[FUN*F] Army Development Basics

Ok, Flankers, I didn't want to MM about this, so that you could check this out any time, if you are interested (it's too long, too).
There are some things that you learn after a time of playing this game. So, let me start from the begining.

Travian is a strategy game, at it's core. All the strategy games have same core elements: Production, Infrastructure, Military (which is always the most important one).

Production

War requires resources. It is your choice how will you get them: through economy or through plunder. Economy gives a constant and secure flow of resources and is a certain investment (once you invest in building it up, there's no doubt it will bring sure profit later on. Me and Cursez, for example, focus on economy). Raiding is an insecure flow of resources - it depends on your surrounding, your activity, the number and the type of troops you develop. In general, strong troops are not too good at raiding, because they can carry a smaller amount and move slower. But raiding troops are cheap and quick to build.
I suggest that, if you are active, if you feel like it, and if your surrounding is full of inactive noobs, to focus on raiding. That means to spend a significant amount on raiding armies. However, if your surronding becomes barren, do not hesitate to switch to economy! This is very important, because a number of people keep developing raiding armies long after they have fully profited from raiding, and that's a waste.

Also, we are not no-life triple account, gold abusers here. We will never be able to raid as the best players. Try to rely on economy, and raid all you can.

Infrastructure

You need it for developing yourself technologically. Infrastructure, in fact, helps the development of your productions and armies. So, a few hints:
-You will need a town hall, and celebrations, if you want to settle villages at a quick pace
-You MUST have your palace at your 15 cropper/9 cropper
-Upgrade your marketplace/trade office in your starting village, to quickly and efficiently transfer resources to your SH villages.
-Build granaries/walls if you want to be reinforced in times of need
-Build hero's mansion to conquer oases around you

Military

In various strategy games, troops almost always have offensive and defensive ratings. Offensive rating usually determines how efficient a troop is at dealing damage, and defensive rating usually determinest how effiecient is a troop at sustaining it. That is not the case in travian.

When you attack, only the offensive rating of your troops will give it efficiency and when you defend, only the defensive rating is what counts. So, in travian, offensive rating is, in fact, a fighting skill during attacks and defensive rating is fighting skill during defenses.

Hence, you have three types of units: raiding, offensive defensive. Some rare units serve as a combination.

Logically, you will try to attack with your offensive units, and defend with your defensive units, and you will try not to be attacked with your offensive units at defense, and try not to attack with defensive units. Conclusion: upgrade your offensive units at blacksmith ONLY, and upgrade your defensive units at armoury ONLY. Those upgrades give some 1.5% bonus per each level of upgrade, so it's inprofitable to upgrade if you have small numbers of troops.

Also, it is important to know, that many players can reinforce a single village, and thus you can meet tens of thousands in defense. At the same time, only one village can attack, and that, knowing that the majority of the villages have good walls, means that defense is almost always stronger than the offense.
So, to amplify your efficiency build ALL your Stronghold offensive troops at ONE village, your capital, which is a 9/15 cropper. I don't want to see fragmentized offense built in various villages. Build your catapults at your capital so that you could send multiple effective waves of attack. If you need a further explanation on this, ask me via IGM.

In Flank, majority of the players will focus on developing defense in the Stronghold and helping the minority that will wield Flank's offensive armies. I have yet to talk to all of you guys, and you are yet to decide what you all want to be when you grow up

Another subject that needs explanation:

Capital City

The main characteristic of your Capital is that you can build 10+ lvl resource fields there. Your Capital can't be captured.
When you start the server, your starting village is your Capital village. The only way to change your Capital village to another one, is to build a Palace in the other village, and click » Make this village your capital option in the other village.

Now, you will need to have your village with most croplands, and the best crop oases around to be your capital village.
Why?
Because, later on, you will have thousands of troops. While a normal village can produce up to 2k crop per hour, in total, a 15 cropper can produce around 6k crop per hour (if all the croplands are lvl 10 only).
Now, if you have a 15 cropper as a capital, and you upgrade croplands to, say, lvl 17, I imagine that the total crop production would be up to 60k per hour. And that means you will be able to house a large army, that you will certainly have.