WoW 2.0 Hint Page

hints written by Matthias Frost

[last updated 05.08.99 17:56 (MEZ) - Mitteleurop. Sommerzeit]

!The complete spell list with all dark, druidic and neutral spells including costs, detailed descriptions and magical levels required!

General hints for turns 0-5

General hints for turns 6-10

Building Summary

Military Unit Chart

Hero Summary and other Hero related information

Frequently asked Questions

This hint page is a guide only and does not claim to be 100% accurate.

General hints for turns 0-5:

• The first and most important hint no matter which turn you are in is BUILD up a strong economy in every ?,5 shire that you control! If you RECRUIT too much units too early this will affect your economy badly in the long run. The best thing for your economy is not to recruit at all during the first few turns.
• A high morale is very important. The higher the morale in a shire the faster the rate of population growth and tax income. With more peasants and more Gold income you can maintain a bigger army and build or recruit more. Some building types also can help. To achieve a high morale you have to set high feed rates and/or low tax rates. But be careful with high feed rates! Starting out in surroundings that offer only little food (like Underworld, Astral, Tundra, Swamps, Vulcanos, etc.) can leave your whole empire starving to death.

• Buildings that increase morale and that are available in the beginning of the game are: Church, Inn and Tavern.
• The above were hints that should enable you to build up your economy. But you will not always be in a position in which you can afford to only build up your economy. If you meet early opposition in a game then it will be neccesary to raise an army to defend yourself or to use a possibility when your neighbour is sleepy.
• If you need to build up an army then consider that it is more effective to recruit a few higher quality units then to recruit lots of low qualitiy units like Militia. Remember that each recruited unit is one peasant less that can produce, build or create new peasants... Also remember that there are ways to SUMMON military units with the help of magic if you have enough GEMs for them.
• However, a good mixture between 'go anywhere', mounted, ranged and foot units increases your chance of victory. Relatively cheap foot units may act as 'cannon fodder' units and take away hits that your enemies might deliver leaving your better or more expensive units unharmed to strike and this way maximise the damage your own army can inflict. You will have to experiment to find your own favoured mixture.
• Buildings that should offer you better military unit types are: Blacksmith, Barracks, Stables. Other building and building combinations will also offer new units, but you will have to discover those yourself.
• While building and recruiting do not forget that DIPLOMACY is one of the most important factors to win a game. You will very soon notice which 'neighbours' are reliable.
• My personal way to pick out reliable allies is simply to look how they act. If someone works hard writing news each turn or has published a very good blurb then he/she cares for his/her empire. And wizards who care for their empires most often are good and reliable allies. There are also other signs. If -for example- someone controls lots of food producing regions but does not want to trade food to you then you definitely are not among his favourite allies... You will often have to read inbetween the lines. This way you will also notice earlier when or if someone intends to attack you.
• Hire every hero that you can get. With the right combat spell set a hero can be worth more then 20-100 Militia. Heroes also offer the possibility that you gain 'first strike' which is most often a very important factor in battles. If your units strike first then the enemy units might possibly never be able to strike back leaving your own units unharmed and ready to strike again or to retaliate. Furthermore heroes can also EXPLORE special places like graveyards or towers to aquire magical artifacts and more...
• If you intend to explore a special place then read the discription carefully. Often there are hints in the description that tell you which of your heroes might have the best chances to be successful. For example a 'riddle' most often is explored easier by a hero with a high intelligence. Read the rules closely for more hints about what hero is useful at different kinds of special places.
• With the free militia/commoner/peasant-units you start with you should CONQUER your neighbouring shires and regions. If you are the first in, then they are yours. At least till someone else takes them away from you. In the beginning of the game you can securely leave you capital region protected by only very few units (1 militia) because there is no way anyone could attack them during the first few turns.
• Don't fear that your units that run into enemy units during the start phase of a game could start a major war. Althought this possibly could happen, my experience says that the first minor battles most often are the start of interesting negotiations that most often lead to alliances. However, you should begin 'to read between the lines' even (or especially) this early in the game!

