Attacking cities

[InFlux5]

It's sometimes better (IMHO) to sacrifice a siege weapon or two than to risk several axes, maces, or the like in attempting to take the city.

I'd go so far as to say that this is a fact, rather than simply your humble opinion. As others have said, the cost of siege weapons is usually lower than the other units you can build. And even if they weren't, they would still be the preferred unit for taking cities simply because of collateral damage.

A unit that can knock off a good deal of damage from all the units in a square is clearly good for taking cities. All you need is enough siege units to bring the defenders down to 1-2 strength, and then 1 ground unit for each defender, to mop up. (This is the minimum. You will probably want more to defend the city after you take it.)

In summary, collateral damage is the key to taking cities.

 

[Skallagrimson]

And on defense, when the AI or a human opponent brings cats, the key is to load up on MOUNTED units and NOT expend them in direct counterattacks.

For some reason, though, the AI tend to prefer to load up on mounts on offense, in which case a few spearmen are enough to defend the city.