Kester |
Posted on 10/28/04 @ 12:00 AM (updated 12/15/04)
Mission 30 - Eye of the Camel
This is a straightforward, surprisingly easy mission with the Human Lord teaming up with Richard Lionheart against Saladin the Wise and Sultan Abdul. The computer lords begin with 8000 gold, and you get 2000.
When gameplay begins in year 0, your keep is positioned between your ally on your left, and Sultan Abdul on the right. Resources are plentiful. You'll want to begin with the usual placement of woodcutters and apple farms. Buy a marketplace so you can purchase enough additional stone to enclose your keep, then line the walls with braziers and archers. Set up quarries, ox tethers, iron mines, wheat farms, bakeries, an inn, etc. - everything necessary to keep your people happy.
Next begin weapon production. I started with maces, crossbows and leather armor, and added to it as resources allowed, until I had about 2 of everything. Build your barracks and mercenary post. Add additional quarries, as the sale of stone will be your primary source of income.
I added a tower between my keep and Sultan Abdul's, but it didn't have much effect. Anything I placed on it was quickly killed or destroyed.
Lastly, build the engineer's guild and about three catapults. When all is in place (and your forces number about 70), ask Richard Lionheart to attack Sultan Abdul. When he agrees, direct your catapults to take down the gatehouse. When that is down, it will be easy enough to march in and kill the Sultan. (My attack on the Sultan went in three waves: my initial attack, Richard's troops catching up and attacking, then a second attack from me with hastily purchased Arabian knights after the first batch were all killed. It would have been better if I had waited for Richard's forces, to launch the attack simultaneously.) Sultan Abdul died in May of year 10.
With your close enemy out of the game, you'll have room to expand, so take advantage of it and place more quarries. Gold will quickly accumulate. For the next few game years it will just be a matter of building your army. When I was ready to attack Saladin the Wise, my army had the following: 5 archers, 20 macemen, 25 crossbowmen, 15 pikemen, 23 knights, 18 engineers manning 9 catapults, 3 assassins, and 123 Arabian knights.
Move your catapults into place to attack Saladin's towers, then ask Richard to attack with you. Move all your forces into position near the river. When one or two towers have fallen, move your macemen in to destroy the gatehouse. Follow quickly with your other forces, and Saladin the Wise will fall. He died in March of year 16.
This mission was different for a couple of reasons. First, resources are very abundant, so you'll have no problem raising gold or providing for your people. And second, unlike most of the other missions, the enemies don't really attack. The Sultan will occasionally send a few troops near your keep, but the archers and crossbowmen you've set around the walls will be sufficient to kill them.
I won this mission on the first try (for a change!). Good luck, and have fun with it yourself!
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