Posts from Speed factor.

What I'm about to say isn't new to most players, but since newcomers have recently been asking to share "tips and tricks," I decided that it might be useful to someone. This issue has probably been discussed many times before, but I'm not aware of it.
Everyone knows that the speed of the slowest unit determines the hero's movement range during the day. I want to discuss a completely different aspect: the influence of the fastest unit's speed on the course of battle. To do this, I've created a small table listing the speed of the fastest units in each Castle and the speed of level 7 units for those Castles where they aren't the fastest.
I think everyone understands how important this factor is: whoever has the fastest unit goes first and can cast spells first (often, this is exactly an expert speed buff/debuff). More often than not, the first round is decisive, so high speed is a key to success (remember: "White goes first and wins"?).
Therefore, on those maps where a player can choose a Castle at the start, it's important to make the right choice.
What do we see from the table? Obviously, there are some Castles that are leaders (speed above 16), some that are average (speed 14-16), and some that are underdogs (speed below 14).
Which Castle do I prefer to play? Castle, Rampart, Dungeon, Inferno. Let's look at the table: "The answer is clear!" Similarly, it immediately becomes clear why some Castles are my least favorite and what causes this dislike. It's also clear why Conflux is still unbalanced and banned in online play: the speed of phoenixes is 21 – an absolute record compared even to neutral azure dragons! Even under an expert debuff, they almost always reach their enemies.
Tower is unlucky: its titans, although the fastest ranged units and the only level 7 ranged units, and also with heroic health and immunity to mind-affecting magic, with a speed of 11, will most often shoot after the opponent has already taken their turn (remember the epic debate "Who is stronger: a titan or a black dragon?").
But the worst are Stronghold and Fortress: they don't have the fastest level 7 units, and they don't have flying units, and their magic is also limited to 3 levels! The latter, however, doesn't matter in cases where the game is played with rules that prohibit high-level magic, on small and medium-sized maps, and online, where players often don't have time to build a 4th level of the guild of mages or learn advanced wisdom. But on large maps, everything is different.
In general, it seems to me that the game developers have messed something up with Stronghold and Fortress: rusks are the most suitable unit for level 7, "bears" could have been reduced and made level 5, and wyverns and hydras could also have been swapped.
Of course, there is a way out for the underdogs: firstly, advanced magic can be learned in enemy cities, and fast units can be taken in "foreign" cities or in external dwellings.
Also, in all cases, "speed" artifacts (cloak, amulet, ring) and fast "non-native" units help. Therefore, if my army is relatively "slow," I always try to include at least one phoenix, archangel, or fast dragon in it.

I can add that (although I think I've read something similar somewhere else) that in the early stages of the game, when there are no high-level, fast monsters yet, it is recommended to include enhanced monsters of levels 3-5 in the scouting party (to increase movement on the map) or in the main army (to gain the first turn) – Djinns, Rocs (speed 11), Pegasuses (speed 12), and Dragonflies (speed 13). If the hero's specialty involves these monsters, their speed increases by another 1. If the hero also has 3 artifacts that increase speed, and the battle takes place on their native terrain, then the maximum speed of a Dragonfly (level 3) in battle can reach 19 (!). I think that in terms of speed of construction, cost, and speed, the Dragonfly can be considered the best expendable, fast unit.

Interestingly, there seem to be quite a few incorrect statements, in my opinion. Conflux is not prohibited in online play; it is simply limited, and not because of the speed of phoenixes, but because of their growth rate. A Titan is stronger than a black dragon. The combination of Citadel and Swamp was unfairly ranked lower; dragonflies and griffins can be available as early as the third turn, while archangels and titans are not even a consideration at that point. Therefore, this is a plus for the Swamp, not a minus, that it has a fast unit that is only level 3. And the Citadel often quickly upgrades its birds in the first week, giving the main hero a level 11 boost. I don't quite understand what significance the 3 levels of magic have here. But thank you for the table; it will be useful.

I agree, speed plays a very important role in combat, but it's not the deciding factor. Ancient monsters (citadel bears, maybe you have a different translation) are very strong, and that compensates for their lack of speed; they can also be sped up/teleported. The same applies to hydras. Thanks for the post! :)

... Ancient monsters ... are very strong, and this replaces speed; they can also be accelerated/teleported. The same applies to hydras.

