Using Forts?

Does anybody use forts much? They seem like a good idea in theory, but I've never seen the practicality of them. I usually don't like making them in cities because they take up valuable tiles and when I do make them in my cities just to be safe it seems like I'm waiting around, wasting a unit and a tile for nothing. I've tried using them in the battlefield on neutral sites, but then I run into the problem of them going to waste again or the enemy even just claiming the tile and the fort itself eventually. And, it's not practical once a battle starts because it takes so long to make.

The best application I've found is having a ranged unit stand guard in one at a strategic pinch point that's only one tile wide and surrounded by mountains or ocean, but even that has the problem of the unit going to waste most of the time, and the fact that it gets consumed when I eventually expand past it.

Forts can be useful when you place them on the titles that are more than 3 titles from a city since those titles can't be worked anyways. This is useful if you share boarders with a warmonger. Overall though I never really use them. Usually if I need to guard a choke point I'm going to use a Great General instead.

There is a mod that let's forts expand your borders by a few tiles. That way you can grab that resource that's just out of reach.

I build forts to take down turtles and runaways. You have to be very methodical if you are taking on Shoshone, who built Great wall, who are ahead of you in tech. I send in workers, build on their perimeter, and camp ranged units to harass them. When the opportunity presents itself, send in the cavalry to pillage and worker steal. Said workers I move within the city's bombard range to try and bait the AI. Eventually the archers get Range promotion and can siege the city. Or the AI concedes a city in a peace deal.

Other trick is to under-build your military in an attempt to bait the AI into a DOW. He thinks he is ambushing you, but in fact you are ambushing him. Build forts in neutral turf, be ready to man them and purchase several units (I use holy warriors). Slugfest. And if he settles 1 or 2 squares away from your fort, even better.

Forts are super-useful. They are free of maintenance (they shouldn't be but they are) so spam them everywhere outside of the 3rd ring if you want and workers run out of things to do. I also find them useful on snow tiles as they are essentially worthless and on deserts. They give +50% to defense, so they are super-strong points if you are rebuffing a siege. I've had them really turn things around. I use them extensively with venice, as venice often gets 4-5 tiles out and I fort everything outside of the 3rd ring and camp units on them. Makes you invincible to invade until aircraft and paratroopers. In snowy areas, I also build a fort on snow tiles and snow hills and camp units to protect the territory inland. It helps slow down marauding barbarians so they can't surprise me and pillage before I can kill them. So, they are useful basically anywhere you are being repeatedly attacked as long as you don't need to work the tile (desert, snow, outside 3rd ring). Any small 3-4 city game I would build them everywhere you have an unworkable tile and fortify a strong unit there.

building a fort inside your 3 tile radius is not a waste. You cannot work every tile in your empire right off the bat. It is a good idea to build 1 or 2 in your cities on tiles that you dont plan on working for awhile. You can always replace the fort if you end up needing an extra farm or mine or trading post. If you do build forts outside your city limits and dont want to waste a unit guarding it then build a road to it for quick easy access to your fort.

That's true. You can build forts as barb defense, even within your 3-tile ring. Some tiles just won't be farmed anytime soon. You really need to start hitting them with ranged before they get within your city bombard range--that's when they start pillaging stuff.

Yes. When you look around and you see that you are living next to Shaka Zulu or Attila the Hun, putting a fort or two along the route he WILL be attacking along gives your units a massive advantage. Either put the forts beyond the 3rd tile, or put them tiles you won't be working anytime soon.

A couple of hill forts on their direct invasion path can really help.

For the same reason, when I am invaded by an early war monger if I have a GG I almost always convert it to a citadel. Amazing how much damage that does to an invading horde if positioned so it damages most units trying to attack your capitol.

A citadel with a couple of forts beside it...

You get the idea. This stuff really helps. It allows you to build WAY fewer military units and still kick AI butt when they invade. Building less military means building more city upgrades = win.

winnsanity said:

building a fort inside your 3 tile radius is not a waste. You cannot work every tile in your empire right off the bat. It is a good idea to build 1 or 2 in your cities on tiles that you dont plan on working for awhile. You can always replace the fort if you end up needing an extra farm or mine or trading post. If you do build forts outside your city limits and dont want to waste a unit guarding it then build a road to it for quick easy access to your fort.

Click to expand...

Usually, in early game I need my workers for more important things.

And building a road to a fort is potentially 3 gold in maintenance per turn...

Forts are very useful, if you have spare workers that is. Your city won't ever be able to work all tiles anyway. Build forts are strategic locations to prevent AI attacks when the bulk of your army is tied up elsewhere. Also, forts are great for tundra and deserts because you will never to be working those tiles anyway.

The big issue is whether you've got jungle or forest already between you and your attacker. Very rarely do I have a situation where I have no barriers to defend around or a preference to retreat and rally group range units around a city. Forts in multi player are often necessary, however.