Shortcuts in Europe
There are several shortcuts for naval units. Remember, every cm matters!
The "Brittany Passage" is a classic.
The "Brittany Passage" is a classic.
Attacking Italy from Turkey or maximizing naval transport around southern Italy.
Another very important naval shortcut is from Hamburg (Germany) to Scandinavia; to unload troops to take Sweden, Norway or Denmark. See below the transporter leaving Hamburg and penetrating the Swedish lakes.
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Just try them out and, most probably, you'll find some additional ones. Of course, not all are as useful as the ones showed above. "Brittany Passage" and leaving Hamburg to the North Sea are fundamentals! You have to manage them well (and fast).
Besides the shortcuts for naval units, there are also some passages for land units. See below.
Naval and Air Transport Networks
An atWar thread on this issue can be found HERE and the inspiration for these moves HERE.
The idea is to build a network of transport means (naval transport, air transport or subs) and to transport units over a large distance in one sole attack turn.
The idea is to build a network of transport means (naval transport, air transport or subs) and to transport units over a large distance in one sole attack turn.
Turn 3. Repeat same operation as the previous turns. Leaving one unit in place and moving the other(s).
Turn 4. Move land units in one transport and place it in front of stationed naval transport. Be sure not to reach the limit of range!
Turn 4. Hover the transported stack and move transporter; leaving land units.
Turn 4. Pick up land units with the previously stationed naval transport.
Turn 4. Move units to the next exchange point. Repeat this procedure till you get to the target.
Result. You moved your stack from one point to another (far away) in one turn! Same applies for air transport and subs.
Thanks to Mr_Own_U for reminding and bringing up this set of moves.
Turnblocking (TB)
This is an exact copy of Laochra's thread called A Complete Guide to Turnblocking(TBs).
The following is a complete guide on turnblocking, complete in that it contains all known knowledge regarding tbs. it seems to be 1 subject in the AW community which few players feel they have a complete understanding of. This guide is aimed at hopefully correcting that. I had kept it solely in Illyrias clan forum up until now but i have decided to release it.
Some of the following information will be pulled directly from posts and guides from both Hugosch and TopHats. The rest will come from my own observations and testing with other players. If you've any additions or corrections please post below.
The following is a complete guide on turnblocking, complete in that it contains all known knowledge regarding tbs. it seems to be 1 subject in the AW community which few players feel they have a complete understanding of. This guide is aimed at hopefully correcting that. I had kept it solely in Illyrias clan forum up until now but i have decided to release it.
Some of the following information will be pulled directly from posts and guides from both Hugosch and TopHats. The rest will come from my own observations and testing with other players. If you've any additions or corrections please post below.
Basics
To know how turnblocking works, its very important to know how 'move priority' works. All movements are prioritized according to the order of players actions meaning, your first action will move first. So if you want to turnblock an enemy stack, you have the biggest chance if your first move is a turnblock. Time does not matter in this case, it only matters with what unit you move first. Cancelled moves don't count.
The turnblocking works like this:
Chance to turnblock = to the difference between you and your enemies troop counts
Chance % = your units count / opponent units count
Example:
You have 3 Militias and your enemy has 10.
3/10 = 30 % Chance
This will work up to a max of 50%. So even if you match or send more troops than your enemy, there is a 50% chance he will avoid.
That is unless your priority is higher than them, because then the chance to turnblock doubles so with the same situation, yet you moving before the enemy does.
In the Example
(3/10)*2 = 60%
This will work up to a max of 100%.
In the case of turnblocking up to 4 units on an equal priority move, a 1 unit tb will have a 50% chance of turnblocking, as opposed to the 25% you might expect. This is ONLY in the case of tb attempts on up to 4 units.
The turnblocking works like this:
Chance to turnblock = to the difference between you and your enemies troop counts
Chance % = your units count / opponent units count
Example:
You have 3 Militias and your enemy has 10.
3/10 = 30 % Chance
This will work up to a max of 50%. So even if you match or send more troops than your enemy, there is a 50% chance he will avoid.
That is unless your priority is higher than them, because then the chance to turnblock doubles so with the same situation, yet you moving before the enemy does.
In the Example
(3/10)*2 = 60%
This will work up to a max of 100%.
In the case of turnblocking up to 4 units on an equal priority move, a 1 unit tb will have a 50% chance of turnblocking, as opposed to the 25% you might expect. This is ONLY in the case of tb attempts on up to 4 units.
