What is the strategy for the long game?

[Indianer]

I have played through the game twice now, and I keep running into a massive problem around day 60. Both times I was doing well, had around 20 camps with a total of 70 warriors, and then suddenly the enemies start multiplying like rabbits.

I concentrated on having good karma, so that I would attract more warriors. This takes a lot of time to silently stalk and kill each enemy in each camp. Especially for the missions to liberate a territory by intimidating the leader, which is a long three part mission.

Around day 60 or 70 there is an explosion of new enemy camps. Some of their camps instantly return the day after I clear them. Up until this point, my side and their side have around 20% of the map controlled. But suddenly their camps start popping up everywhere, their gatherers and patrols are all over the map, and my territory starts declining to 10% or less, while their grows to 30, 40, then 70% in a matter of 7 or 8 days.

What am I doing wrong? Their must be a better strategy or way to prevent this. My strategy has been to focus on keeping my warriors at camp to defend our own territory while I do stealth missions to clear camps and max out karma. Focusing on liberating territories and attacking enemy camps.

Also, is there any option setting for slowing the rate of the enemies expansion? If there were that would enable people to customize the gameplay to their own preference. I still feel like I must be missing something when it comes to the strategy of the game, because nothing I do seems to keep enemy bases from respawning immediately all over the map simultaneously after 70+ game days.

[bkrrrrr]

My impression is that their population grows when food is transported from their farms to their town. Find their farms and keep shutting them down and taking away the Groceries, and cut off the supply route from the farms to their town. I'm not exactly sure what roles gold, iron and wood play in the expansion, but you also want to stop those gathering groups and shut down the sawmills and mines.

[Indianer]

Originally posted by bkrrrrr:

My impression is that their population grows when food is transported from their farms to their town. Find their farms and keep shutting them down and taking away the Groceries, and cut off the supply route from the farms to their town. I'm not exactly sure what roles gold, iron and wood play in the expansion, but you also want to stop those gathering groups and shut down the sawmills and mines.

I have had a hard time maintaining that strategy. The "stop expansion of x" missions are non stop, and once you do get rid of the wood cutter/ gold gatherer camp they come back again. Sometimes these missions seem to be like spam and are constant. And after 70 days the camps seem to respawn instantly. As soon as you fast travel to another one of your camps, their camp or group has returned on the map. This happens with nearly every one of their camps across the maps.

Maybe I am allowing their cities to grow too much early on, but I can't figure out a way to fight their camps and liberate territories while cutting off their supply lines at the same time. With all the missions coming at you, I can't find the time to make it all happen.

Is it at all possible? Am I doing something wrong that I can correct next playthough, or is this a late game mechanic or bug that isn't fully developed yet.

Also, I have noticed that later in the game, even with multiple weapons damage bonus skills, it can take 5 or 6 shots to kill just one enemy with upgraded bows and guns and arrows? This seems like it should be the opposite, and they should fall more easily.

I tried attacking their supply lines and farms, and they manages to go from 30% to 40% controlled in just a matter of two days.

[bkrrrrr]

I ignore all missions. There aren't enough hours in the day to get sidetracked by them. I just do what I can to grow my camps and whittle away at the enemy.

There is a phase of the game where there are endless gathering groups, and you just have to try to keep chipping away at their territory while at the same time preventing the gathering groups from running over your camps. It gets very crazy with endless teleporting between the front lines and camps under attack.

[Indianer]

Originally posted by bkrrrrr:

I ignore all missions. There aren't enough hours in the day to get sidetracked by them. I just do what I can to grow my camps and whittle away at the enemy.

There is a phase of the game where there are endless gathering groups, and you just have to try to keep chipping away at their territory while at the same time preventing the gathering groups from running over your camps. It gets very crazy with endless teleporting between the front lines and camps under attack.

That seems to be the part where their territory starts doubling overnight. I have one other question. Is it better to do the main quest line? "Finding the root of all evil" and those missions? Does that slow down the enemies, or make them more aggressive? I am not sure if that is effecting my gameplay negatively or not?

And can you attack their towns and cities to slow them down (maybe poison and explosive arrow them) or is that only a late game tactic when you can create a massive war party?

[bkrrrrr]

I dunno - I ignore missions. I want to structure my Resistance my own way, not chase the latest "plotline" thrown at me. It really doesn't matter how much territory the enemy holds - you can turn them back eventually. Just keep pushing back and growing your camps.

[Indianer]

Originally posted by bkrrrrr:

I dunno - I ignore missions. I want to structure my Resistance my own way, not chase the latest "plotline" thrown at me. It really doesn't matter how much territory the enemy holds - you can turn them back eventually. Just keep pushing back and growing your camps.

Thanks for all the info and help. I am still trying to figure out a strategy where I don't get creamed into oblivion on day 70-80. I am trying to attack the wood cutters, farms and gold gatherers more this playthrough, so I will post updates on how that works out.

One more question I have had. Does it pay to take the time to stealth everything and have good karma for the extra warriors, or is it better to just go in guns blazing and speed through enemy camps, so that you can expand faster?

[bkrrrrr]

Stun arrows are always faster than pointy arrows for me, as long as the stun hitbox remains as large as it currently is.

[Indianer]

Originally posted by bkrrrrr:

Stun arrows are always faster than pointy arrows for me, as long as the stun hitbox remains as large as it currently is.

So you go for the good karma bonus, and catch and release the enemies?

[bkrrrrr]

Originally posted by Indianer:

Originally posted by bkrrrrr:

Stun arrows are always faster than pointy arrows for me, as long as the stun hitbox remains as large as it currently is.

So you go for the good karma bonus, and catch and release the enemies?

I stun arrow and intimidate them, because it's the easiest and fastest way to take the enemy down. It is much easier to stun arrow than to get headshot with a pointy arrow, and doesn't leave any corpses for the enemy to discover. I'm not very concerned with karma/reputation

[SmlehliW]

... now i understand, for what the stun-arrows are good (i am new in game)

[Indianer]

I am on my third playthrough now. Attacking the gathering groups (wood, lead, etc) really slows the enemies expansion down a lot. I've been hitting them as often as I can, and they sent fewer and fewer people until they eventually stopped coming to that location altogether. I am on day 40 or so, and have about 16% of the map in my territory with a couple dozen camps and nearly 100 warriors. The enemies only have around 5% or the territory under their control.

I still prefer to do the missions just for the extra SP. I am keeping my karma high so that I get as many warriors as possible. I can't wait to do a massive raid with a huge war party!

[SmlehliW]

Originally posted by Indianer:

. I am keeping my karma high

where can i see the level of the "karma" - found no info about this?

[bkrrrrr]

Originally posted by SmlehliW:

where can i see the level of the "karma" - found no info about this?

tab - it's the red or green dots at the upper left

[SmlehliW]

sry, i have no sign, what show info for the KARMA on my display?

[SpeedingTurtle]

Karma = Reputation. It's the 4 dots beside your name, 4 red you have bad karma/reputation, neutral camps won't want to join you. 4 blue then they will join you instantly.