This is our first Legendary replay for AOW ever. After a long debate, we have decided to finnaly put this in its right place. Its a titanic battle between 2 Big hitters in AOW..that have now stopped playing. Both from clan [EPIC].
* Disclaimer * I’m not going to do usual commentary of this game. This review isn’t here to help you decide if you would like this game if you downloaded it. That’s what I normally try to achieve. As I hope you all understand. Every single one of you should download this game. It’s a pleasure to watch and enjoy. So I’m going to miss things out. Maybe key things. I don’t want to spoil the fun. I’ll leave a few surprises in there for you. So the lazy of you, stop reading now and go have some fun. You won’t be disappointed.
First of all, let me say this is the hardest game I have had to review and rate. It’s times like this I wish I could give half marks. But alas, we don’t live in a perfect world.
The calibre of the players in this game is magnificent, and you can truly see why I hold these two players in such extremely high regard. I can honestly say these two guys are the bomb.
However, this game is LONG. Really long (no it wasn’t just poor compression of the zip file). And due to the constant swaying of the game and the battles, after MUCH deliberation I have decided I will have to depart from my normal reviewing ethos. Otherwise I would end up writing a small novel about some fictional war in which there was a coo and the US army tried to prevent the TFT from seizing power, and the world waits with baited breath for all the btr’s to turn up and own both there asses. (Atari where’s my patch?)/rant
So after my pointless rant, on with this somewhat unusual review.
OptiCal (USA) is located on the south end of the map and the mighty SAGEKING (TFT) on the north end of the map. Both players are part of the epic clan.
Optical starts of with his infamous sell HQ fast barracks cookies cutter. While SAGEKING goes with a barracks and duel drones it to get 3 fast TF commandos into his ‘safe’ bank. As you can predict the price of the TFT prevents SAGEKING from getting a VCC for a long time. OptiCal, being the player that he is knows this and tries to exploit it. However, these TFT commandos go and show there worth by stopping a duel FATvee of marines cold. Nought of the commandos fall. And there you go saying there overpriced.
Both players go and attempt for an expansion around a similar time and to the play of things, establish it with little trouble. The game starts heading the way of SAGEKING when once again OptiCal attempts a bank grab. He again used a duel FATvee set-up. However, this time a commando does end up 6 feet under and SAGEKING screws up and looses another when he honestly shouldn’t have. This attack leaves the TFT field intelligence centre with a few inmates and gives SAGEKING the econ lead he needs. Especially seeing that it is now 4:40 into the game and OptiCal has now started to tech to defcon 2. However, with the wind now in his sails shield techno awaits SAGEKING.
This game’s forte is certainly not harassment. So don’t bother looking for it in the conventional way. It is soon SAGEKING’s turn to try a bank grab. And he pulls it other with acceptable economical loss. After all the guy is racking it in now. However, defcon 2 changes the pace the game in its own unique way. In truth, we don’t really notice OptiCal has teched for some time. And when we do, all we see are ADATS turrets. But what impressed me as a reviewer and a gamer is that OptiCal’s first priority was costal defence. I can assure you he hadn’t scouted at SAGEKING’s base. This does pay off. As a congregation of OptiCal’s forces beings a preliminary attack of SAGEKING’s expansion a group of commaches get a royal thwomping at the hands of said ADATS turrets. Yet, the attack is repelled but the TFT but the econ game has really started to has some serious side affects. These side effects being the somewhat random materialisation of two super heavy howitzers inside the base of SAGEKING.
But once again OptiCal being the tactical genius that we all know and love, has teched to defcon 1 by 9:23 (or started teching) and instantly gets up some patriot counter tactical weapons. And once again that’s from gut instinct, not the fact he scouted. Two words. True pro.
However, defcon influence is now starting to be felt by SAGEKING, who is not unable to scout fortress el’ OptiCal. This is being felt in the form of the IRS claiming both banks using delta force. This I think you will agree (and you will once you watch the game—or I’ll hurt you) that this is the game winner come late game.
