Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!samsung!aplcen!haven!uvaarpa!mcnc!duke!grad10!cfg
From: cfg@grad10.cs.duke.edu (Christopher F. Gandy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Populous problems
Summary: One man's solutions
Message-ID: <15978@duke.cs.duke.edu>
Date: 3 Nov 89 14:19:09 GMT
References: <10182.AA10182@sno-1>
Sender: news@duke.cs.duke.edu
Reply-To: cfg@grad10.UUCP (Christopher F. Gandy)
Distribution: na
Organization: Duke University CS Dept.; Durham, NC
Lines: 76

I tried to send this via email, but could not come up with a host my
system would recognize.


In article <10182.AA10182@sno-1> sno@sno-1.UUCP (Stephen N. Opal) writes:
>Has anyone else noticed that the computer (Evil) opponent in Populous will
>continually flood land whenever it has enough Manna to do it?  This has proven
>to be a really stupid tactic as the computer usually floods itself right out
>of the game, making an easy win.
>
>Another problem, each new world has a level number +3 or so of the previous one.
>What is happening with all the intermediate levels?
>
>Also, has anyone successfully designed a tactic that allows you to make it
>past level 82?  This is the artic environment where you get 2 colonies while 
>the computer gets 4.  When the computer gets enough manna, (which is really easy
>for it) it knights.  By this time, I am lucky if I can get enough manna to
>create swamps, while the computer has literally tons of castles.  I have yet
>to figure out a successful defense to the pillaging.  For the record, until this
>level, I was able to drown any knight before any damage occured.  Now the computer
>watches and rescues the knight before he goes in.  My main defense is gone.
>Now, I don't feel like playing the game anymore because of the leap in difficulty
>foisted on me by this level.  Any help would be appreciated.
>
   Well, I was thinking about posting to the net about my "problems"
with Populous, but as it turns out, I think I can help you. I am
currently foaming at the mouth at my inability to get past battle
level 114.

  First, the easy question, the intermediate levels you are skipping
is based on the score you racked up on the previous battle. Win by
only 30K or so and the number goes up only 1 (and the next battle is
VERY similar to the previous one, only on new initial terrain). Win by
100K or more and you can get a jump of up to around 6 levels.

  Next, fear not, the higher the ranking of the opponent, the less
often he resorts to the flood. I have found that higher levels, he
relies on the volcano quite a bit more (the rocks introduced make it
harder for you to rebuild the castles you had).

  I had a similar plateau around #82. I found that you will have to
accept some losses to those early knights. Do not worry about it, and
do not waste time reclaiming the burnt lands right away. First, AFTER
the knight is on your main land mass, lower the path he took to get
there into the water so no other non-knights can follow. Then,
concentrate on building AWAY from his main land mass. I claimed almost
the entire top half of the world before I even tried to go over to his
land and attack. You are right in using the swamps. Keep his
population low, and he will not get the manna needed to send more
knights. Once you have a large land mass, go back and reclaim burnt
land, THEN start sending all the knights you can into his main land
mass.

  Oh yeah, use the swamps wisely. Continue to put a band of them on
the edge of his land so anyone trying to come over to you will hit
them. At that level, he does very little to remove the swamps you put
in.


 Now, If you know someone who can get me past my hump (I swear the
computer is cheating me at this point, there is NO WAY he can earn
manna so much faster than I do (I have watched his developement, and I
progress at the same rate, but never have nearly as much manna as he
does [as evidenced by the use of disasters left and right])).

  This is a great game. If I can be of any future help.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
* I won't grow up, not a penny will I pinch | Department of Computer Science,
* I will never grow a moustache, or a       | Duke University,
*       fraction of an inch.                | Durham, NC 27706
* Cause growing up is awfuller than all the |
*       awful things that ever were.        | ARPA:	cfg@cs.duke.edu
* I won't grow up, never grow up.....       | CSNET:	cfg@duke        
*       Not ME!   (P. Pan & cfg)            | UUCP:	decvax!duke!cfg
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-