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General hints for turn 6-10:

by now you should know your neighbours (including a first impression of them by 'reading between the lines') and the region types that surround your capital. You should also have formed your first alliances.

• Your morale should have reached the 5.00 mark till know (at least in your capital). Raising the tax rate should be no problem with the table above and the info you got from the buildings you built. So you should be able to get those nice extra gold coins a morale 5.00 shire offers.
• Your Alliances should enable you to TRADE those resources that you need.
• When choosing you first 'victim' for war take a look at your map and think about what resorces you will need to round up your stock piles. For example if you need lots of mithril then you should choose someone within your reach who is controlling e.g. a vulcano. Also consider who are the active players (News, frequent mailers) in this games. Wizards who are passive most often are easier targets because they do not care very much for their empire. Anyway, this for sure is no secure sign. I know several very competent players who do not write News or Blurbs at all. Also be warned that any experienced or competent player will most probably be able to counter everything you throw in against him early in the game because he can easyly recruit lots of units while yours have to advance and thus do not grow in numbers. However, a surprise attack gives a certain advantage and is chosen most often by all players.
• Continue to hire heroes and explore special places with them. Also make sure that you use their special abilities well!
• Continue to BUILD, BUILD and BUILD. This will bring you advantages in economy and military.
• Continue to CONQUER, CONQUER and CONQUER. Try to get as much land as possible. Shires are the basis for your future success.
• Start to think more about your magic. Buildings like the Library are a good option to start with because they also offer an important new unit. APPs are surely worth every single piece of Gold you spend for them.
• I mentioned earlier that heroes are able to cast certain kind of spells for you. But what is the best path to start your research? Most experienced wizards do not research at all till they found out more about their surroundings. If you do not want to make any mistakes then 'neutral' areas like Summoning, Sorcery or Will are interesting areas to start with. This way you can decide lateron if you choose the fast dark path to power or the slower druidical way... Once you chose a way there is no way back to take the other instead!
• Take a look at the rankings page. Here you can see where you have problems and which of your neighbours should be easier victims. This early in the game the economical and magical rankings represent best which wizard is powerful.
• Important resources are: (Food), Wood, Stone. From now on Iron, Gems and Mithril will become more important as the game advances because the better unit types and more powerful magic get available.
• If you don't have enough of one of the resources to cover your needs and cannot gain them by tradingor other means then attack your 'weakest' neighbour who controls this resource. This might sound 'emotionless', but this a war game and you want to win, or? If you wait too long then your problems will make you the weak spot that everyone wants to attack. If you have everything that you need then you can take yourself a little more time.

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Building Summary:

This table gives a good overlook about the buildings. However, most buildings only get available after you build others first or researched a set level of magic. Also, be sure that I left away certain powerful buildings. This is to leave some exploring fun for yourself. One of the buildings that I left away is the Sacrificial Altar. I have to mention it here because it is a dangerous building that will do great damage to your empires's moral. However, it also offers a big advantage. So make sure you are prepared to counter the monthly morale decrease. Minstrels and Jesters are useful units to do this.

Building Summary Abbreviation Index:

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Military Unit Chart:

This military chart only contains very few units out of a very long list. I will not publish everything in order to keep things secret for your own exploration. I also will not publish detailed stats or costs. Instead I will estimate some early units seperately with the help of a self created formula that in my opinion represents the real combat values very good. The formula that I used is:

Combat Value (CV) = [ 2 * ( OFF + DEF ) ] * [ HIT + 1 ] * [ ATT + 1 ]

Note that each type of unit has to be kept seperatly because each type has its own benefits (like an earlier strike or behind units only striking when everything else is dead) that are not represented by this easy CV - formula. Even units in one category might differ in your eyes because e.g. they could have different movement rates. As said above the formula does not represent the cost which always is a very important factor. However, the formula represents the usefulness of a unit quite well once a battle began. Of course other wizards might have totally different points of view...