And they can also be slowed down, blinded, or berserked, and you can watch how such strong monsters, without moving from their spot, unleash their attacks – they don't need speed for that!:smile25:

It's immediately clear that the person lacks experience in online gaming. Because evaluating a Castle based on its fastest unit is a thankless task. Back in those distant times, when I was building a Stronghold and playing hot-seat with a friend, he said this to me: "I only play as those who have the first turn in Utopias." Now I can appreciate how absurd that sounds. The same Stronghold and Fortress simply crush Utopias in the early stages. I won't even mention Necropolis, where dragons are never built. Another nuance is that green and red dragons will appear at some unknown time, while bears and hydras can be built in the first week (and with the Castle) and can start providing real benefits from the second week. There are situations where the first turn is a decisive factor for victory, due to the first cast (antimagic on your stack or explosion). Well, in this case, you just have to figure something out. But there aren't many such situations. In my opinion, the table is missing: silver pegasi, master djinns, wyvern monarchs, red cats, sultans, and some un-nerfed creatures.

In general, it seems to me that the game developers have messed something up with the Stronghold and Fortress: Rukh is the most suitable unit for level 7, the "bears" could have been reduced and made level 5, and wyverns and hydras could also have been swapped.

To understand how strong these Castles are, you need to play online.

I read the comments and thought: what did I miss? I reread my post – and indeed, I forgot to clarify: everything I said applies to playing on large maps (I'm tired of repeating that I only play on them :)). In online games on medium-sized maps, and especially during the final battle in the middle of the second week, things are naturally different: most players don't have high-level units yet, and if they do, they don't "make a difference." But when dozens or hundreds of high-level creatures are involved in the battle, the situation is completely different.

It's clear that the person doesn't have experience playing online. Because evaluating a Castle based on its fastest unit is the least useful thing you can do.
"I only play as those who have the first turn in Utopias." Now I can see how absurd that sounds.

With all due respect, I must disagree! Dragonflies against dragons... are you serious? :eek: However, everyone has their own preferences and dislikes in the game... By the way, Dirty_Player, which races do you prefer to play as?

red cats

Who are they?:confused:

To understand how strong these Castles are, you need to play online.

I can't resist: To understand how weak these Castles are, you need to play offline :) Seriously: no matter how many times I've played with large armies, I don't consider the Swamp and Stronghold as serious opponents. For me, they are more like cannon fodder, allowing my main hero to level up nicely. Almost always, such battles end very quickly and without losses. Yes, it can be worse if these Castles manage to quickly assemble a large army and learn advanced spells, but even then, they usually "win" due to their advantage in "numbers." Or, for example, storming the Fortress: what could be simpler? :) "Block" the gate, shoot down the dragonflies, hydras, and wyverns, and then easily "defeat" the basilisks, hydras, and gnolls...

who are they?

Looks like Scorpids.

I read the comments and thought: what did I miss? I reread my post - and indeed, I forgot to clarify: everything I said applies to playing on large maps (I'm tired of repeating that I only play on them :)). In online games on medium-sized maps, and in general during the final battle in the middle of the 2nd week, everything is naturally different: there are not yet many high-level units among most players, and if there are, they "don't make a difference". But when dozens and hundreds of high-level creatures enter the battle, then a completely different "situation" arises.

I apologize for interrupting, but in online games, people rarely play on medium-sized maps; usually, it's at least Large + Utopia.

I can't resist: To understand how weak these factions are, you need to play offline. Seriously: how many times have I played with large armies, and I don't consider Swamp and Stronghold as serious rivals. For me, they are more like cannon fodder, allowing my main hero to level up nicely. Almost always, such battles end very quickly and without losses.

You probably have never fought against a pumped-up Tazar with a red orb and a bunch of griffin wyverns.

Everything I said applies to playing on large maps (I'm tired of repeating that I only play on them :).

It just needs to be clarified who these large maps are played against. And if it's Sylvan, is it for speed or just a regular game?

I can't resist: To understand how weak these castles are, you need to play offline :) Seriously: how many times have I played with large armies, and I don't consider Swamp and Stronghold as serious opponents.

I've managed to achieve some results in offline tournaments, so I can also discuss this here :).

Seriously: how many times have I played with large armies, and I don't consider Swamp and Stronghold as serious opponents.

I think that if the opponent is a computer, no matter what faction they play, I can't call them a serious opponent.

P.S.: Red cats = Scorpions.

