Unbalanced Squads in Providences and Orcs

[Arel Ula]

I can't be the ONLY one with issues regarding VERY unbalanced squads when trying to complete provinces and the use of Orcs when you are not EVEN in that realm yet.
I enjoy playing Elvenar, it is my escape from a high stress business owner life, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to play. Even the 'Rise of Phoenix' is unwinnable due to not be able to gain enough relics because of the VERY unbalanced squads needed to solve an encounter because I have no Orcs (which I still believe advocates from slave trade) and even at my level I am no match whatsoever against the large number in the enemy squad.
Am I just being a whiner? Does anyone have these issues?
Honestly starting to think I need to give up the game and find something else....

 

[Ashrem]

I probably wouldn't have bothered to vote at all, but if you're going to weight one answer with negative language so that people who pick it have to cast themselves in a negative light, I'm going to pick is just 'cause.

But the fact is, the devs are looking for ways to put breaks on the speed of world map expansion by players, and making those fights expensive is one of the ways. it's intentional. Stop scouting too much and the costs of new provinces will become more manageable. Wait until you are in orcs, and you will be able to negotiate those provinces.

 

[Arel Ula]

I probably wouldn't have bothered to vote at all, but if you're going to weight one answer with negative language so that people who pick it have to cast themselves in a negative light, I'm going to pick is just 'cause.

But the fact is, the devs are looking for ways to put breaks on the speed of world map expansion by players, and making those fights expensive is one of the ways. it's intentional. Stop scouting too much and the costs of new provinces will become more manageable. Wait until you are in orcs, and you will be able to negotiate those provinces.

Ashrem: I wasn't trying to put a negative light on the poll answers. Truly thought they fit, but can change to a simple YES/NO format if you prefer. I still disagree that making fights near impossible to win for lower level players is wrong. Is it a ploy to get players to buy diamonds? I for one don't have that kind of disposable income. When I started playing, I thought it would be a fun game. However, everytime an update comes out, the developers make it harder and harder to get ahead. For example, I will never be able to finish 'Rise of Phoenix' even with 7 days to go because even with visiting my fellowship everyday, I will have only acquired 14 relics to meet the requirement of 32 relics and I am almost at the end. I have tried fighting to win an encounter to a drastic defeat. I know.... life sucks sometimes, but seriously? Does anyone win encounters anymore?

 

[Ashrem]

If you are getting orcs as a required negotiating component, and aren't producing orcs, then you have scouted further than the developers want you to. That's just a design fact. We don't have to like it, but that doesn't change it. They don't want us scouting more than a few provinces above the number required to open the next scouting chest. Having a high number of provinces gives a number of advantages, including larger trading area and extra KP and relics for finishing those provinces, and consequently there is an offsetting cost for doing so. That cost is that the provinces are first expensive, then impossible to negotiate, or first difficult, and then impossible to fight. It isn't a bug, it's the intended design, and it's sensible. There's no way that lower level players should be requiring orcs to negotiate unless they are scouted too far out.

What would be non-prejudicial would be something like "No, I think the cost-controls on over-exploring are a good mechanic." Making people refer to others as whiners if they disagree discourages people from selecting it. I understand you probably meant it to be funny, but it's a subtle pressure.

 

[Arel Ula]

If you are getting orcs as a required negotiating component, and aren't producing orcs, then you have scouted further than the developers want you to. That's just a design fact. We don't have to like it, but that doesn't change it. They don't want us scouting more than a few provinces above the number required to open the next scouting chest. Having a high number of provinces gives a number of advantages, including larger trading area and extra KP and relics for finishing those provinces, and consequently there is an offsetting cost for doing so. That cost is that the provinces are first expensive, then impossible to negotiate, or first difficult, and then impossible to fight. It isn't a bug, it's the intended design, and it's sensible. There's no way that lower level players should be requiring orcs to negotiate unless they are scouted too far out.

I can see the logic to a point of limiting scouting. Still not a fan. I imagine that fights are still unequal no matter what level you are. I have seen many other posts regarding that very complaint.

 

[Ashrem]

The amount it costs you to scout the province is plugged into a formula to decide the difficulty of the fight or cost of negotiating. If you scout a province early, the scout cost is high so the fight is harder. if you scouted that same province after opening your next advanced scouts, it would cost less to scout, and the fights would be easier.

 

[SoggyShorts]

, I will never be able to finish 'Rise of Phoenix' even with 7 days to go because even with visiting my fellowship everyday, I will have only acquired 14 relics to meet the requirement of 32 relics

You know that every time you open an egg you have a 30% chance to win relics right? Also relics from tournaments count.

 

[Ashrem]

Soggy's right. Do a half dozen provinces in the tourney tomorrow, and you'll probably be most of the way there.

