View Full Version : Blocking... Blocking - What on earth is blocking...
Hi all,
Every guide to adventures talks about blocking... what is blocking? How does it work? What are the advantages. Any help gratefully recieved.
E. Wiggin
The objective with all blocks is to reduce the number of normal camps you have to attack.
Many of the camps we'd like to avoid attacking are however placed so,
that their red area of influence covers the path or the entrance to the sector's leader camp,
or other camps we cannot avoid killing to get to the leader.
Thus, we block them instead...
Blocking is possible due to the fact that while a camp is being attacked,
it will not intercept any other generals marching through its red area of influence.
There are two methods of blocking:
Method 1 is to use a general with one cheap unit (typically one recruit, which is why they are called 1R blocks).
This general will not fight for too long before he has lost his battle. A normal general will fight for 20 seconds.
During these 20 seconds, another general would not have time to march across all the red influence area of that blocked camp.
However, he would be able to march through the corner of that area, or to attack another camp located near the front edge of the red area.
Method 2 is to use so called round blocks (based on the number of rounds a fight can have).
In this case you attack the camp you don't want to kill with a troop setup that is optimised for a fight that will last as long (having as many rounds) as possible.
While that fight is going on, another general could march through its red area of influence and attack the leader camp of that sector.
When you kill the leader camp in a sector, all camps that haven't been killed before will be gone at the same time.
If this happens while the blocking general is still fighting, that fight will be cancelled, and your general would return to his garrison without losing any troops.
The troops used in a round block are mostly a combination of
soldiers/elite soldiers (having a high defence and taking a long time for the enemy to kill)
cavalry (having a low attack and taking a long time for you to kill the enemy)
When doing blocks, the timing and/or garrison placements are crucial.
A block that starts too late will cause your main general to become intercepted when entering the red area of the blocked camp.
A 1R block that ends too quickly could cause your main general to become intercepted before leaving the red area of the blocked camp. In both this case and the previous case, you should still be able to retreat your main general, before he also enters that camp you tried to block. In this case you will only lose that one recruit plus 4 hours of waiting time till that normal general has recovered.
A round block that ends too quickly, before the leader is gone, would lead to you losing many of the rather expensive troops involved in the round block.
Always use a normal general for blocking (fast generals would make the blocks last only half the time),
and a fast general for the attack on a leader (a normal general would double the fighting time on the leader).
The troop setups for the attack on the leader may have significance too. The fewer rounds it lasts, the better.
If you want to try a block for the first time, I would recommend playing Dark Priests (http://forum.thesettlersonline.com/threads/16332-Killste-Collected-Adventure-Guides-by-Various-Authors?p=195501&viewfull=1#post195501).
The first block in that adventure is quite easy and even if you fail, you wouldn't lose too many troops.
(That link is to my guide, but there are several other guides available out there too).
If you want to invent your own blocks, I'd recommend to read ksinori's Blocking without using a guide (http://forum.thesettlersonline.com/threads/20593-Blocking-without-using-a-guide.),
and my own post in Blocking time per round? (http://forum.thesettlersonline.com/threads/18710-Blocking-time-per-round!?p=189524&viewfull=1#post189524).
Note also that blocking is nothing BlueByte planned for this game. It's something players have found out.
The round blocks have mainly become possible due to the difference in fighting time for normal and fast generals.
With this in mind, also don't expect BB to replace any troops you lost in a failed block.
Also, try not to do any advanced blocks if the lag is bad.
That's an excellent explanation. Thanks very much.
Incidentally, I had read ksinori's guide but that (and others) lacks these basics.
I'd have got it (as others have) in the end but if you're gonna read a guide, this is really useful stuff to underpin it.
E. Wiggin
Fully agree ! Excellent - thanks Tage.
In practice, guess you need a lot of generals ?
In practice, guess you need a lot of generals ?
For the biggest round blocks out there you'd need 4 normal generals and 2 fast generals :D
Most blocks only have one normal and one fast though. :)
Yep, I had been working on one adv in testing, where it was theoretically possible to make 5 blocks, and kill the top camp directly, but the difficulty of the timings and lag made it virtually impossible to be successful, besides which, the new pathing killed it off. :(
Incredible feeling of achievement though, on the rare occasion it worked.
