Army Management?

[Civaddict78]

Hi all. Newly joined. Far too old to be enjoying computer games but bought Civ 4 with a new comp and am utterly, utterly addicted! Were I married, I might be divorced by now.

A Question;

How do you manage armies. If playing on a Huge or even medium sized map, fighting units take up the vast majority of player units over workers, settlers, merchants etc.

Do you just store them in one place until needed?
Do you spread them around your borders and at points where you think liable for attack?
Do you try and guard your older and more experienced units?
Do you put them together in specific groups to try and create different attacking and defending forces?
Do you try and specialise certain units or just see what happens?

What do you use the Text Box for on your units?

No need to answer all unless you want you! Just interested to get an insight into other players tactics with their armies.
Cheers

 

[cj7loop]

I usually put my military stack next to a neighbor that is a threat such as Monty or Shaka.

 

[Sian]

the only reason to be to old to play computer is living in a coffin in my opinion ... you could look at Civilization as advanced chess with some rock-paper-scissors invovled

i usually stack my armies at the border of the enemies i wish to intimidate ... army parading and drilling just nextdoor ... that usually put a damper on their wanting to attack me ... and they're close by for when i'm ready to go out to eat on them

 

[Civaddict78]

the only reason to be to old to play computer is living in a coffin in my opinion ... you could look at Civilization as advanced chess with some rock-paper-scissors invovled

i usually stack my armies at the border of the enemies i wish to intimidate ... army parading and drilling just nextdoor ... that usually put a damper on their wanting to attack me ... and they're close by for when i'm ready to go out to eat on them

I've been known to put my troops on parade though am always unsure as to scare the oppo or warn him of what my army looks like.

 

[Gwil]

Depends on what strategy you're rolling out - it's worthwhile keeping mini-stacks in the most important vulnerable cities (eg coastal research/production centres) in case of a surprise enemy fleet/stack landing or trooping right through.

I always maintain a "rapid reaction" force in domestic territory usually in the capital that can respond to cross border incursions.

Everything else gets lumped into a stack and reassigned where and when it is needed.

 

[Joshua368]

Yeah, I go with the AI and have a massive stack onhand in a single place, typically a danger zone. This well it'll be easy to find them all when I need them. In peacetime they just chill out in one city.

While on this topic... when I'm building my stack in preparation for war, I keep it right at their borders where I plan to invade. Now I know the AI keeps track of your power rating... but will it notice a massive stack in its field of vision?

 

[madscientist]

Hi all. Newly joined. Far too old to be enjoying computer games but bought Civ 4 with a new comp and am utterly, utterly addicted! Were I married, I might be divorced by now.

A Question;

How do you manage armies. If playing on a Huge or even medium sized map, fighting units take up the vast majority of player units over workers, settlers, merchants etc.

Do you just store them in one place until needed?
Do you spread them around your borders and at points where you think liable for attack?
Do you try and guard your older and more experienced units?
Do you put them together in specific groups to try and create different attacking and defending forces?
Do you try and specialise certain units or just see what happens?

What do you use the Text Box for on your units?

No need to answer all unless you want you! Just interested to get an insight into other players tactics with their armies.
Cheers

Welcome to the Forums Civaddict!!

I generally store units in the closest city I want to attack unless I want that leader to attack me first, then I usually leave a token force in a border city and launch a counter attack!

Seriously, You want balanced stacks as the units of each era have a rock/paper scirrors approach. Mixing an early attack force of swordsmen with maybe 1 spear and 1 axe to ward off axemen is wise. Ditto Pikemen to protect maces from knights etc...

Also consider the seige weapons for attacking cities. There is a slew of advice in the war-academy.

Too old to be playing this, nonesense. I am 45 years old, married 20 years with 2 teanage daughters. I plan to be teaching my Grandkids how to play Civ VI when I retire!!

 

[Civaddict78]

Computer seemed to have frozen. Submitted several times.

 

[Civaddict78]

Computer seemed to have frozen. Submitted several times.

 

[Civaddict78]

Am pleasantly surprised my idle question has got one reply let alone several! Hello all, thanks for your responses.

Some real similarities with what I do but one of the things I find fascinating is the depth of thought and research you have to put into every major attack.

Because older and supposedly infinetly inferior units beat units from several hundred years in real terms ahead, it makes the game more 'interesting' so I find a really carefully thought and planned army is needed. And this includes logisitics- how many times have you run out of artillery or catapults half way through a major war, or depleted your home cities of their defensive units?

