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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hao!seismo!cmcl2!rna!dan
From: dan@rna.UUCP (Dan Ts'o)
Newsgroups: net.games
Subject: Re: OGRE: strategies,spoilers,etc. wanted (POSSIBLE SPOILER)
Message-ID: <329@rna.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Dec-84 00:18:27 EST
Article-I.D.: rna.329
Posted: Sun Dec  2 00:18:27 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 08:26:46 EST
References: <673@sjuvax.UUCP> 
Reply-To: dan@rna.UUCP ( Ts'o)
Organization: Rockefeller Neurobiology, NYC
Lines: 52
Summary: 

In article <673@sjuvax.UUCP> 6912ar04@sjuvax.UUCP (rowley) writes:
> We have just received OGRE here on sjuvax, and every strategy that I used
>on the board-game version against human OGRE-operators has been ineffectual,
>to say the least!
> Any advice as to how to kill the dreaded Mark III and/or Mark V OGREs will
>be most gratefully appreciated.
>

Here is my current best strategy. It also works 1/4 the time.

   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   .   .
 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   .   2   .   C
   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   .   2   .   H   .   .   *
 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   M   2   .   .   .   .<
   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   H   .   .   *   .   .
 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   *   2   2   .   2   .
   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   .   .   H   .   .   .
 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   H   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   2   2   .
   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   .   .   .   *   M   2   .   .
 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .
   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .
 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .
   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   .   .   .   *
 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *
   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *   .   .   .   .


A little synopsis (spoiler):

	- The first howitzer takes care of the Ogre's missile: it shoots one
down one and is itself zapped by one.
	- The other howitzers take the main batteries (usually one shot) and
the secondary batteries (often the hardest part).
	- Infantry are most useful in distracting the Ogre, leading it off
and buying precious shots at the secondary batteries and treads.
	- The missile tanks are most effective after the secondary batteries
are gone, since before that the Ogre easily removes them.
	- If you haven't fixed the oscillation bug (I posted a fix already),
the Ogre often gets caught going back and forth between the position marked
'<' and its left neighbor. Then its easy to win. Even with the bug "fixed",
the Ogre often loses a couple of moves in that pocket (a local minimum ??).

Have fun.
					Cheers,
					Dan Ts'o
					Dept. Neurobiology
					Rockefeller Univ.
					1230 York Ave.
					NY, NY 10021
					212-570-7671
					...cmcl2!rna!dan