This should be pinned - The guide info, not neccesarily the thread itself. Very useful stuff!
How does one go about that?
E. Wiggin
Anyone else experiencing the same problem i'm having where all generals have somehow become 'specialist' meaning blocks are over way too quickly losing all troops?
duboisdvoleur
11.11.12, 06:54
in Outlaws the first block, cavalry won a round early.Everything else worked perfectly, but it cost me well over a hundred cavalry that i wasnt planning on.
I would look at that block again? Next time I would be tempted to win that battle rather than block? Or maybe use more recs and less cavs?
Anyone else experiencing the same problem i'm having where all generals have somehow become 'specialist' meaning blocks are over way too quickly losing all troops?
Every time you do blocks, use REGULAR generals for blocking and fast (specialist) generals for the attacks. That has been put in the info above but most of you skip reading it every time:
Always use a normal general for blocking (fast generals would make the blocks last only half the time),
and a fast general for the attack on a leader (a normal general would double the fighting time on the leader).
The troop setups for the attack on the leader may have significance too. The fewer rounds it lasts, the better.
in Outlaws the first block, cavalry won a round early.Everything else worked perfectly, but it cost me well over a hundred cavalry that i wasnt planning on.
I would look at that block again? Next time I would be tempted to win that battle rather than block? Or maybe use more recs and less cavs?
As Tage says, if you use specialist= fast general for a block, the block will last only half time as it would with a regular general as a specialist fights (doh, and BLOCKS) twice as fast as a regular. Kinda beats the purpose if you use a fast general to do the block. Kills the blocking troops too.
duboisdvoleur
11.11.12, 08:19
of course no body uses fast generals to block
who has that many fast generals?
it seems some of the blocking calculations are wrong?
I am just about to check those and have another shot at Outlaws
I will post here how that went
The marching time for general C, from the moment general A starts his battle, till the moment general C starts his battle, is 70 seconds (21 steps marching) plus the time it takes to send off generals B and C, some 5 seconds each. If general C is a battle hardened general, his total time of marching and fighting will thus be 70+5+5+40 = 120 seconds. Since there is an 0.1% chance that the blocking general A will fight for only 120 seconds, this block is rather tight. If possible, try to send generals B and C within 4-5 seconds from sending the previous general. If for some reason you do notice that one general has been sent off a little late, do recall all of them and resend.
Points to "rather tight"section
it seems some of the blocking calculations are wrong?
I am just about to check those and have another shot at Outlaws
I will post here how that went
It's not the first time this block has been reported to fail.
Thus, I had to recalculate everything once again...
And, I will indeed have to apologise for that first block in Outlaws... there is indeed an error...
Not an error in the blocks, but an error in how long the fight on the leader lasts...
This...
From C to Camp 22) 1 Skunk, 100 Guard Dogs, 80 Stone Throwers
BATTLE HARDENED general: [89R 111S (66R - 78R - 89R)] {40 seconds of fighting}
VETERAN general: [87R 163S (66R - 77R - 87R)] {30 seconds of fighting}
...should have be...
From C to Camp 22) 1 Skunk, 100 Guard Dogs, 80 Stone Throwers
BATTLE HARDENED general: [89R 111S (66R - 78R - 89R)] {50 seconds of fighting}
VETERAN general: [87R 163S (66R - 77R - 87R)] {40 seconds of fighting}
The fact that the fight on the leader takes 10 seconds longer than what I've written before, makes this a very tight block with a veteran,
and a block which will fail more than 50% of the times with a battle hardened general!
I'm gonna have to update Outlaws soon now...
In the meantime, for those who don't have a veteran, please kill camp 20 first:
Camp 20) 100 Scavengers, 50 Stone Throwers
ANY general: [47R 2S 96C 55LB (38R - 43R - 47R 1S)]
ANY general: [44R 2S 113C 41XB (36R - 41R - 44R 1S)]
duboisdvoleur
12.11.12, 04:38
thanks Tage.Your blocks are what makes this fun for me and all the other ones worked well.
I played with the sim for a while but it really needs a veteran for that first block or just take out camp 20 first.
