Blockade

[LaRo]

Did you ever use blockade?

If I understand, you just have to but boats on all tiles surrounding a civ city to block their boat to pass. After, they won't be able to trade ressources even if they got other seaports?

 

[DrJambo]

i tried it once with 1.16f and blockading a port didn't work... never bothered trying it since....

 

[Dell19]

I've never seen the point...On most maps it isn't an option to block all the coastal trading cities of an empire, would take up too many ships and you may as well just attack them with an actual army.

 

[biggrumpy]

if you have enough ships to blockade, you may as well just bombard the city until you blow up its harbor...

 

[LaRo]

And for those who try it sometimes, tell us why, when and how?

 

[Dell19]

I don't think anyone will have...The chances of getting the right situation for a blockade is very limited. On most maps they are likely to have at least one other coastal city with a harbor and blocking one city from the rest of empire is not really very useful...

 

[Graeme the mad]

I would not use blockade if I had not doubled the move rate of ancient and med ships and tripled that of modern and industrial - as I have done I find blockading is an integral part of my strategy especially as I play on continental maps with lots of land (yes that is a reason believe it or not - less coastal cities for most civs)
The Ai also uses it against me all the time so powerful navies are always an important part of my game (as it should be)

Incidentally i cant keep this out of any thread - the expansion pack is coming out (I've died and gone to heaven (no really I have, nice place, lots of clouds and stuff, and a pc with broadband access

I love you sid

 

[Zouave]

No. Haven't bothered.

Naval warfare in Civ 3 is worse than in Civ 2.We can't even sink transports filled with freight or diplomats anymore.

Subs and privateers SHOULD be able to damage a rival civ's trade simply by being on their trade routes. But, noooo.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Once Russia fouhgt a long time to get a harbor cities on its main territory to connect to two other isalnds with luxuries and iron. After they succeeded they declare war against me. BAD MISTAKE!

Their newly won harbor city was situated like this

X= land, - = sea, C = city

XX--XX
XX--XX
XX--XX
X-CXX

two ships of mine and, well.
Took them too long to dislodge them, by then I had reinforcement there by land and took the city

 

[Bloodclot]

In my current game, the British have a city (I think its size 6) on a small island that contains their only source of aluminum. I'm going to try to blockade it and see what happens. AFAIK, they don't have an airport yet.

 

[Fanny Brice]

As seems to be the consensus... the circumstances to allow for an effective blockade are rare.

If the opportunity occures... I would use it. But it is much easier to destroy harbors. Now... if coastal fortresses had any effect what-so-ever in defending a harbor, a blockade would be a worthwhile tactic.

I've never seen the AI attempt a blockade.

I do like the fact that in Civ III you can park your ships on ememy sea resources like fish and whales and thereby denying these to the enemy. You can do this with obsolete ships because unless the ememy has cruise missiles, he can't sink them. (unless this changed with 1.2)

 

[haladwin]

Well, here i am in 2021 with a few questions. Could somebody explain me how the sea trade blockade works exactly? cause i have a custom map with a lot of te right terrain to do it, i mean, for example, URSS have only one harbour in lenningrad (st. Petersburg) and a tinny exit to the ocean that i can easily block with my u-boats. But anything seems to work to effectively block their commerce with U.K. So...

 

[justanick]

Well, you need to block any route possible. Any tile through which trade would be possible needs to be taken out in one way or the other. Trade can go through any combination of harbour-sea-harbour and via road through nonhostile territory. So the USSR can trade with the UK via Persia or China or whatever option is still kept available.

Also trade is possible from airport to airport. With airtrade possible you you will have a hard time stopping it.

 

[haladwin]

Also trade is possible from airport to airport. With airtrade possible you you will have a hard time stopping it.

That was, the airport was doing possible the trade. Stupid me. TY!

 

[doylestondave]

No. Haven't bothered.

Naval warfare in Civ 3 is worse than in Civ 2.We can't even sink transports filled with freight or diplomats anymore.

Subs and privateers SHOULD be able to damage a rival civ's trade simply by being on their trade routes. But, noooo.

Amen to that.

 

[doylestondave]

As seems to be the consensus... the circumstances to allow for an effective blockade are rare.

If the opportunity occures... I would use it. But it is much easier to destroy harbors. Now... if coastal fortresses had any effect what-so-ever in defending a harbor, a blockade would be a worthwhile tactic.

I've never seen the AI attempt a blockade.

I do like the fact that in Civ III you can park your ships on ememy sea resources like fish and whales and thereby denying these to the enemy. You can do this with obsolete ships because unless the ememy has cruise missiles, he can't sink them. (unless this changed with 1.2)

Oh, I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip. As for Coastal Fortresses; how many Singapores, Fort Sumpters, and Gibraltars are there in the real world?

 

[revenantlast]

It has to be in the right situation, but often in the early game ( before safe sea travel) I’ll use blockades to stop the ai beings able to trade with far off cities it’s just created.

It works really well especially if their only other route is through your territory , if not it can at least slow down thier ability to send workers and defenders.
In the early game can usually be done by placing a single ship on the right coastal square . Often leads to their towns rioting as they are disconnected from their capital and can’t trade luxuries and leaves them pretty vunrable if they can’t upgrade to better units. Once safe sea travel comes it can take a few more ships and after that it becomes unsustainable but by that time your culture should do the work for you or you’ve taken the city by force .

Quiet surprised most players don’t do that to be honest.

 

[vorlon_mi]

In the early game, I often have competing priorities for my ships -- which are few in number. They're usually exploring the coast, making contacts with as may AI civs as I can find. I can trade techs with them sooner than I can build a resource trade route, for either luxuries or strategic resources. I spend quite a few turns in the "REX" , Rapid EXpansion, phase, where my production is focused on settlers and workers.

As I get close to the start of the Middle Ages, I have enough production to consider building a navy that could blockade. If I'm playing an archipelago map, I may do just that. If I'm playing a Pangea or continents map, I may be focusing my production on land units from inland cities.

 

[justanick]

In the early game, I often have competing priorities for my ships

Not only for them. Given that and that well improved tiles, open trade routes and somewhat properous AIs are in my long term interest, i donnot deem blockades a suitable strategic choice in most instances. Exceptions may occur.