how do you deal with a great walled opponent?

Ever find yourself in medieval, having a great game, military strong, conquering a neighbour, when suddenly he builds the great wall? Do you keep charging in, even with vastly reduced effectiveness, or do you pull back and wait for dynamite, either yourself to get artillery or the AI to negate the great wall?

I usually make peace and waits for a better era. Even if I could win, the cost can be a little bit too hefty to be worth it. There are better targets or better goals than to be bombarded to peaces crawling through enemy terrain. I once had my knights and longswordsmen beaten up by slingers. I took a 0-0 peace and said bye bye (for now).

Agreed... I usually try to get peace and wait for Dynamite...

slowly, and (with AI) utilizing their unit selection to draw fire on the wrong targets (read horses).

It is always a pain.

Citadels are a great way to deal with this problem. The great wall doesn't matter when you've already cut a path to their capital.

MisterSaturnine said:

Citadels are a great way to deal with this problem. The great wall doesn't matter when you've already cut a path to their capital.

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yeah, if you have a gg or two to spare it can make a huge difference for sure. i find i tend to pull back and make peace in most cases, the costs are almost always just too high to be worth it, losing half my units to take out a neighbour might be okay on a duel map, but won't be too good with enemies on my other borders who will see that huge drop in army size and see an opportunity to attack. pachacuti is super hard to attack speaking of, esp with the great wall, the combination of hilly terrain he moves through with ease, slingers you can't attack with melee, mountains everywhere and the great wall is like an impenetrable fortress.

If you're willing to pay the price, you have two options:

1. Throw two or three times as many units at them as normal, in a massed wave. You will take heavy losses, but if you've got four or five units across by 3 or 4 units deep, they won't be able to kill everything, you'll get the city.

2. Throw Great Generals at the problem. Chain citadels into advantageous positions and take advantage.

The best solution is go deal with a different neighbor until it obsoletes, imo. Unless they're the last enemy between you and domination, or they're a runaway who you have to deal with *NOW*, you'll be able to find a better use of your units/great generals than invading against the Great Wall.

A funny strategy I use for warmongering is use the great engineer for liberty for the great wall...

however you do have to go straight to engineering

Eh, I just fight them at the border and kill their units. Then I'll take the extra risk and conquer. I only do it if I really need to fight them for some reason because, even though casualties are not astronomically higher, it's still a serious pain.

MisterSaturnine said:

Citadels are a great way to deal with this problem. The great wall doesn't matter when you've already cut a path to their capital.

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yes i agree with MisterSaturnine, Citadel breaks your offensive, and about the great wall i wait first for the Civ who built it to declare war on other Civs and when all of his army are ain't at home ,just few pike man and crossbowman. their is my chance I usually assault with 6 Lon swordsmen , 2 crossbowman and 5 trebuchet or cannon 3 for seiging and 2 in case the enemy City and Ranged unit stationed on it focuses on my seige Unit.