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[203] Hillside Trapmaster

Discussion in 'Building Critiques' started by Zuboki, Nov 16, 2011.

  1. Zuboki

    Zuboki KAG Guard Tester

    Messages:
    176
    I made this topic because I saw no other fleshed out "Stone Drop Traps", and because I feel I have come rather close to perfecting the art with my structures.
    Hillside Trapmaster.png

    Well- This is my beloved starting structure, to share with all of you. The version to the right is the minimalist version- It can be made with about 300 stone and 300 wood. If you have a good forward party to at very least stall the second point, you should have no problem getting this minimal structure up at the edge of your territory by a minute into the round, assuming a normal start up time.

    Now, if you'll shift your attention to the left, I'll walk you through the main features of the building.
    1. This is where, as an actively defending builder, you should stand. Protected from archers, able to get a view of your attackers, and ready to collapse the block to the Northeast in a moment's notice. The vertical door(s) are optional but highly recommended if archers and catapults become a problem- simply remove and replace them as they get damaged.
    2. This is the piece-de-resistance of the build- the flawed door. 9 out of 10 knights will feel so smart just jumping over it. Every now and then someone will hit it a few times- I've even seen unwitting builders collapse it on themselves. The point of this door isn't to keep the enemy away- it closes of retreat for them entirely. Simply wait for 3 to 5 knights to come charging into your pit of doom, then drop the trap as they jump around panickedly. You would think that they'd use their shields to get out- but that would require one to stay behind. And no one wants to be a martyr. Squish.
    3. Decent little archer/catapult nest. Nothing fancy, but it's often worthwhile to build to help encourage archers to take down catapults before they can crumble the trap mechanism. Also, keeps archers from wandering out and camping on the trap mechanism itself, which they still will do anyway, despite its lack of cover and obvious danger. Not essential.
    4. Classic spike pit for overconfident enemies that somehow get by. Not essential. Of particular note is the one optional spike outside the door- it's very good to deter attacks to the door, but if your weakened allies hold left while retreating, they'll jump on it and waste on of your lives. Pity, that. (It should be noted that this spike can be avoided by having allies jump straight up then moving left- try telling them that).
    5. A good protected place for a Barracks or Shop. The extra drawbridges are useful for reaching the archer's nest. Not essential.
    The main problems with this structure is catapults, if you don't have a steady supply of rock to deal with making repairs. They can also dump allied units on top of the trap mechanism, which you can either trigger to kill them and anyone under it immediately, or hide behind your doors. If they are prevalent, try replacing the staggered trap mechanism with a solid line, to provide more reinforcement, or possibly double up the front wall. A good anti-catapult archer is a lifesaver in this scenario, and shall be rewarded with arrow shops and an archer's nest at the soonest lull in the fighting.

    The other major trouble is your allies. While it's alright for them to leave the structure by running along the trap mechanism, if they stay on it, you won't be able to trigger it without killing them. As you can imagine, this is typically a problem with archers. Also, some Knights will see 3 enemies outside the gate and immediately think "CHAERG" either dying ~again~ or staying right below the trap mechanism when it could be triggered. Depending on how altruistic you are, you may decide it's worth a casualty to trigger the trap with a friendly in the way. I mean, they'll learn soon enough, hopefully?

    That leaves allied builders. Some will try to connect the front door decoy to the trap mechanism, others will replace the trigger brick with a solid stone and build to the stars!, still others will try to trigger it every chance they get. Often, the best solution to these hindrances is communication. That, or the middle finger emoticon.

    Other than that- mine some stone in your downtime, steal the materials off of any slain foes, keep it repaired and replace the mechanism when you can. Enjoy squishing bad knights!
     
  2. Wyeth

    Wyeth KAG Guard Donator Tester

    Messages:
    375
    I love the in-depth review of the structure its very well explained and in turn thought out.
    It's not too costly either, all in all its a nice fortification with some really neat ideas, love the way you laid out the gravity trap over the pit, alternating between castlebackwalls and castlewalls like you did spreads it out to double length for minimal cost and at the same time lets archers rain doom down on knights trapped in the pit (if you decide not to activate the trap).
    While I am at it, placing 1 more stone on top of the rightmost block of the gravity trap would create some cover that archers can duck behind (since they can prone), but thats only a minor alternation.

    Generally it seems like a genuinly useful building that I can easily imagine to see ingame. Sure vote for overview from me. LIKE.
     
  3. Jackard

    Jackard Base Burner

    Messages:
    852
    #2 amuses me, ill have to borrow it
     
  4. Monsteri

    Monsteri Slower Than Light Tester

    Messages:
    1,916
    Haha, I used to make #2 doors every now and then before.
    These days I tend not to, because they often require you to dig a pit, and 99% of other builders will make it a high stone wall.
     
  5. ComboBreaker

    ComboBreaker Horde Gibber

    Messages:
    392
    I laughed at 2,but sadly it is unusable,because every builder fills every pit he sees with spikes and pukes trapdoors on top of it.
     
  6. Zuboki

    Zuboki KAG Guard Tester

    Messages:
    176
    Yeah, or I find in many cases the fill them with just stone blocks- like, twenty or so of them. "It doesn't have to be flat and even, mister OCD the Builder. Now let the good trap designers get back to their work."
     
  7. Jackard

    Jackard Base Burner

    Messages:
    852
    yea i hate this. every time i do #2 some idiot comes along and builds the wall higher or adds double doors.