So, because I am active, I decided to build the Oil Refinery but wait on building Oil Wells. My thinking was oil wells might bring passive oil, but they also bring more raiders. By not having them at all I would reduce the amount I am attacked for oil. So far it has worked and I have not had any problems with enough oil for upgrades. I wanted to share this to see if maybe I am missing something. I am making assumptions as I don't know how different it is with Oil Wells. Thoughts?
A case for holding off on building Oil Wells (building refinery only)?
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Themistocles
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Passive production is frequently underrated, but I understand why.
1. If you do as the game suggests and collect frequently, you only see small amounts coming in at any given time so the advantage is not obvious. But the amounts add up over time and are substantial.
2. If you do as some players suggest and leave your production buildings at low levels, you never get to experience higher output so you persist in the belief that passive production is inconsequential.
3. A common newbie argument goes "I can just do X more raids for the same amount". Well, yes, but you will have to do those extra raids every single time. It isn't *just* the total savings over the course of the game but also the amount per individual upgrade that counts. Some days you won't feel like doing the extra raids, but you committed yourself with the ill-gotten belief that "I can just raid more". It's foolish bragaddocio and it takes a wise leader to understand that.
4. There is a major difference between attacking for medals and grinding for resources. Economic benefits free players to pursue competitive play over grinding, but that again goes against the sentiment "to hell with economy I just care about offense". If you care about one you should care about both, because economy helps you focus on offense.
Apart from that, when I raid for oil, it's the amount available and the refinery I'm looking at, not the wells - they're a bonus if I can manage it, but I wouldn't skip a rich base because it didn't have wells. Nor do many attackers focus on my wells and they're sitting out in the open (not that I recommend doing that, just saying).
Bottom line: build the wells and be glad you did.
1. If you do as the game suggests and collect frequently, you only see small amounts coming in at any given time so the advantage is not obvious. But the amounts add up over time and are substantial.
2. If you do as some players suggest and leave your production buildings at low levels, you never get to experience higher output so you persist in the belief that passive production is inconsequential.
3. A common newbie argument goes "I can just do X more raids for the same amount". Well, yes, but you will have to do those extra raids every single time. It isn't *just* the total savings over the course of the game but also the amount per individual upgrade that counts. Some days you won't feel like doing the extra raids, but you committed yourself with the ill-gotten belief that "I can just raid more". It's foolish bragaddocio and it takes a wise leader to understand that.
4. There is a major difference between attacking for medals and grinding for resources. Economic benefits free players to pursue competitive play over grinding, but that again goes against the sentiment "to hell with economy I just care about offense". If you care about one you should care about both, because economy helps you focus on offense.
Apart from that, when I raid for oil, it's the amount available and the refinery I'm looking at, not the wells - they're a bonus if I can manage it, but I wouldn't skip a rich base because it didn't have wells. Nor do many attackers focus on my wells and they're sitting out in the open (not that I recommend doing that, just saying).
Bottom line: build the wells and be glad you did.
_Flash_
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Interesting post, as I was one of those who held off building oil wells for quite sometime, and was happy with just the refinery. But, finally, I bit the bullet and went with building and upgrading the oil wells.
What you're saying might have been true quite some time ago, but, things have changed with the game, and with the recent changes, it's worthwhile to build and upgrade the oil wells. The recent 40% boost to production, and the Moctezuma researches at the University to increase storage capacity of oil wells have made oil wells quite compelling now, if not already.
The key to minimizing oil losses from attacks is to design the base as follows:
1. Do not place the refinery and the oil wells together in a single or adjacent compartments.
2. Let the oil refinery be at or near the center of your resource protecting layout, but, distribute the placement of oil wells around the base, preferably inside the walls. Try making one of the compartments slightly larger, and place an oil well or two, along with other defensive buildings. Let this not be in the obvious path to breaking walls and getting to your refinery.
If you design your base as described above, the only reason you would lose oil would be to overpowered attackers who might 5 star your base, but, will be able to discourage raiding attacks.
If you get a good and a long peace treaty, and if you don't expect to play for quite a while (say, shortly after you've finished your gaming session for the day, and sometime later, you discover you've been attacked), you might want to consider activating an oil blessing, and try collecting from the wells as much as possible.
Hope this helps!
Cheers and happy gaming!
What you're saying might have been true quite some time ago, but, things have changed with the game, and with the recent changes, it's worthwhile to build and upgrade the oil wells. The recent 40% boost to production, and the Moctezuma researches at the University to increase storage capacity of oil wells have made oil wells quite compelling now, if not already.
The key to minimizing oil losses from attacks is to design the base as follows:
1. Do not place the refinery and the oil wells together in a single or adjacent compartments.
2. Let the oil refinery be at or near the center of your resource protecting layout, but, distribute the placement of oil wells around the base, preferably inside the walls. Try making one of the compartments slightly larger, and place an oil well or two, along with other defensive buildings. Let this not be in the obvious path to breaking walls and getting to your refinery.
If you design your base as described above, the only reason you would lose oil would be to overpowered attackers who might 5 star your base, but, will be able to discourage raiding attacks.
