How to stop/fight Longbow?

[rpg5414]

Been having issues in my last couple of MP games with people playing as England. Everything goes great until they build a huge army of longbows with a few melee units to protect them then just decimate my city from beyond my range until it's almost dead, then either keep killing it to reduce pop. or just rush a Knight in to the city. Even if I go to attack their longbows, the units just get decimated. Even just the army to sustain a fight against this pushes me to the limits financially. I've tried being fairly choice about city location to limit which hex can attack my city but I still seem to ultimately lose the city.

Any tips or suggestions on the best way to fight this beyond just trying to kill them off before they reach that tech?

 

[Seabastian Civ]

Longbows are stopped by two things: line of sight and knights.

Knights: two strong knights can destroy an LB in one turn under the right conditions. However, they are easily countered by pikes, cost alot, and can be nullified by area control. Not a great solution but there you go.

Line of sight: can render the longbow useless if you can plan for it. mountains, forest hills, hills in front of plains/grass... if the longbow can't see it, it can't hit it.

England is a straight up beast and you need to knock them out before the renaissance or they will crush you with LBs and SOLs...

 

[CraigMak]

Knights + Shift Move, Works like a charm. If they complain about shifting.. LOL, they're using longbows... get real. OP Free win unit.

 

[Edzako]

Knights + Shift Move, Works like a charm. If they complain about shifting.. LOL, they're using longbows... get real. OP Free win unit.

Some MP groups like NQ doesn't allow shift-move.

Not that it helps with original question, but there you go.

 

[Foffaren]

Craig doesnt play NQ.
Like he said, LB is free win, you have to cheat* or you dont have a chance.


*Clever use of game mechanics.

 

[tommynt]

Some MP groups like NQ doesn't allow shift-move.

some people are dumb - need to discuss?

Apart that i dont think that longbows are that op, easily countered by terain/horses, or just own xbows - hint: roads ...

 

[CraigMak]

Craig doesnt play NQ.
Like he said, LB is free win, you have to cheat* or you dont have a chance.


*Clever use of game mechanics.

Yeah I really don't understand how NQ makes up all these rules which promote fair play but then they make everyone go random so people get absurdly OP cheater civs.

It really makes no sense. If you're going to promote fair play ban OP civs as well. Make the game actually fair.

You can say line of sight is a weakness or counter but a good player will put them on hills and/or bring workers to chop down everything in the way. If they have the pyramids your cover will be gone before you know it.

If you try to counter longbows with your own xbows you will always be getting hit 3 or 4 vs 1 focused down and killed every turn while your xbows will most likely only be able to attack 2v1 and not kill things.

Xbows + knights is the answer. If you can use your own xbows to counter them as tommy suggests they probably are not of equal skill or too far away to reinforce.

 

[Tabarnak]

Yeah I really don't understand how NQ makes up all these rules which promote fair play but then they make everyone go random so people get absurdly OP cheater civs.

It really makes no sense. If you're going to promote fair play ban OP civs as well. Make the game actually fair.

With some smart diplo you can counter op civs with some strategic alliances. But not everyone agree.

The group can accept the fact that in some occasions the op civs will likely be stronger in most games but with a possibility to face 2 or 3 civs at once to defend his superiority at some point.

If you don't accept that, then the op civs are exactly how they are called and will likely...win.

 

[CraigMak]

With some smart diplo you can counter op civs with some strategic alliances. But not everyone agree.

The group can accept the fact that in some occasions the op civs will likely be stronger in most games but with a possibility to face 2 or 3 civs at once to defend his superiority at some point.

If you don't accept that, then the op civs are exactly how they are called and will likely...win.

I really don't like the idea of 2on1 or 3on1 wars. Just seems dirty IMO. I would rather keep everything fair and have no OP civs or teaming. Teaming is for a team game. FFA IMO should be an FFA. Although I prefer FFA's where everyone declares war on sight with each other. That's a true FFA.

 

[Vitruvius]

I really don't like the idea of 2on1 or 3on1 wars. Just seems dirty IMO. I would rather keep everything fair and have no OP civs or teaming. Teaming is for a team game. FFA IMO should be an FFA. Although I prefer FFA's where everyone declares war on sight with each other. That's a true FFA.

MP FFA is 90% diplomacy. It has nothing to do with OP civs but it requires everyone to have a sharp sense of who is on top so they will work together to bring him down. Declaring war on sight with everyone else doesnt change much. Smart players will not fight amongst weak civs and will always unanimously work together against the leader.

 

[tommynt]

MP FFA is 90% diplomacy.

Good thing its not, in end its still skill what matters.

I will win 90% of ffa games with pure gunboat diplomacy, dowing every1 crossing my way.

 

[CraigMak]

MP FFA is 90% diplomacy. It has nothing to do with OP civs but it requires everyone to have a sharp sense of who is on top so they will work together to bring him down. Declaring war on sight with everyone else doesnt change much. Smart players will not fight amongst weak civs and will always unanimously work together against the leader.

Maybe if you're so bad that you can't ever take anyone on in a fair fight it is 90% diplomacy. Or everyone is a bunch of cheesy teaming nooblets who never allow a fair fight.

If you're from NQ, I can understand your opinion because when I played with them it was always 4 vs me the second I DOW anyone. Very absurd and pointless way to play the game.

 

[Kyp Durron]

Good thing its not, in end its still skill what matters.

I will win 90% of ffa games with pure gunboat diplomacy, dowing every1 crossing my way.

You need to increase the skill level of FFA you are playing against.

 

[Vitruvius]

Good thing its not, in end its still skill what matters.

I will win 90% of ffa games with pure gunboat diplomacy, dowing every1 crossing my way.

How about I change my wording. MP FFA games with 6 tommynt playing is 90% diplomacy (or lack of).

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[reddishrecue]

Longbows are usually weak against mobile units like cavalry.

 

[Silverfuturist]

"It really makes no sense. If you're going to promote fair play... Make the game actually fair."

YES - a lucky person with a 12 desert hill petra capital (with some of those desert hills containing sheep and iron even) has an exploit bigger than all the shift-moving you could possible imagine. As they crank out wonders in 1/2 the time it takes anybody else to make a wonder, their "exploit" just snowballs. If you attack them, capital makes a strong unit per turn. This doesn't even consider if they get Desert Folklore as well!

 

[Sharples]

"It really makes no sense. If you're going to promote fair play... Make the game actually fair."

YES - a lucky person with a 12 desert hill petra capital (with some of those desert hills containing sheep and iron even) has an exploit bigger than all the shift-moving you could possible imagine. As they crank out wonders in 1/2 the time it takes anybody else to make a wonder, their "exploit" just snowballs. If you attack them, capital makes a strong unit per turn. This doesn't even consider if they get Desert Folklore as well!

Morroco Deserted Hill capital with Petra and Kabish, anyone?

 

[CraigMak]

Morroco Deserted Hill capital with Petra and Kabish, anyone?

Yeah, Morocco is sweet with their desert bias and you don't feel guilty playing them like Arabia because they don't have a free win unit.

 

[Silverfuturist]

Yeah, Morocco is sweet with their desert bias and you don't feel guilty playing them like Arabia because they don't have a free win unit.

I have had Morocco a few times with no desert at all under normal settings, that was quite frustrating!

 

[CraigMak]

I have had Morocco a few times with no desert at all under normal settings, that was quite frustrating!

It has happened to be as well. I feel like Morocco's desert bias is not as strong as Arabia's if that is eve possible.