A last thing that is interesting to know before studying the charts is that one of the top units, a Dark Lord, has a CV of approx. 80000 which shows that the formula might give unstable results for units with very high stats. On the opposite I already saw one Dark Lord slaughtering 500+ units so it might as well be quit accurate...

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Hero Summary and other Hero related information:

Below is a summary of all heroes known to me with a description which had to be short in order to keep something hidden for you to discover. Also, the list must not be complete...

The Maintenance of a hero is related to his/her level and base cost. You can use this formula: Maintenace Cost = 0.1*base*(level-1)²+base

Your heroes will advance in level when having gained enough experience. A hero gets experience for moving arond, duelling, exploring special places and leading armies into combat. To see when your hero will advance in level the next time you can use the table below:

Each level achieved adds 10% to the hero's adventuring attributes. e.g. a Magician has a base intelligence of 10 at level 0. At level 1 he has (0.1*10)+10=11. At level 2 he has (0.1*11)+11=12 and so on. Fractions are always rounded down. Non-adventring attributes do not rise with experience (unit bonuses for type/terrain and special abilities).

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Freequently asked Questions:

I created this FAQ using questions out of the WOW_HELP discussion forum, questions that were sent to me privately and partially with the help of the 'old' FAQ by 'Sloth the Devourer':

• (Q): What does the 300(61) mean in my turn report?

• (A): The number in brackets (61) is the maximum number of peasants that you can recruit in this shire. The number 300 represents the total abount of peasants living in the shire. In other words: you have 300 peasants of which you can recruit 61. If you recruit all 61 peasants then 239 peasants would remain to produce _or_ to build. They cannot produce _and_ build!

• (Q): How does 'fishing' work?

• (A): You need to place a ship in an ocean shire that has a food resource. If you control this shire (either by AUTOCONTROL YES or by CONTROL YES orders) then the ship will automatically produce food. Example: A fishing Skiff with FIS:10 in a FOOD:3 shire that you control would automatically produce 30 units of Food. BTW, all fishing ships are able to control a shire without the help of other warships or units onboard a transport ship.

• (Q): Could I get proper abbreviations for all the resources?

• (A): Gold = GLD, Food = FOD, Wood = WOD, Stone = STN, Iron = IRN, Gems = GEM and Mithril = MIT. It is not important if you use capital letters or not.

• (Q): How can I draw a map about the world I play in?

• (A): To do this use the Mapping Technique and use the WoW - Easy Mapping Tools. You could also use the Graphical User Interface that is still in development.

• (Q): What is the chace of a border battle?

• (A): Depends. A border battle will only occur when two armies of wizards that are at war with each other travel in excactly opposite directions from shires that have a common border. Example: 'A' sends an army from shire 1,1 to shire 1,2. In the same turn 'B' sends an army from shire 1,2 to shire 1,1. Only in such a situation there is a _chance_ that a border battle will take place. _Chance_ means that it is no sure thing that the border battle will occur. I made the experience that Scouts, the total number of units and the number of heroes involved tend to increase the chance of a border battle. After the border battle is ended the winning army will try to reach its final destination (only next shire and then stop) and if there are enemies present then another battle will occur.

• (Q): Are there spelsl or artifacts that allow standard units to tunnel, fly or water move?

• (A): Yes, however you need both spell and artifact to do each of the moves above. The spells are druid only.

• (Q): If I AUTOCONTROL YES shires, can I still CONTROL NO specific shires?

• (A): Yes. Transferring control between players also works perfectly this way.

• (Q): Does the INFO command work with buildings that you can build (listed as available to build in the turn report) or just buildings you have completed?

• (A): The command works with every building. You just have to know the name or the abbreviation. However, you will get more detailed information about buildings that you already completed. Also, after completing a building you will get an auto - information telling you all details about the building.

• (Q): I am playing Game 15 on the world 'Shadowmoth' and I noticed that Game 12 is also on Shadowmoth. Will I meet any players from G12 in G15?

