TheGeek
2007.Apr.06, 11:03 AM
TheGeeks Art of War
I am putting together the sum of my knowledge on the art and science that is WAR in Awakened Lands. I'm not claiming any of these tactics as my own, most were taught to me over my time in AL. I do this not for the mid to upper level players who are all well familiar with these tactics, but I write this for the new players that may not have an understanding of how wars work and the subtle things you can do to change the tide of a losing battle. Ive put a basic situation Losing, Tieing or Winning next to each tactic for a general idea of when to use it. Keep in mind that diplomacy goes a long way in AL, and nearly all wars I have been involved with did, or could have ended with both gangs surviving. These tactics are generally for situations where diplomacy has failed and you run the risk of losing your gang, or you are out to destroy your opponent or atleast make him doubt whether he can win.
Anyone that has tactics not listed or variations of ones I list, feel free to add your comments.
Tactic 1: MERCY KILLING (Losing)
This is a very simple, yet effective way to prevent your opponent from destroying you when you A) have no chance of winning against them or B) need more time to allow your fellow gangmates to get online and help. Basically you need an allied gang or friend who can easily kill any member of your gang (even going so far as to pay for hits on your fellow gang mates) Have each member of your gang Hospitalized. This sounds strange, but it prevents your enemy from having any targets to gain respect from and thereby keeping you from losing any respect.
Tactic 2: KAMAKAZI (Tieing, Losing)
This tactic is best used when there is one member of the enemy gang that is slightly more powerful than your highest level in the gang. What you do is take your lowest member (that atleast has a chance to do some damage, no level 2 versus level 12 spreads) and hit the high level enemy, EXPECTING to lose. This will soften him up and give your highest level member a chance at defeating him. This tactic can produce NEGATIVE RESPECT results now that respect is rated by levels. But if you win, you will gain respect back, or can even use the opportunity to hospitalize the enemy leaving your gang free to hit the other members that you dont have trouble with. If you have a friend that cant beat him, but is not in gang, you can have him kamakazi without risking any respect points.
Tactic 3: COUNTERATTACK (Tieing, Losing)
This maneuver is has to be executed very quickly. It is best used in a situation where you are close to being able to defeat an enemy. It can be very expensive as it is item intensive. And if your enemy is smart, he wont allow it to happen by eating right after the attack. What you do is, wait until he next attacks you then STIMPACK out of the hospital, followed by eating jerky, bioplex or nimbus HP replenishment items to get to full. Ideally he will still be in fair condition and you can attack back and defeat him for most likely more or atleast the same respect than he gained off of you.
Tactic 4: MISDIRECTION (Losing)
Always keep tabs on your current experience targets. Get to know how much damage they typically do to you, this knowledge can save you in a war. I personally make notes on my enemies list of about how much damage each person does to me. This tactic involves you attacking a target that is not involved with your current war. To be successful, all of your gangmates must be able to do this. Basically, you go fight offline targets that are near your power level so that after the fight, you are down to critical or serious condition, this prevents your enemy from attacking you. You can also attack targets that you have no chance of winning against, however this will drain your experience very fast over the course of a war.
Tactic 5: QUICK HITS (Winning)
This is the most simple of strategies for winning a war. Respect points are given by power rating, as such, the amount of time or type of attack used to defeat an enemy is irrelevant. Mug your enemies for the shortest amount of hospital time so they come out and can be hit again quicker than just leaving them.
Tactic 6: DIVIDE AND CONQUEOR (Winning)
A lot of times when people realize they cant beat you, they will start to District hop, by that I mean, if you all are located in Industrial, they will split up to Downtown and Rural, leaving a single enemy in each of the first districts. Watch your enemies while they are in the hospital, if they are online and refreshing regularly (Active within last X minutes/seconds) when near time to leave the hospital, that is a good indication that they are going to District hop. Let them!!! Its the worst mistake they could possibly make in a war where you are winning. They now have no opportunity to employ almost any of the previously mentioned tactics or atleast making it a logistical nightmare by having a higher player that has to travel to each district individually. Once they are split up, assign a member of your gang to each, find them and dont let them travel again if possible. So long as you are winning, and they are split up, the odds of them making a comeback are slim to none.
ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR WARRING:
1. Remember that during a war, a gangs defense bonus goes out the window. Just because you can't beat someone normally, doesn't mean you can't if in a war.
2. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT! HOSPITALIZE THEIR ENTIRE TEAM. This is the biggest mistake I see made in wars, how do you expect to win if you have no targets for 2 hours? This just gives them time to rally support from outside their gang or hire a hitman. The ONLY time this can be used is in very HIGH respect wars in the 3-400 vs 3-400 range where ATTRITION comes into play, where you are trying to slowly drain your enemies pockets by getting them to burn up stimpacks and bioplex...
3. Always consider Diplomacy. Earning a reputation for just destroying gang after gang will put a big fat bullseye on your gang for someone much higher to take all of the respect you've worked for.
4. Consider carefully all possible outcomes BEFORE spending credits in a war. Refreshes are expensive and unless there is some need for you to finish a gang very quickly, the credits you blow refreshing wouldve been more useful in Endurance or even Cash...
5. Gangs that war together, win. Don't declare on a whim. Talk to your gang and try to get organized for a war. It will pay off in spades (and respect).
That is all for now!! Ill add more as I think of other things Ive done in the past or have been taught by other players. As I said, anyone with additional comments feel free to post.
