Battle Mechanics
1) All troops move according to their speed.
2) They attack the first troop which is within their range.
3) If two or more different troop types are within striking distance to each other, then they attack the unit with highest speed (In compact defence) and range units attack closest troops unless there is a range unit within range.
4) If more then 1 range unit is with range they attack the troop with the highest total attack value.
In a 5k defence troops are attacked in the following order:
Cavs
Phracts
Pike
Swords
Wars
Workers
Archers
(Even though archers are faster than warriors and workers, archers stop once a troop is within range so wars and workers will pass them)
Archers attacking will follow the same order as in foot troops since the advance out of range of defending archers. However wars and workers will be within defending archers range so attacking archers will over look them and attack archers between warriors and workers.
Archers attack in following order
Cavs
Phracts
Pike
Swords
Archers
Wars
Workers
Scouts don't get involved in battle until all defending troops get killed. After defending troops get killed scouts attack city ATs.
Defence types
5k Defence
This is the most used type of defence. Typically you are supposed to have each type of wall fortification.
Common Wall Defence
16100 Ats
2k traps
2k abatis
100 DTs
50 logs
Common Troops (low layering)
400k archers
400k wars
600k scouts
300k swords
20k pike
10k cavs
5k phracts
10k ballistas
2k pults
Strengths:
Effective against cav, phract and ram waves when layered properly.
Lower Food Upkeep
Weaknesses:
Sustainable to Archer and mech rainbows
Not so stable when offline
Compact Defence
The key to a Compact Defence is 0 traps, abatis and trebs. This forces the enemy to fight your entire army at once.
Common Wall Setup
18k ATs
250 rolling logs
Common Troops
Heavy Layering
Archers aren't needed as much as in a 5k defence but always good.
300k Archers
500k wars
600k scouts
100k pike
500k swords
100k cavs
50k phracts
30k ballistas
10k rams
4k pults
Strengths:
Very affective against Archer Rainbows and mech hits
Forces enemy to use more troops
Sturdy even when player is offline
Weakness:
Troop Upkeep can get more expensive do to heavy layering
Open to cav and phract smacks
Sustains massive damage from a ram attack
Reinforcement
You can get plundered if you try to transport or reinforce someone much larger then you in prestige.
Formula
0-2.99x prest = 0% losses
3-4.99x prest = 46% losses
5-6.99x prest = 73% losses
7-8.99x prest = 86% losses
9+ x prest = 93% losses
Its not a 100% chance that you will be plundered. Might get lucky but the formula above tells you max amount of troops you can loose.
Breaking Defence
Best way to break a Compact Defence is a ram attack, cav smack or phract smack. The closer you are to the defending city the more effective you can make the hit. Adding 1 archer, 1 ballista, and 1 pult will give your attack 3 extra rounds free from fire from enemy archers. But at the same time will increase march time. So very important to know when to add them and when to hold off adding them.
Compact Defences have no traps or abatis leaving them weak to these attacks as they get in range of all troops in 1 round doing serious damage.
Best way to break a 5k defence with 5k is a mech wave or an archer rainbow.
5k defences are weak to these attacks as the defending troops march to attacking opposing army depending on their speed. This forces defending troops to spread out allowing archers to pick them off 1 unit at a time.