The commandos of the SAGEKING are overwhelmed by the influx of Delta force land warriors exiting the mighty M-113 armoured personnel carriers at both locations. While not a co-ordinated assault the effect is just as deviating. SAGEKING played a fantastic game to this point. He had full economic control and absolutely devastated the USA expansion with a red mercury round from his first super heavy howitzer. During defcon 1 we see defcon 2 tech to rear it pretty little head. Finally we see the deployment of Apache longbow gunships. However, there numbers are amassed after use. Bearing in mind that OptiCal has yet to lay eyes of SAGEKING’s base these gunships are to play a vital role. Unprepared and lightly defended from the rear, the TFT encampment is ravaged by the apache raid, which causes a significant amount of damage. However, the first spinner off the production line and a tactical deployment of Super High Speed Infantry Electronic Defence System troops (that’s S.H.I.E.L.D’s to you btw) deter the attack but fail to claim many kills to well microed air ordinance.
However, SAGEKING’s retaliation is brutal. The mighty duel howitzers fire 4 volleys in total towards the base of OptiCal in an effort to take out his field hospital. The plan was to by pass the patriots by overwhelming them with an influx of power. However the construction of an air control tower powers down all defences. Time seems to grind to a halt as I anxiously watch the precentage of the field generator tick upward. In a way I’m desperately willing those shell to speed up. (I like big explosions) The tension is almost palpable. Alas the generator is built and two patriots deal with the load equally. OptiCal I hope you weren’t mean over ts.
Now here’s the moment where I knew how the game would end. In fortress el’ OptiCal, a Tactical weapon had been readied. Near the end of the raid gosu placement of the targeting reticule allowed this weapon to destroy the VCC and the field intelligence centre. In other word destroying SAGEKING’s late game econ.
This was a point in which I really felt for SAGEKING and shouted at the screen “what they hall you playing at! You have been on drone tech for ages.”
And indeed, it turns out to be killer. SAGEKING being more than a challenge for OptiCal knows there is little point on trying to reclaim the banks as funds are running low and he will probably loose more than what’s left in them. I can only imagine what he belted out over team speak.
Know, the game doesn’t turn on the head of a pin. And don’t ever think it will with a player of SAGEKING’s calibre. He put up most the games remaining aggression. Well-organised raid of strykers in all 3 configurations, spinners and infantry suppress OptiCal from regaining the expansion near his base. However, the economic impact is too great and such attacks cannot be maintained for long. The fortress expands like a feasting amoeba and engulfs the expansion placing its anti tactical weapon web over the refinery. Now, with the econ game changing hands its time we see the mighty M1A1 Abrams’s enter the field. However, I never understood why OptiCal never bough (or buys) the full spectrum active protection. The brutal presence of these the metallic beasts is felt immediately. They overwhelm the spinner drones in one on one combat and with the MLRS support fire to surprises the shield units, things start to look grim. The first incursion is met with sheer valour and courage by SAGEKING’s troops. With tactical manipulation and desperate rallying. The shield units and spinners over come the invaders without air support, as the commaches are forced to watch there brethren fall as the over watch of the F-15 eagles prevent them from intervening. Wave after way of the horrendous onslaught begins to grate away at SAGEKING’s cool, and most likely his nerves as well. Desperation begins to set in as bomb drones as dispatched into a cloud of stealth detection units. TFT fans may be forced to look away at this point. The final encounter is a blazing display of excellence as Delta force leads the charge as true ARC troops. (Advance Recon contingent). They strip the heavy bunker of its Sniper burden as the MLRS’s and Abrams’s lay waste to the falling TFT base.
We can only wait to hear those words GG. Thankfully mercy turns up quickly.
Review
This is by far the most entertaining replay since I earned the title of RR (cheers dark_mace). Yet I know I constantly rave about not floating cash or always harass. Don’t turtle and play aggressively. I remind people to live by the words “attack, attack, attack.” So some of you may call me a hypocrite. But his is a different type of game. It unique almost. Its has that fresh quality. Like if they have just started playing AOW. However, it’s intense and displays high levels of micro. My favourite bit being when those deltas try and avoid that bomb drone but SAGEKING is the better man in that encounter. So please listen and enjoy.
OptiCal where should I being. How about you post that promotion request for me
Nah but seriously. You should have got the Abrams’s upgrade you had floated enough cash from the intense micro sessions to get it. Both players had floated a plenty. You did lack aggression. Yes your base was impregnable at the end. But if SAGEKING had got those drone units out 2 minutes earlier I can solemnly swear you would have been screwed.
I know this might sound daft, but maybe you expanded too late. And those marines. Even you say they suck so why did you send them against those commandos?
However your tactical skills were on the ball. Once again, I take my hat of to you (If I could afford one ).
