Modern Warfare Tactics

Note: These are simply suggestions. If you have any constructive criticism, please post it.

Part 1: Defense

Tactic 1: Russian Steamroller

This tactic is named after the tactics used by the soviets in WWII. It is simple and recommended for nations that can produce units extremely quickly. It is simply sending endless waves of mech infantry, modern armor, anything to bring an offensive to a grinding halt. Its a simple tactic, yet undeniably effective. Apart from stopping enemy units, you also start your counter offensive in a defensive action.

Tactic 2: 'The Infantry are in the alps.'

This was said by an Italian general in WWI refering to Austrian-Hungarian troops fortifying the alps. Naturally this tactic is for a map with a lot of mountains. You move infantry/ mech infantry,along with supporting units (Artillery, Paratroopers, TOW infantry, etc.) into fortified positions in a mountain chain. This can shatter almost every enemy offensive simply because a barricade in a mountain held by mech infantry, artillery, and TOW infantry, along with bombers on call, can stop almost every thing. Keep the defenders well reinforced and you will win any defensive war.

Tactic 3: Stalingrad

Any one who knows anything about World War Two knows about Stalingrad. It was the turning point in the war. This tactic should be used if the enemy is about to take an important city of yours. Send as many units you can to the city, and turn the enemies offensive into a costly war of attrition. Delay until your forces can counter attack, then encircle and destroy the enemies forces.

Tactic 4: defensive amphibious landing

This one sounds confusing. This refers to landing troops behind enemy lines to distract the enemy while you prepare your main forces. For this i would pick a mountain as the landing beach, or an already constrcted fortress. Keep in mind, THIS IS NOT A SUCIDE FORCE! Try and keep these troops alive, and in a position to counter attack. Reinforce them constantly.

Part 2: Offense

Tactic 1: D-Day

Any one who knows anything about war knows about D-Day. this tactic is a major amphibious landing on an enemy continent. For this you need paratroops, air cavalry (helicopterborne infantry) forces, massive numbers of bombers, warships, marines, mech infantry, modern armor, and transports. About five turns before the main landings, send in the paratroops and air cav troops with massive bombing support. Have them complete objectives (Destroying/securing roads, attack enemy troops, etc.) Once you have completed your airborne objectives, massivley bomb your invasion targets. Once you've softened the defneses as much as possible, bombard them with your warships, then land your marines, followed by other units. Link up with your paratroopers, and secure your foot hold.

Tactic 2: Armored offensive

This is (suprisingly) about armored warfare. Remember this: Tanks+ Mountains= Slow offensive. Keep your tanks on flat open ground, along with massive bombing support. (NOTE: All these tactics require huge amunts of bombers.) move your units rapidly, with mech infantry stopping and holding conquered ground. Combined arms is really helpful hre.

Tactic 3: MARKET GARDEN

This tactic refers to an audacious plan made by the Brirtish to get tanks acroos the Rhine River, and into Germany, possibly ending WWII by Christmas, 1944 (for a full history lesson see my last post on Scout's death from above article). This tactic is sometimes hard to pull off, but it is fun to use. It requires massive use of Paratroops, bombers, and Modern Armor (Use of Mech infantry is recomended how ever.) With your bombers, utterly destroy all the units protecting enemy cities that will make your 'high way'. Then land your paratroops to secure those cities to form a 'high way' that leads to the main city/ resource that you want to attack. Move your tanks through the 'high way' while mech infantry and airborne soldiers defend the route. Attack, and capture the city using tanks, with bomber (and artillery support if you want.) This tactic I would recommend for those who want simply to take a resource/ city from the enemy, not conquer them. After all, why make a 'finger' (as the MARKET GARDEN high way was sometimes referred to) into enemy territory when you can just take all their cities. This tactic is actually kind of fun to use on human players as well.

Tactic 4: Ardennes Offensive

This tactic refers to the Battle of the Bulge. This is, very simply, a way to turn your rout into a decisive victory. If you are retreating across a conitnent, have a rallying point for both retreating units, and new units. Keep sending some troops to delay the enemy. Then, once they reach a certain point, unload on them with all available forces. If you plan it right, your enemy should be caught by suprise and spread thin. This should be attempted if your using a Stalingrad tactic, as you can use your sudden offensive to relieve the defenders. Maintain air superiority, and if you want, use airborne landings as well.

Well, i can't think of any more tactics. Feel free to post some more, or pointout some faults. I didn't have very much time when i first made this, so that may explain new tactics that come on. I should have mentioned this earlier, but all these tactics require massive air support.

