Instructions and other stuff about if you're gonna post in this topic.
First of all. There is propably a place in strategy forum where someone has posted these, but thing is that you most likely waste way too much time finding the answer, get bored finding it or not find it at all. So then here we go.
Secondly I will not put other than sequential stuff in this one since i don't play freestyle at all, but feel free to share the structure and make freestyle version of this and i can put link to under freestyle section or however u want. I can also put link/link map (if more) to flatrate, no spoils and to any combination of freestyle and those, but plz post those in my inbox if u want to share that link with this post so no one needs to unnecessarily read those ^^
As that said feel free to share specialized formulas for different settings (includes different number of players) and also u can obviously shape excisting formulas like example my 2nd rule.
Goal: To make this ultimate math topic for multi-player escalating. I might start adding partions (or what ever those are called) for strictly 3/4/5/6/7/8-man games or 3-4, 4-8... etc. dependins however this goes and how willing you are to share your knowledge or if u got more than this guide involves ^^
Things i'd like to be posted here should be either facts and things that u are fairly confident that are facts. I appreciate the most if there is a math guy/s with intention of sharing their formulas and such.
So only time when other than math formula or fact is welcome to this topic: when you write an example of using a excisting one or one that you just put up in here. Also if u'd like me or someone bold,underline... etc. something. I won't correct spelling errors unless those are miss leading! (example i normally write "u" instead of "you" or "wud" instead of "would". I tried to correct all the places where I wrote that way and won't correct em later cos it just ruins my flow of text when i try to write those as they are spelled.)
Leave your thanks in short if you found this helpful ^^ (helps to keep this topic alive and gives me a smile in my face) example "thx and smile.. right in ya face" or like "thx for helping me. how do u feel getting ur face owned by smile" (lol ok you don't need to do that xD simple thx works as fine ^^)
First rule u need to know to be profitable in games/life:
GAIN>LOSS.
That's a fact and it means in this case that you should gain the maxium amount of troops you can and lose the minium you can, that way you should have the maxium amount of troops to maximize the chances in critical points (what you have put as your target/s).
Second rule is this formula:
"next set worth" / 3 * opponent's spoils > opponent's troop count this should be key element when thinking just about anything.
I'll write an example so it's easier to remember/ get what i mean: u cash a set worth 20 and next set is worth 25, it takes three cards to form a set so we didvide it by 3 and your opponent has four spoils so u multiply it by 4. Then you compare that amount to what your opponent has and we'll say that he has example 17 troops and you have clear view on him (no troops between).
Using that formula i gave earlier it looks like this: 25/3*4>17 = 33,33>17 so we do 16,33 troop profit by taking him out. (as warning: it's only a formula and u need to learn tactics to know how u get max value out of it)
Rules are pretty much the must/ key things to know. (or how u like to say)
Third thing u need to know (this is not a math thing, but just too important to leave out):
Escalating card order is 4,6,8,10,12,15,20,25,30,35,40... etc. with 5 troop increases.
Reason why this is so very important is because u need to know when u do the finishing blow and so you realize how much damage you can make to yourself when u cash/ take a player out too early (like around value of 12). Without few exceptions you should always cash only when you reach 5 cards if you aren't goin for kill/s [well you go for kills with 0-5 cards depending on situation (1. and 2. rule combined and ur experience will eventually let you spot all the situations)] or if you have just so little amount for troops and you expect to get killed if you don't play it, but in that case you have to have a way that you can still win the game (example: if player befor you misses and you can finish the guy that is left weak)
Most important reason you need to know the order and uses of that order (before you have that advanced thinking) is because you need to know when/in which turn/which set you are gonna finish/wipe the table. That depends mainly on map size (smaller map u wipe it with earlier bonus and larger map vice versa) and secondly on players playing in that map (example: cook/? who is gonna be all over the place will most likely make it possible to start wiping the table earlier).
Example of figuring the turn: if you/your opponent/s takes one card every turn from start then first guys to reach 5 cards are in 5th turn if u/your opponent/s start taking every card since 2nd round: then 5 cards are reached at 6th round. If you reach 5th card at 5th round then next time you have 4 cards is 7th turn (about these rounds things start to happen depending on factors told earlier)
Now comes little shorter notes u should know.
Fourth things to know:
Use calculator like: http://gamesbyemail.com/Games/Gambit/BattleOdds or http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/45949 (i use GBE, but which ever feels most comfortable or other calculator if u know one) (at least to point where u think you have good feeling or pretty much every time like my pussy self does) (if you got 30 in your land; you use 29 as your attacking troops in calculator at least in GBE)
I would also recommend to check maxium/optimal defending numbers for some cases. (2 or 2,2 stacks in end of your opponents attack route is normally enough if you aren't planning an attack)
Use manual attacks. That way you can still change your strategy if you like example lose first 3-5 rolls and if you can change it without giving the game to other player. (I personally would not worry about manual if i got like over 99% chance or if i play like City Mogul and have ridiculous troop counts)
(Fifth or in this place is propaly gonna be how taking bonuses/ swapping a one stack with other/s gonna affect in your troop count and/or to your finishing touch depending of importance of that math wise. Also i might add formulas you post over this.)
I'm gonna edit this later if I or you figure (remember) something that should be in importants list. (too tired of writing/thinking currently)
As reminder this topic is about facts and math, not about "if/maybe strategies" !!!!
