Punishing Darius

[otticus]

Hey All,

Just played the 3rd battle against Darius for the first time and outnumbered is a misnomer---bloody overwhelmed is more like it. I defended the left flank as said..soundly crushing 100% of the units that attcked me there--none lived...also gave first grouping at the top a walluping as well....however....when i pushed forewards a bit on both fronts...i quickely realized that Darius with his "reserve" was a large as my entire force at the begining of the battle...and...there is another equal amount at the north/east flag point as I found below it. Impressed and venting--after getting major victories on the first two battles...getting my fanny handed to me like that was a shock--and respect generating for the game as well.
So, anyone elses impressions of this battle?
Any suggestions?
Ill post an add onto this thread once Ive beaten it on how I did it (with A major of course)

[pahom]

Yes, I fell to the reserves also. I started wondering where all these four stand apple bearers were coming from, and then Darius's chariot ran through a gap in my line, destroyed my slingers, and rolled up along the back of my infantry while the fresh persian infantry and archers went to work. It was a horrific slaughter and an absolute shock as the AI soundly defeated me.

It took me a few times to realize the opportunity to divide your force at the beginning. Alexander's infantry far outclasses the units on the Persian left flank. I smashed them against the mountain and used my reserve light cavalry to bolster the right. I can't tell you the satisfaction of that chariot leaving the table.

Pahom

[koiosworks]

it gets worse..... much worse [:D]

wait until guagamelia [:'(]

[PDiFolco]

ORIGINAL: koiosworks

it gets worse..... much worse [:D]

wait until guagamelia [:'(]

Yep, indeed I had difficulties starting with Granicus already !! But then I wonder : the odds are so against the Macedonians that I fear the multiplayer could be totally lopsided. Has a Human Persian cards in addition ?? [:-]

[Murky71]

AFAIK the setup for multiplayer differs from single player. It should be a lot more balanced.

[Marathon]

In multiplayer, no one has cards.

[PDiFolco]

ORIGINAL: Marathon

In multiplayer, no one has cards.

So the Macedionan player has a smarter, real opponent, AND lose cards ?? I hope the setup is different in MP, else it won't be very balanced... [X(]

[Deride]

ORIGINAL: Murky71
AFAIK the setup for multiplayer differs from single player. It should be a lot more balanced.

Yes, setup in multiplayer is totally different. Each side is fairly balanced. Often, the Persians or enemy has more units, but they are not as well trained.

Deride

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: otticus

So, anyone elses impressions of this battle?

LOL... I'm the guy who complained in beta it was far too easy, so I'm keeping quiet [8D]

Most testers did, I think, so you'll get some idea of the quality job Koios did in making it a "tad" (ahem..) more stretching. As has been said, you ain't seen nothing yet [:D]

[otticus]

Actually...got a major victory after posting this. Strategy was thus for defending the beach:

I posted heavy/med cav one the odd number points of the first line (ie...if in a line of five..1,3,5 positions)...these all must be veteren...then the warrior groups in the two slots between this anchors line with better rolls and lets less experienced troop s have more support...Alexander was behind the line with the slingers. For the next line...one vet lancer, Calais unit, and another spear-vet-med were placed as far south on the next line----the last cav was light sword and was placed as far south west as possible on the grouping in the eastern start area.

the Cav on the beachmoved into a line 2 rows infront of the flage and were set to counter charge...Alexander and the other unit moved south onto the beach---there purpose is to wait intil the line is engaed and then flank behind the troops attacking the line..Calais and the 2 other Cav units come west from their start point slightly north of line...they will reach there after battle has begun but will flank the top. Also 2 units of Heavy Spear inf were set to come over to hold the north end of the beach line. CRITICAL:...when the first wave of Darius troops appear...HOLD THE LINE...DO NOT ADVANCE.....beat them with flanking north and south..but do not push ofrewards to the road as that will reveal you to Darius main force which will crush you if you havent dealt with his right/north force yet...you will need the left overs from that battle to win his against his main group.......so...the right/north

position archers in the slot most forwards and north against cliff. heaveir infantry on the sides softer in middle---if middle is pushed back they will pursue into the "cup" and be flanked. DONT MOVE TOWARDS ENEMY....instead move infantry directly west 3-4 turns before moving up. If you engage the enemy direct moving along the cliff they have the elevation advantage. THE BAIT:...archers do not move out with rest of infantry but move up into range and begin firing...this will draw the infantry off of the higher ground (first 4 groups) and get them to move in...army now stops movign west and goes north east getting some flank and cutting these units from their buddies hiding in the fog behind....they should either surrender or be routed...in this time also the last cav unit which was placed alone moves up into the middle of you infantry units...as you move forwards its greated mobility allows you to put a small wedge between the remaining forces around the flag---keeping those extra 2 units of cav from getting to the back of the infantry dealing with the flag gaurds...win and start marching infantry to help with beach line which is by now under heavy assualt....i infact took some units from the north down before winning...leaving only enough to barely hold edge...these crossed the road well north of Darius force and drove south to come in from the rear/north flank---Darius surrendered and was subjugated to latrine duty.

[DIEMAN]

The more multiplayer games I play, the more I am discovering that commanding the Persian armies to victory requires drastically different strategies than winning as Alexander! A few observations:

Making any kind of frontal assault against the Greek lines of defense is almost always a bad move. The superior training of Alexander's armies means that in a 1 to 1 engagement the Persians are virtually assured of taking the worst of the damage. A better strategy is to draw the enemy out, using superior numbers to envelop and attack them in situations where it is 2 or 3 Persian units to 1 Greek.

It is unlikely that the Persians will ever be able to break the Greek will to fight--therefore the only way to keep your opponent from getting the victory points he needs is to outlast him. Making a large-scale assault early in the battle (as one may be tempted to do in Gaugamela or Elysium) is usually a very bad move because the more units you send, the faster Alexander can kill them, and you end up basically "feeding" your forces to the enemy. A better strategy is to send scouts to track Alexander's progress across the board while your main force waits and defends... that way your army remains at full strength while Alexander must use precious turns crossing the map to engage you.

I think it is always harder to win as the Persians because (A) it takes more thought and planning to draw the enemy in and hit them with a coordinated counter-attack than it does to just charge straight at their lines and smash through, and (B) it is much more difficult to successfully defend an objective than to attack and capture it. These are my impressions based on the multiplayer matches I have played so far (and I must also add that I think the multiplayer maps are exceptionally well-balanced).