Just to let you know

[Axeknight]

I'm a newbie to the MP side of MTW, and therefore having to adjust my SP tactics. If you see me (I'm Axeknight, just like here) in a battle, especially if I'm allied to you in a team game, please be patient and please offer advice, I'll listen. If you're uncomfortable playing with a newbie, please ask me to leave beforehand. I won't be offended, I know many people wanna play people of their own ability.

Thanks

[ElmarkOFear]

If you see any Ugly's feel free to join our games. We all play for fun, and don't worry too much about losing a match. We like to use experimental armies, different battlefield tactics and always give each other a hard way to go (In the good sort of way.) :) We will answer any questions to our best ability and many of the Ugly's belong to different clans in MTW/VI and can help you there too, if you are interested in finding a clan.


OOops forgot to give you my Ugly name I use online:

UglyElmo

[Dionysus9]

Ok, Axe, welcome aboard. If you see |Prophet|Bachus around, say hi and I'll help you out a bit.

[Axeknight]

Thanks Elmark and Dionysus

I didn't realize before how different your tactics have to be against another player as compared to the AI.

[Sir William Wallace]

hey axe, whats up?
i am a new player too, if u ever want to battle, let me know,, my game room name is the same here Maximus Aurelius,,we can learn together,, come up through the ranks

[Axeknight]

That'd be great, Maximus

Funny story. My second battle, a 2 v 2, me and a guy called Raging Pyre vs 2 clan phoenix guys. My ally, just as the enemy closes, presses a couple of wrong buttons and his men form wedges and scatter. So I move towards the centre, and a little forwards, to cover him till he can reform. I get cut to pieces by pavs and longbows, my halbs get slaughtered, and my men run. By then, my ally's reformed, and he gets slaughtered cause the enemy doubles him. Gah

[Chimpyang]

Well, that happens and it's just bad luck. Lady luck is fickle indeed.

[Axeknight]

It was kinda funny afterwards though

[Sulla]

Feel free to approach any Kenchi for advice. Im sure they will help you out

Sulla

[ElmarkOFear]

Don't feel bad Axe: I once routed my men by accident before the game even started And that was after playing Total War for 2+ years. hehe Everybody was laughing at me since I was the host. How embarassing :) I believe that was the record for "fastest rout" in an MP game

[FearSimbol]

hey Axe if you see a guy called Wofl___Magy join his game he will love play with you

hehe that is a joke m8 hehe magy hate noobs ROFL...

Just ask to simmy(ME) for help and i will help you even to beat WOFL_PAOLAY muahahaha

[Axeknight]

It's okay, I've now had a training session (if you're here, Raz, thanks). Though I suspect he let me win (check that - he did let me win), I learnt a lot and now feel ready to face the brave new world that is MTW MP (gazes into middle distance).

Hey Maximus, when are you normally on Gamespy? I'd love to play you

[Nigel]

Quote[/b] ] Though I suspect he let me win (check that - he did let me win)....

Actually I think that will not just be his kindheartednes, but all part of the training. IMHO, there is a limit as to how much you can learn by getting beaten up.

At some point you have to learn how to spot and exploit the mistakes of your enemies. And that may mean your trainer has to "offer" some deliberate mistakes to you. If you won that game, it means you have learned your lesson well

[Axeknight]

Quote[/b] (Nigel @ April 27 2004,19:24)]IMHO, there is a limit as to how much you can learn by getting beaten up.

Yeah, and I've been thrashed enough times to have learnt it all by now lol

And thou shall know me by the trail of my own dead

[Axeknight]

Hey, new avatar

Anyway, I just fought the best battle I've ever fought, on MTW or STW, MP or SP. It was a 4 v 4, I was the French on the far right, on a nice mountain (although I was attacking). The guy to my immediate left was in a valley between me and the enemy. Right at the start, we were in trouble. 3 of the enemy armies were set up within pav distance of us and our allies were way off on the far left Rushing off my mountain safety to help my ally, I started pav war with them. The first enemy army was Swiss, they charged their pikemen (they were getting cut up by my pav Xbows), and we destroyed them with close-up pav fire and a chiv MAA charge. But then, disaster My cavs, a little way up the mountain still, were too far away when the cav of 3 armies hit my pavs and Chiv MAA. They routed after an heroic fight. My closest ally, busy fighting off the fourth army, was unable to help and my other 2 were on a wide flanking maneuver, miles away. My cavs hit the enemy cav, but eventually routed. The remnants of my army (once 16 units, 900-odd men), now just 21 chiv MAA, scrambled for safety on the centre of the map edge, and from there we headed to the ally line (on the hill opposite my original position, the one we were attacking). Now the positions were reversed. The enemy was on the mountain I had occupied at the beginning. Taking my place in the lines next to my allies, I watched as pav war started again (the 2 flanking allies had seen little fighting and were fresh). The cav clashed on our left flank, opening a breach before they were killed. We marched up the mountain, my 21 men near the front, the enemy came down, we fought, they routed. Unfortunately, my last 9 men routed during the mop-up, so I had to just watch as tmy allies mopped up the hill, then charged down to defeat the last enemy (now back on the opposite hill). An absolute gem

How do I upload it to here?

