The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998

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PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service 04/26/93 1:56 PM BRINGING THE BALLISTA TO BEAR Tactical Tips To Help Siegers Wage The Good War by Jr. Engineer Chris Lombardi Siege, by Mindcraft, is a detailed tactical simulation of siege warfare in a fantasy setting. Despite the AI's minor quirks, it can wage a challenging offensive and mount a stout defense. The following article provides general tactics gleaned from too many nights of playing, and specific, non-documented numbers provided by Mindcraft, to aid fellow Siege players in their campaigns in the land of Gurtex. Bringing People Together [NEXT] It's an irritating fact about Siege that when two units engage they often do not attack one another in the most efficient manner, ie. the two lead creatures of the groups engage while the others sit idle. This can be to your advantage if you are outmatched and are stalling until reinforcements arrive. But if you have the advantage, this can be a waste of valuable time. To get more guys in the action you will have to 'massage' the groups. One way is to split the group between those engaged and those in the back. Then order the new group to attack the enemy's flank. You can also try moving the group back a few inches. Slings and Arrows [NEXT] Missile units are a major pain for both sides of a Siege. On the attack, the computer's first move is almost always to roll up its crack missile units and clear the walls. If you are outgunned, don't try to fight arrow with arrow. Often, the best defense is to draw your troops back out of their range and focus catapult fire on the enemy's firing zone. A better defensive tact is to have a crack hand-to-hand unit stationed discretely outside of the walls. When enemy missile units roll up, this group can sally forth and make quick work of the poorly armored bowmen. Heros To The Rescue [NEXT] The most important units on the screen are your crack troops. Heros, dreadknights, mazemasters, elementals -- basically, any group that combines a fearsome attack with a daunting defense. Judicious and frequent use of these groups can win the day. They should be at the spearhead of a wall assault and at the hot-points of a castle defense, but WATCH THEM CAREFULLY. You usually only have a few of these troops and the loss of 2 or 3 can be a major setback. The key is to use the Release command liberally whenever any of these units have dropped below half strength, sending them back to Copyright 1993 Prodigy Services Company. All Rights Reserved. PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service 04/26/93 1:56 PM the hospital for rejuvination. Also, see notes on healers. Engineers [NEXT] Engineers are the key to any siege -- for both sides. There's nothing like a few groups of catapulters with flaming oil for those pesky, hard-to-reach missile units. Don't discount ballistae either -- they shoot 1/3 faster than a catapult and are a bit more accurate. Of course, ballista bolts don't bounce and they don't explode, but they can quietly whittle down the enemy, very quickly. When defending a castle, keeping ladders off of your walls can be the difference between victory and orcs in your privy. Non-engineer units have a 5% chance every turn to knock down a ladder if they are standing next to it. Instant Ladder Removal [NEXT] Engineers, on the other hand, remove ladders immediately. It's a good idea to have a group of engineers handy, just for this purpose. During breaks in the action, this little demolition force can run around and clean up the walls, and thereby keep the enemy engineers busy. Engineers with catapults are a primary target for the computer AI. Once breaching a wall, the enemy will often make a bee-line for these groups. With this in mind, it may be a good idea to have at least 5 soldiers Escort every engineer group to protect these fragile units long enough for reinforcements to arrive should they be attacked. Ready, Aim, Attrition [NEXT] You may notice that the computer opponent will set up 'staging grounds' in the country-side when on the attack -- often piling up a hundred or more units. If you have expendible catapult units, these gathering grounds are prime targets for boulder attack. And if the enemy's camp is close enough, you can even attack his unit-release area next to his main tent. In this way, 3 catapult units can inflict severe casualties on these groups (especially with burning oil) and keep that kill ratio up. Idle catapults can also attack enemy bridges at major river/crevice crossings and thereby frustrate the enemy's engineers. The Healing Touch [NEXT] Did you know that Purple Wizards and Zorlim heal units they are joined with? I've found that rather than sending these healers into the fray where their weak defense leads to a quick death, it is best to have them hang out around the barracks where they can join up with beat-up troops returning from battle. This is especially useful with important troops like Heros and other crack troops. Rather than sending an injured Hero to the hospital for a 4-day Copyright 1993 Prodigy Services Company. All Rights