Blocking enemies...sentry doesn't help or does it?

[Seb2]

If I want to cut of an enemy, lets say block him from getting reinforcements to some island I'm attacking and want isolated (not only SP but also in MP facing a human opponent).

Do I really need to have destroyers/battleships (or whatever level you're at) covering every square? Or can I have them a bit more spread out, auto-attacking as soon as someone comes near?
I dont think sentry is that auto-attack, it just wakes the unit up and focuses on it so I know an enemy was there recently, but I'm not 100% sure.
Would be great if you could cut off reinforcements....would be realistical and pure strategic fun. But if you need to block every single square for it to work its not really practical I guess

Anyone?

 

[shivute]

There is no auto attack
You need to turn on the "see enemy moves" option
and have enough units to "see" all the squares round your target.
You also need to have them far enough out to be able to intercept that fast moving transport.

 

[Seb2]

There is no auto attack
You need to turn on the "see enemy moves" option
and have enough units to "see" all the squares round your target.
You also need to have them far enough out to be able to intercept that fast moving transport.

I think enemy moves is turned off in the multiplayer game I play...I think it was default and probably should be for a multigame, or? Dont know what happens if you turn it on....you no longer have concurrent turns and the game will take 3-4 times longer each turn???

Anyway, in Civ III I think there were some cool units that could autoattack so noone could sneak past the unit. Was very cool and realistic. Strange its not in anymore

EDIT: Anyway, I do see the enemymoves (at least the human players) if I have some troops nearby and happen to look there when he move...I mean, its all concurrent. I could click attack on a boat and just before I do he moves it away, and we hunt around in realtime for a moment. Its kind of awkward

 

[jray]

I dont think sentry is that auto-attack, it just wakes the unit up and focuses on it so I know an enemy was there recently, but I'm not 100% sure.

Sentry only alerts you if an enemy unit STOPS on an adjacent square. If it moves within 1 square but stops 2 squares away, it stays asleep. So it's pretty much useless as it's programmed. As the other responders said, the way to go is to enable See Enemy Moves in the options.

 

[Seb2]

Sentry only alerts you if an enemy unit STOPS on an adjacent square. If it moves within 1 square but stops 2 squares away, it stays asleep. So it's pretty much useless as it's programmed. As the other responders said, the way to go is to enable See Enemy Moves in the options.

Ok, good to know.

But see enemy moves isn't very practical in a larger MP-game....takes much more time looking at the AI-players, and also when you face a human its more of a RTS hunting around each other in real time.
Oh well, at least some of the airplanes seem to have some patroling function but I wish more units could have that too. A bit silly to have to chain units together in every single square along a island coast to stop other fleets passing by with reinforcements just to take an example.
It doesn't matter I see the human players troops, he can be faster than me, or he can move, I try to press attack, but he moves again just before I click, and we hunt around in realtime. It just doesn't work that way.

 

[Gellogo]

Sentry nets consisit of two things
The abilty to react fast to an enemies movement and the surplus of troops

All they can do well in a border patrol to make sure that no one enters your borders with out a fight!

 

[Scoottr]

The thing with setting your ships to activate for enemies in the area...they won't activate if a big stack of transports moves close to your border, but the AI hasn't declared war yet.

That drives me nuts!