Has this ever happened to you?

You team up with the computer and everything is going nicely, you reach T2 before 15 minutes or less, and you build your space port. Then you build two or more hovercraft and send them over the your ally, only to realize he hasnt even reach T2 yet?This happened to me time and again and it makes me very mad.

The other thing about temaing with the computer is that it will tell you to launch an attack with it but it has about 20 troopers and that is it. you have a T4 aemy complete with masters and county hunters and the computer gives you t2 troopers and some mechs!


Enough on my rant, has this happened to anyone else?

Fido

What I hate the most is when your comp ally has tons of troops, mechs, bounty hunters you name it all piled up in the back of their base. They have a huge army that could easily over run the enemy, then they tell you to attack and they send a few pummels and mounted troopers.

Yes, this is how the AI often behaves. You just have to live with it. I do the following:

1. I send my scout to his base near the end of T1/start of T2. I search it during early T2. I do not bother to build hovercraft until I see that he in fact has a spaceport with which I can trade. As soon as he does, I send a hovercraft over.

2. Ignore him when he asks you to attack. He's not going to do anything significant, and it'll throw your timing off.

3. Pay attention when he asks for assistance from an attack against him. It usually means he's in deep trouble, and if you don't help him, you will soon find yourself without an ally, fighting 2-on-1 or something.

3a. I usually send some really nice units over to him to defend him before he even asks. As Naboo or the Rebs, I will send over a 3-fighter 3-bomber squadron (usually assigned #3, for some reason... I considered the "3rd cavalry" in AoK to be my "help the ally group" of horse archers and knights, and I just kept the numbering when I changed games). If I'm playing the Gungans, the Empire or the TF I will send 6 mechs over (3 of each type, MD and AM). If I am playing the wooks I will send over a few berserkers and some other troops. All depending on my own development and needs, of course.

Often I will also send over a worker, if I can spare one, which I will use to build a few extra buildings (extra air base, extra turret for defense, extra mech factory), so I can start churning out help for him really fast if he needs it. Also, if I place it right, those bases (protected by my troops and turret(s)) will draw enemy fire, taking the pressur off of him.

4. It's a good idea to tribute some excess food and wood to him if he looks like he's developing slowly, and you have it to spare. This can mean the difference between a survivable T4 ally and a dead T3 ally.

C

When I play with the computer as my ally, I essentially use them as a decoy. I don't waste any resources on trying to protect him. I let him absorb the attacks that would have been directed at me. When my computer partner is destroyed (as it always is), I get the extra resources that it sends to me. That's enough to complete my army and assault the computer enemies that remain. This strategy has worked twice out of two. The reason I don't actually help the computer grow and protect it is that all I need him for is as a decoy to kill some of the enemy and absorb its attacks. Once I've got my attack force completed, I'm unstopable and I can walk all over the 2 computer opponents. If I help the computer, he may steal away some of my fun of destroying the enemy. I play 2 vs 2 on medium level with all else being standard.

This strategy may change if we go 2 vs. 3+ enemies, which I haven't tried yet.

SirKai

I play the same as you, 2-on-2 with one computer partner (vs. 2 comps).

I don't like seeing the other side beat my "partner" though. He's my ally, and I will defend him unless there is substantial risk to my own forces involved.

The longer you keep him around, the longer he ties up your common enemies... the longer you have to build up your forces. I don't mind him joining me when the "big push" comes... sometimes I smack one enemy while he starts on the other. That just makes the game a bit more speedy. But I don't mind him getting in on the action.

Hehehe... "him", as if it were a person :D

The computer will attack whoever has the highest score. So if your ally is being attacked, why don't you have a higer score than the comp??