If you get a good and a long peace treaty, and if you don't expect to play for quite a while (say, shortly after you've finished your gaming session for the day, and sometime later, you discover you've been attacked), you might want to consider activating an oil blessing, and try collecting from the wells as much as possible.
Hope this helps!
Cheers and happy gaming!
Good response Flash. I still have a pretty young base with virtually nothing good to build with Oil (Eightment Age). Looks like l’ll Oil Wells when I go to Global (which will coincide with researching Moctezuma). For now haven’t needed much oil and my regular attacks is giving me enough for what little I can use oil for. Thanks for the tips!
even if you let people raid your oil wells all the time you would still benefit from them.
1. the oil raided from oil wells does not come from the oil stockpile, the oil well has its own independent stock. i noticed this when i had max oil and then had my wells get attacked. i still had max oil after the attack.
2. the raiders do not take all of the oil in the wells. say the oil well holds 200 oil. a raid takes 100. another raid takes 50. you still get to collect 50 oil, and thats better than 0.
1. the oil raided from oil wells does not come from the oil stockpile, the oil well has its own independent stock. i noticed this when i had max oil and then had my wells get attacked. i still had max oil after the attack.
2. the raiders do not take all of the oil in the wells. say the oil well holds 200 oil. a raid takes 100. another raid takes 50. you still get to collect 50 oil, and thats better than 0.
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Saruman the White
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I am in favor of maximizing oil to capacity, constructing all available wells and upgrading them high.
In the end it had become far easier to generate oil than before, oil wells worth it, perhaps more than farms and caravans.
Also, if raided and lose oil, it's very easy to replace it almost instantly with good oil wells.
Finally, think about the oil blessing which is decent but only works with wells.
In the end it had become far easier to generate oil than before, oil wells worth it, perhaps more than farms and caravans.
Also, if raided and lose oil, it's very easy to replace it almost instantly with good oil wells.
Finally, think about the oil blessing which is decent but only works with wells.
Mountainking
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The issue of max oil rig being useful or not is a non issue. It is definetely VERY useful and a huge time saver down the line. The real issue is as to whether you want to 'waste' worker times on upgrading it or use the workers elsewhere to toughen up your defenses or do some university researches. If you are trying to catchup (started a bit late), this is definetely one building to skip.
Personally, on my main, I have skipped upgrading them. I have built them only to have more buildings to destroy in wws. On my alt, they are fully upgraded and I love it.
Personally, on my main, I have skipped upgrading them. I have built them only to have more buildings to destroy in wws. On my alt, they are fully upgraded and I love it.
This is the only reason why your strategy works for you now, you're still in Enlightenment Age. You'll find Industrial Age to be more oil-hungry (heavy tanks, airplanes, and bunkers) and very hard to farm oil because most Enlightenment bases don't have it yet. In Global and Atomic it will become easier to farm oil from players than IA but your upgrades will start needing much more oil (castle, silo, factory, airstrip upgrades, generals, etc.), and yes you can farm all that but you'll find your farming ability to be at most 10k oil per hour and your retrain costs will cost 5k or more if you get wiped out. In the meantime, upgraded oil wells will bring you about 10k oil per day passively, with no risk of army wipe out. That's easily 1-2 hours worth of farming, nothing to sneeze at.
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Horsepower
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I’m at level 242 and my oil wells are still level one. Hasn’t affected my progress at all. I have no problem gaining oil in MP and I don’t raid for oil. All my MP attacks are mostly 5 star attacks. There is so much oil out there and Iprefer keeping my workers busy in the University which has paid off. I also don’t upgrade my caravans. Don’t need to. My goal in each MP attack is to at least gain 2000-5000 oil. I keep building my oil to limit at 250k over and over. Sitting on 230k right now. I’m in no rush to upgrade my generals. I have 4 already over level 32 which is fine. If MP opponents want my oil, which they almost never get, they must get my refinery not my oil wells.
In higher levels oil is soooooooo easy to get. Don’t let others fool you about this.
In higher levels oil is soooooooo easy to get. Don’t let others fool you about this.
MSS-Gaming
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With atomic age maxed oil wells I passively make 17640 oil per day. In higher leagues where most attacks grant peace treaties, I actually get to keep most of what I produce. If you add the 600 oil that I make in my vault through interest, that is 18240 oil passively made per day. Not bad is it? It is equivalent to 4.5 attacks worth of oil made passively, plus I get more from attacking in multiplayer and taking part in world wars as well.
Your reasoning is sound. If I could go back in time, I would hold off creating oil wells at least through the Industrial age. From my experience, high oil reserves (30K+) brings an attack at every interval between peace treaties. When your base is flashing 2K, 3k, or 4k in oil gains, every player will take a shot at the base. I have been playing Dominations for two years now and have watched video of hundreds of attacks on my base. It is unmistakable, the attacks are more frequent and by much lessor players than otherwise would attack when there is a lot of oil to win.
Upgrade you defenses, offenses and technologies all through the Industrial age. You can raid for great gold and food and can live without oil during that era. I currently have 5 active games going and for the newest 2 this will be my strategy.