Offensivly Defend:

While they are attacking you through a rather slow moving area (like if you took the initiative and planted forests everywhere, or they are charging thorugh a hilly area) you leave your city unguarded, to lure the AI towards it, and position artillery on all sides, and redline them. Then you send in tanks to eliminate them. The AI will always charge towards the unguarded city, as it's unguarded, and ignore the units. Mostly.

Defensive Offense:

Send in a mech infantry squad intent on pillaging, and keep them on mountains and hills at the end of their turn, to take advantage of the defense bonus there. Very annoying to disloge.

On Tactic 2 and defensive amphibious landing, I'd land them on rails or near rails (mountains of course) in numbers so that the AI would exhaust most of its units quickly.

On Russian Steamroller, I believe in producing some artillery (or bombers!) as well for support. Keeps your troops alive longer. Plus it helps to destroy their roads to slow the attack while you mass-produce.

On D-Day, personally I do use Paratroops, but out of personal taste. I don't believe one would need them too much for D-Day, what with fast MAs on rolling as well as lethal bombardment by bombers. I prefer to use those shields for bombers instead. Marines are important, yes, but I generally build only enough to capture one or two coastal city as a foothold to launch my offensive.

On armoured offensive, I agree with you. Although railroad intrusion would help tremendously.

Basically the strategy is build as much as you can, send stack of death at enemy. Have infantry shlep through mountains, because they're invincible there. Modern armor, bomb things..

Modern age combat is so boring in the regular game..

That's basic, and combined arms is the easier way to go. I seldom see the Middle Ages in my games, but it's not much different from Industrial except some units.

EDIT: MODERN not Middle

You missed the most effective one:

"Build a billion pieces of artillery and send them randomly at the AI cities":

Build a billion pieces of artillery and send them randomly at the AI cities. Works every time. Barely lose a troop. Conquer an entire empire in one turn if you use combat settlers and enough artillery. Combined with bombers and you can even use cavalry.

1) build lots of artillery
2) attack the weakest ai first, get alliances against him. get promotions. get leaders. make armies.
3) attack second weakest ai. get alliances. get promotions. get leaders. make armies.
4) attack strongest ai last. by this time you should have enough armies that he shouldn't intimidate you.

Modern age combat is so boring in the regular game..

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I disagree. Granted, it's easy, but I like to rollover the AI's.

Modern age combat is different from ancient and medieval combat in two ways:

1) Rails makes attacks and reacting to attacks much, much faster.
2) Bombers and artillery allow for ranged bombardment. Besides that, it's much the same - just with larger attack and defense numbers. Tank on infantry is pretty much the same as archer on warrior - tank on mech infantry is pretty much the same as archer on spear.

Thanks for the suggestions. This is my first thread, so It won't be the best I'll make.

Sashie VII said:

That's basic, and combined arms is the easier way to go. I seldom see the Middle Ages in my games, but it's not much different from Industrial except some units

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OOOPPSS that is the silliest spelling mistake I've ever made

Not middle ages, but Modern Ages

Should clear things up on artilleries, right Tomoyo?

On a few occasions when the AI has sent a Stack of Doom at me, I have not had enough units during that turn to defend the city they're attacking or to pick them all off. Ideally, you would use artillery to soften them up and tanks or modern armor to finish them off. If you don't have enough, though, just distract the SoD with workers. Units will peel away from the stack to capture workers, using up their turn, and you have that much more time to deal with them.

And it's best if your attackers who are biting off the stack end their turn in that city as well, since that's another defender just in case

Sashie VII said:

Should clear things up on artilleries, right Tomoyo?

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Don't know what there is to clear up. Build ~100 artillery. Fire them at the cities/units you're attacking. Then attack them with combat units.

Tomoyo said:

Don't know what there is to clear up. Build ~100 artillery. Fire them at the cities/units you're attacking. Then attack them with combat units.

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I meant that my edit should clear things up on my supposedly "forgetting" artilleries

And yes, you're right about their usage of course

I like using artillery. I should make another defensive/offensive strategy based around it. What did you think of the Market Garden thing? Please post my friends.

You might want to take a look at these articles on artillery by Zagnut , Moonsinger and Robin McCandless in the War Academy

Bye the way, Blue Mofia, great tactic on the ungaurded cities. Very clever. I tried it out, and it works. Blew the holy f*** out of the invading Mayans. Good show old chap!

502nd PIR said:

Bye the way, Blue Mofia, great tactic on the ungaurded cities. Very clever. I tried it out, and it works. Blew the holy f*** out of the invading Mayans. Good show old chap!

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I figured it out after noticing the AI's agressive instinct to steal ungarded cities.

So, I just simply use it against them.

That tactic is considered an exploit by the SG crowd unless it is an AW game though...