EA Apoc interviews PbK|AWan

Q – What are some balance issues you have with patch 1.02?

A – Gondor should not have had one of their major advantages (cheap upgrades) taken away from them. Since they need to get power points before they can put Gandalf on his horse, they need some way of grabbing territory (points) otherwise they are truly screwed

Read the full interview, and of course the whole Battleground by our detective-esque community manager, with a brand new film-based contest

WIZ [Crafty] and Apoc nab one of our top ladder players, the man to reach 1,000 matches and 1,000 wins first, for this exclusive interview.

Care to tell us all a little bit about yourself? Such as why do you call yourself “Awan”?

Awan is a name that my friends call me. Basically it is my first initial plus last name. However, not sure if we should make that public.

What are some good strategies in building up a camp or castle?

Economy is the key. You need a lot of farms, blacksmiths, etc., in order to support your army, and you can always destroy them to build other buildings when you have the money. Defenses for the castle depend on the situation. For example, for a camp you should always build some of the defensive towers early since they are cheap, but for the fully-fledged castle they are expensive, so be careful and wise when spending that money.

Other structures (banners, statues, wells, etc.) also depend on the situation. For example, if part of your plan is to lure your enemy into traps along your castle, a banner will actually be much more useful than a tower since you won’t have to give up a plot for a statue.

One of the most important points in BfME is that an army for the most part costs more than buildings. When pushed to choose to lose between the two, you try to save your army instead of your camp. However, since you have at least one citadel to survive, you must be wise on how you pull this off.

What are the top 5 things you like most about the BfME game?

BfME is a well thought out RTS game that is simple in its economy but complex in its strategies.

The graphics are truly impressive, if you can use the higher detail settings. Sometimes I like watching the replays and zoom in just for fun.
The online community is still quite large, and has representation from around the world. Always fun to play someone good from the other side of the globe.

The one player campaign mode is a bit easy, but still entertaining since it follows all the movies. It does make for good practice on learning the units and their abilities.

The Evenstar/One ring powers and experience points really make the game interesting, because one cannot simply out produce an opponent and guarantee victory. You have to have a good mix of economy and strategy to beat your opponents, otherwise, you can control the entire map but lose to the Army of the Dead if you keep throwing away your units.

What is the most number of games you have played in one day? How many games a day on average do you think you play?

I have probably played 20 something games in one day before, though I don’t remember for sure. On average, it is closer to 10, but I could be wrong.

We all know how you put in the hours to achieve over a thousand wins, what the longest time you have spent in 1 BfME session?

I think I had a 3-4 hour game end with a DC when I was winning and that was extrememly frustrating. As for playing the game straight, I think there was only one day where all I did was eat, sleep, and play.

What faction do you use predominantly?

I always use Rohan. Since people in the community have a tendency to believe that Rohan is weak and the win percentage is the lowest, I make it my primary goal to prove that they are not the weakest nation when played correctly. I have always had this type of “play the underdog” for strategy games, most notably Axis and Allies where I almost always play the Axis because people think they can’t win.

Which hero do you think is the best in the game and why? Is this your favorite hero?

Well, the no-brainer answer is Gandalf, but that is by design of the game. In terms of my favorite hero, it is Aragorn both because of the movies and the books and his power in the game. For a powerful hero, he is relatively cheap (3000) and when he has Anduril he deals more damage than almost any other unit in the game when he is in blademaster mode.

To date, who do you think has been your most worthy opponent?

Hard to say. There have been so many matches that it is hard to remember them all. I would say that I’ve had a lot of fun playing against most of the top players, like Dynamix, Ramenophis, mravenec, WitchKing, the list goes on and on. I don’t think I can actually single out one guy.

What is a good build sequence for your favorite side to play?

That really all depends on what your opponent is doing. Adjusting to an enemy strategy is key to winning consistently. For example, if someone is going to send an Orc rush at you, then use some Calvary to trample them. If someone goes for Pikemen, then use Heroes and Elves or Peasants (or even Ents). Ultimately, having balance allows you to have enough flexibility to win. Speed is also crucial, as you want to have your opponent on his heels. I have played games where I have gotten every single unit and hero, and some where I have won with only a few types of units.

You seem to rotate around the Top 3 of the 1v1 ladder with Atilla. Have you ever matched up against him, and if so, what is your record against Atilla?

I played him a long time ago before I was very good. He was much better than I was at that time. I haven’t played him recently though.

What are some balance issues you have with patch 1.02?

Gondor should not have had one of their major advantages (cheap upgrades) taken away from them. Since they need to get power points before they can put Gandalf on his horse, they need some way of grabbing territory (points) otherwise they are truly screwed, especially if they play a good Rohan player who will beat him to the lairs. I am also troubled by the fact that the community win percentages have gotten even more skewed than before with evil having a several percentage point lead still. However, this may simply be a case that most players have not adjusted to the new patch yet.

We’ve heard a few players state that they feel Rohan is being left out with the patch updates. Do you feel the same way?

I would say that people need to change their strategies according to the balance changes. I would say that reversing the hit points between Rohirrim Warriors and Archers is the way things should be. People will have to change their strategies accordingly. Also, the changes with the Elves make things a bit more interesting.

Every player has a week spot as we’re sure you do as well. How can a player who finally gets to face off against a top player on the ladder gain the upper hand?

Try to recognize as quickly as possible what strategy your opponent is going to use and use your best counter as soon as you can. For example, so many players think that I will hero spam them. First, I happen to manage my heroes very well, so just going after them won’t work. Second, I can instead go horses first for example and take map control while the opponent thinks I’m spending a long time getting heroes. Or I can go Ents if the opponent uses Pikemen and watch them trample all his infantry.

If you got to change 2 things with this game what would they be?

I never agreed that Ents should have been made weaker. They are already easy enough to take down with fire. How are you going to take down a big walking tree without burning it? Now, I agree that heroes should be able to take them down (Nazgul, Saruman, etc.) but not standard units or towers without fire. I also never really liked the idea of evil powers getting power points just from throwing away their units. But I can understand the rationale behind it, so I don’t think that it should change now, players just have to plan their strategies around it.

I hear you are writing an extensive document on BfME? Can you give us some insight on this?

I’m working on an article that I should release at the end of April on intricacies of the game. It should be pretty well detailed. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging or anything, I respect every single BfME player out there very highly, but in real life I’m earning a Ph.D. in electrical engineering this year and I understand math and programs pretty well. The article is going to be almost scientific in nature (I’m used to publishing my work in scientific journals) so I hope that all involved will be able to understand it.

There is a theory that you control more than one account, is this true?

I control only ONE account. I play enough already, and that is why all my wins and losses are recorded on a single account. EA or anyone can easily confirm this (my registration name is AWan2362771).

How does it feel to be the first player to reach the 1200 game mark, with 1000 wins?

Well, as long as I’ve earned respect from my peers that is all that matters to me. I play this game for fun and for respect, and if I can’t get either, then there is no point in playing.