Replays for the people!

[Bratalix]

Hello there! I think we need a thread like this where people can post their replays that they think is worth posting. Here you can watch replays, upload your own and learn alot about different ways to play the game, or just plainly upload a game where it was really close, or a complete utter destruction of the other army, or whatever is fun to watch!

To upload your own replay:

XP
Go to the folder where they are saved. For me its: "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\The Creative Assembly\Empire\replays". Not sure if it differs from person to person. Rar the file and attach it to the post.

Vista
In Vista, replays are located in "C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Empire\replays".

Write why you think the replay is worth watching, and if possible what you should look for during the battle since alot happends at the same time.

[Bratalix]

I'll start with the first post here.

Me and Zyphlan played a couple of games for fun and training today and ended up playing a game with him playing his normal tactic. I knew he was gonna use it and he knew I was gonna try to counter it. So before you watch it I can tell you I lost, but I think the replay might give you some insight on how to counter it seeing I wasnt far away. Things to watch for if you want to study the important things in the replay:

The cavalry fight downhill.
This is where I lost my biggest chance to turn the table around, I lost my uhlans rushing forward into 2 units of dragoons and it ended up in a draw with all our cav. dead. Note to self: bring more cav!

Him being on the hill.
Many people forget that the strong point of having mortars is that you decide the place to fight. Look at how he positions the troops with leaving harly no room for me to move in on. Being on a hill also gives you advantage while firing and light infantry gets bonuses and your range is higher. I lost my rifles though on the top of the hill where I let them be charged etc.

Conclusion.
It was a tight battle even if the endscore might say different. The mortar didnt kill very much themselves, but rather gives 3 advantages; the ability to choose where to fight, the moral disatvantage of the enemy, and forcing the other player to be the attacker.

Some of you will probably think that the mortars won the game. It was ofcourse a deciding factor, but the mortars only lead to the real battle being played, and if the defence would have been slightly off it would turn around with the defender being flanked and crushed.

We played with Zyphland default settings being Late, high funds and the largest unit sizes. I hope you enjoy the replay!

For those that does now know where to put the replay, just unrar the replayfile, and put it in "Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\The Creative Assembly\Empire\replays"

[Zyphlan]

On a small note don´t think he had no mortars he had 2 of them so don´t say he would have no chance to blow up my troops just depends how he uses them.
In that you will clearly notice the mortars pushed him into my defenses but not obliterate him.
The mortars were a factor too make sure he would need to move fast but they were not used too clear his entire army in 30sec like some of you say.

[Bratalix]

Yeah, I used 2 mortars for being able to pick off as many as possible, but if people think 2 mortars is too much then I dont know what to do xD

[FredNerk]

So what does the great general do when he doesn't get to play as the host on a map with a large hill?

Also your strategy seems a bit confused there. If you're going to take your own mortars and also attack, use them to soften up the infantry you're marching towards (he even went into square for you to make it easy). Don't take lancer cavalry if what you're going to use it for is a protracted melee. Same goes for taking light dragoons. If the defender wants to take up a box-like position (as the defender here did) then take advantage of that and flank him properly. Don't use jaegers as line infantry or, worse, allow them to go into melee with guards, unless you can punsih him for it. With 6 mortar batteries firing at you, don't let your infantry clump up in juicy positions (that is, let's say the mortars are firing at X. Many shots will miss. Having anything other than X within normal misfire range is just giving him free kills).

Why don't you try again with you hosting (so that you have the high hill)? I don't know that i;d count "make sure you host" as a particularly canny strategy.

[Zyphlan]

Won´t make a difference seeing i will just make sure he can´t make use of the hill.
Again your mistaken i used 4 or 5 mortar batteries. Pretty sure it were 4 of them.
He wasn´t able to flank me properly seeing i already calculated that in.

[Bratalix]

You have some valid points FredNerk, but on the other hand I did point out all those things if you really read my post except that my artillery fired wrong. I do believe going with uhlans is worth it since their charge is mental and that is what I use my cavalery for, I dont want them to stand for long in a fight since then I might aswell have inf.

I missed out some things as you say, but hey, I'm not even close to perfect and never said I was! But it did felt as you only watched the movie and didnt read my post

[Zyphlan]

Frednerk by the way i will be making replays from now on.
And post them on youtube with narrators voices.
So you can see it's not only my mortars doing the job. And if they were less accurate or less dmg they would still help me enough.

[JSBACH]

Good replay. Zyphlan certainly isn't totally without skill, but his positioning (not to mention mortars) does a good bit of the work for him. Zyphlan had 5 mortars, Judas, two.

Here's the battle roster:

Judas: 2 mortars, 2 light dragoons, 2 uhlans, 9 guards (1 with 1 chevron), 2 jaegers

Zyphlan: 5 mortars, 4 light dragoons, 6 guards, 1 green jacket, 1-2 light infantry

Judas was arrayed in line at middle of his zone, with cavalry on his right flank and the 2 jaegers behind his line on the left, Zyphlan formed a half square around his mortar emplacement with cavalry on his left flank


Judas placed his two mortars in the trees, unfortunately not far forward enough in the deployment zone to effect any significant damage upon Zyphlan's infantry or even touch his mortars. Judas gotmost of his infantry moving immediately which is absolutely necessary in the face of 5 mortars spitting explosive shells.

