has the fighting skill of an elite warrior. Preaching in enemy territory can be risky, though you can stick to borders and independent provinces and script Retreat.

* The Eye costs only as much as an independent priest, and can do all a priest can, but is also an extremely skilled fighter armed with a two-handed flail! For players who find patrolling useful for various things, +15 patrol bonus for a unit with the upkeep cost of 2.5 regular troops is rather good, too. Leadership 25 isn't bad, either. An extremely versatile unit - can be a priest, a patrol squad, a commander, or a tough blessed fighter, whenever those roles are needed. Gotta be one of the best deals around, for players who notice.

* The Voice has holy 3, sacrificing, competent fighting skills, and leadership of 50! Rather useful.

* They all have forest survival.

Really very good all around.

Machaka is a great nation, and not difficult to figure out how to use well.

Ya the PD is flimsy, though it's also cheap cannon fodder since you get two per point. PD 5 is 15 gold for 10 regenerating cannon fodder, which is a good deal up to that point, and stacked with other units is useful. Eventually you can get spells which can make up for their lack of armor, too, at which point the unarmored units suddenly become more serious.

Blessed hunter spiders, and/or Hunter Lords with magic items, can be very potent. The ordinary spiders are also good - just a few can do a lot with their web.

PvK

[ April 30, 2004, 08:26: Message edited by: PvK ]

[tinkthank]

OK, thank you. I almost never use my commanders as warriors, so that is my problem. Perhaps they are sexier than I thought. I just hate having my commanders die or get seriously wounded as a tradeoff for killing 2-3 enemy light infantry, and it seems that is what happens when I have commanders fight. That is why I almost invariably purchase mage-type commanders, never the "standard" type of centurion-leader. This, I suppose, is my problem in general.
I'll try your ideas out.
So do you forge them all items, or what?
Thank you.