In my last post, several days ago, I had logged off amidst a swarm of angry Farmers marauding across my home map on foot. They beat up any outdoor workstations and small chests, and anything else they could break with their clubs and axes. But they stopped short of building siege weapons to break into our bases or burn down boats. That kind of thing is difficult to do without bringing your own boats full of supplies and mounted ballistas. The lack of transportation would also have made it difficult to carry away much loot. So, in the end, all they did was teach some of our newer members a lesson most of us have had to learn the hard way; keep your good stuff inside bases, and send boats to the lobby when you log out.
The following day was relatively peaceful. After an uneventful Proxy defense period, we got word from the top that our closest major enemy clan had experienced some drama amongst their leadership, resulting in a major chunk of their population abandoning ship, and most of the rest being left in disarray. Another major clan that occasionally pestered us had just been hit by a wave of attacks from the Chinese, and a third opposing clan was being hit by our allies. So basically nobody had time for us.
We did get a brief visit from the Flying Squirrel gang, whom we had not seen in a while. They scattered and didn't come back after we rode up on them just once. Still, their appearance, coupled with our newfound free time, prompted my team to move our Clay Base. When we first arrived on this map we constructed a sturdy clay base amidst some tall rocks, and established a perimeter of barricades at the cracks in the rocks, with the assumption that this would make it difficult for enemy boats to approach us. And indeed we had never once been attacked by boats. However, every single foot-raider on our tile seemed to immediately be attracted to our base because they could easily grapple up to the top of the rocks, drop down on people coming in and out of the base, steal whatever loot they were carrying, then disappear as quickly as they arrived. And if we did chase them off the rocks, they would just disappear into the forest that surrounded our mountain home. So, we packed our things and rebuilt the Clay Base in the middle of a nice open valley, with nothing around for attackers to grapple for a quick escape.
And of course, as soon as we finished setting up in our new location, the Chinese rolled in with half a dozen medium boats, and came straight for us. The clan came to our defense immediately. The Chinese had great numbers, but their boats and equipment were of low quality, and they clearly did not know how to use them. We dispatched their boats easily.
Then they sent in more boats. And we destroyed those as well. But during the third wave, while we were dealing with the larger boats, a fleet of smaller spider-walkers flanked our Clay Base and burned a hole in the wall. They made off with several boxes of our best materials, and all we got from them was a pile of cheap boat wreckage and a few beat-up sets of basic weapons and armor.
The next day was quiet, and yesterday started out the same. After our peaceful Proxy defense, we decided to take some of our warboats out and look for a fight. We soon found two clans, neither of whom we were familiar with, fighting each other, each side sporting a fully manned Falco. We managed to stay hidden until one of them triumphed over the other, and then we rolled in and dispatched the victor, claiming the cargo holds of both wrecked boats for our own. Not the most glorious battle, but it was a lot of plunder.
As we returned home with our spoils, we found that only half of our boats were able to get into our home map before it was population-capped. Those who got in found themselves facing off against a raiding party of half a dozen large boats, and twice again as many medium boats. It quickly turned into a battle of attrition, with both sides burning through precious lifegiving water and kits of weapons and armor at an alarming rate...but in the end, we just had too many of our resources waiting in queue, and not enough on the map, so we were forced to admit defeat. Fortunately, our Proxy Defense hour had already passed earlier, so they were unable to take the map from us. All they got was a bunch of damaged gear and a few boxes of basic resources they had plundered from our bases; we had learned from previous encounters to keep the more valuable resources safe in the cargo hold of lobbied ships.
We did notice that the enemy raiding us had left the Proxy on their home tile vulnerable. Strange that they had chosen this time to raid us. But since half of our warboats were unable to get in to defend our home, we decided to send them out on the attack instead. We met only minimal defenses and were able to burn the enemy Proxy fairly easily, removing their official claim to the territory and depriving them of considerable resource income.
Unfortunately, they did have backup measures in place, unlike any we had encountered before. They dropped down several bases around us, and just respawned from the facilities within endlessly, always equipped with high-tier weapons and armor. We fought well, but ultimately our boats had fewer respawns and kits, so we were forced to abandoned the damaged boats and flee with the rest. Taking their proxy was a symbolic victory to be sure, but it only cost them a small percent of their resources, while we lost over half our fleet.
Of course, most of the boats we lost were lower quality boats we had built early on, and were honestly looking for an excuse to replace them. Tomorrow we begin rebuilding a much stronger fleet, utilizing all that we have learned from every battle.
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Topic: Last Oasis Clan - The Dune Dwellers (Read 7821 times)