decoy units

[shl7070]

In several games (monarch level) I saw the AI commit the following stupidity:
I place a weak decoy unit (or weak stack) in a place that is inside enemy territory but inaccessible to enemy units in one turn (because the roads/railroads were pillaged by bombardment. The enemy would take huge stacks out of his cities even cities I currently besiege and even if this weakens his capital defences. The enemy will move them recklessly past my armies, get ZOC damage from them, to defeat the decoy force at all cost. The decoy I use is usually outdated offensive units but this works with defenseless bombard units and workers as well. The best case was when he took out 10 units from his capital-rifelemen and cavalry ( there were 14 units inside) without bothering to look on the 35 cavalry and 3 rifrlemen stack plkaced one tile from the capital. Does that behavior universal?
In addition after the decoy was destroyed or disengaged back to it's transport ship the huge enemy stacks got fortified where they were and remained there without being used for long span of turnes while his cities got razed/captured one by one.
The strategy worked if the decoy is lower on defence and the invasion stack is protected by a defensive army. I used that in unmodded c3c and in LOTM modpack.

 

[undertoad]

Yep, it's been seen by many people.

Some consider it exploitative. But the AI is so stupid that it's very hard not to take advantage of its many moronicities (is that a word? For AI cities, maybe; "The Persian moronicity of Persepolis contains 11 morons and one - moronic - entertainer"?)

I haven't done it on purpose myself; I'm only playing on Monarch, might change my mind when I go up a level or two and face cities defended by 20+ units. But it can often happen by accident. The AI seems to be obsessed with finding gaps in your line and slipping through, rather than actually dealing with your stack!

I see it as an utter lack of co-ordination or command structure. Your unprotected Worker is sighted, and the cry goes up from unit to unit: "WOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRKERRRRRRRRRR! GETTTTTTTTTTT ITTTTTTTT!". Then every individual unit decides individually to charge off and get that worker!

 

[shl7070]

The worker/weak defender works sometimes in odder ways.

Once I placed a decoy in one civs' territory and it induced another civ which had no MPP with the first (and with no MPP even after) to declare war on me despite the fact that I gave them 50gpt and luxury resource in a previous trade that had 10 turns to expire, thus the morons saved me 500 gold, the resource and solved my war weariness problem in one turn. In addition they attacked the worthless slave worker with single unit landed from a ship which was destroyed the following turn (I also got the ship...)

 

[ChaosArbiter]

The problem is that the AI looks at the undefended/weak unit and sees a chance to "win," whereas attacking the large stack, it would not be able to "win." So, it attacks the weak stack - and then gets thrashed next turn. It doesn't like to attack unless it has a good chance at winning (which is also why the AI will almost never attack Armies before it gets Bombers).

 

[Aabraxan]

If you run a search through the forums for "bikini babe," you should also find several ingenious uses for decoy units.

 

[undertoad]

If you run a search through the forums for "bikini babe," you should also find several ingenious uses for decoy units.

And an extremely funny story...

The problem is that the AI looks at the undefended/weak unit and sees a chance to "win," whereas attacking the large stack, it would not be able to "win." So, it attacks the weak stack - and then gets thrashed next turn.

I think it's that but also more than that: the AI can't add up the power of multiple units and realise that with e.g. 4 of its Cavs within attack range, it's a very good bet to attack a 1-Riflemen/10 Cannon stack. Effectively the AI seems to treat each unit as the only unit available - wearing down the enemy and possibly losing 2/4 units isn't something that appears as an option.

It's a pity. It does make my plans easier, as I find I can trundle my arty around protected by just 2 Riflemen or 1 Infantry, when I'm facing Cavs; but a more intelligent AI would make wars so much more interesting.

 

[Krunchyman]

That is quite funny and a good example of AI stupidity. Try that with attacking armies. If your enemy comes to attack one of your cities and you don't have enough units to defend, use a decoy.