Thanks for your guides they are great.
I played with the sim for a while but it really needs a veteran for that first block or just take out camp 20 first.
Unless you're prepared to lose a few militia or own cannoneers...
For now I've left those two alternatives in the guide.
I would say - when it comes to round-blocks, you're in for a choice all the time - what do you want? Max. block-round or max. possible win percentage?
If you are a beginner with blocks - go for the max. possible win percentage - then you got "2 chances" if you loose the first chance.
Loads and loads of really creative players that never write on the forum, are creating marvelous blocks all the time - for you, just to use.
And this is how you find the perfect settings for your attacks and blocks:
Use this combat simulator for perfect settings:
http://settlersonlinesimulator.com/dso_kampfsimulator/en
The perfect attack on an enemy camp:
- Over the left column you toggle the Veteran general icon on or off.
- Do NOT plot your own troops in the left column.
- In the right column you choose the tab "Bandits" if you are doing your island or you choose an adventure in the menu.
- Plot in the enemy troops from the camp you want to attack.
- Press the button "Simulate battle"
- Scroll down to "Example simulation" - hopefully you find what you need.
The perfect round-block on an enemy camp:
- Do all of the above.
- Just below "Example simulation" you find two links (Update now) (Full size).
- Press (Full size).
- Press the cloumn "min. rounds" or "avg. rounds" twice - then you get the blocks that will last longest. (5 rounds is considered to be a good round-block)
OBS! Always use Normal general for blocks.
Sometimes the (Update now) (Full size) links does not show up, then you plot in a random troop in the left column - your troops. Press "Simulate battle", scroll down to "Advanced features" and press the link "take a look at simulations of other users." Then you will always have the ("Full size") link to press.
Good luck with the fighting.
thanks Tage.Your blocks are what makes this fun for me and all the other ones worked well.
I played with the sim for a while but it really needs a veteran for that first block or just take out camp 20 first.
Thanks for your guides they are great.
up until yesterday i never used blocks, i saw a guide will post link below of what i found with a lot less losses than i normally would have i thought i would try on outlaws 1st thinking it was easy omg it was scary as anything. so to mark my achievement i took screen shots as i went hoping for the best as it was happening. i was so proud of myself when it worked but the 1st block it was all about perfect placing and send the generals straight after each other :).
http://cempire.org/index.php?title=Genesis_Outlaws_250_Guide Guide i used
http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q671/Louise_Robinson/hardblockmenonway_zps64f865aa.jpg
men on way i was so nervous at this point i was praying it would work
http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q671/Louise_Robinson/hardblockduring_zps39f4c051.jpg
i was hoping the block attacks would keep going for right amount of time as didn't want to loose any of the 249 crossbows with my vet attacking the leader camp
http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q671/Louise_Robinson/hardblockitworked_zps0f64c5ae.jpg
only felt i could relax then as it had worked :)
http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q671/Louise_Robinson/hardblockafter_zpsf8f0ebb2.jpg
men heading home and not 1 single troop lost :) i took screen shot of this as found it highly amusing as had never saw ghost men fighting before where the 3 block camps were
That single 3-way block in Outlaws is the one in all adventures giving you the biggest advantage in saved troops. :)
An thus, it is of course copied into virtually every availble guide. :)
Even if you'd have the crossbows, but no veteran, and decided not to try the block,
you'd have to sacrifice up to 450R on those four camps alone.
With the block you get no losses at all with a veteran, and maybe 1R with a battle hardened general.
Nice work lulu.... you are a very brave girl!!! :))
I knew that I could count on you.... now it's time to test much more blocks, they will save you again a lot of troops ;)
Well done girl.....
Nice work lulu.... you are a very brave girl!!! :))
I knew that I could count on you.... now it's time to test much more blocks, they will save you again a lot of troops ;)
Well done girl.....
thank you and thank you also Tage
i wasn't brave i was very scared lol it added a total new dimension to my game now i am doing the same in 2 more of my 5 remaining outlaws adventures today.
i will be trying more :) on different adventures after i used all outlaws up 1st :)
Powered by vBulletin™ Version 4.0.4 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.