Turnblocking transports
Turnblocking involving naval is a little different and is something many in the community do not understand fully. According to other guides on turnblocking on the forums and news updates by Ivan and amok themselves, when attempting tbs on naval trans, the units inside the trans are not counted into the tb% chance calculation. However i had always thought otherwise due to what id seen in game, and after carrying out tests i came to conclude that the units were indeed counted in the calculation. I sent Screenshots of the tests to Ivan and he replied with this.
I had always believed the tbs on beached transports included the units inside in the tb calculation and tbs on unbeached trans(trans at sea) did not. However my tests have shown whether beached or unbeached, the Units in the trans are definitely counted in the tb % calculations.
The following screenshots are of tests of tb attempts on unbeached and beached trans. The units were moved into the trans and then to a new location in order of from right to left, and the tbs were carried out on the trans in order of from right to left. Note that the 1 unit tbs all failed, and in this instance, the 8 unit tbs all succeeded. While only 1 set of screenshots is provided, many of these tests were carried out multiple times to expected results.
The following screenshots are of tests of tb attempts on unbeached and beached trans. The units were moved into the trans and then to a new location in order of from right to left, and the tbs were carried out on the trans in order of from right to left. Note that the 1 unit tbs all failed, and in this instance, the 8 unit tbs all succeeded. While only 1 set of screenshots is provided, many of these tests were carried out multiple times to expected results.
TB 1: Stranded transports 1 bomber
TB 2: Stranded transports 8 bombers
TB 3: Non-stranded transports 1 bomber
So for now, until Ivan and Amok reveal new updates to this, when attempting tbs on trans, the units in the trans count in the tb % calculation whether the trans is beached or at sea. So if you're attempting to tb a full naval trans, send 8 units for a full 50% tb chance, 8/16*100(assuming equal priorities). your 1 unit tbs might work if your opponent doesn't priorities his moves correctly, or if you are extremely lucky.
For tbs on airtrans, the units do not count in the tb % calculation, so there is no issue there. a 1 unit tb will suffice(or 2 units to ensure you actually kill the airtrans).
For tbs on airtrans, the units do not count in the tb % calculation, so there is no issue there. a 1 unit tb will suffice(or 2 units to ensure you actually kill the airtrans).
Turnblocking Involving Stack Merging
We have all been in a situation where we've attempted to merge units from several locations into one big stack to attack a target, only to find the next turn the entire stack hasn't moved or has moved but not reached the intended destination, or worse in the case of stacks containing a general, the general has went on a solo suicide mission leaving all the troops behind.
This is due to turnblocks on components of the main stack which you merged from other locations.
For example, say if you were moving 2 stacks of 10 inf from different locations to a main stack of 80 inf, then you moved the entire stack to a new location. If one of the stacks of 10 inf are tb'd the entire stack will not move.
In the case of merging different unit types into a main stack, if you merged say 10 militia and 10 inf into a main stack of 40 inf and 40 militia, then move the new merged stack to a new location. If the 10 militia are tb'd only the infantry in the main stack will move to the new location. Similarly if the 10 inf are tb'd, only the militia will move to the new location.
This can be seen in the following screenshots. In the first screenshot there are 5 inf in Romania and 10 in Bulgaria. I merged the 5inf into the main stack and attempted to attack Macedonia. I tb'd the 5 inf in Romania using 5 bombers, after performing some other moves in order to ensure the tb had a 100% chance of succeeding.
This is due to turnblocks on components of the main stack which you merged from other locations.
For example, say if you were moving 2 stacks of 10 inf from different locations to a main stack of 80 inf, then you moved the entire stack to a new location. If one of the stacks of 10 inf are tb'd the entire stack will not move.
In the case of merging different unit types into a main stack, if you merged say 10 militia and 10 inf into a main stack of 40 inf and 40 militia, then move the new merged stack to a new location. If the 10 militia are tb'd only the infantry in the main stack will move to the new location. Similarly if the 10 inf are tb'd, only the militia will move to the new location.
This can be seen in the following screenshots. In the first screenshot there are 5 inf in Romania and 10 in Bulgaria. I merged the 5inf into the main stack and attempted to attack Macedonia. I tb'd the 5 inf in Romania using 5 bombers, after performing some other moves in order to ensure the tb had a 100% chance of succeeding.
The 5 units were tb'd, so the main stack did not move.
This however can be countered if you suspect the tb attempt on that location and want to ensure the 10 inf at least reach the target. In the following screenshot, I merged the 5 inf into the main stack of 10 inf to make 15 inf, then i took 10 inf from the main stack in Bulgaria to attack Macedonia, before sending the remaining 5. The results are as follows.
