Face Off
From Populous Wiki
| Face Off |
 |
| Mode : Multiplayer |
| Players : 4 |
| Stone Heads : 5 |
| Vault of Knowledges : 0 |
| Alliances : N/A |
| Difficulty : Hard |
Face Off is a commonly played map as games can end up short or long. The level focuses on a high hill which is the only path to other bases unless landbridge is used. Many new versions have been created (E.g. Double Face Off, Fair Face Off, Kinda Fair Face Off). This level is known for the blue base having a large disadvantage of land compared to the other players which lead to new versions of the level with a fairer chance.
Setting
The level is a typical 4 way symmetry where everyone has their own small base which is connected to a large high hill named the centre. Each base has three or four small hills which can be useful for building towers on. Between each base is an island not too far away from the centre, the small islands each have an obelisk on it and can be useful for sidedooring other players.
The centre is initially the only connected path to all the players, on it is a Stone Head surrounded with a mass of fog. If the Stone Head is worshipped a volcano erupts in the centre filling it with lava.
Worship Objects:
| Item | Shots | Spell/Effect | Follower Count |
| Stone Head | 1 | Volcano | 6 |
| Obelisk | 1 | Spy Training Hut | |
| Obelisk | 1 | Spy Training Hut | |
| Obelisk | 1 | Boat Hut | |
| Obelisk | 1 | Boat Hut |
Strategy
Starting Off
Many people have different tactics on what they do after the game has started. Most players command their Shaman to walk to the centre while rounding the braves to build huts. Sometimes players focus on building up their mana before trying to claim the centre.
It is a good idea to get firewarriors up as fast as you can, this will lower the chance of losing the hill. If you want to claim the hill from an early start a suggestion would be to send firewarriors up on to the hill as soon as the enemy shaman(s) is/are dead.
Building the Base
Building the base is something you must do as you can be focused on defending the hill and then find out you aren't making the mana you should be. Simply try and fill up your base as you go along and do the Dismantle Trick frequently to increase mana for earthquakes. It will be useful to build a Guard Tower on the side hills that lead to your enemy so that you have one prepared in case they sidedoor you at a inconvenient time.
If they have the hill you will need to build a strong defence to slow down their shamans from reaching the heart of your base. If you are slowing them down successfully you should be able to charge two landbridge shots and then sidedoor your enemy, once you have your sidedoor you will probely have stopped the shaman from using your weakness point to attack however you must watch out for warriors that can sneak through via the centre.
When you are the blue tribe it would be wise to sidedoor as it is quite difficult clearing attacks from the entrance all the time. You may also need to use landbridge to create more land, when doing this it is good to create land towards your ally as your ally might be able to help increase the base land as well.
Defending the Hill
When defending the hill, most players set up Firewarrior patrols all over, concentrating them on the places where the enemy Shaman is most likely to come up. It's also a good idea to have a bunch of Warriors Patrolling in case the enemy gets their Warriors up. Sometimes people build towers on the hill and fill them with Firewarriors.
Players will almost always defend the hill with their Shaman unless they go to make new land or defend a Sidedoor, using Lightning. When the hill has acceptable firewarrior defence is is easier to kill enemy shamans bhy simply using blast to get them closer to the centre so that your Firewarriors will finish her off.
Attacking
When attacking, you could use combinations of Earthquakes and Tornadoes, most players prefer the use of Earthquake on this level. If you struggle to get into the enemy settlement, the use of landbridge from the main central hill to one of your opponents' entrance hills to make a walkway to get deeper into their base is recommended - just be sure to put some firewarriors up there and be careful when walking along as it is easier to be knocked off/into the water by enemy firewarriors.
Sidedooring
If you are planning on sidedooring then it is good to use a diversion, keep the enemy shaman occupied or kill her before she can stop you as you reach their side. There are two ways of sidedooring.
1. Landbridge from the back side of your base to the island with an obelisk on then cast another Landbridge to reach the enemy side.
2. Landbridge from the front side hill and cast to the enemy front side hill.
Keep the entrances guarded, warriors only need one patrol spot, firewarriors should walk around as they fire further than when using the spot guard.
Taking Back the Hill
Sometimes it is not necessary to take back the hill, but if you do decide to, firestorming a heavily defended hill is recommended, and be sure to have spells such as lightning and tornado to take out towers. If you are early in the game be sure to have some backup followers to quickly defend the centre in case you end up killing the enemy shaman(s) and your shaman dies too, to make this attack more powerful your ally should do the same thing at the same time.
A good time to invade the centre is when the enemy shamans are not defending it but instead focuses on defending their sidedoor. This will allow you to invade the centre using a large army or if you get away with it; place a shaman ghost on the sidedoor and use you real one to attack the centre. Although they may realise as soon as they see your shaman near the centre and will try and attack while your not defending your sidedoor.