Reserved. PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service 04/26/93 1:56 PM vacation, have him join up with a healer. Within a few hours or less, the unit will be at full strength and ready to rejoin the melee. Hard Data [NEXT] The following chart provides the attributes of all creatures in Siege. Combined with the discussion of the combat mechanics that follows it, player can determine which troop to troop match-ups will yield the best results. We recommend that you print out this section and keep it handy for reference. You may notice that these numbers do not match the information provided in the game. These numbers combine the information made available in the game (Attack and Defense Factors) with information not avaiable to the player (Weapon and Armor values). Creature Attribute Table [NEXT] Name Temper Damage Armor Attack% Rating Rating Defense% ------------------------------------------------------------ Arachnid Warrior 4 65 30 55 10 Behemoth Warrior 3 70 45 50 0 Blue Wizard 1 195 30 70 -60 Domug Archer 2 45 5 45 -40 Domug Warrior 1 45 10 35 0 Dreadknight 4 110 137 90 30 Dwarf Axe Thrower 3 15 45 25 10 Dwarf Elite Warrior 4 75 60 50 15 [NEXT] Dwarf Engineer 4 40 40 10 10 Dwarf Hero 4 110 102 90 30 Dwarf Sergeant 3 50 45 35 5 Dwarf Warrior 3 40 45 30 15 Elemental of Air 4 95 85 75 45 Elemental of Earth 2 125 125 75 10 Elemental of Fire 4 125 85 75 45 Elemental of Plant 2 95 85 75 10 Elemental of Water 2 95 85 75 10 Elf Archer 1 35 10 60 -35 Elf Elite Archer 2 50 25 80 -25 [NEXT] Elf Sergeant 2 40 20 65 -30 Gnome Engineer 1 5 10 10 15 Goblin Elite Warrior 2 35 10 50 20 Goblin Engineer 1 5 10 20 10 Goblin Sergeant 1 20 15 35 15 Goblin Rock Thrower 1 5 10 10 -30 Copyright 1993 Prodigy Services Company. All Rights Reserved. PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service 04/26/93 1:56 PM Goblin Warrior 0 15 10 30 10 Human Archer 2 20 15 30 -40 Human Berserker 3 100 55 35 -20 Human Engineer 1 10 20 20 10 Human Hero 4 110 137 90 30 [NEXT] Human Sergeant 3 35 40 35 15 Human Spear Hurler 2 35 20 20 10 Human Warrior 2 30 35 32 10 Jerrah 1 195 30 70 -60 Minotaur Engineer 4 80 15 30 15 Minotaur Mazemaster 4 120 65 110 30 Minotaur Sergeant 4 110 40 70 15 Minotaur Warrior 4 105 25 60 15 Orc Elite Warrior 2 45 50 45 15 Orc Engineer 2 25 40 15 5 Orc Sergeant 2 25 35 30 10 [NEXT] Orc Spear Hurler 1 35 10 15 10 Orc Warrior 1 20 25 30 5 Purple Wizard 1 195 30 70 20 Skeleton Warrior 4 65 40 50 5 Tekhir Archer 2 55 15 40 -35 Tekhir Elite Archer 3 80 30 60 -25 Tekhir Sergeant 3 70 25 40 -30 Troll Warrior 2 95 35 40 10 Zorlim 1 180 20 50 20 Notes on the Chart [NEXT] -- The DAMAGE and PROTECT factors are a combination of the creature's armor and weapon ratings, and the creature's inherent fighting ability. -- The TEMPER factor is a general rating of a creature's courage. The higher the rating, the more deaths a group of creatures will take before retreating. -- Spiders and Air Elementals can climb walls. -- In general, bow weapons have a minimum range of 5 and a maximum range of 15-25. Spears and Throwing Axes have a range of 1-8, Rocks 1-10. -- All creatures have 15 hit points. The Combat Formulae [NEXT] When two creatures fight, a hit is determined by a random number from 1-100. If the attacker's random number is less than the Attack% - the Defense% then the attacker hits. For Copyright 1993 Prodigy Services Company. All Rights Reserved. PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service 04/26/93 1:56 PM example, if a Dwarf Warrior (30%) attacks an Orc Warrior (5%) then the Dwarf has a (30-5) = 25% chance to hit. Whereas the Orc's counter-attack against the Dwarf would have a (30-15) = 15% chance of landing true. Damage is assessed by subtracting the defender's Armor Rating from the attacker's Damage Rating. For example, if the Dwarf above hit the Orc, then the Orc would take (40-25) = 15% points of damage from its 15 hit point total. On 'Negative Damage' [NEXT] If we turn the situation around, we find that the Orc would do (20-45) = -25% damage. In this case, the 'negative damage' would turn into a token 1% damage against the dwarf's 15 hit points. Thus, any creature who hits another is ensured of at least this 1% damage. This may not seem like much, but note that any fractional hit points are truncated off, so that fifteen 1% hits will kill a creature. A completely rested player (full fatigue bar) will attack once per animation frame. At the lowest fatigue levels (no fatigue bar) this drops down to one attack every three frames. Keep those troops rested! Items Of Mass Destruction [NEXT] Item Damage Min Range Max Range --------------------------------------------- Battering Ram 200% 1 1 Ballista 200% 2 30 Catapult 200% 5 40 Pool of Burning Oil 50% 0 0 Wizard Attack 300% 2 20 Note: Burning Oil does 50% damage per animation frame. Ballista shoot 1/3 faster than the catapult, are a bit more accurate, and can damage equipment. Good Luck [NEXT] In the hands of a wise commander, these numbers and tips could turn the tide in even the most unevenly matched scenario. May your troops fare well. We can be reached on the Computer Club bulletin boards at EXPT40B. Please do not send us private e-mail. Thank you, CGW. Copyright 1993 Prodigy Services Company. All Rights Reserved.