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The Great Invasion of Troy
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| Author |
File Description |
| Lord_of_Hell |
Posted on 01/10/09 @ 10:38 AM
| File Details |
|---|
| Map Size: |
400x400 (Large) |
| Difficulty: |
Hard |
| Made with version: |
1.1 |
Minimap:
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The Great Invasion of Troy
Hello everybody!
I was thinking to submit this map long time ago and I worked little by little for it since summer 2008. It does not have anything to do with my series of battles, “First Line in Defensive”.
I think you already guess that’s about the invasion of Troy. Indeed I made an invasion reflecting the siege of Troy. I’ve seen that are already in site some scenarios just like this but I didn’t see one made by an ‘original’ plan so I decided to try to make one by myself.
The story of Troy, including history of the heroes fighting in the Trojan War, is in the archive.
Here are some Hints/Tips:
- At beginning, watch out at the counter-attack enemy waves, coming from Troy.
- Protect your engineers and siege weapons with any cost.
- After the waves of enemy stop attacking you, you can use your engineers to build shields.
- Used with many archers as possible, the shields will help you to conquer the southern wall of troy.
- Conquer the second wall of southern side of troy, in the same way.
- Watch out at enemy pitch and traps. You can sacrifice the slaves to destroy them.
- Dig the moat with some engineers.
- Invade the king with all troops you have at your didiposal.
- The end.
Additional comments:
- Please download, comment and review. I worked hard finishing this map.
- And as usual, if there’s any problem / bug in the map, please comment.
- And finally, Special Thanks to Peter2008 who helped me a lot playtesting this scenario.
Lord_of_Hell
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| Pages: [1] 2 » Last » | | Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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| DutchNavy |
Posted on 01/10/09 @ 12:20 PM |
| Lord_Sthil |
Posted on 01/10/09 @ 01:03 PM |
Lord_of_Hell
File Author |
Posted on 01/11/09 @ 02:19 AM [Edited on 07/03/11 @ 04:49 PM]
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| The Hitman |
Posted on 01/11/09 @ 07:01 AM |
Lord_of_Hell
File Author |
Posted on 01/11/09 @ 01:17 PM
[Edited on 05/08/09 @ 08:13 AM]
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Lord_of_Hell
File Author |
Posted on 01/14/09 @ 01:39 PM |
ericgolf
Staff |
Posted on 01/14/09 @ 02:18 PM
http://stronghold.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forum/display.cgi?action=t&fn=17 |
Lord_of_Hell
File Author |
Posted on 01/14/09 @ 03:12 PM |
| disturbed |
Posted on 01/17/09 @ 03:18 AM |
| peter2008 |
Posted on 01/25/09 @ 08:48 AM
This is where this missions starts. Are you a clever strategos ?
Playability: 5
At the start you are in danger to loose some of your most important but vulnerable units. It's not just the usual few macemen that almost won't scratch your troops. This Troy has much more in stock. A huge counter attack on one side, seemingly endless waves of maces and knights on the other. Once I set one army on march towards the other, and bands of maces persecuted my defenceless engineers whom they are assigned to attack.
Yourself are in command of two very large armies. The big phalanx consists of Arabian swordsmen, quasi the hoplites. There are numerous unit types around them but in modest numbers. 21 European swordsmen, quasi the mythological heroes on the field. Comparatively few ranged forces. Plenty of engineers (with some siege engines and a certain amount of gold left). Accompanying light infantry and special units. Really looks like all the Greek tribes have assembled here.
The city walls are filled with archers all along. They are often protected by portable shields and guarded by melees on patrol. At the south-eastern wall two massive custom towers threaten over. The west and north sides look like a thin line. But, as with most sieges, hidden traps will be present.
Most players may wish to unit their two armies first. This is a period to act as a coward when you send single groups along the edge of the map.
But where to attack and with which tactics? The good news about this Troy installation is, it offers MANY possibilities for assaults. The "bad" news is that slight errors or delays can cause heavy losses.
Charge of the masses, overwhelming and smashing away everything in the way? Despite the high numbers this won't work, actually not all the way. Sometimes decisive strikes may be at time. But at first one has to carefully consider the walls and the defences, test the ground, lure the pitch ditches being set on fire, send forward cheap troops to clear the way from wooden traps. And one can order the plenty engineers to build shields, too. Then the small numbers of Arabian archers at hand can turn into a succedingly and deadly power. (But leading troops and shields requires training. I recommend practice on the parts of the shore out of range of the enemies.)
So there will be no single huge charge. Too many obstacles block the ways. A tower may have no direct access, a “gate” may reveal itself as a custom installation hindering any crossing on the top. Instead you're in need of a rather provident and patient style. There will be movements of troops types forwards, back-, side- and forwards again. Clear segments of the wall from hostile archers. Conquer strategical points such as gates, walls or big, flat-roofed storage buildings. Let your army follow. Be careful that they all take the right way. Units taking roundabouts probably won't be seen again.
The huge size of the ancient metropolis of Troy allows assaults from different sides. The hints by Lord_of_Hell offer a walk-through for an attack across the south-west gate only. I managed to take the city from all sides. The more I became familiar with the tactics mentioned above as well as with the city and its dangers and weaknesses, the more cheeky ideas I got. Why not occupy Priamos' palace from the rear and kick his heroes from behind?