I found in a recent game where I was Bismarck and was playing the planet earth globe, by around 2020 I had 150 units of what was my experienced army and that I used to fight wars. No idea how many in defence but probably at least half that number. Keeping them in one block was hopeless and since about 1600 I'd had them grouped in blocks of 5, which in most cases I'd named each unit and assigned them to a battalion. I tried to keep the units together in their battalions and would only disband if there two members left, usually who were the most experienced after a very vicious war and they'd go on to become Generals of what became 3 armies or 50 units each.

Each time a unit was killed they'd be replaced from the military 'holding place' usually a hill near the front line of where ever i was fighting or about to fight.

Experince in this case was gained for several battalions exploring the USA in around 1800 and fighting barbarians who outnumbered my by at keast 3 to 1 but were inferior, slightly, in their weaponry and though almost 50% were lost, the remaining units of my army went onto form the spear point of my infantry in the 20th century.

What is everyones general approach to promotion?

 

[madscientist]

well promoted units are great and worth keeping safe. However, do not hesitate building a fresh army to conquer the world. Playing nice and peaceful for a logn time, and breaking lose with rifles/cavalry/cannons can destroy a rival that has seen many bloody battles.

As far as promotions, they vary depending on which version of CIV you have, there are 2 expansion packs, Warlords and Beyond the Sowrd (I highly recommend them, and most advice on these forums center on that since we are after all CivFanatics and must have the best and greatest).

So promotion

Mounted units: Flanking I and II if using BTS expansion. This allows flanking damage on seige weapons and allows you to suicide against a city with decent odds of surviving, thus weakening nasty defenders.

Seige: I go up the City Raider line exclusively.

Melee: Mostly City Raider although I do include a few shock units for stack protection.

Gunpower: Generally up the combat I, pinch line.

Of course upgrading you CR III melee units to rifles/infantry is great but honestly not essential.

Good military plans will beat superior numbers or better promoted units.

 

[Civaddict78]

I am awaiting my Civ Gold pack from Amazon. Having withdrawl symptoms which is why I am on here! Should be here Tuesday. Slightly concerned that the computer I intend to use it on wont cope. Might have to go buy another one!

Can anyone suggest what hard drive capactiy is good for running it. Lapton in parcticular?
Thanks

 

[madscientist]

I was playing BTS (that would include the gold expansion packs) on a 6 year old Dell with a 256K video card, 750 mB RAM, 40 GB hard disk. Game played slow but ran OK although I had to keep map size to standard.

I have a top line Computer now and teh game runs fine.

See, it's a long story for me. It started as a Christmas gift from the family about 3 years ago. 2 new computers later, redecorating the home office, I have managed to get domestic peace and tranquility with teh wife and kids, all for the low cost of nearly $4000. All for a free gift game. But I digress.

The game will run on an older computer, it obviously runs better on a faster/newer one.

 

[Diamondeye]

Heh, Mad, thats the destiny of many a civfanatic I guess. I myself started with civ2 when I was merely six years or so! I have just turned eighteen and am struggling to keep the civving on a minimum. Not worth risking your career to make the move for emperor. Or... Is it?

 

[Civaddict78]

Mad, you have a whole office dedicated to Civ?!

Am I the only one with sheets of paper strewn all over the shop with strategies, targets, cities management, army management etc strewn all over the place?

 

[Lord Chambers]

Am I the only one with sheets of paper strewn all over the shop with strategies, targets, cities management, army management etc strewn all over the place?

One of two.

How much do you write down?

 

[warmonger37]

I usually put stacks of guys by the civs who are furious with me

 

[KingMorgan]

Don't listen to those warmongers, they'd raise your empire just to get a shiny resource.

I find it better to keep good defences and then build a stack of new units to war when and where required. Upgrading is expensive and i'm too lazy use older units in sneaky ways. However you do have the risk of not being able to counter a sneak AI attack.

One good tip is to have two fronts when attacking, a smaller decoy stack and a full on stack o doom. Hopefully the AI will move all it's troops to the western end of it's lands whilst you roll you SoD on in on the Eastern side.

As to naming all your units, remember their just cannon fodder to live or die at your command.

 

[warmonger37]

So what if that's true. It keeps people from declaring war on you. Until you are ready

 

[Gliese 581]

Your first line of defence is good diplomacy!