*Generic Comp Stomp Tips*
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:53 am
Now first of all, don't laugh. Many people do like comp stomps so don't be insulting. Chances are, many pros won't survive a 1v1 against a hard comp, simply because what works against humans, does not neccesarily work against comps.
Here are some very useful tips and tricks I gathered during my experience with comp stomps. I might post some more later.
1. Exploit the starting location preference
Comps have a preference to their starting location. This is especially evident in island/planet map. Their initial island/planet is their homebase. The key is: the comp never build airports, naval yards, docks, space docks in a non-native island/planet.
Implication: you don't need to take out their non-native planet/island, once their home island/planet is out, they are sitting ducks on the non-native planet/islands with no more airports/naval yard/docks.
2. Killing off their cit-making ability is important
Hard comps are like cockroaches, they are very resilient and can rebuild very fast. A shortcut to this problem would be to priotize their TCs and capitols, and after these are taken out, concentrate on remaining cits. Once no more cits for the comp, they won't be able to rebuild.
this is especially useful for bombing missions and space fighter missions during which you have a great freedom of selecting specific targets. And it is more useful in combination with tip #1 since all you need is take out the cit ability on their HOME island/planet.
3. Indirect fire is cruicial
Indirect fire means being able to fire behind walls. It is not just artillery and bombards, trechuchets and catapults are also indirect fire even though they have no area damage. Archers are technically indirect fire too but forget about them since the gold and wood would be much better spent on trebuchets and catapults in their corresponding epoches.
Indirect-fire weapons are important in CS because they allow minimum casualty on your side and maximum casualty on comps. Just wall up, put indirect fire weapons behind them, get some morale and maybe hospitals, and you will be able to fend off waves of enemy attacks.
In some settings it is a MUST. For instance for Ren CS, you MUST use trebuchets or you will die. Comps will send mass cuverins, a gun that is very hard to kill with handguns and totallly destructive to your army. You need trebuchets BEHIND walls to take them out, it only takes about 3 shots or 2. No other method will work as efficiently.
4. Escort your bomber fleet
Escort your bombers with fighters. Send fighters FIRST just before you launch your bombers, put them on attack move so they attack as soon as they encounter any enemy fighters. This tactic ensures minimum casualty of your bombers. Especially important if you go for nuke bombers.
This works because AI, unlike humans, do not mass-build AAs, and their highest threat to your bombers are therefore fighters. For your own fighters, you only need them to swipe the sky clean during the bombing raid, so you should upgrade attack, HP, and possibly speed, but no flight time since staying on enemy sky longer than needed is detrimental, you want them return soon after you finish your bombing raid.
5. Enticement
for mod islands CS, early game survival is important. A useful tactic I developed to ensure early survival is to get a TC on the edge of the island as early as possible, with walls completely walling the TC itself. The enemy F-14s will attack the TC instead of going inland, making your eco safe. The walls serve as an interceptor of the missiles from the F-14s, as it intercepts most of the missiles making the TC die much less quickly. You may get a couple AAs BEHIND the enticement TC to take out the F-14s, but don't build in front of it because the planes attack whatever it sees first.
6. Walling your island/planet
Easy one to understand.
7. Walling your base (land map)
Crucial. A lot of noobs never do that and even refuse to do so, resulting in repeated deaths after deaths. The utilization of Tip #3 (indirect fire) cannot be done without walling first to protect them from direct fire from the enemy.
8. Never panic
A common phenomemon among inexperiend comp stompers are that they panic easily and resign or quit quickly once they feel they get "pwned". No you don't get pwned that easily in CS, just run to your ally's base and seek to regain your land later on, you can still be useful. Giving up should not be an option unless such decision is made by a CS pro who upon extensive experience decides it is of best interest to terminate the game process.
9. Don't make a huge base that you cannot defend
A very common mistake. A compact base is often much better than a huge base, this is especially true for early game when the resources for defence is severely limited unless you are playing noobish settings like DM. Commonly a noob builds walls far away and they cannot help in anyway when they are being breached, it is just bad and irresponsible and put the rest of the team as risk.
10. Help/don't help your teamate
Some valuable teammates need to be saved. Some are beyond redemption. Decide wisely. There has been situations where I went to help some noob teammates who could not defend themselves, only ending up in the weakening of my own defence resulting in losing. It all depends on the question of whether this teamate worth saving or not.