I am putting together the sum of my knowledge on the art and science that is WAR in Awakened Lands. I'm not claiming any of these tactics as my own, most were taught to me over my time in AL. I do this not for the mid to upper level players who are all well familiar with these tactics, but I write this for the new players that may not have an understanding of how wars work and the subtle things you can do to change the tide of a losing battle. Ive put a basic situation Losing, Tieing or Winning next to each tactic for a general idea of when to use it. Keep in mind that diplomacy goes a long way in AL, and nearly all wars I have been involved with did, or could have ended with both gangs surviving. These tactics are generally for situations where diplomacy has failed and you run the risk of losing your gang, or you are out to destroy your opponent or atleast make him doubt whether he can win.
Anyone that has tactics not listed or variations of ones I list, feel free to add your comments.
Tactic 1: MERCY KILLING (Losing)
This is a very simple, yet effective way to prevent your opponent from destroying you when you A) have no chance of winning against them or B) need more time to allow your fellow gangmates to get online and help. Basically you need an allied gang or friend who can easily kill any member of your gang (even going so far as to pay for hits on your fellow gang mates) Have each member of your gang Hospitalized. This sounds strange, but it prevents your enemy from having any targets to gain respect from and thereby keeping you from losing any respect.
Tactic 2: KAMAKAZI (Tieing, Losing)
This tactic is best used when there is one member of the enemy gang that is slightly more powerful than your highest level in the gang. What you do is take your lowest member (that atleast has a chance to do some damage, no level 2 versus level 12 spreads) and hit the high level enemy, EXPECTING to lose. This will soften him up and give your highest level member a chance at defeating him. This tactic can produce NEGATIVE RESPECT results now that respect is rated by levels. But if you win, you will gain respect back, or can even use the opportunity to hospitalize the enemy leaving your gang free to hit the other members that you dont have trouble with. If you have a friend that cant beat him, but is not in gang, you can have him kamakazi without risking any respect points.
Tactic 3: COUNTERATTACK (Tieing, Losing)
This maneuver is has to be executed very quickly. It is best used in a situation where you are close to being able to defeat an enemy. It can be very expensive as it is item intensive. And if your enemy is smart, he wont allow it to happen by eating right after the attack. What you do is, wait until he next attacks you then STIMPACK out of the hospital, followed by eating jerky, bioplex or nimbus HP replenishment items to get to full. Ideally he will still be in fair condition and you can attack back and defeat him for most likely more or atleast the same respect than he gained off of you.
Tactic 4: MISDIRECTION (Losing)
Always keep tabs on your current experience targets. Get to know how much damage they typically do to you, this knowledge can save you in a war. I personally make notes on my enemies list of about how much damage each person does to me. This tactic involves you attacking a target that is not involved with your current war. To be successful, all of your gangmates must be able to do this. Basically, you go fight offline targets that are near your power level so that after the fight, you are down to critical or serious condition, this prevents your enemy from attacking you. You can also attack targets that you have no chance of winning against, however this will drain your experience very fast over the course of a war.
Tactic 5: QUICK HITS (Winning)
This is the most simple of strategies for winning a war. Respect points are given by power rating, as such, the amount of time or type of attack used to defeat an enemy is irrelevant. Mug your enemies for the shortest amount of hospital time so they come out and can be hit again quicker than just leaving them.
Tactic 6: DIVIDE AND CONQUEOR (Winning)
A lot of times when people realize they cant beat you, they will start to District hop, by that I mean, if you all are located in Industrial, they will split up to Downtown and Rural, leaving a single enemy in each of the first districts. Watch your enemies while they are in the hospital, if they are online and refreshing regularly (Active within last X minutes/seconds) when near time to leave the hospital, that is a good indication that they are going to District hop. Let them!!! Its the worst mistake they could possibly make in a war where you are winning. They now have no opportunity to employ almost any of the previously mentioned tactics or atleast making it a logistical nightmare by having a higher player that has to travel to each district individually. Once they are split up, assign a member of your gang to each, find them and dont let them travel again if possible. So long as you are winning, and they are split up, the odds of them making a comeback are slim to none.
ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR WARRING:
1. Remember that during a war, a gangs defense bonus goes out the window. Just because you can't beat someone normally, doesn't mean you can't if in a war.
2. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT! HOSPITALIZE THEIR ENTIRE TEAM. This is the biggest mistake I see made in wars, how do you expect to win if you have no targets for 2 hours? This just gives them time to rally support from outside their gang or hire a hitman. The ONLY time this can be used is in very HIGH respect wars in the 3-400 vs 3-400 range where ATTRITION comes into play, where you are trying to slowly drain your enemies pockets by getting them to burn up stimpacks and bioplex...
3. Always consider Diplomacy. Earning a reputation for just destroying gang after gang will put a big fat bullseye on your gang for someone much higher to take all of the respect you've worked for.
4. Consider carefully all possible outcomes BEFORE spending credits in a war. Refreshes are expensive and unless there is some need for you to finish a gang very quickly, the credits you blow refreshing wouldve been more useful in Endurance or even Cash...
5. Gangs that war together, win. Don't declare on a whim. Talk to your gang and try to get organized for a war. It will pay off in spades (and respect).
That is all for now!! Ill add more as I think of other things Ive done in the past or have been taught by other players. As I said, anyone with additional comments feel free to post.