Dirty_Player, thanks for the clarification! Yes, it's true, when playing for speed, things are a bit different. :) Well, what I think about it is something everyone has known for a long time from my signature. :) I'm just not a very athletic person, so I find it more interesting to explore the map, capture and build cities, etc. And if you finish the game too quickly, there will be too many "blank spots" left on the map (or rather, black ones:)), and there could be so much interesting stuff there! :) As for the strength of the AI, experienced players consider it to be stupid; I'm not that good, and sometimes I have to sweat in a battle with it. :) Although, I've also had cases where the AI, knowing valuable spells, for some reason didn't cast them, and was therefore defeated. In general, this is a rare case where our views on the game differ so much: almost always your opinion is very important to me. It's even surprising... :) I hope you don't think what I said is rude? :) If you really want to, you can take two armies, for example, a Castle and a Fortress, the monthly growth of fully built cities, two heroes of equal strength, and pit them against each other. Who would win? I would bet on the Castle. By the way, you still haven't answered who you prefer to play as. Or, for example, take the "Longest Journey" that I recently completed: I defeated the swamp creatures without much difficulty; the only serious obstacle in the swamp was... an antimagic garrison with hundreds of powerful gorgons, trolls, and minotaur kings. I thought about the scorpius back then, but I couldn't call them "cats." There's a well-known historical anecdote where the compiler of an encyclopedia suggested the following description of a crab: "it is a small red fish that walks backwards." His colleague politely corrected him: a crab is not a fish, it is not red, and it does not walk backwards... but otherwise, everything is correct! :D

If you really want to, you can take two armies, for example, a Castle and a Fortress, the monthly growth of fully built cities, two equally strong heroes, and pit them against each other. Who would win? I would bet on the Castle.

That's more or less true; the Castle's growth is generally stronger, but the game doesn't start with fully built Castles :) What can a Castle build in the first week (let's not consider Jebus, where the Castle is the undisputed leader)? Usually 1, 2, 4, 6 in the Castle/Stronghold. Meanwhile, the Swamp easily builds 1-6 in the Castle in the first week, and often 1-7 in the Fortress/Stronghold. The Castle is only saved by the power of archers, the free upgrade for horses, and in the late game, archangels.
Plus, you can't ignore the excellent heroes of the Swamp: the armored Tazyk, the easily starting Vistan and Bron, Alkin with two important starting skills... They quite easily get Logu, Earth, which cannot be said about the Knights, whom I consider to be one of the worst warrior heroes (I'm not counting the forbidden Mullich :)).

Although, I've also had situations where the AI, knowing valuable spells, for some reason didn't cast them, and therefore was defeated.

Well, here's one of the reasons why I don't consider the AI a worthy opponent. You attack it, and instead of using an offensive spell, it casts some kind of air defense: D

I hope you don't take what I said as rudeness? :)

Rudeness? Not at all. Everyone enjoys games in their own way. I personally enjoy competing against other players (online or offline - it doesn't matter). For me, the whole point is to do something better than my opponent. I have no interest in winning against the computer. For example, with the First Blood 2.4 map, I was initially interested, but after playing for 2.5 weeks, I realized that I would complete the map in about 2-3 months, and I immediately became bored because I knew the solution. I haven't returned to that map since. If you enjoy completing scenarios, I can only be happy for you.

If you really want to, you can take two armies, for example, Castle and Fortress, with a month's worth of fully built cities, two heroes of equal strength, and pit them against each other. Who will win?

There's a map called Tactician Corner 3 (TC3) where a battle takes place between two races, each with 10 units. You have to choose the 7 best units out of all 14 types of troops. And no one lets you play with the Swamp faction there because gorgons, hydras, and basilisks are seriously powerful.
Also, besides strength, you need to consider the cost of units and buildings, the heroes that are heading to that city, and many other factors.

By the way, you still haven't answered who you prefer to play as.

I don't care, to be honest; I try to play as everyone. But I really like Inferno, Conflux, and Tower.

I thought about the scorpius, but I couldn't bring myself to call them "cats."

Well, considering that they have a lion's head, and a lion is a member of the cat family, it's quite acceptable. In any case, they look more like cats than ancient monsters look like bears.

There's a map called Tactician Corner 3 (TC3, as it's commonly known).

Where can I find it? Could you provide a link (I can search for it myself, but just in case I can't)? I'm really interested in comparing the strength of different factions!

I like Inferno, Conflux, and Tower.

And that aligns with my observations (although Tower does fall into the "slow" category). :)

Added 3 minutes later

regarding knights, whom I consider to be one of the worst warrior heroes (excluding the banned Mullich).

Leave the knights alone! :smile29: I really like them!:)

although the Tower does fall into the "slow" category. :)

By the way, there's also Kira in the Tower, who specializes in acceleration; after her acceleration, the golems can reach the enemy in one turn! ;)