This however can be countered if you suspect the tb attempt on that location and want to ensure the 10 inf at least reach the target. In the following screenshot, I merged the 5 inf into the main stack of 10 inf to make 15 inf, then i took 10 inf from the main stack in Bulgaria to attack Macedonia, before sending the remaining 5. The results are as follows.
The 10 inf made it to the new location, despite of the 5 inf being tb'd. This is one method to counter tbs that you suspect may be sent on locations you're merging units from. Although this is a difficult counter to apply in actual game play.
The next screenshot involves merging a stack of 5 tanks 5 inf from Romania and Cluj to a stack of 10 tanks 10 inf in Bulgaria and then moving them to Albania. The tb was attempted on the tanks situated in Cluj.
The next screenshot involves merging a stack of 5 tanks 5 inf from Romania and Cluj to a stack of 10 tanks 10 inf in Bulgaria and then moving them to Albania. The tb was attempted on the tanks situated in Cluj.
Notice how only the infantry made it to Albania? This is also the cause of your general sometimes going on solo suicide missions, he is counted as a different unit type.
Turnblocking Your Opponent
Turnblocking is a very important part of game play, if you ever play any of the truly good players of atWar, you will notice that if you don't prioritize your moves correctly they will crucify you with tbs. slowing expansion and attack. When attempting tbs on an opponent, always attempt a 1 unit tb on their main stack(usually includes their general) or stacks. If they have to separate the stack out to complete multiple moves that 1 unit tb could prevent the later moves from being completed.
if you expect attacks on an area, or indeed a rush on your cap, often a 1 unit tb on their main stack or port isn't your best bet. particularly if the other player is knowledgeable and knows how to reduce the risk of being tb'd. If your opponent has to merge troops from other areas often a 1 unit tb on these areas is a better choice at stopping the entire stack. If you know they haven't enough troops to cap you that are visible, then they will HAVE to pull troops from elsewhere, and this is where your best bet of stopping the stack is.
Another point of note is knowing when not to attempt to turnblock. For example you have several stacks to move to a target location, they will almost definitely attempt to turnblock you. you cant afford any of your stacks not reaching the target location. for every tb you attempt you give their tb attempts a higher % chance of success. So be careful.
if you expect attacks on an area, or indeed a rush on your cap, often a 1 unit tb on their main stack or port isn't your best bet. particularly if the other player is knowledgeable and knows how to reduce the risk of being tb'd. If your opponent has to merge troops from other areas often a 1 unit tb on these areas is a better choice at stopping the entire stack. If you know they haven't enough troops to cap you that are visible, then they will HAVE to pull troops from elsewhere, and this is where your best bet of stopping the stack is.
Another point of note is knowing when not to attempt to turnblock. For example you have several stacks to move to a target location, they will almost definitely attempt to turnblock you. you cant afford any of your stacks not reaching the target location. for every tb you attempt you give their tb attempts a higher % chance of success. So be careful.
Avoiding Turnblock Attempts
There are many precautions a player can take in order to reduce the risk of being turnblocked.
You also have the option of moving a stack out of the Location likely to be tb'd - If you have to move units from several unwalled location to a primary port, for example Istanbul in Turkey to attack Kiev, there's a simple trick to avoid a tb on the Istanbul port. Move the trans and the units outside the port and merge from the other areas into there.
- Walling - This is the most important tool a player has to avoid a turnblocking attempt on a stack, its simple, if your units are walled they cant be turnblocked. If you're moving units to a location in order to attack a target. wall them.
- Move Prioritization - Always watch your move prioritisation, if you're trying to decide which stack to move first, consider which would be more devastating to have tb'd, then work from there. Walled units should be the LOWEST priority on your list of moves as there is no chance of them being tb'd (unless you merge other units into them from an unwalled location)
- Moving the components of a merged stack from several unwalled locations separately. ( as shown in the stack merging tb section)
- When separating out a stack of units that you know the opponent will attempt to tb, move the stack out of the city before separating it to different locations. If you attempt to separate the stack from inside the city, you risk some of your moves getting tb'd and not going through.
You also have the option of moving a stack out of the Location likely to be tb'd - If you have to move units from several unwalled location to a primary port, for example Istanbul in Turkey to attack Kiev, there's a simple trick to avoid a tb on the Istanbul port. Move the trans and the units outside the port and merge from the other areas into there.
This about wraps up the guide and sums up all the known knowledge involving tbs. please post any questions, additions or corrections below.