Spire Improvements

[Fligigel]

You've said something like this before. Are you fighting using archers, come what may? If you are then you are making things very difficult for yourself and it is no surprise that you have a big problem supplying enough troops for your needs. You should use archers (or other light melee) to fight when they are facing either heavy melee or mage troops. Also, note that your archers will be nearly as effective as rangers, which have a better range of movement.

I find on the spire, you face a random array of heavy stuff and as long as a mage (or two) is present, the archers (needles40%) do a good job. Strangely, they kill the orange heavy range. Also strange is what looks like an orc strategist says it kills light melee. When their light melee shows up in strength, then I flip to frogs, golems, but I haven't perfected what else to use.

I used a lot of time instants last week because I did a 9800 tournament. I concluded that it was a bit too much work.

 

[Fligigel]

This is where I am in my chapter 5 account, with no boosters or negotiation or adverts. However, I have used 2 X 20hr and maybe a 14hr.

I have simulated a Dwarven Bulwark using 9 armories and 9 garden stones.

Edit: made it to the end.

 

[Fabulous Miz]

I don’t recall if this has been covered before but is everybody getting the same opponent mix since the last spire change? I’m fairly sure I’ve used mages on the last gate at every level since it happened. is that a known effect?

Can I thank Lelanya and others for the related recent responses on the US forum. I was unaware that CAL determines the spire opponent setups each week. I know my CAL under the latest formula hasn’t changed since the end of the last chapter, so I guess I just have to wait until Wednesday when the new chapter launches. Every day is a school day in Elvenar.

 

[SunriseBuilder]

What is CAL please?

 

[Pauly7]

What is CAL please?

It stands for City Advancement Level. It's the formula that determines the difficulty of the Spire and Tournament.

 

[Lady K]

It stands for City Advancement Level. It's the formula that determines the difficulty of the Spire and Tournament.

Please tell more, how do you see your own CAL, where is it?

 

[Pauly7]

Please tell more, how do you see your own CAL, where is it?

You can't see it. It's a secret stat. As far as I know, it's now only based on numbers of expansions in your city and numbers of mandatory researches completed. They essentially multiply together (though the formula is more complex). The more of each one of those you have. The harder the tournaments will become.

The formula did used to also include total number of AW levels, but they recently scrapped that.

 

[Lady K]

You can't see it. It's a secret stat. As far as I know, it's now only based on numbers of expansions in your city and numbers of mandatory researches completed. They essentially multiply together (though the formula is more complex). The more of each one of those you have. The harder the tournaments will become.

The formula did used to also include total number of AW levels, but they recently scrapped that.

Thanks hun for reply. Answer with a question So! If you spend on purchasing diamonds for extra space in your city it can be a gut punch to yourself 'cause will count as expansions? The higher the CAL and the harder Tournaments fights will be?

So why do we choose between V Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard, scouting provinces then, thought they were indicative of how hard the province was to fight in the Tournie? Is this a red herring?

 

[Martohtar]

based on numbers of expansions

Only research and province expansions, no?

 

[Martohtar]

So why do we choose between V Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard, scouting provinces then, thought they were indicative of how hard the province was to fight in the Tournie? Is this a red herring?

It's the difficulty when clearing the province, nothing to do with the Tourney.

 

[Pauly7]

So! If you spend on purchasing diamonds for extra space in your city it can be a gut punch to yourself 'cause will count as expansions?

Sorry, this part wasn't clear

Only research and province expansions, no?

@Martohtar is correct. It used to be that premium expansions counted 50% as much as a regular expansion, but since the most recent change this year, premium expansions are excluded altogether. So, now you can continue to buy them with reckless abandon.

 

[Pauly7]

So why do we choose between V Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard, scouting provinces then, thought they were indicative of how hard the province was to fight in the Tournie? Is this a red herring?

It's the difficulty when clearing the province, nothing to do with the Tourney.

Yes, there is no link between the difficulty of province fighting and tournament fighting. They're entirely different mechanisms. It's a little misleading that the tournament calls them provinces.

 

[Fligigel]

I haven't been doing research expansions, and have about 6 or 7 behind me, but my city needs a bit more space. I figure that research expansions are probably the worst. If you don't expand your provinces, then certain things aren't available to you, like bigger tournaments.

When you say "cost of tournaments", do you mean catering, or both?

Seems like there is not much we can do about it. I was trying to avoid culture research, but it's pitifully small.

 

[Pauly7]

I figure that research expansions are probably the worst.

They count exactly the same as province expansions.

then certain things aren't available to you, like bigger tournaments.

Yes, this must be considered. It is not only a question of how the formula increases squad size. It is also about whether that extra expansion has been used efficiently to counteract the negative effect, i.e. more goods, another ancient wonder, etc.

I was trying to avoid culture research, but it's pitifully small.

If you mean the optional researches - they don't count against the formula. You can complete them all.

Seems like there is not much we can do about it.

What you can do about it is to stop advancing through the research tree, take you time, consolidate and become more powerful. By increasing Ancient Wonder levels, for example.

 

[SkyRider99]

What is CAL please?

City Advancement Level Model (2020)​

[2020-08-26] City Advancement Level Model (CAL Model) takes different parameters that developers consider relevant for city development (e.g. relics boost, research, AW levels and expansions) and bakes all of them into a single CAL number.

https://minmaxgame.com/city-advancement-level-model-2020/


For me CAL is an arcane curiosity. Even when one calculates their CAL it doesn't make the tournament/spire costs any easier to bear. And if the message from having a high CAL is to not do Research, or to not upgrade one's city, then blow it all out your nether regions.

 

[Pauly7]

Please note that the above is now NOT relevant. Yes, a consortium of players spearheaded by MinMax Gamer calculated the previous formula, but it has now been superceded. I'm not aware of anyone doing the same for the current one.

 

[SunriseBuilder]

They count exactly the same as province expansions.


Yes, this must be considered. It is not only a question of how the formula increases squad size. It is also about whether that extra expansion has been used efficiently to counteract the negative effect, i.e. more goods, another ancient wonder, etc.


If you mean the optional researches - they don't count against the formula. You can complete them all.


What you can do about it is to stop advancing through the research tree, take you time, consolidate and become more powerful. By increasing Ancient Wonder levels, for example.

But it seems that increasing your AW levels also increases your CAL.

 

[Pauly7]

But it seems that increasing your AW levels also increases your CAL.

No. Not anymore.

 

[SunriseBuilder]

No. Not anymore.

Thanks