[CBR]

Hi Axeknight

You can upload replays here


CBR

[Axeknight]

Okay, here goes:

Battle replay

It's about 30 mins long (IIRC)

[ElmarkOFear]

You have inadvertantly stumbled upon one of the keys to winning in a 4v4. That is taking one for the team, and making the enemy pay for it, by killing a lot of them and fatiguing the rest by making them fight and chase you for so long. I call the my "profesional victim" strategy This allowed your 2 teammates to keep their armies fresh and win the uphill battle against the remaining enemy. It is a hard concept to teach, but you seemed to do it automatically without thinking too much about it. A good sign Axe hehe You have the natural instincts to become a good teamplayer. Keep up the good work.

[LadyAnn]

Running away from rushing army (and better yet, armies) is an art form only a few like to practice.

[FF]Anniep
also proud to be UglyAnnie

[ElmarkOFear]

LOL Annie :) In the past I ran off the field in most of my games, so I figured maybe I could learn to work it to the advantage of my teammates

[Swoosh So]

Axeknight just a small tip for u, i see in your replay you had 5 cmaa (chivalric men at arms) when you buy 5 or more of 1 unit type teh cost of the 5th unit goes up therfor reducing the effectivness of that unit for cost, better to take 4 cmaa valor 2 and 1 feudal men at arm valor 3 which has an extra combat point and would have cost about the same as your 5th cmaa.

[Axeknight]

Thanks Elmark

And thanks for the info Swoosh

Did you get to read the in-game talk?

[CBR]

In game chat doesnt get recorded in replays


CBR

[shingenmitch2]

"So I move towards the centre, and a little forwards, to cover him till he can reform. "

You're off to a good start It is important (and hard for some noobs) to understand that multi isn't a bunch of 1 on 1 battles, that you have to be ready to help your ally.

Even if it didn't work out so well for you in your example, Strategically u made the right move. Most new guys take a long time to learn what u did right off. Eventually, when you get your tactics down, that strategic move will work better.

(Strategic is what I consider the use of Armies & army coordination as opposed to Tactics which I consider manuevering units & unit matchups.)

[Nigel]

Just watched the replay. A gem of a battle, indeed

As far as I can see, you did all the right things: coming off that hill to help out your ally, matching your swords against the swiss pikes, while your ally (Orange) was fighting off Black. You routed when you got flanked by Green, and there was nothig you could have done to prevent this. Possibly leaving your cav on the mountain for longer, sacrificing your inf and forcing the enemy to attack you uphill could have given some more advantage. But I'm not sure, and I dont know if I would have had the nerve to see my men beeing cut up without rushing in the reserve to try to help

In the end you occupied two enemy armies, which gave your allies the advantage elsewhere. And that's what counts.


The second part of the battle is also quite notable. A very nice example of how to dislodge a defender off a high mountain position. Should be taken up in the curriculum of every MTW training academy.

And I loved the heroic action of those Longbowmen - brilliant . Obviously out of arrows, they still defeated a depleted unit of hobilars, then walked right up to the noses of the defenders and started beating up the pavs with their melee weapons . Only when the first pav unit routed did the defenders decide that enough was enough and sent down the horses. If I recall correctly, one of the archers still managed to get out alive.

Definitely an epic battle, start to finish.

[Axeknight]

Quote[/b] (Nigel @ April 29 2004,21:15)]The second part of the battle is also quite notable. A very nice example of how to dislodge a defender off a high mountain position. Should be taken up in the curriculum of every MTW training academy.

Although I had almost nothing to do with it, as I just used my 21 surviving CMAA (you can see them near the centre) to help out and plug gaps for the others (I became almost a Lieutenant). But I watched how they did it, and will watch it again, as feel it's a very fine example of attacking a well-guarded, steep mountain. Kudos to Tenjo-SirKillalot, Don and WaylanderD (my allies)

Thanks for everyone's positive comments - I didn't think my early stand was overly impressive (I had that mountain), but I suppose it did mean 2 of my allies were fresh, compared to the enemy who had had to fight for the hill, then defend it.

[Muneyoshi]

Hiya m8, if you see me online feel free to ask questions or ask for a game, would happily ablige . My online name is TenjoMuneyoshi, or you can stop by our forums to say hi and ask questions.

[Axeknight]

*scribbling down the names of everyone who's offered help/games* Thanks Mune

[ElmarkOFear]

You will recognize Muney because he is the one whose army routs thru the lobby on their way off the server, trying to catch mine and steal my Online Gaming Shoe contract with Nike :)

[Muneyoshi]

No no, you're just paranoid. Im trying to get a Reebok sponsorship, not Nike My goal is to try and get it to be more lucrative then yours though