THE POPULOUS BIBLE
H.3 Rushing
Rushing is a not so common tactic in populous, and can be referred as atacking or pressuring an opponent in early stages of the game. There are many types of rush:
Hard rush - at the start of the level, send the shaman (and sometimes the initial braves) against an enemy tribe in order to blast and kill them. This type of rush is very disliked and people will avoid playing with you again, if you do this. It's also risky, since if it fails, you are handicaped for the rest of the game.
Light rush - Build early troop buildings, and train some units. This will affect your building speed and your mana, but if done correctly, the enemy will have no defense against those early warriors or preacher (or other unit), and he will be way more affected than you. This rushes are effective but must be done in early stages of the game, or it will simply be considered a troop atack, not a rush.
All types of rushing are not well received by the community, but it's still a valid tactic, and the worst that can happen is people avoiding playing games with you.
Some people consider rushing a really smart tactic. Let's take the example of the player "Alex" (or "MrCredsAlex"), who is a player famous by his rushing tactics - and many times they work - but there are people that continuously avoid playing with him, as they know the game will be short or annoying. This and other players mastered the art of rushing, and you shold know that by any meanings this tactic is forbidden.
What do you think about this subject? Are you a rusher? What do you feel what you are being rushed?
Example of a light rush, by "Alex".
Example of a hard rush, by "Alex".
Populous Online Code of Conduct:
5 - Rushing is not a crime.
"The first rule of warfare as stated above, is to catch the enemy off guard, and while they are weak. If you let the enemy build-up ammunition and troops, then your chance of survival is much less likely.
Any good commander sees the advantage of a swift and decisive attack. However there are some that feel this is a cheat. They usually only object to it when they are being defeated by it, and only after their initial attempt to counter it has failed. I even played in one match where the enemy attempted to rush me, I was able to repel it, and when I counter attacked I became the "cheating rusher" in his mind.
Allow me to put all doubt aside... Rushing is not a crime. Like any other aspect of this strategy game, it is a specific tactic. Just as many Guard Towers and Firewarriors are the tactic of the defensive players, Rushing is a tactic of the extremely aggressive offensive players. And it is not without a big element of risk.
A good rush requires two things, fast-reflexes and guts. If the rush is repelled the rusher is toast, stale and unbuttered. In team games, it is even more risky because while you are rushing one enemy, the other enemy will probably be able to slip a few warriors or preachers into your base making sure you have no way to recover from your initial strike. Like any other strategy, rushing is a way to use the resources available to you during the game to accomplish your objective, destroy the enemy."