How do I destroy improvements? (new player!)

[OldFartAtPlay]

Hello there...

I'm OK with attacking cities (thanks to some help here) but I can't seem to destroy the improvements that other Civs have built - although they can destroy mine.

For example, cottages or mines.

If I move my troops onto an enemy's improved tile, even if I am at war with them, nothing happens & I can't see a 'destroy improvement' action.

It would be very handy because my current chief opponent has dug in to a city, the attack stats say I have a v low chance of successful attack, so i want to hurt his economy by destroying his improvements.

Any suggestions warmly received
Cheers!

 

[Camikaze]

The button you are looking for is 'pillage'. If you are on an enemy improvement, pressing this button (represented by two axes laid over flames, IIRC), or 'P' on your keyboard (or at least on mine), will destroy the improvement.

Destroying an enemies improvements, particularly later in the game, when cottages are towns, can be crucial and very, very important. Particularly aim to pillage enemy's resource improvements, more so than, say, farms. Then go for the cottages, and then mines, farms and others. Assuming, of course, that you aren't about to capture the city in question.

 

[huh?]

Do you have movement points left? If the unit only has one movement point, you'll have to...

Move onto the tile, end turn
Pillage, end turn
Move to the next tile or attack

This is why mounted units make good pillagers as you can move one tile and pillage.

 

[Bushface]

Assuming, of course, that you aren't about to capture the city in question.

. . . which is important. It isn't a good idea to pillage a town for a few gold if you would shortly be able to get its long-term commerce for yourself, and it takes a very long time for a cottage to grow to a town. Note also that pillaging a town reduces it to a village, which can then be pillaged to a hamlet, then a cottage, then nothing.

Personally, I find that using spies to sabotage enemy resources can be a very powerful technique, allowing you to wreck your enemy's infrastructure. Go for his grainfields to slow his city growth and ruin his health, for his luxury resources to make his cities unhappy, for his copper and iron to reduce production (and in the earlier game spoil his unit availability), and in the later game make oil and aluminium your targets. If you can afford the espionage points, also sabotage some of his buildings selected to aggravate the loss of resources and add, if you will, some poisoned water and unrest. Oh, the delights of a mass spy attack reducing your victim to starvation, misery and the Stone Age ! (Cackles evilly and rubs hands together). All this can be done before even one of your military units sets foot, hoof, wheel or track on enemy territory, though it's not so easy when he's on another continent.

 

[Scoottr]

I think some units can't pillage too...Explorer (Conquistador) might be one?

 

[Birdman6]

Particularly aim to pillage enemy's resource improvements, more so than, say, farms. Then go for the cottages, and then mines, farms and others.

I disagree with you on the order. Unique resources should go first, but for me second priority is farms. Without enough food the target city starves, loses population, suffers from unhappiness, and is unable to work its land. This results in loss of commerce and production. The city can no longer build new units to defend itself and its multiplier buildings become relatively useless. If you're able to pillage quickly, all of this happens in a matter of 2-3 turns. In terms of detriment to the enemy, pillaging farms is like pillaging all the tiles at once.

 

[OldFartAtPlay]

Brilliant stuff, ta.
As a newby, I think my main error has been move to a tile and look for a suitable action straight away - instead of waiting till next turn and then checking available actions.

I haven't tried espionage yet (I'm 6 hours into my first game) but it sounds like a rich area - much better than in GalCivII where it is little weak.

Cheers all

 

[Ghpstage]

I haven't tried espionage yet (I'm 6 hours into my first game) but it sounds like a rich area - much better than in GalCivII where it is little weak.

The espionage in civ 4 is nicely done, it is powerful enough to provide a basis for your global victory, but you could happily choose to ignore it completely or do anything in between without shooting yourself in the foot

The only big weakness in the civ 4 espionage sysem lies in the AI, its absolutely usless with it

 

[Willem]

Personally, I find that using spies to sabotage enemy resources can be a very powerful technique, allowing you to wreck your enemy's infrastructure. Go for his grainfields to slow his city growth and ruin his health, for his luxury resources to make his cities unhappy, for his copper and iron to reduce production (and in the earlier game spoil his unit availability), and in the later game make oil and aluminium your targets.

