Opening Moves—The Alin

Last time, we looked at a sample list of Opening Moves used if you’re playing the Vinci. This time around, we focus on the Alin. Many of the early moves are similar to the Vinci, but the differences come out towards the end. The Alin specialize in producing quick, cheap troops and buildings, some of which can even be summoned in neutral or enemy territory. This means that you’re never sure when and where you’ll encounter Alin units on the map.

Here is a sample set of opening moves that you can perform to maximize your Alin army’s growth and firepower:

1. Explore with your Fire Scout. Select your Fire Scout, click "Auto-explore," and let it start mapping the battlefield. Make sure it doesn’t stray too far and try to keep it alive for a few minutes, so you can perform a unique trick (see Cheap Trick! below).
2. Create a Military District. Depending on the scenario, this district produces two Desert Walker units. Send that unit to join your existing troops and position them in place to attack your chosen target.
3. Build a Caravan. The Alin nation utilizes several units that require Wealth rather than Timonium. Build your first caravan as soon as possible to start bringing in the cash.
4. Add Miners. In most cases, the Mine that you control in the beginning of the game is short by one, possibly two Miners. Add as many Miners as you can afford right away, to boost your Timonium production for the crucial next steps. In most cases, there is a Timonium patch within your immediate area that lacks a mine—you can start building additional Miners, setting their rally point on that Timonium patch before you have a mine there (see #7 below).
5. Pick a Technology Track. At this early stage in the game, choosing the Treasure or Evocation Technology Tracks is probably your best bet. The Treasure Technology Track boosts both your Timonium and Wealth income, while the Evocation Technology Track summons free units each time that you create a Summoning Circle.
6. Build a Circle of Sand. The Summoning Circles (Circle of Sand, Fire, and Glass) take very little time to build, so getting one started early means more troops later on. By this time, you’ll probably have enough Timonium and Wealth left that you can summon a Desert Walker and at least one Heartseeker. Do so as quickly as possible and send them to join the rest of your units.
7. Build a Mine. Build a Mine beside an empty Timonium patch within your territory. For the next couple of minutes, keep an eye on it to make sure that you’re building as many miners as possible. Make sure you’ve maxed out the number of Miners on your existing mine before you do this.
8. Build a Merchant District. By this point, you’ll probably get the warning that you’ve reached your Resource Cap. Build a Merchant District and as soon as it’s complete, build another Caravan if you have the Timonium to spare.
9. Build a Sand Spire. Not only do they serve as a static defense point, but the sooner your build a Sand Spire, the sooner you can start improving the abilities of your sand-themed troops.
10. Build a Circle of Fire. At this point, you should be generating a decent amount of wealth from your caravans, making a Circle of Fire an enticing choice. Build one of these and start producing Afreets to give you air support.

Cheap Trick!

The Alin have the unique ability to create their buildings anywhere on the battlefield, including within enemy territory. Buildings created this way are much costlier than those built within friendly territory, but being able to create a unit-churning engine close or inside your opponent’s land can tip the scales of battle early on.

One way to do this is to send your Fire Scout directly to a neutral or enemy city and stop it so that the building is within Line of Sight. You can then summon a Circle of Sand or Circle of Fire immediately adjacent to your enemy, even though the bulk of your army is far to the rear!