Cavalry met on flank at a bit above the foot of the hill; J's uhlan defeated 1 light dragoon and could've had the upper hand if he'd rushed to save the other one, mobbed by 2 light dragoons, but the window was like 10 seconds, and meanwhile...

J had moved his guards right outside of range of Z's guards on the hill, after taking a good 200+ casualties in his ranks, but not far enough from Z's hidden light infantry lined up in front of his guards. Z placed green jackets further up on the hill, behind his guards, but they being snipers of course had sufficient range. J moved his whole line up and exchanged fire, which of course being quite a few men down and downhill meant certain doom. Cavalry on either side had meanwhile dispersed. J's right side fought the light infantry and green jackets, which are an especially nasty lot and put up a lengthy fight even as snipers seeing as they have superb defense and melee attack stats, while J's left got rolled by Z's guards on Z's right, who then preceded to mop up the remainder of J.

Long story short, J hadn't a chance really: though mortars are not accurate enough to destroy entire units on march (though they could certainly do it if their target held still, and in short order too), whoever has more and better placed mortars gets the advantage in a diminished enemy force throughout. Given a good incline on the hill, and a skirmish line in front of the main body to absorb the first impact and further diminish the attacker, Z's infantry had no problem breaking J's already mortar-whacked, chipped, and cracked force. The incline on some parts of the hill allowed each and every rank of Z's guards simultaneously to have los and be able to fire. J managed to take a chunk out of Z's force, but ultimately it isn't about casualties but who remains on the field... Sure, Zyphlan probably couldn't have gone down to the pub, but the win was clinched in the first place. The only chance J had was to bayonet charge Z's guards immediately, but the light infantry Z had made even that futile on J's right.

Definitely an extremely successful strategy, with probably only spruced-up Marathan melee troops as a possible weakness... It's "dirty," but it works, as far as increasing one's command rating.

[Zyphlan]

You might forget that i actually had 2 packs of cavalry left.
And used them to steamroll his final 2 line infantry from the right.

[Paolai]

more similar to a WII battle than a 1700 one

Very funny...thx CA

[Zyphlan]

No idea how you look at the game.
But are you only watching those mortars shoot or are you actually watching the 4 times the flanking is stopped?

[Paolai]

As far as mortars are so ridiculous, yes

Congrats, I wanna watch more of your replays, a lot of fun wathing them

Thx CA

WII battle in 1700 OMG!

[Paolai]

FYI, I linked this topic to the italian community forum I am sure all will have a great laugh

Thx CA

[Zyphlan]

The difference i can say im still unbeaten in any ranked play. Then my tactic must work and seeing bratalix and several other people can beat mortars but failed on this.
Explain too me how its possible how i beat a full infantry and cavalry army with less menpower?. And no the mortars didn't hit 300 times nor did they destroy his entire army melee and flanking did.

[Paolai]

My question is Zyphlan, do you want gain victories or gain the community MP respect? Ask yourself for that.
Atm imho you are gaining wins with your "wounderful" tactic (imho it is not), thats all.
But it is not your fault Zyphlan, its CA fault.

Do you wanna be respected by the community? Do you think at the moment you are respected?

That all

BTW, I have not a problem with you, you have your way to be respected, I have mine.

Have fun with mortars.

Thx CA

[Zyphlan]

Paolai i don´t need to be respected by a community who only wants historical right fights and fun.
While im playing just purely ranked and play it too be nr1 and i take a tactic which i know is nearly impossible to beat.
Nobody scream brimestone when in red alert 3 people are rushing making sure you don´t have alot of time to think.

And as far as i see the only people with high ratings and lots of wins support me while people who i killed before easily or keep losing because there tactics don´t work are against me.
So i prefer respect with pros over being loved by the masses.

[freejack]

I play only no mortar no rockets rules, anachronistic because too much powered units, they seem Saddam's scuds or Katiushia.
Yeah good...for Saturday night live...

[Paolai]

Paolai i don´t need to be respected by a community who only wants historical right fights and fun.
While im playing just purely ranked and play it too be nr1 and i take a tactic which i know is nearly impossible to beat.
Nobody scream brimestone when in red alert 3 people are rushing making sure you don´t have alot of time to think.

And as far as i see the only people with high ratings and lots of wins support me while people who i killed before easily or keep losing because there tactics don´t work are against me.
So i prefer respect with pros over being loved by the masses.

Ok, have fun then, and I hope for you (but not for the community) that CA will not change rockets and mortars otherwise you cannot be n1!
Good luck

[Zyphlan]

Well freejack and your more then free too and i support you doing that.
But if it´s ranked and people have no problems with no rules then who am i too not use them.