H2: differences between vs AI and vs Human

[stijn]

i've recently started playing heroes II again, just finished broken alliance on expert without much problems. i think the impossible difficulty won't be much of a problem either (it wasn't befor).

but i'm going to play a few hotseat games this summer, what do i need to change in playstyle?
versus the AI i usually have one superhero and some supportheroes carrying only a gargoyle or a wild boar, chaining troops to my main hero or gathering resources. i usually capture my first town early in week 2 and from then i'm always looking for extra towns to capture . so what's different versus a real opponent? we'll be playing broken alliance (one of the best maps imho) on expert difficulty

thanks for answering, and sorry for any faults in my english (not my native language)

[Darmani]

supportheroes carrying only a gargoyle or a wild boar

For starters, have them carry 5 gargoyles or 5 wild boars.

Warlocks are the best support heroes, as they have Basic Scouting and start with 3 Power

[Pitsu]

If you are used to load when something goes wrong, then the main difference would be risk analysis. If no saving/loading is a standart way of gameplay for you then I suggest to always expect the smartest move from opponent. Humans are way more unpredictable than AI (both, in positive and negative). As for your own strategies, well, you do not sound like a greenhorn, so, I guess you can trust yourself.

[gmars3yp]

I agree with Pitsu. The greatest difference in playing a human as oppose to the computer (aside from the overwhelming distinction in difficulty) is that there are no second chances; no autosave! This means that one must carefully consider every risk and every move.

The next biggest difference is that loss of troops WILL cost a player the game. When playing against the computer, one can easily hide away in a castle or two and build up any lost troops. The computer is not nearly aggressive enough and does not consolidate its troops, hence it is easy to "get back on track" after mild, heavy, or severe losses. Against a human, even the smallest loss of troops will be felt heavily as one will inevitably end up in a final showdown or two in which he/she NEEDS every last unit.