You guys might all be wondering why I haven't replied to this or the other thread directed at me. It was because I was busy all weekend playing my "real game" .. and that is Backgammon. I won my 2nd major US BG tournament of the year, the Midwest Championships this weekend. Feel free to check on me in Backgammon at http://homepage.interaccess.com/~chipoint and you can read about a game where I may actually be the best in the country or world.
As for ROR (I don't play AOE) I am NOT close to the best in the country/world or on this thread. On this thread I have no doubt that Ender is better than me out of the guys that post here all the time. Emowilli.. where did he go ? is extremely good. Guys that occasionally post here that are World Class..ie (top 10 ) and CLEARLY better than me or any one else that post here all the time are Staffa, Methos, and Blank. There are at least 10 other guys at GX and in the WW room, where I will be alot more, that are in the same league with the 3 gods mentioned here ! Unless, I get a civ I am good at combined with a good starting spot, I would be hard pressed to not get blown off the map in a team game with the very best players.
NoSoup you are quite good and their is no denying it. I have played with a guy in Q a few games who say he was Caffine and he is very good. However, we are all in the same league and that is clearly at least one level below the best.
My game style is economic and it has to be since I have very little RTS fighting experience other than playing mutiplayer AOE/ROR. In other words my tactics/fighting ability is just average. That is far below the best of the best.
As for the economics of managing the first 15 minutes of a typical 3v3 watery map ROR default start game, I truly am very good.
I don't dick around if I see fast food and have no wood problems. I simply get down and pull off a nice 27 vil/18 boat 14 flat bronze with a random slow civ at 1.0 speed. What that can do to guys who do 40 total v&b in 15:30 on the same settings can be very ugly indeed if I am able to have my army go after them ASAP after I bronzed. How do I go so big/fast with a lousy civ ? I have a lot of practice doing it ! If I see what I need quickly, I know exactly what to so to pull off a nice fast boat boom bronze and have a great economy when I get there , too, Why ?? Well.. because it is easy to practice vs the computer ! It is also easier at 1.0 speed to do the fine micromanagement necessary to along the boom to expand exponentially as it blossems. To translate that into English.. I get food a bit faster so I have no/less delay making peons.. they chop wood a little better.. my dock(s) go up a little sooner.. etc etc.. and then I have a bigger and better and faster boom by 7-9 leading to a fast and large bronze. The little things early, really pay dividends along the way, and the interest from those dividends compounds !
I have weaknesses. 1) Tactics 2) My tool fighing is OK, but could be better. 3) My defensive play is often inadequate 4) I often can't support weaker/less skilled allies as well as the truly great players can. 5) I still make starting mistakes on bad maps that lead to slower/risky starts which in turn means that I get drilled hard sometimes. 6) I often don't bounce back effectively enough from an early beating.
7) When I am very busy fighting my economy and often my entire game sometimes slips a bit from 15-25. 8) By mid/late iron my fighting ability is often not as good as I'd like it to be. 9) I often don't spread out enough after bronzing. 10) I sometimes forget to make chariots from my stable(s).
I am working on improving my play in all areas of ROR in hopes off losing less games do to my weaknesses. I suggest all of you do the same. As for Kahn and a few others posting here.. I don't recall playing with you in 2 or 3 months. I am much better now than then. It sounds like some of you may have been in games with me under smurf names. Perhaps, some of you were in on the receiving end of a great start/fast attack by me and watched me overwhelm 2 out of 3 enemies by 17. Perhaps, some of you were in the game when I was tooled hard by one enemy and double bronze rushed by the other two, while my 2 allies managed to 17/22 bronzes with no military action.
In closing, I'd like to say 2 things.
1) Thx to all of you here and at GX who have helped me improve my play to a level that is at least competant. With the continued sharing of our collective knowledge lets hope that some of us may actually reach the top level of play in ROR. I am surely going to try.
2) I have the balls to use my real name to play on the zone 98% of the time. I suggest that some of you do the same. One of you says you have tried to get a game with me for 3 months ! However, I don't recall ever seeing your name you post with here on the zone. Maybe I bailed out of your game room a few times. I don't stick around if I think I am being set up. I.E. three good players vs me, when those three know that my teamates will have trouble bronzing 20 peons by 17.
When it is clear that I was set up.. expect me to leave the game fast !! Those desiring to play set teams vs me/others please allow me/us to come to the battle with our own set teams. When I am on a set team.. that fact is noted in the settings and all can play or leave as they wish. Sometimes I am playing with semi/rookie friends too.
Thx for all the compliments... I work hard at ROR ... neilkaz
[This message has been edited by neilkaz (edited 03-22-99).][This message has been edited by neilkaz (edited 03-25-99).]