SAGEKING, wow. Nice micro. And cause you’re a TFT player you get major respect of me anyhow. But come on. OptiCal hadn’t attacked you in ages. You should have know he was teching and going for a tac wep. Hell you could have asked him on ts he might have slipped up and spilt the beans
When you had those commaches hovering around unarmed you should have scouted his expansion with them. I have to say that did turn out to be fatal.
You garrisoned well, unlike a certain OptiCal I know.
Ur unit mixing started to die later on. Don’t let it slip.
I’m sorry to say your game is starting to become predictable. From watching ur replays even I know what your gonna build. Try to vary your tactics a bit.
You have the basics of your game nailed don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Well I could give you guys another 1500 comments each. But it think people might just die if laughter at the length of this post (optical).
Meh maybe this is game replays first 2000+words post. But eh….its worth it.
Peace out
Tsunami (bloody tired).
ps (sorry about the typo's but if you think i'm proof reading this your mad--its 3am ffs).
and i had soo much more to say
This post has been edited by Dark_Mace: Jul 17 2005, 04:33 AM
I figured tsunami was doing his huge post, I'm saying let me just throw out my comments and some cool pics since this is definatel a Legendaryreplay !!!!
I took alot of screenshots of some of the really cool looking fights and battles, and even just some shtos that looked plain cool. I tried to get some of the nice water reflection in one of the chopper shots. In regards to the game there was some cash floating but that as like the only minor point because cash floating didn't last to long once you had stuff you needed to build. I liked the delta force usage to storm the banks by otpical as well as the deltaforce soldier that made my combat snapshot he got himself to 3 chev by railing down countleess amounts of TFT infantry from Sagekings army. After he had suspended his opponents the d-boy then captured the pow's for a successful mission and returned to his station back at the bank. The air battles were pretty cool here Airplane to Airplane was decent, but there was osem chopper action going on. Sageking should've used some more chopper attacks which I'm suprised he didn't. He seemed kind of passive when it came to his stealth comanches I would've left a group hoering over the expansion site once he blew it out to smitherings with his nuke. The apache attack form optical from the rear of sage's abse was devestating enough until the SHIELD units and AA spinners came to the rescue, but they arrived to late. One of SAGEs super weapons had alerayd been destroyed.
Sage also launched a nice offensive on optical once he had a loss of power and his anti super weapon defenses were down, Sage almost had it but optical got power up in the last second, and boy did that suck. I know the feeling cause the same thing happened to me in one of those really stupid 2v2 games I suckered myself into playing. Some of the things I would've tried to do was constantly medvacing my units when they were getting hurt around the bank, some of those guys were safe for picking but optical did nothing about them. Also sage would've benefited from some advanced usage of the TFT heal along with more SHield usage for hit and run tactics to keep optical on the more defensive side. Once the ball started rolling in Opitcals favor after he launched a nuke into SageKing's base, he then had small forces of 3-4 abrams an avenger and MLRS to lay some pwnage down on SageKing's expansion site, which eventually led to the totally collapse of his base infrastructure and a win in this game for Optical. This was a very good game, it was exciting had alot of action some good micro, the whole package. It even had some early nuckage and some air battles. I definately will recommand this for everyone to watch. You get 9 pirates for this one .
WATCH THIS one.
This post has been edited by Dark_Mace: Jul 17 2005, 04:31 AM
i dont think that replay is very cool.how can you have 16000$ and use them ONLY for tac.weapons [[[u must 1st build patriot/balistic def. center]]]and some Spinners(Spinners are mighty when attack with bomb drones ,but this SAGEKING use that opportunity only 1-2 times).how u can launch a tac.weapon for 1 delta force????.when some infantry is garrisoned in buildings, i send snipers and artilerry ,but never a tac.weapon.i can beat that 2 guys even if they're in team ageinst me. u give them 9/10 for some 'stupid actions' ????????? .it must be 6/10!!! sorry for my poor english!
hmm well i would like to play him again but i dont think he is back from his world tour... maby when he gets back... also im gunna come and play actofwar some more again now!
hmm well i would like to play him again but i dont think he is back from his world tour... maby when he gets back... also im gunna come and play actofwar some more again now!
World Tour?!?! psht what!?!!?! He must be rich, lucky SAGEKING I hope he gets awful Jetlag. jk
jk
Act of War Links, 
Its a titanic battle between 2 Big hitters in AOW..that have now stopped playing.
Both from clan [EPIC].
Enjoy.
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