Endless Battles in Middle-Earth

So I've been playing Battle for Middle-earth lately, still doing a lot of skirmishes as I try and hone my skills. In my first impressions of the game, I said I thought it would be hard: I was right.

My experience with Red Alert 2 did not prepare me for these drawn-out, viscious fights, nor the resourceful and strategic computer players featured in the skirmish mode. I realize now that BFME sets the stage for much longer, more epic, and more strategically difficult matches. When playing a large map with only 2 players, all of the other starting points or camps/castles are still in the game, only they are neutral. Added to these start points are expansion points, places where new 'Citadels' and structures can be built. In order to defeat the enemy, you must destroy all of their Citadels (so that they cannot repair/rebuild structures) and then all of their other buildings.

The easy computer players in BFME are like most of the comps in RA2, they don't know how to expand well, they don't know how to create back-up bases or safeguards for survival, and they don't know how to wage a prolonged, dirty fight. The medium computer players in BFME are not this simple.

The matches against the meds started out almost the same as the other matches, and I thought that a few slightly larger attacks, with new Trolls added, were all that I would see. So I organized a quick attack force, summoned some Ally armies, and moved in to wipe out the enemy. My attacking forces ran right into a pair of Oliphaunts coming my way, which effectively ruined my cavalry. Then I met with some of the new weather and special effects of the enemy, along with renewed assaults by Catapaults, Trolls & Oliphaunts. I still was faring fairly well, but then the level started shaking violenetly, and to my utter dismay, a massive Balrog erupted from the earth right next to my base. I lost that match, and badly.

But I like to think that I learn from my mistakes, and that I am a fast learner. So I did a few easy matches the following day to boost my confidence, then went after the medium again. This time would be different.

I expanded as fast as possible at the beginning, quickly covering the majority of the match. I tried to use these vast resources to churn out defenses, but the enemy managed to repeatedly destroy my forward outposts. I finally got my array of heroes and special skills/summoned armies ready, and moved in for the kill. But the enemy didn't die there.

I realized that while I had been finishing off his base, he had moved in force against my main base. When the Balrog joined in, my Gondor home-base was wiped out. I set up camp in what had been the enemy's base, and round 2 began. The battle raged on for almost three hours, during which the enemy completely wiped one of my bases at least five times. But I was using my Gandalf and summoned armies skillfully, to always stay a step ahead of the enemy. Every time they destroyed a base, I set up 2 new ones. I soon ran out of conventional forces and structures, and was using ONLY my heroes and summoned allies. In my bases I merely built defenses to slow down the enemy's progresss. I moved quickly, running Gandalf around, trying to conquer all of the expansion points so the enemy could have none.

Finally, after about 3 hours and a few thousand lost troops, I managed to destroy the enemy's last base. He was working on building another, for he had been copying my build and move on technique, but I was faster and had been gaining on him. I hadn't known this was his last base, I knew though that he was running low on potential hiding places.

I have to say, that victory was one of my proudest achievements in a video game in recent months. I earned that win, through quick-clicking, fast-thinking, adaptable reactions and a constantly evolving strategic plan. I think this game will keep me going for quite a while :)

- Scott