• (A): Yes an No. First, the games are not connected in any way. They just use the same map. But you could meet some players who are playing wizards in both games. But they cannot 'transfer' help from one game to the other e.g. transferring units from game 12 to game 15. However, players who played a map in an earlier game will have knowledge of the map whih is a big advantage.

• (Q): I know DFS will keep you from TEL/SJU into a shire. But will it also hinder you to TEL/SJU out of a shire?

• (A): No.

• (Q): Is it possible to move a 'move 6' hero 4 spaces and then board him on a ship and move the ship away in the same turn?

• (A): No. You would have to use the following timeline: Turn 1 - move hero 4 spaces to shore where the ship is waiting. Turn 2 - transfer hero to ship and move the ship to its destination coastal shire. Turn 3 - transfer the hero off the ship and move him up to 6 spaces.

• (Q): Will undercover heroes be visible on board a ship.

• (A): Yes. Your enemies will notice them with both SCR or simple sight.

• (Q): Is it possible to transfer a hero and his army to a ship?

• (A): Yes. However the program will seperate the army and the hero on board the ship. This means you will have to reunite the army and your hero afterwards.

• (Q): Will units and heroes fight in battles when onboard a ship.

• (A): Depends. In a battle that takes place on the ocean normal heroes and units will not be mentioned in battles. If the ship they are on sinks then they will simply drown. Heroes will not cast spells in this kind of battle! Only Admiral and Pirate heroes add their special abilities in those battles. If the battle takes place in an coastal shire then all heroes and units on board the ships will participate in the battle as normal.

• (Q): What happens with the heroes' army bonuses in those coastal battles when they are on board of a ship?

• (A): Because the hero and army are seperated by the program when entering a ship the units will not get the heroes' army bonuses if the ships they are on enter a combat after sailing into a coastal shire. Ships never get bonuses except by Prirates or Admirals.

• (Q): What is a coastal shire?

• (A): Coastal shires are all shires into which you could CONSTRUCT ships into if you controlled the ?,5 shire. In other words all ground shires that are not ocean, but have a direct link/exit to an ocean shire.

• (Q): Lets say I have a FEED 5. But I have not enough Food to feed everyone im my empire. What will happen?

• (A): The program calculates the feed event as following: First, every shire with feed rate 1 or higher will be fed 1 food. If you have not enough food then there is random starvation. -> Every shire with feed rate 2 or higher will be fed one more food if possible -> Every shire with feed rate 3 or higher will be fed one more food if possible -> Every shire with feed rate 4 or higher will be fed one more food if possible -> Every shire with feed rate 5 will be fed one more food if possible.

• (Q): I have 10 'move 1' units in 1,1 attacking shire 1,5. I also have a hero in 2,2 attacking into 1,4 then into 1,5. Will my units 'merge' with the hero fighting as one? What about the hero's army bonuses?

• (A): Depends. There could be a border battle between 1,5 and 1,1 if your enemy moves units from 1,1 to 1,5 (see above for details about border battles). Another alternative is that your hero gets blocked by a combat on his long way to 1,5. If your enemy successful catches the hero in a battle then the hero would stop moving immediatly in the shire of this battle. But even if your hero is able to reach 1,5 and fights together with your other 10 units then those units will not get any kind of bonus (except a possible first strike) by the hero. Only units inside a hero's army get the hero's bonuses. In other words you have to TRANSFER units into the hero's army to get the hero's army bonus.

• (Q): How to write multiple movements?

• (A): Example: MOVE 123 HERO 1,1 1,5 1,3 2,1 2,4 ... Your hero or unit will automatically stop movement at the destination where he/she/it runs out of movement points.

• (Q): Can I recruit units, hire a hero, transfer the units to the hero's army and move the hero and his army around in one turn?

• (A): Yes.

• (Q): I have a magician on the astral plane. The description says that the hero gives +2.00 to offence and defence for summoned units plus a land offence bonus of +1.50. So if I had 5 Sprites and 5 Swordsmen in the hero's army, what would their stats look like in a battle?