One key to this though is not to go in with just a single Spy. Place several on a resource and keep pillaging it as soon as the Workers have finished rebuilding the improvement. Otherwise it's kind of a waste of time, you'll only put the resource out of commission for a few turns, not really enough to have much of an impact. Plus there's the chance that a Spy's mission will fail. And if you have a few Spies hanging around waiting for the improvement to be rebuilt, your cost for the mission will go down.

 

[Sincro]

If your goal is to pillage improvements, then mounted units (or anything with a move rate of 2) becomes your best friend. Stack a horse archer with a spearman and a maceman, and as that stack of three moves around, the horse archer is free each turn to pillage something, since it has an extra movement point. Knight/pikeman/crossbowman and cavalry/rifleman/grenadier stacks provide the same option in the later game. Modern era units have the uber-pillager, gunships, which can move and pillage off 3 things in 1 turn, or move/pillage then move/pillage again. Nothing beats a horde of gunships for rapidly reducing enemy or unowned tiles to nothing. Just don't let any SAM Infantry get near em.

Also, it is often worthwhile to pillage off enemy roads, even tho you get no gold, as it slows down how rapidly they can reinforce. Your mileage may vary.

For the French, their UU (Musketeer iirc) is especially good during it's brief time of relevance, since it's one of the very few units that has a move of two and gets defensive bonuses. The Spanish Conquistador is another great one for this. Keshiks (mongol unit) also have an innate advantage for pillaging, since they can move two squares a turn anywhere, since they ignore terrain requirements.

-Sinc

 

[Birdman6]

Stack a horse archer with a spearman and a maceman, and as that stack of three moves around, the horse archer is free each turn to pillage something, since it has an extra movement point.
-Sinc

What's the point of stacking a spearman/maceman if they don't end the turn on the same tile as your horse archer?

 

[Bushface]

Spear, mace and horse move together, one tile. Then the horse uses its extra movement point to pillage. All three units stay on the same tile.

As for using spies, Willem is correct in saying that it's safer to use them in multiples, in case the first one fails. However, this could leave the extra(s) with nothing to do that turn if the first one succeeds. But I don't agree with Birdman on sabotaging non-resource farms (unless there's nothing better within range) as this will only affect one city, whereas knocking out your enemy's grain farms not only has a bigger effect on the local city but affects his whole empire

 

[Birdman6]

Spear, mace and horse move together, one tile. Then the horse uses its extra movement point to pillage. All three units stay on the same tile.

Gotcha thanks

But I don't agree with Birdman on sabotaging non-resource farms (unless there's nothing better within range) as this will only affect one city, whereas knocking out your enemy's grain farms not only has a bigger effect on the local city but affects his whole empire

By grain farms I assume you mean special resources like wheat or corn? Not sure you understood my post...I would first knock out special resouces and then farms (as opposed to mines, mills, cottages, etc.).

 

[Camikaze]

I disagree with you on the order. Unique resources should go first, but for me second priority is farms. Without enough food the target city starves, loses population, suffers from unhappiness, and is unable to work its land. This results in loss of commerce and production. The city can no longer build new units to defend itself and its multiplier buildings become relatively useless. If you're able to pillage quickly, all of this happens in a matter of 2-3 turns. In terms of detriment to the enemy, pillaging farms is like pillaging all the tiles at once.

I guess it depends on whether you are going for personal profit over weakening your enemy, or vice versa. If you are running out of cash to supply your army, then go for cottages, as this will sustain your ability to attack whilst weakening enemy commerce and research. If you want to inflict real damage on your enemy more so than you want to profit from pillaging, then go for farms. But personally, I usually go for the former. It is more about giving yourself an advantage whilst disadvantaging your enemy, rather than only giving your enemy a disadvantage, albeit a larger one.