new strategy is 2 stay on topic.

Ayder, to see what level you will have after finishing the skirm game, just go to scoreboard and last game. That will tell you how many points there are for certain ranks in that game. Then add your recent level (1) with the one you get in the skirm and divide it by 2.

*Changes back to original topic*

Speaking to those who have used both extensively, what do you think is better for overall use, ballista or marksmen?

I personally like ballista better because of their extended range. I do get a few marksmen to travel along with my melee troops because ballista lag so far behind. If defended well, ballista and marksmen can be even imo. Though marksmen defense is way above ballista. Any other thoughts?

Ballista,great in a battle game with relatively little movement needed and well protected by troops.
Marksmen,a neccessity in campaigns.By the later turns theres not much point in sending ballista halfway round the map unless you must to win.

I like using a combination of both. I've found that ballista make a great anti marksman weapon by the fact that you can shoot the marksmen and not cop retaliation. The extra damage on large stacks is also handy when seeing large scouting stacks that can be brought back down to size very quickly. A stack of 50 ballista with 50 comms (for the damage bonus) a couple of hexes behind it can deal out some excellent anti archer fire power.

Marksmen are the best generic kill anything type of troops and so they tend to be used against everything except squires in defense mode. Squires in defense mode can take a fair few attacks before being appreciably depleted.

OzKev, I totally agree with you....a combination is vital in my battles...maybe a little heavier on the ballistas. I build towers for the ballistas and as you said assign a crew of comms and you got a serious killing machine. I always use ballistas in my attacks on other kingdoms and of course station them in towers along walls if I have a defensive border. I've moved ballistas from one side of the field to the other....just takes alittle longer, but they're good for clearing out the bandits on the way.

tarim, ask ayder about how great all those ballistas were against me in our battle game earlier today.

Might just be cos he played me a few hours earlier and got pegged back by 3 marks and a ballista in a tower supported by 2 comms.
Damn,givin away all my secrets here!

yeh tarim, i hated the marksmen!

and suger, i promised i would have a novice agme with u so how bout it?

Just keep beggin' for it ayder...I'm sure you'll get it soon enough! :-)

What about the ranged defence bonus? I was surprised to see it on ballista...I'd have thought it'd be squires only, but I guess not! And the extra damage against large stacks is bad news on basic troops...

a few weeks shall crackit

crack what?

I didn't want to be the first to say it... :-)

The marksmen? The ballista? Winning the battle games?

o right,i m getting better,i had a battle yesterday and i was whipping the guys ass(forgot user tho) and he is like lvl 25:1 and i was winning and he logged off.

The best troop to use in a battle game is marksmen, without any doubt.

I'm sorry Tarim but I disagree with you. Ballista is much better in campaigns than in battle games, while marksmen are the best for battle games. Especially in normal campaigns (not skirmishes) where ur troops have limited damage, ballistas are faster to build up, and you can amass them in big stacks with larger range than marksmen's.

About battle games... why are marksmen better? well I'll show you whenever u want

battling dosent show anything,if you have 4000points of marksmen and 4000 of ballista's and battle its a 50/50 chance,if you paly 10times your bound to loose some so battling dont show anything!

Ps. o and i think hev cav isthe best in campaign and battle, they can destroy marksmen and can cause quite alot of damage!

those who thinks balistas are better than marksmen or HC's. they think defensive. those who thinks marksmen or HC are best troops they think offensive.
yes balistas are good. but do you know that marksmen moves 2 turns 20 spaces. and balistas will do it in almost 3 turns? in one of my compaign game, I made some balistas get the start of the game. and I am trying to move them into battle. but they didn't reached the battle. because it takes 15-20 turns to move them to the other corner of the map. then they are worthless, because you don't even use them. but when you are defending. I think balistas are quite handy.

Having said that, surely better planning would give you more time to get the troops in the places you need, even if not always possible?
And this is thinking offensively. I attack your marksmen with ballista. I'm in range with no chage of getting out of it, so I have to take your retaliation. But while I do the full 1,000 points of damage, you'll only do 500. Even more amplified with multiple troops.

Also ballistas have ranged defense, not too effective against marksmen but...

A 4000-points-worth army of marksmen kicks a 4000pwa of ballista in a battle game IMHO.

Anyway I'd like to try that battle out.

Red!

Red, I fought ayder a few days ago in a battle...he had those mass ballistas...I had 4-5 marksmen, macemen and heavies....don't have to tell you how that turned out, do I?...