How Do You Conduct A "Police Action" War?

[Tony Montana]

I'm pretty new to these boards. As you can probably tell, I am NOT a complete novice, I have been playing for at least one year, but I know I am not by all means a veteran.

I was wondering, how do you conduct war? I play my games usually on the easiest difficulty and least aggressive, I turn all of the victory conditions off so that my game can theoretically go on forever. Since it's so easy at this level, I am usually the country that becomes the superpower AKA the "World Police"

I'm against taking over cities and then "installing a new governor" and then keeping that city as a part of my empire for the rest of the game. I believe different nationalities should belong to that respective country.
I also cannot "raze" the city because that would be massacring all the citizens, thus almost like "ethnic cleansing" and I would take a rep hit.

And since "installing a governor" is my only option. It's only fair of meto give the cities back to that country in the end. (Think about WWI, where Britian/USA basically gave Germany's captured cities back to them and not keeping it for themselves. Same applies in WWII) When I do this, all the lives of my soldiers seems just like a waste as they died for no reason at all, only for the cities they fought for to be given back.

So the question is, from a "liberators" and "world police state"'s view, HOW DO YOU CONDUCT A "POLICE ACTION" WAR???

 

[IglooDame]

Well, first off, welcome to CFC!


To answer your question, we don't conduct police actions. We conduct wars.

 

[Colonel]

Welcome to the fold...............

Police Actions are useless. If they resist raze the city as an example for the rest to fall in line!!!!!!!!!! After you raze the city take as you please and then say tough luck to the enemy people. Also a key note everyone includeing your allies our your enemies, everything must eventually come under your direct control.

To answer your question, If you are weak and want to do police actions work take 4 or 5 cities (dependant on size), then keep 1 or 2 (dependant on size) for future possible "Police Actions" solves both the problem with loseing soilder for no reason, and creates the ability for future actions

 

[Tony Montana]

If someone delares war on you, and then you invade and take most of their cities, does handing all of their cities back when they surrender do anything to your reputation? Does keeping the cities do anything to your reputation?

 

[The Omega]

Police action wars are useless. If you go to war, the point is to completely smash the enemy, using any mean necessary. I've dropped nukes on my own men to stop invading armies. Also, you're been playing for a year and you're still at teh chieftan?!?!?!?! Civ isn't like other games, where you can stay at the easiest difficutly level and have fun. Most of the fun in the game is when you're finally good enough to try the next difficutly level, and you actually have a challenge for once. Also, chieften teaches lots of really bad habits, eapecially if you play on it for as long as you have. I'm not criticizing you, I'm just saying that staying at chieften issn't really a good idea.

 

[gunnerxtr]

i agree, move up to at least warlord and see some AI wars, it will at least be a little interesting

 

[Tony Montana]

Ah okay then, point taken. I guess the "playing for 1 year" is a bit of an overstatement, as I've HAD it for 1 year (playing it on and off)

But answer me this, does razing the cities give you a reputation hit?

 

[CrackedCrystal]

But answer me this, does razing the cities give you a reputation hit?

I affects their attitude, not your reputation. They are different things.

with a bad attitude, the AI just charges you more in trades and is more likely to declare war. A bad reputation means they will not accept per-turn trades like gold per turn, Right of passage, and luxuries.

In other words, you could have a horrible rep, but they are still gracious to you (because their attitude is good).

 

[gmaharriet]

I'm against taking over cities and then "installing a new governor" and then keeping that city as a part of my empire for the rest of the game. I believe different nationalities should belong to that respective country.
I also cannot "raze" the city because that would be massacring all the citizens, thus almost like "ethnic cleansing"

I just started playing last November and spent 6 weeks at Chieftain and having consistant cultural victories by using my "real world" ethics of live and let live, being nice to everyone.

At War Lord and above, it just doesn't work in this game, and I'm having to learn completely new strategies. Sadly, I guess it doesn't work very well in the real world either.

 

[Colonel]

Ethics get you no where, the only thing which teachs both in the real world and Civ is the sharp point of a sword!!!!!! Fight to the last is the only thing worthy of a true General!!!!!

 

[Tony Montana]

Okay, so in conclusion, you're saying that I CANNOT conduct a "Police Action" war? And that I should just "install a new governor"?

 

[Rik Meleet]

Yes, you have 2 options when "obtaining" a city; keep it or destroy it.

What you could do however, is gift cities to nations (including the one you obtained it from) through Diplomacy. Or in a peace-treaty.
Do remember that a city can't be traded for techs, gold, luxuries etc. If you want to make peace and get techs (or something else) and trade cities, the deal won't be accepted.

 

[Admiral8Q]

I know that if you raze a city you get an attitude hit, so what I usually do if I want to raze the city is install a new govenor, then abandon the city afterwards. I'm not sure if this is any different, could someone clear this up.

Edit: Nevermind, I read the FAQ

If you abandon a city that recently belonged to another civ, you get the same reputation as if you had razed the city when you captured it.

 

[gskyes]

I have done things like this before. These kind of wars will not help you win the game and will not help you become stronger (the opposite, actually). But they can be a fun diversion when you are the most powerful civ and are waiting for a cultural or spaceship win. When a stronger AI (civA) declares war on a weaker AI (civB), I would declare war on civA and sign right of passage with civB. Then I take civB's captured cities from civA and gift them back to civB.

Check out the stories forum and look for Daftpanzer's "Celtic Peacekeepers" story. He basically tried to "police" the world through wars and gifting back cities to those nations he defeated, while keeping some territory for himself. It's a good story, but unfortunately unfinished.

 

[CrackedCrystal]

Well, it will help you win, but it won't be enough to win. When you capture the city, many improvements are destroyed that the AI will now have to rebuild. Thus lost time for the AI.

Its a good way to knock them back a peg, but it won't win the game. You would have to go fro culture, diplo, or space win.

 

[colontos]

well i think you're talking about role-playing here, which is something that i do myself, sometimes taking actions that might not be the best in terms of game-winning strategy, but seem consistent with whatever ideology or government you're considering yourself as playing. it makes the game fun, and more challenging. i do wish that 'limited wars' were possible, where superpowers could fight wars with each other by proxy (like, say, the Korean War, which was more a war between the US and China/USSR than between north and south korea)

with regards to the question...if you give back cities, then did your soldiers die for nothing? in my view, this is the same as the real-world dilemma. countries that undertake police actions in the real world, and basically "gift" cities back after an occupation period, face the same kind of moral questions. makes the game more realistic!

 

[Admiral8Q]

I'm a bit of a role-player at Civ myself, like when I play the Germans I start a World War or two in the industrial age, as the Mongols or Vikings I tend to raze and pillage my enemies rather than capture cities. As the Russians I try to "unite" the world under Communism, as the English I try to settle a Comonwealth scattering of cities all over the globe and build up a large fleet of ships...