Fortifying on Water

[anaxagoras]

Can someone with access to the editor construct a scenario to verify that fortifying on water actually works? I have been doing this with my early curraghs when I meet up with ravaging barbarian galleys. Fortifying appears to improve my combat results, but as I am unable to rigorously verify this, I may be a victim of cognitive bias.

A rigorous test would be much appreciated.

 

[capnvonbaron]

It does, according to to the rules... fortifying on coast gives you some 25% advantage, sea something like 10%... ocean gives you nothing. Its all in Civilopedia.

When fighting on water, your best bet is to double, triple, and quadruple up so that the bottom units in the stack can bombard your attacker when they attack you. By the time you get carriers, your best bet is to get two carriers in a stack; one full of bombers and one full of fighters. Recon and air-superiority with the fighters, and when you find your enemy, bomb them until they are weak or dead. History has shown that the aircraft carrier has obsoleted battleships... CivIII is hardly an exception!

Early sea battles are a waste of time; if the enemy sends galleons or galleys to your continent, bombard them with land units and if they land troops, destroy the meager landing force with whatever land units you have available.

 

[Civinator]

The AI fortifies its ships frequently, too.

 

[anaxagoras]

A verification via actual, empirical test would nevertheless be appreciated. The Civilopedia is not always correct.

 

[Virote_Considon]

Fortification bonus should always be 15% by default, weather land or sea.

Furthermore, units defending on coast/sea/ocean by default all receive a 10% defensive bonus

 

[Whythat]

OT does it take a turn to get the fortification bonus?

 

[Virote_Considon]

I don't think so...

 

[anaxagoras]

OT does it take a turn to get the fortification bonus?

On land, at least, it doesn't. You get it as soon as you go into the fortification stance. However, it does take at least one fraction of a movement point to have the unit do that.

 

[dirtworm]

On land, at least, it doesn't. You get it as soon as you go into the fortification stance. However, it does take at least one fraction of a movement point to have the unit do that.

it takes a movement point to fortify a unit? is that all units or just sea units?

i'm kinda confused because i havn't heard of that before...

 

[DWetzel]

it takes a movement point to fortify a unit? is that all units or just sea units?

i'm kinda confused because i havn't heard of that before...

It doesn't cost any movement, but you can't do it if you don't have any movement left.

 

[TheOverseer714]

Fortification has a hidden benefit for ships: after being fully fortified an entire turn, you can see 1 tile further around that ship

 

[capnvonbaron]

ah, good point Overseer. In fact, I've noticed a glitch where it doesn't even take one turn -- fortify a unit, then have another one scan that extra square out from the fortified unit and viola! That extra square out will remain lit...

I've used the "fortify to see an extra tile" trick several times to hop-scotch caravels from sea tile to sea tile across ocean tiles and then on to neighboring continents before navigation is discovered. That can be a huge boon to your science and cash reserves to get to another continent before the AIs on your continent and discover the other Civs first. It doesn't work out that way in every game, but I've never seen the AI get to another continent before me if it is seperated by at least as many ocean tiles as can be seen without fortifying. Even better is if you get to build a great lighthouse... then you can get to those other continents with galleys before the other Civs even have caravels and start settling!

 

[capnvonbaron]

It doesn't cost any movement, but you can't do it if you don't have any movement left.

You can actually right-click on a unit with no movement points left, select "fortify all units," and it will fortify.

 

[Bartleby]

^I don't think that really works.

 

[Rodrig0]

You can actually right-click on a unit with no movement points left, select "fortify all units," and it will fortify.

It works for the next turn. For the current turn, your units get no defensuve bonus.
I've noticed the AI always leaves its transports fortified if you kill all the escorts. The transport will stand just there, probably waiting for a new escort to keep moving, or maybe just fortifies to make its death harder. I've lost some ships this way, when I kill everyone else but have no units left to kill the transport, so the next turn, I attack with my damaged ships, thinking a lone transport will be easy

 

[Theodora]

ah, good point Overseer. In fact, I've noticed a glitch where it doesn't even take one turn -- fortify a unit, then have another one scan that extra square out from the fortified unit and viola! That extra square out will remain lit...

I've used the "fortify to see an extra tile" trick several times to hop-scotch caravels from sea tile to sea tile across ocean tiles and then on to neighboring continents before navigation is discovered. That can be a huge boon to your science and cash reserves to get to another continent before the AIs on your continent and discover the other Civs first. It doesn't work out that way in every game, but I've never seen the AI get to another continent before me if it is seperated by at least as many ocean tiles as can be seen without fortifying. Even better is if you get to build a great lighthouse... then you can get to those other continents with galleys before the other Civs even have caravels and start settling!

That's very useful to know... can you write a step by step explanation of how to do that and post it as a new thread?

 

[splunge the 2nd]

Is the extra tile just water tiles. In my current game, I lost a curragh at sea when it had border markings just in view but couldn't see a city or unit. I think I had used up all my movement but I could have met the overseas folks.

 

[Othniel]

Is the extra tile just water tiles. In my current game, I lost a curragh at sea when it had border markings just in view but couldn't see a city or unit. I think I had used up all my movement but I could have met the overseas folks.

The fortification sight bonus wouldn't have kicked in for one more turn, so that would have been no help. Instead, if you have only a border in sight, but no moves left, try hitting Shift - D. That should allow you to contact the new civ before your boat sinks.

 

[capnvonbaron]

That's very useful to know... can you write a step by step explanation of how to do that and post it as a new thread?

Sure... I'll put it in "tips/tricks". Look for "Leap-frogging Galleys".

 

[Argetnyx]

It works for the next turn. For the current turn, your units get no defensuve bonus.
I've noticed the AI always leaves its transports fortified if you kill all the escorts. The transport will stand just there, probably waiting for a new escort to keep moving, or maybe just fortifies to make its death harder. I've lost some ships this way, when I kill everyone else but have no units left to kill the transport, so the next turn, I attack with my damaged ships, thinking a lone transport will be easy

The transport doesnt move because it needs an escort to keep moving. you can take the option off in the editor, but then it would be no fun just having defenseless transports everywhere.