Surviving Middle-earth Online
At A Glance
- Tips and tricks for surviving online multiplayer matches in The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II.
The real-time strategy genre attracts a crowd of skilled players to equal or better the level of play you'll find in any FPS match. Put simply, if you want to take your game online, you're going to need a plan, and these online-specific tips should help lay the foundation as you begin your The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth™ II career online.
The Shire was really peaceful a minute ago.
The Rush
It is, without question, the tactic of choice online: Immediately build up several units and fling them against the partially built home base of the enemy. More than any other tactic, you'll need to steel yourself at the beginning of each round against the likely impending rush. There are a few options to consider for success against this strategy:
Preparation: Unless flawlessly executed by a superior opponent, you should never fall victim to the rush strategy. As soon as the game begins, create a resource building (e.g. farm, furnace), a barracks, and if possible, a statue to increase your soldier's stats. Also, be sure to do the following:
- Make anti-cavalry units, as cavalry is almost always used when an opponent rushes you.
- Put your first wave of defenders in a defensive stance.
- Build your first set of buildings behind your fortress so the rushing enemy can't take out any structures on their way to your base.
- Don't panic when the enemy arrives. Keep building units to complement your current defenders.
- Garrison your builders during the attack to make sure they survive.
Counter Rush: One good turn deserves another; if your opponent rushes, feel free to do the same. At this point though, it's a race to see who demolishes the enemy's structures quicker. Ideally, the counter rush should be a deterrent, forcing your opponent back to their base to regroup.
Delayed Counter Rush: If you still have a respectable force after driving off the enemy, put them to instant use and rush their base. You likely won't win the round with this, but you'll put the pressure back on them and hopefully take out a building or two.
A well organized assault.
Instant Action
You've got to have a plan as soon as any online match starts. The name of the game here is instant and decisive action. The first ten minutes of a match are likely to be the most crucial, so make sure there is no downtime in anything you do. If you catch yourself thinking, "What I should build next?" you know you're wasting precious time. Build fast and smart and stick to your original plan.
Private Chat
Team games are phenomenal fun, but if they're unranked, everyone will be able to eavesdrop on everyone else, making developing strategy with your teammate a chore. Never fear, you can always enter private chat with your teammate and work out your tactics without worry of being overheard.
Into the Deep End
Though it may come at the cost of several humiliating losses, there is simply no better way of learning the game than playing someone substantially better than you. If you've got a hardcore real-time strategy fanatic on your friends list, try a few matches with them to instantly learn the ropes. It may be frustrating, but it's highly effective.
Elven calvary charge the goblin army.
Race Strengths
Each race plays to different strengths and weaknesses. Discovering and knowing them is, to quote a Real American Hero, "half the battle." However, because they are so different, it's important to stick with just one faction at the beginning. If you don't, confusion will run rampant.
Know Your Enemy
If you're playing random ranked games, then this tip won't apply, but likely you'll be testing your wits against folks on your friends list as well. When you do, keep a very close eye on their fundamental strategy.
It's hard for people to shy away from what they're comfortable with, so if an opponent rushes you the first time you play them, chances are they'll do it again. From the units they use, the upgrades they choose, the layout of their camps, and how they fight a battle, chances are you'll see the pattern repeated often with only slight variations. By the same token, and as difficult as it may be, try to switch up your own tactics on a regular basis.
Strip it Down
Don't get fancy in the beginning stages of a match. Keep to the essentials: resource buildings, defensive towers, and unit buildings. Buying the upgrade structures, siege units, or heroes simply costs too much in the first few minutes of a match. Once you've survived the initial onslaught, or are certain your enemy isn't about to rush you, then you can turn your attention to the more costly items.
Playing an RTS online is a completely different ballgame from playing the single-player campaigns. Online, you'll face players with more experience and dirtier tactics. The true test of an RTS player is not how well they fare against the game itself, but how they do against other players in the online realm. Hopefully, these tips will keep you alive long enough to test your mettle against the best online players out there.
Article by Ryan Treit