 

[DeletedUser5521]

..If you scout a province early, the scout cost is high so the fight is harder. if you scouted that same province after opening your next advanced scouts, it would cost less to scout, and the fights would be easier.

So, can you help me figure this out, please, Ashrem? I started a new baby city on Beta last week, and therefore, I must be in the GZ, as I am a brand new baby there. Initially, (remember this?) the game forces you to build a res in a directed space, and walks you thru several steps that you must follow before allowing you to progress relatively independently. By following the quests, you start building up coin and goods. There are only 8 (declinable) quests, and 1 is to solve 3 encounters. Before researching and building the barracks, the only choice was negotiate, so that, I did. I now have barracks, and with completion of barracks was the gift of 50 sword dancers, 50 archers, and 50 treants. Hallelujah! Now I don't have to spend my precious goods to solve those encounters! Or so I thought... I sent my troops in to fight in just the 2nd ring, and was faced with squads of swordies and archers of 12 and 14 against my 6. The enemy would shoot first, and BAM!! One whole squad gone with 1 shot!! So I would fire back, and maybe kill 1 or 2. Next round? Defeated I've been fighting in this game for 2 years. You'd think I could handle these baby battles! Nope. Haven't won one yet. Still negotiating. I am now in chapter II, opened my first Adv Scouts with the exact # of provs needed to do so (10/10), and I will need 30 provs to open chapter III. Right now I have only 17/30. And I can't win a darn thing. I'm facing troops of Orc Deserters and Hellhounds and Mist Walkers much larger than my troops of Swordies and Archers and precious few Treants that I have left (I can't train anymore until I get to that research). And no matter who I throw out there at them, BAM!! Gone. When I started playing 2 years ago, the fighting was FUN. It's not that much fun now, and really discouraging at this level. So the question is: if I can't win a battle at this stage of the game well UNDER the No Cross Zone, and I am massively out-numbered in my other worlds where I am in Chapter 10 with kickazz armies, is there REALLY a zone where battles can be won? If there is, my newest city should be in it. This is a Chapter II, GZ Battle (spoiler) and should be winnable. Seriously. The battle system is STILL pretty messed up...it really is.

Spoiler: GZ Battle?

 

[Mykan]

But the fact is, the devs are looking for ways to put breaks on the speed of world map expansion by players, and making those fights expensive is one of the ways.

I don't believe that is the case, they have plenty of ways to slow things down with techs they don't need to do it with battles. What they do need to do is close the gap between players so they can balance various things. A good example is the complaints around event quests.

Does anyone win encounters anymore?

Yep cause they are boringly easy with the exception of the starting chapters which are not balanced. There is a point for those not at the start where battles become hard and into impossible, each person can choose to continue and negotiate or stop scouting. If you choose to continue you have to accept the consequences that come with that choice.

Tournaments are a good reflection of battles as fight difficulty is somewhat fixed.

 

[DeletedUser2963]

The battle system is STILL pretty messed up...it really is.

In your baby city, you are in the absolute worst part of the game. When they re-balanced fights originally, the spot where you are was really nasty. We screamed, we posted info, we ran test cities...Inno then added that "gift of troops" to baby cities. That is great and wonderful, but not enough so we kept yelling. Inno then rebalanced the lower chapter fights. Its still not enough. If you wait until you get all chapter 2 squad size upgrades before fighting again, you will be okay in ring 2 and ring 3, but ring 4(the last 6 provinces you need to clear the chest) is going to just get all your troops killed.

Inno is working on it, but I think they need to give it a higher priority as this is a "new players" introduction to the game and its not fun! Also they still do not provide any in-game warning about the "Advanced Scout Tech" reducing the negotiation costs and troop count in Unscouted Provinces only. Which causes new people to open too many provinces prior to exiting chapter 1 and again prior to exiting chapter 2, making a difficult area even worse.

Chapter 3, after all troop types are unlocked and you get squad size 8- you will notice a massive difference in battles. This is where the GZ kicks in. You can successfully fight and win in three rings.

Its not you, its not your imagination, there is no GZ for chapters 1 and 2.

 

[DeletedUser5521]

@Iyapo Thanks for that! It doesn't make me feel much better, but at least I know I'm not crazy LOL. So if that's how things go in the beginning, they may want to remove the "fight and win 3 encounters", "solve 5 encounters", and "complete 1 province" quests that are added to the quest cycle in Ch II. By having these quests now, they are setting new players up to scout too far, as there is not, at this point anyway, any warning that scouting too far is even a possibility, rather it is seen as something we are encouraged to do and are rewarded for.

 

[DeletedUser551]

I moved the thread to the General Discussion board.