Defensive lines - worthwhile?

[JoeyB98]

So I had a Persia game with my mod in which I had to defend from two more powerful civs on two fronts, and I had the unique problem of being the only one with no horses, and my copper was on the border and gt pillaged easily. I couldn't catch their units to kill them, but I had to keep the war industry alive to survive. My solution?



It's horridly expensive, and is weak against real SoDs, but I found it useful in this situation. In the future, is this the best way to deal with such a situation, or did I screw up?

EDIT: Important to know before commenting is that those are not Musketmen, in my mod they are Arquebusiers, which are sort of like medieval-era Machine Gun analogs.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Why not save absurd amounts of hammers and just camp out the actual critical resource, killing anything else that enters and attacks elsewhere?

 

[Robert FIN]

That amount of plains !!

 

[JoeyB98]

Why not save absurd amounts of hammers and just camp out the actual critical resource, killing anything else that enters and attacks elsewhere?

My main problem was the irrigation - practically all the water in the empire came from that one lake near my capital. So if I just camped the hills, my citizens would starve. Also, they'd pillage all the roads, so I couldn't use the resources anyways.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Unless you're playing with a heavily modded game, the AI doesn't work that way.

 

[Izuul]

2nd most important position in American football IMO.

 

[Amao]

looks very cool!

 

[JoeyB98]

Unless you're playing with a heavily modded game, the AI doesn't work that way.

Well, I guess I am, because they did. I'm not 100% sure, because I pulled a lot of stuff from other mods for this. AI files may have been part of it.

 

[EnglishEdward]

Was voluntary vassaling to one of the stronger civs an option?

 

[JoeyB98]

Nope.

 

[Manco Capac]

That amount of plains !!

Of course, when playing Earth maps, playing Persia is certainly death wish...unless Mesopotamia under control.
I know that certain mods make plains not that horrible as Civ Vanilla (a.k.a. BTS). Sadly, that one isn't one of them (otherwise pops would be much larger).

@JoeyB58

Your concept isn't entirely stupid as others insinuate haughtily. But here it is used unbeknownst to your knowing and wrong situation.

Yes, making defensive lines do have impact on AI...or better said the pathfinder (the function within the game) that directs the "Go To" for both human and AI's. If the defensive lines aren't next to the borders and are blocking zones (but not all zones), the AI may take long detours just to reach inside where you allowed that. Of course, if the defensive lines entirely blockade, then it doesn't do effets and the SoD's will force into.

And that pathfinder consequence is more of a bug that a legitimate strategy although I like to abuse it for the lulz.

 

[Manco Capac]

What I suggest you is restart and be more agressive in conquering either the lush India or Mesopotamia.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Oh cmon Tachy, he's looking to avoid pillaging, not abusing AI pathing its advanced stacks.

I mentioned a mod offhand because kmod AI loves mass pillage if it doesn't feel it can get a city.

Plains are indeed brutal. Plains, desert, massed jungle, and asinine peninsulas are the most common contributors to bad starts, although simple "middle of continent" stuff hurts too.

On Earth type maps it's best to rush out good land if you don't start with it, even if it isn't historically close to what happened.