More tips are coming
Here are some very useful tips and tricks I gathered during my experience with comp stomps. I might post some more later.
1. Exploit the starting location preference
Comps have a preference to their starting location. This is especially evident in island/planet map. Their initial island/planet is their homebase. The key is: the comp never build airports, naval yards, docks, space docks in a non-native island/planet.
Implication: you don't need to take out their non-native planet/island, once their home island/planet is out, they are sitting ducks on the non-native planet/islands with no more airports/naval yard/docks.
2. Killing off their cit-making ability is important
Hard comps are like cockroaches, they are very resilient and can rebuild very fast. A shortcut to this problem would be to priotize their TCs and capitols, and after these are taken out, concentrate on remaining cits. Once no more cits for the comp, they won't be able to rebuild.
this is especially useful for bombing missions and space fighter missions during which you have a great freedom of selecting specific targets. And it is more useful in combination with tip #1 since all you need is take out the cit ability on their HOME island/planet.
3. Indirect fire is cruicial
Indirect fire means being able to fire behind walls. It is not just artillery and bombards, trechuchets and catapults are also indirect fire even though they have no area damage. Archers are technically indirect fire too but forget about them since the gold and wood would be much better spent on trebuchets and catapults in their corresponding epoches.
Indirect-fire weapons are important in CS because they allow minimum casualty on your side and maximum casualty on comps. Just wall up, put indirect fire weapons behind them, get some morale and maybe hospitals, and you will be able to fend off waves of enemy attacks.
In some settings it is a MUST. For instance for Ren CS, you MUST use trebuchets or you will die. Comps will send mass cuverins, a gun that is very hard to kill with handguns and totallly destructive to your army. You need trebuchets BEHIND walls to take them out, it only takes about 3 shots or 2. No other method will work as efficiently.
4. Escort your bomber fleet
Escort your bombers with fighters. Send fighters FIRST just before you launch your bombers, put them on attack move so they attack as soon as they encounter any enemy fighters. This tactic ensures minimum casualty of your bombers. Especially important if you go for nuke bombers.
This works because AI, unlike humans, do not mass-build AAs, and their highest threat to your bombers are therefore fighters. For your own fighters, you only need them to swipe the sky clean during the bombing raid, so you should upgrade attack, HP, and possibly speed, but no flight time since staying on enemy sky longer than needed is detrimental, you want them return soon after you finish your bombing raid.
5. Enticement
for mod islands CS, early game survival is important. A useful tactic I developed to ensure early survival is to get a TC on the edge of the island as early as possible, with walls completely walling the TC itself. The enemy F-14s will attack the TC instead of going inland, making your eco safe. The walls serve as an interceptor of the missiles from the F-14s, as it intercepts most of the missiles making the TC die much less quickly. You may get a couple AAs BEHIND the enticement TC to take out the F-14s, but don't build in front of it because the planes attack whatever it sees first.
6. Walling your island/planet
Easy one to understand.
7. Walling your base (land map)
Crucial. A lot of noobs never do that and even refuse to do so, resulting in repeated deaths after deaths. The utilization of Tip #3 (indirect fire) cannot be done without walling first to protect them from direct fire from the enemy.
8. Never panic
A common phenomemon among inexperiend comp stompers are that they panic easily and resign or quit quickly once they feel they get "pwned". No you don't get pwned that easily in CS, just run to your ally's base and seek to regain your land later on, you can still be useful. Giving up should not be an option unless such decision is made by a CS pro who upon extensive experience decides it is of best interest to terminate the game process.
9. Don't make a huge base that you cannot defend
A very common mistake. A compact base is often much better than a huge base, this is especially true for early game when the resources for defence is severely limited unless you are playing noobish settings like DM. Commonly a noob builds walls far away and they cannot help in anyway when they are being breached, it is just bad and irresponsible and put the rest of the team as risk.
10. Help/don't help your teamate
Some valuable teammates need to be saved. Some are beyond redemption. Decide wisely. There has been situations where I went to help some noob teammates who could not defend themselves, only ending up in the weakening of my own defence resulting in losing. It all depends on the question of whether this teamate worth saving or not.
More tips are coming