Bandobras Took
Emperor
Giving that the Soldier rush just doesn't work on a nearby neighbor, at what point generally are troops strong/versatile enough to realistically take a close city?
At What Point Do You Feel Capable Of Taking A City?
- Thread starter Bandobras Took
- Start date
Japper007
Prince
I have seen a thread on a "gunner rush" (i.e. build a bunch of rangers and beeline early affinity techs), but I mostly wait until I get my first Affinity UU (Battlesuits, CNDR's or Xeno-swarms). If you unlock those early enough they just blast through everything the AI throws at you, even on Apollo.
I've joked that my experience with very early offensive wars (pre-affinity 2) is 'like World War I', namely that the defensive capabilities of cities far outstrip the soldier/marine, especially when the AI starts with early armor units and usually a siege unit in the city itself.
Rushing for Affinity 2 and getting gunners does go significantly better. Usually a couple marines combined with 4 gunners can bring a city down before the city bombards my units to oblivion.
The first unique unit is a real game changer though, unless the AI just happens to invest in the early defensive buildings it's pretty easy to roll over multiple cities within a short time span. Even if they invest in the defensive buildings the gunners usually make short work of the defenses and the melee units can walk in.
I've tried to experiment with rushing cities earlier, but it almost always ends in me getting routed by the AI's high speed armor. My most successful early warfare efforts come when an AI declares war on me, attacks my frontier city that has a pair of gunners with it, loses most of its units, then I build momentum and counterattack.
Rushing for Affinity 2 and getting gunners does go significantly better. Usually a couple marines combined with 4 gunners can bring a city down before the city bombards my units to oblivion.
The first unique unit is a real game changer though, unless the AI just happens to invest in the early defensive buildings it's pretty easy to roll over multiple cities within a short time span. Even if they invest in the defensive buildings the gunners usually make short work of the defenses and the melee units can walk in.
I've tried to experiment with rushing cities earlier, but it almost always ends in me getting routed by the AI's high speed armor. My most successful early warfare efforts come when an AI declares war on me, attacks my frontier city that has a pair of gunners with it, loses most of its units, then I build momentum and counterattack.
My most successful early game city attack only really works on coastal cities. But gunboats do a good job of damaging cities. Just bring 3-4, have them sitting out of range until you can get a land unit nearby. Move in all at once and bombard the city to ruins. Enjoy your walk in victory. Just remember that cities seem to prioritize ships for their counter attacks (probably due to them almost always one-shotting a ship, I haven't seen one live yet)
Getting gunboats isn't all that hard, if playing slavic, you could get if for free after getting one of the two starting techs next to it (if you get a lucky satellite).
Getting gunboats isn't all that hard, if playing slavic, you could get if for free after getting one of the two starting techs next to it (if you get a lucky satellite).
alpaca
King of Ungulates
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
- Messages
- 2,322
Gunners and missile rovers are the first options, I think. If you can get a free affinity upgrade somewhere, a gunner rush can give you one or two opponents, which makes this a useful strategy to have in your toolbox in case you get lucky with progenitor ruins.
Exactly my experience as well.
HandyVac
Gentleman
I have not successfully invaded anyone unless my dominant affinity score is higher than theirs.
Since affinity unlocks both unique units and upgrades of your regular units it's pretty much the only relevant measure of military strength. And you can see it at a glance in the diplomacy window.
Since affinity unlocks both unique units and upgrades of your regular units it's pretty much the only relevant measure of military strength. And you can see it at a glance in the diplomacy window.
Bandobras Took
Emperor
And I now finally understand why the Military tree is the one with the affinity bonus choices.
UnderKingDuck
Warlord
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2014
- Messages
- 179
Just have a stronger army and just wait for them to offer you the city for peace...don't even need to attack them. Of course they won't trade their Capitals. I really wish this would be fixed.
But yeah if you want to try and take it make sure to have a decent number of range units mix with melee.
But yeah if you want to try and take it make sure to have a decent number of range units mix with melee.
Black Bishop
Chieftain
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2014
- Messages
- 2
I think I've played the first hundred oh, mabes first hundred and fifty turns about twenty times now. I learned a lot from the Slav Battlesuit thread and I'd constantly try to get there faster and more efficiently, hence all my "start overs".
Now that I've gotten the hang of things, I've started to see how my "time management" comes into play, big time...
In my first few experiments, I'd crank out two soldiers and about three or four gunners. I'd try to wiggle them all into proper position around my nearest enemies city, not always easy with mountains and canyons and I'd ever so slowly pound them into submission.
However, I think I realized at "some" point, that when I spent that many resources (production hammers) that early, that even when I won (after a bit) a nearby capital or city, I sill ended up behind the remaining opponents.
In that early stage of growth, to crank out too much in military for the acquisition of only one city (even if it is a capital), well it sorta seemed "not worth it".
So I tried to grow a bit further before committing to a military action and I think it's "almost" better to wait a bit.
With three Battlesuits and some sort of "tank" or artillery, somewhere around turn one sixty, mabes one seventy, I can easily roll over my nearest neighbor.
If I can get some air support in there, I take little or no damage so I can proceed to the next city.
In this way, instead of resulting in one city captured, I end up with just about as many as I could want.
My Battlesuits can conquer a whole continent by themselves and my next biggest problem becomes keeping the captured cities or razing them.
But then it might be time to raise my difficulty, I might not be such a newb anymore...
I gotta say I freakin' love this game, stupid flaws and all.
It reminds me of every woman I've ever been with, they take three minutes to load and point three seconds to leave.
Now that I've gotten the hang of things, I've started to see how my "time management" comes into play, big time...
In my first few experiments, I'd crank out two soldiers and about three or four gunners. I'd try to wiggle them all into proper position around my nearest enemies city, not always easy with mountains and canyons and I'd ever so slowly pound them into submission.
However, I think I realized at "some" point, that when I spent that many resources (production hammers) that early, that even when I won (after a bit) a nearby capital or city, I sill ended up behind the remaining opponents.
In that early stage of growth, to crank out too much in military for the acquisition of only one city (even if it is a capital), well it sorta seemed "not worth it".
So I tried to grow a bit further before committing to a military action and I think it's "almost" better to wait a bit.
With three Battlesuits and some sort of "tank" or artillery, somewhere around turn one sixty, mabes one seventy, I can easily roll over my nearest neighbor.
If I can get some air support in there, I take little or no damage so I can proceed to the next city.
In this way, instead of resulting in one city captured, I end up with just about as many as I could want.
My Battlesuits can conquer a whole continent by themselves and my next biggest problem becomes keeping the captured cities or razing them.
But then it might be time to raise my difficulty, I might not be such a newb anymore...
I gotta say I freakin' love this game, stupid flaws and all.
It reminds me of every woman I've ever been with, they take three minutes to load and point three seconds to leave.
Mercade
the Counsellor
Essentially this. With gunboats or better: cruisers you can do a lot of damage to cities that you cannot get with gunners or mobile artillery. Then bring one or two melee units for the kill as boats cannot capture a city.
Prophet Skeram
Chieftain
I really wish they would change "can't trade my capital" to "can't trade my original capital". Not being able to get the city that you want out of a peace deal because it semi-randomly became the capital after you or someone else took the original is just infuriating. No, I don't want those 3 useless small cities in the boonies that you just built a few turns ago, I just want this one big city that just became your new capital ! I know this is just a small pet peeve and the same as in CiV, but it's still annoying.
More on-topic: It depends. If the AI started the war and lost a good chunk of it's army, I don't mind conquering a city before I get my affinity units. Otherwise, I tend to build up and wait a bit longer.
