Bronze Age Combat

[Divi Filus]

I played as American on a continental map and ended up being surround all sides by Aztec, Greeks, Germans, and the French. I have noticed that the AI is very good at picking out your weaknesses and exploiting them, so after restarting this map 4 times... doing some reasonable silvaculture (chop/chop), I was able to survive the maelstrom of a massive bronze age war which I did not want or start.... Some of things I learned:

1. If you can... place your border (or expected border) cities on hills. Even archers in this city can put up a formidable defence. Being "across the river" from enemy territory is also a good thing.

2. Defend you cities with a mixture of units... in border cities a minimum of 1 archer, 1 axeman, 1 spearman. (The axeman will keep the swordsman at bay, the spears will deal with the elephants/ horse archers).

3. In border cities build: 1st Walls, 2nd Obilesk, 3rd Temple, then other improvements... Bring in you defensive units from your inner (ie; established and protected) cities.

4. Even in peacetime, keep a small standing offensive force, the AI will notice. A stack of 6 swordsman/spearman with a cat or two will do wonders for relations. They will also make short work of any barby towns for easy expansion.

5. Although you may be the first to discover a religion (esp; Judaism), you will be dead before you can start praying (ie; Bronze Working is important, get the offensive units and the choppers out).

6. As a Civ1/2/3 player I have a hard time attacking with Spearman... But in Civ4 when you see elephants and horsearchers attack with spearman.

Just my intial observations... please feel free to add your own

 

[Khaim]

I'm not sure how important building fortress towns are, since the AI could just bypass them. Plus they tend to avoid doing stupid assaults, so if you fortify your city they'll just pillage the countryside. But the other points are good. A mixture of units is very hard to defeat before suicide cats come into play. And spearmen are quite scary for mounted units now.

 

[Divi Filus]

The stack is in the town to survive the "first wave" - usually, horse archers, axemen or swordman (hopefully not Praetorians!). Hopefully it will give you enough time; about 3-4 turns if you have roads, to move in you standing army (point 4). They key is not to lose that city before you can respond.

OTOH - the AI may just be leaving me alone now because of the defense in the cities... either way, get "big three" in your border city.