🚀 go-pugleaf

rus...@imap1.asu.edu wrote:

>Hi Folks:

>I am really frustrated with the level where you are supposed to trash 2 
>orc clans that rallied against the rule of Doomhammer (level 12, the 
>first game in Act 4, orc campaign).

>It is a mixed naval domination/ground siege campaign, and oil is 
>the key.  I keep getting trounced and wonder what I am doing wrong.  

>Initially, I  have enough ogres and catapults to wipe out orcs on 3 islands 
>next to my agricultural base.  In this way I take 2 gold mines (110,000 gold 
>or so) and three forests.  I set up 2 townhalls and 1 lumber mill and start 
>harvesting/mining like crazy.  I try to get about 20 peasants going.  
>This strategy enables me to make enough catapults to sink all enemy ships 
>that come by my islands, but it sucks once I start to build up my naval 
>empire.  If I try to set up an oil platform to the north of my island, 
>something like 10 enemy ships come at it, and it's gone.  At this moment 
>I only have 700 or so units of oil, so it's a suicide to build a lonely 
>destroyer.  If I set up an oil platform to the east, it takes forever to get 
>oil, and enemy orcs attack anyway.  Without oil, I cannot get any ships built.

>Are there any strategy hints for this level?  I'd hate to cheat when it's 
>so close.  E-mail advice is appreciated.

I beat this one by just having patience and taking advantage of the
AI's single-mindedness.  For some reason, the computer has decided
that it wants to win this mission with destroyers and battleships.
What I did was take the center island and set up my base there.  I
made a few catapults, some ogers, and not much else, and then just
mined the gold and harvested the trees.  The computer kept sending
destroyers and battleships over, which I sunk with my catapults (which
have longer range than a fully upgraded battleship).  All the computer
would have had to do is send a few transports over with some knights
and I was dead, but it didn't.  I just kept sinking it's battleships
until it got low on money, then I built my shipyard, set up an oil
rig, and started building my own battleships.  Once I got a few ships
built is was easy.  This might not be the most fun or strategicaly
brilliant way to beat this one, but it worked, and without using
cheats <g>.

Rainman