Strategies and Units in Sandbox MMORPG: Life is Feudal

Life is Feudal is a Sandbox MMORPG featuring terraforming. It is extremely reliant on player skill, but what sums up a ‘skilled’ player? The four main points that sum up skill are: Experience, reaction time, knowledge, and strategy. Experience and reaction time cannot be acquired overnight, they take time to accumulate. Knowledge and strategy, however, can be learned overnight. They allow a player to not only understand their opponent (knowledge), but also implement the most effective means by which to defeat them (strategy).

Positioning

Positioning implies tactics as an individual, and centers around placing an opponent in the most disadvantageous situation. Before attacking, observe an opponents technique, speed, range, equipment, and aggression. Once an observation has been, position yourself appropriately. Some sample positions are listed below, as is the equipment and reasoning applied.

Kiting - Famous across virtual reality games, online role playing games and top MMORPGs alike; a must learn for ranged playstyles. Kiting employs superior mobility and range, constantly circling your opponent to injure them while staying out of their striking distance. This tactic is also viable for lightly armored infantry with large 2-handed melee weapons, and is then known as out-fighting.

This tactic is practical against opponents with less speed and range than you such as: Heavily armored or encumbered opponents, opponents with small fast weapons and opponents who have been slowed or injured. This tactic should NEVER be used against other ranged units, or units with high mobility such as cavalry.

Suggested equipment for kiting is: Light(if any) armor, fast reloading ranged weapons such as short bows, throwing weapons, naphtha, etc.

In-fighting - a versatile tactic, in-fighting relies on constantly pushing against the enemy, keeping up the pressure and striking any openings with short, fast weapons. This tactic is best employed by tough melee combatants, exploiting superior endurance to overwhelm the opponent.

In-fighting is used on opponents with low armor such as: Light infantry, most units in a defensive position or any combatant in close quarters. In-fighting is most effective when deployed in tight quarters, so that opponents cannot retreat or kite effectively. In-fighting is ineffective in large open terrain, becoming easily kited in such situations by ranged units and cavalry.

Suggested equipment for In-fighting is: The strongest armor possible, a large shield and a small fast weapon like a hatchet or short sword.

Units

Units is an integral mechanic featured in LiF, also known as groups in other MMO online games. The unit leader is able to issue two types of commands: formation orders and battle orders. Both commands grant certain buffs, and when the Unit leader issues a formation order the geometry of the formation will appear. Any unit member conforming to the shape will receive the appropriate buffs and the more unit members inside the formation shape - the greater the bonuses.

Formation orders are “Wall”, “Wedge” and “Circle”. All formation orders grant the benefits Swiftness and/or Defence buffs. Swiftness buff gives increased swing speed and Defence buff gives damage mitigation, reducing damage taken. “Wall” grants Swiftness and Defence; “Wedge” grants Swiftness, and Circle grants Defence. More info on the combat system at Life is Feudal the action MMO RPG No target combat and double bars.

Battle orders are "Hold your ground", "Charge" and "Move". “Hold your ground” grants Defence buff but also a Slowed debuff;  “Charge” grants Power strike buff (increased damage of a first successful hit) and “Move” grants Accelerated buff.

The larger and more organized a unit is, the larger the bonuses for all unit members constituting the formation or battle shape. If a leader is alone in his own battle or formation shape, he receives no bonuses. Apply these during massive PvP, explained at Massive PvP battles and sieges in Life is Feudal or open world PvP, explained at Life is Feudal the PvP online MMO: PvP over PvE.

In summary, observe your opponent before making taking aggressive action. Associate with players using a variety of equipment and tactics to allow greater strategic flexibility. Greater strategic flexibility allows you to defeat a wider range of plausible deployments. Follow unit orders to receive the formation and battle buffs. These tactics will greatly increase win ratio in the war mmo LiF.