war stategies

[hoplite505]

always connect your cities first and always keep a stockpile of units in one main city just in case you get invaded by some idiots who break right of passage treaties
always keep a couple leaders in cities for emergency wonders or armies

[Padma]

Originally posted by hoplite505
always keep a couple leaders in cities for emergency wonders or armies

Not very easy to do when you can have only ONE leader at any time during the game.

In any case, you are usually much better off using any Leaders you make as soon as possible (although holding one until you can finish researching a required tech for a given Wonder is sometimes okay).

[Granite88]

Pillage, Pillage, Pillage..... Use artillery in conjunction with defensive troops. Use the terrain to your advantage.

[ZeekLTK]

I don't like to Pillage... because I figure that eventually I'll be in control of the city, and it'll just be easier for me to NOT have to rebuild all the roads and improvements.

[patronr383]

Originally posted by Granite88
Pillage, Pillage, Pillage..... Use artillery in conjunction with defensive troops. Use the terrain to your advantage.

i couldnt agree more. the only downside to this is that it ruins your rep with the ai. it is very useful to cut off a road to prevent them from building swordsman or cut off their saltpeter so they cant build musketmen. and make sure to protect yours because the ai isnt stupid and they pillage like no other also.

[troytheface]

I am an ol pillager, really tear up an opponent with conscripts a pillage'n and the enemy hammering away at these, with my main invasion coming behind- yes u have to rebuild , but only if u do not raze and resettle-and even if u do, hell, a few roads is no big deal

[Dr Tiny]

you can always bring a small work force to support your army, it can rebuild the destroyed infrastructure for you. (and be used as trap bait)

[Sarevok]

Mass destruction of the enemy in defensiver war, but limited destruction in offensive wars.

[greenie]

Originally posted by hoplite505
always keep a stockpile of units in one main city just in case you get invaded by some idiots who break right of passage treaties

Which is all fine and good if you have one very narrow front to fight on, but if you are landlocked and surrounded by other nations it is the worst idea since Abe Lincoln decided he was bored round the house and decided to take in a show!

You need hubs, think of them more as state capitals, where you can mobilise units within 2 turns - especially in the mediavel (sp?) age where Knights on roads only have an effective 6 space movement.

That and having 3 solid defenders in each city helps me!

[Roman1]

I don't have much luck with the 3 defender in each city approach.
They don't seem to be any match for a large stack of ai offensive units. Now I try and keep 1 defender for each 3 citizens of population in all my cities. it seems to be a more effecitve deterrent.

[Sarevok]

i keep a large modile reserve. in my korean game i have 30 elite MA's in the event of a assault into my lands.

[Clown2TheLeft]

That and having 3 solid defenders in each city helps me!

Yeah, but 3 defenders per city is expensive, and useless later in the game. Once you've got rail, this large standing army is unneeded. 1 def per city will usually be more than adequate in the interior--maybe 5 or so on the border cities. The rest, send 'em to the front.

Later!

--The Clown to the Left

[bluebox]

Originally posted by hoplite505
... always keep a stockpile of units in one main city just in case you get invaded by some idiots who break right of passage treaties ...

has anyone observed that the ai attacks you when you overtake them in score? this happened to me three times in a game recently. moving up from 4 to 3 to 2 to 1 resulted in 3 successive wars. it might not happen when your military is strong.

i think it is part of the ai programming. so, if the ai comes around and sneak attack you you might just beat them in score!

[apparition]

I've found that with rail. The defensive force you need becomes much smaller.

Surround the invaders with good defensive units and pound them with good attacking units.

Those left over will commit suicide by attacking the units surrounding them.

[Hyland]

Always attack at three or atleast two different points. One of the task forces should be made to loose, keep it small and the AI will divide its troops evenly among youre points of attack. Thus youre strongest force will easily conquer three or four cities youre second force will take one (the largest and fill it with def units) and the third , wich also is mainly defensive, will sand and die taking the AI's strongest atackers as company to the boneyard.

[#1 Person]

i like to get lots of troops in the enemies terrain fortify them then get heavy stuff (catuplts, cannons, air units, whatever) weeken them down then charge all my men at the position.

[MajorFallout]

Since I'm a builder, than a warmonger, I tend to go to war in 1 of 2 modes...
1) War of attrition - if I have a larger/same size force as the enemy. Then I destroy as much of his offensive units as possible, using entrapment methods, or by using hills, and mountains to eliminate his units one by one.
2) Use guerilla tactics, basically hit and run - but normally I'm on an island of my own, and tend to destroy his navy first, to prevent invasions.

Lastly, if he really pisses me off too much, then I nuke him back to the stone age!

[DoTheMath]

Originally posted by Granite88
Pillage, Pillage, Pillage..... Use artillery in conjunction with defensive troops. Use the terrain to your advantage.

I've grown quite accusmed to using explorers to pillage. Thank you, War Academy, I'd thought they were useless.

[Sarevok]

LOL, what you need top do is launch blitz tactics with cavalry/tanks and some AT units.