• (A): Sprite -> OFF:4.50 / DEF:4.00, Swordsman -> OFF:3.50 DEF:2.00. If defending a shire the units additionally would get the region type defence bonus. Special artifacts the hero carries could also enhance the stats of the units in his army. Notes: all bonuses are added (not multiplicated). You get the information about the height of terrain defence or other bonuses with the help of the INFO command.

• (Q): When will a multi HP unit be allowed to retaliate?

• (A): A unit retaliates after it got attacked before. If the unit gets hit by the initial attack then it will only retaliate if it has at least one hit point left. If the unit's hits got reduced to zero by the initial attack then the unit dies without retaliating. If the initial attack does no harm then even a one hit point unit will retaliate. Note: a unit will retalliate up to the total number of it's attacks per combat turn, but only once after each seperate time it was attacked.

• (Q): Can you have two people, both allied, fishing in the same shire?

• (A): No, only the controller of the shire is allowed to do fishing there.

• (Q): Do 'region' buildings affect all shires of the region it is built in?

• (A): Yes and No. It will affect all shires in the region it is build in, except those shires that are controlled by a not allied wizard.

• (Q): Do 'global' buildings affect allies.

• (A): No. Only shires that are controlled by yourself.

• (Q): Is there a maximum of fishing ships that can be placed into one ocean shire?

• (A): No. However, placing all in one shire is dangerous because one Warship could kill all of them without problem.

• (Q): When I look at the rankings page I notice several player numbers that have a 'wow' behind...

• (A): These players have dropped. This means they have not sent in orders for 3+ turns.

• (Q): What is the use of a behind unit that has a ranged offence value like APPs.

• (A): This units have the advantage that they can attack with their ranged attack in combat turn 1, but will only be attacked if all non behind units on their side of the battlefield are killed before.

• (Q): Can you TRADE with the help of BOATS?

• (A): Yes.

• (Q): For Wizards, can spellcraft be used twice? I mean, can you use all your wizard's SC before combat and then use it again in combat (in the capital)?

• (A): Yes.

• (Q): Do TEL/SJU and TOR occur in the same phase of the orders being processed?

• (A): Yes. If you are lucky, you can teleport you army away.

• (Q): Will undercover heroes enter a combat?

• (A): Undercover heroes will only enter a combat if they have a unit in the hero's army (this makes them switch from undercover to visible). If they are undercover (without a unit in their army) then they will only enter a combat if they are discovered by enemy heroes. The chance that your undercover hero is discovered depends upon his stealth and the total number of awareness of enemies heroes in the shire.

• (Q): Is TRADING or GIVING possible with heroes?

• (A): Only if the hero is not undercover. The only undercover hero that is allowed to TRADE is the Trader. This includes standard TRADE, TRADE ARTIFACT and GIVE commands.

• (Q): If I have 999 Wood and try to trade away 1000 Wood what will happen?

• (A): The program will self adjust the number to the maximum that is still possible. In your case it would trade 999 Wood to your trade partner. The program will always try to adjust incorrect numbers in a similar way if this is possible.

• (Q): When will I be able to research my first spell?

• (A): Your Wizard will give you 8 Research Points per turn. The first level that you could research costs 30 RP and some resources. So if you do not find another way to increase your RPs then you will be able to research your first spell in Turn 4 (30/8=3.75 (rounded up)).

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!This part is still under construction!

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The complete spell list with all dark, druidic and neutral spells including costs, detailed descriptions and magical levels required:

You think me are a madman??? Me no stupid Orc. Me know when me telling you this then you could easyly kill me. Me sly one! Better you come visiting me on one of the great WoW worlds instead and find out yourself what you can do with this nice little spells. But be prepared to be armageddoned... Me surely no stupid Orc! Ha!

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If you have comments or spot any kind of error in the above hint page, please contact me under matthias.frost@uni-essen.de