Civ IV Intermediate Tactics and Gambits

I don't know if you'll consider these Intermediate Tactics, or even good tactics, but they work for me (admittedly Prince Single Player, no mod or funky rules)

1. Skip archery and use axes as your defenders. They'll kill swordsmen, the primary city taker of the era, and they'll spare you researching a dead end tech. If there are cavalry roaming around throw in a spear. By the time Machinery comes around (maces and crossbows), I get archery in peace negotiations, or you could research it in 1 turn.

2. If a city's defenders are mixed, your attackers should not be. If a city is defended by archers and axes, you'd be stupid to attack with CR swords and axes, because your axes will fight their archers and your swords will fight their axes. It seems better to me to throw all axes into the fray, do well against the ax defenders (you've got city raider and they don't have city garrison) and poorly against the the archers (you'll have to rely on numbers to overwhelm them), or else all swords and do badly against the axes and well against the archers. This breaks down after siege weapons are introduced, along with most elements of strategy.
 
good point about mixed defense stack.
Only exception is for the clean up, which doesn't require a lot of strategy.
just one thing : depending on numbers of axes and archers, it may be better to have loads of swords, sacrificing one vs the lone axe isn't as costly as it seems.
 
just one thing : depending on numbers of axes and archers, it may be better to have loads of swords, sacrificing one vs the lone axe isn't as costly as it seems.

Yup, I said that, I just said it badly (unclearly) because it was late. :)
 
We're cool. Would anyone care to suggest tactics or gambits for defending against siege units? I suppose have a few horse archers / cavalry to suck up the actual attack, and then give every other unit in your city Drill4 to slightly reduce the collateral damage, although of course only a few units can get Drill promos?

I'm still bitter about the way they do artillery in this otherwise beautiful game.
 
What about attacking them in the field?

You can do that if you own the field, but if you're in enemy territory or a just captured city then your enemy controls the roads/rails and that's not an option. Your riflemen and cavalry will be quickly worn down by catapults.
 
You can do that if you own the field, but if you're in enemy territory or a just captured city then your enemy controls the roads/rails and that's not an option. Your riflemen and cavalry will be quickly worn down by catapults.

for this you need some highly defensive units with drills
(What comes to my mind are machine guns) + a good medic (medic 3 anyone ;)?)
 
UPDATE: I added a section on "Queue Loading"--a method of maximizing the benefits of the "war civics" while minimizing the time you spend running them.
 
UPDATE: I added a section on "Queue Loading"--a method of maximizing the benefits of the "war civics" while minimizing the time you spend running them.

Does that seem like it's dancing on the edge of being an exploit to anyone else?
 
UPDATE: I added a section on "Queue Loading"--a method of maximizing the benefits of the "war civics" while minimizing the time you spend running them.

UNIT_PRODUCTION_DECAY_TIME 10
BUILDING_PRODUCTION_DECAY_TIME = 50
(GlobalDefines.xml)

I believe, though I'm not 100% certain, that projects and wonders don't decay.

I'm not sure how close it lands to the exploit boundary. There is a built in cost associated with it (two turns of anarchy per cycle if you intend to sustain it), the hammer decay does set soft boundaries, your power rating suffers, and you lose fortification time. The upside is an improved build, and decreased maintenance (since the piece can be produced in time to defend, if necessary).

I'd put it closer to patched whipping (which is unbalanced) instead of the Heroic Theatre (which is broken).
 
I'm not sure how close it lands to the exploit boundary. There is a built in cost associated with it (two turns of anarchy per cycle if you intend to sustain it), the hammer decay does set soft boundaries, your power rating suffers, and you lose fortification time. The upside is an improved build, and decreased maintenance (since the piece can be produced in time to defend, if necessary).

But you pay the Anarchy penalty (unless Spiritual) whether you manipulate the queue to 'prebuild' units or not. I guess it doesn't matter, I won't do it and I don't play multi.

I'd put it closer to patched whipping (which is unbalanced) instead of the Heroic Theatre (which is broken).

I don't know what you mean. Heroic Epic and Globe Theatre in one high food city, to whip units out fast with no happiness issues? That's all I can think of.
 
I'm with VoU on this. I don't consider it an exploit because there are costs, as he pointed out, and limits associated with it--especially if you're not playing as a spiritual leader.

Think of it as keeping the troops in boot camp until you can give them that last bit of indoctrination that boosts their morale and fighting spirit. :D
 
Does that seem like it's dancing on the edge of being an exploit to anyone else?

I don't think it's an exploit. I do think it's a hassle. The power of the Spiritual trait is frequent civic switches. But, while those give you a substantial benefit, they also take a lot of effort to micro-manage. :(
 
Alright, I disagree with you guys so I won't use it, and as I only play Single Player it won't be used against me. But unless I misunderstand you, there is no penalty for it except for possibly some hammer decay, since you'd have the anarchy shifting in and out of the War civics to build your army whether you pre-build them or not.
 
Alright, I disagree with you guys so I won't use it, and as I only play Single Player it won't be used against me. But unless I misunderstand you, there is no penalty for it except for possibly some hammer decay, since you'd have the anarchy shifting in and out of the War civics to build your army whether you pre-build them or not.

If you're playing normally, you would just switch into the "war civics", and then build lots of units. If you want to switch in and out of the "war civics" several times, then you're going to have many more turns of anarchy, unless you are Spiritual.
 
If you're playing normally, you would just switch into the "war civics", and then build lots of units. If you want to switch in and out of the "war civics" several times, then you're going to have many more turns of anarchy, unless you are Spiritual.

Sure, but why on earth would you do that?
 
Alright, I disagree with you guys so I won't use it, and as I only play Single Player it won't be used against me. But unless I misunderstand you, there is no penalty for it except for possibly some hammer decay, since you'd have the anarchy shifting in and out of the War civics to build your army whether you pre-build them or not.
Some of these tactics are borderline exploits, I suppose. I certainly have come to regard "Trade Withdrawal" under that category and I don't use it anymore. You could even argue that "Trade Renegotiation" is an exploit, since I'll get lots of resources from the AI civs while I'm trying my best to only offer them one in return. But then again, I feel that's balanced out by all those civs who don't like me and won't trade their resources to me.

Like any player, a4, including myself, you're free to employ tactics like this or not. Some players never use the slavery civic, period, let alone leveraging some of its loopholes. I've never repeated the Pyramids gambit in another game because it just involves too much micromanagement for my taste. If the tactics detract from your enjoyment of the game in some way, don't use them. My aim is to collect these tactics in a convenient reference guide and then let the player decide which ones they want to employ. Or not. :D
 
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