Altogether, this siege mission proves to be of an exceptionally high replayability.
Balance: 4.5
Don't let yourself be misled by the big number of your forces. One might loose this map. Small failures may result in a delicate death toll, entire groups can be lost in no-time.
Also, don't let the presence of seemingly weak archers betray you. (Chronologically correct, there could not be xbows.) Portable shields upon the walls multiply the strength of even few archers present at a certain spot. And the defence lines of Troy are set in deep layers both in front of the city walls and inside the town. And they work together well. Your troops will suffer under many surprises of cross-fire, traps, an almost hidden central tower with a (shush!).
A further improvement would have been if the Troyans had bands of armoured soldiers assigned to stay right at the city gates. Safe inside the town, on aggressive stance they would immediately attack any unwelcome visitors. (Compare Lord_of_Hell's "First Line in Defensive: 'Poienari' Stronghold" where the melees upon the wall act great.)
Creativity: 5
This map of Troy offers a lot of unique details.
Above all, the giant layout of the capital, worked out to scale of archaeological sketches. (Imo, it doesn't matter that the different stages of Troy have never existed contemporarily but represent different ages. That's academic subtleties.) Thus originated a very impressive rebuilding of Troy for which we all can be very thankful.
Part of the city are numerous types of custom buildings: the square system of King Priamos' palace. Many "town houses" which probably functioned as community buildings such as stores for grain, olive oil, or other goods, stables and barracks. They have their own gates(!) and nice handrails on the roofs.
According to those times, there are few towers. Lord_of_Hell made them unique creations, too. Often clever accessess lead onto them, stairs from behind only instaed of simple direct entries from upon the wall.
Next, choke points inside the city. You have to charge strategical positions, you have to lead and control your moving troops carefully.
Some kind of gates are made up as nasty surprises: custom wall openings with attached drawbridge. So on the wall walk, raiders will horribly find themselves stopped.
This Troy is an entire and harmonic looking eye-candy.
Likewise many other features are worked out carefully.
The uncredible counter-attacks, tremendous on one side, almost never-ending on the other.
Tasteful I have to call the outline of the traps. Of course functional. But at the same time really aesthetic (not in poor blocks or clusters). This brings along a feeling of "not too much and - by far - not too less"
Also the troops are deployed as eyecandies, both the defenders on the walls and in the wards and the Greek armies on the shores.
Map Design: 4.5
The lines of walls fascinate me. They look harmonic and natural with all the small and big curves they take.
Also the terrace system around the palace of Priamos looks attractive, mostly in-game.
The big town is a complex metropolis (though population is hinted to exist only as in common in siege maps).
The landscape blends well into the city with some elevations and rock formations.
Skillful and patient work was needed to create this Troy.
The crenelations of most of the community houses look appealing in contrast to the flat roofs. Only the south-west has ome kind of saddle roof, making it difficult to occupy the roof for the group of archers plus shields.
Astonishing how many troops Lord_of_Hell has included in the map without the scene looking crammed.
Of the Greek ships two are visible. On second view I recognize that they are far too big compared with the scale of the town. They had poor nutshells, not mammoth transporters. (And, of course, the distance from beach to the city is too short. Only in this regards "Troy (Total War)" by Amir88 looks more realistic.)
We want a siege to do and for this regard the map is perfect and the ships/shore aspect I find is rather neglectable.
In the west, some buildings appear to be a sanctuary. Maybe a shrine of Athene because additional attack power of the Greeks comes from there.
The dry Anatolian landscape is expressed allright. As often with mapmakers, there is a lack of greenery along the river. Also, the wheat farms of the metropolis must have been somewhere in the back lands (on both sides of the stream?).
Story/Instructions: 4
Very interesting is a colourful sketch of the historical stages of ancient Troy. One can detect how correct the rebuilding has turned out.
Helpful that the added file includes a summary of the "Trojan War" as narrated by Homer. Less helpful that it is hidden behind a comprehensive report of the main heroes fighting or playing an important part in the story.
The latter report has no link to the map.
In any case, with such sources should go some references. (Funnily, the summary, taken from the Internet, is the same as choosen by Amir88 for his Troy map.)
Ambivalent I felt with the tips. Most of the single hints are general suggestions. The whole chapter reads like a walk-through. Some players will welcome to be able to rely on it after some unsuccesful sieging attempts. But these hints should be given as a separate file. The present "like this" just distracts from the very plural possibilities of charging spots!
On one side it may take away the fear (phobos) of the siege. On the other hand players may be seduced to act too carelessly (big howling, eleos, then).
The great strength of this Troy siege map is that you can assault the city from each side and you will find many possibilities to proceed and they all will be fun.
Additional Comments:
Congrats to the most beautiful Troy ever. As well as to an exciting and entertaining siege mission. I recommend this map to all Crusaders.
It really hurts me I could not give a full 5 for map design. It's just the surroundings of the city that aren't "perfect". The famous Troy walls will surely stay as model for followers in walls building.[Edited on 01/29/09 @ 09:28 PM]
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
|---|
| 4.6 | | Breakdown |
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| Playability | 5.0 | | Balance | 4.5 | | Creativity | 5.0 | | Map Design | 4.5 | | Story/Instructions | 4.0 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 1,483 |
| Favorites: [] | 1 |
| Size: | 1.28 MB |
| Added: | 01/10/09 |
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