how many units per city do you usually have?

[jpowers]

I like to have 2 on the borders, 1 in the cities with wonders or big cities, 0 in minor internal cities and then two or three stacks of 20+ positioned at the borders, usually in a city, waiting to attack or defend. In the early game, I defend with horse-based units and make sure I have good road networks. I find it more useful to attack enemy stacks with multiple horses from other cities than to sit in my city hoping that spearman really can beat off a tank...

 

[Syiss]

Before rails I keep a couple defensive units in my border cities and offensive units scattered all over the place. Once I get rails all over the place I generally get rid of all my defensive units and just pump out offensive units and stack them. If the AI actually does declare war on me they wont take more than 1 or 2 unimportant border cities in the first turn, and then all their low defense offensive units are sittin right there ready for me to destroy.

 

[Chieftess]

0 units!? Easy picking indeed. ROP, then waltz units next to each city. Attack, and rinse. Game Over.

 

[col]

The hard part is ROP.

Might as well delete it from MP. No-one in their right mind would ever agree to one.

 

[DaDoo]

needless to say, people with 0 units in core cities should never sign ROP.

As for me, 2 per city minimum. At border cities near aggressive civs, 3-4 per city isn't uncommon. Before railroad, I try to keep my SoDs 2-3 turns away from the borders. After railroad, transporting units around is just much more easier. Also after railroad, I keep a SoCD(stack of certain defeat... mostly made up of nothing but artillary units) around for strictly homeland defense.

 

[warpstorm]

You don't need the ROP. Take a city use the roads/rails that are now yours to take the next.

 

[Pembroke]

Units in cities or units per cities?

Unless I am in despotism and need them to fight unrest I don't park my units IN the cities. Instead they are positioned so that I can quickly counter your invasion. Instead of me offering you 2 unit snacks to be gobbled up piecemeal you will face an immediate offensive of several divisions each sized 6-12 units depending on the Era.

Zero units in the cities does not mean they are defenseless.

ROP? What ROP? The AI gets _one_ chance to get out and then it's war. OTOH a human crosses a border only when he's about to attack and therefore it's an immediate declaration of war. (Hey, paranoids can sometimes be right, too! )

My strategy is to use defensive units to guard my attackers who form the actual national defense. Invasion is to be stopped immediately and then followed by a counter-strike.

If I manage to get the initiative I darned right won't give it up by sitting on my hands guarding the cities...

 

[Mad Bomber]

Warpstorm

If I am faced with a determined attack the first thing that will occur is the destruction of infrastructure along the axis of your advance. I am not worried about traditional invasions, what wories me are seaborne invasions, in PTW navies will be the one area that will become more useful.

 

[HotDog Fish]

At the begining of the game I keep about 1 unit or two, by Industrial I put two defenders on ALL my cities, and 3 to 4 with modern, I NEVER sign ROP, I NEVER trust the AI

 

[warpstorm]

Originally posted by Mad Bomber
Warpstorm

If I am faced with a determined attack the first thing that will occur is the destruction of infrastructure along the axis of your advance.

Good, then you've done half my job for me.

The thing I worry about is human alliances to bring me into a two (or more) front war. Protecting one border is much easier than two.

 

[Mad Bomber]

Warpstorm:

Yeah, the art of diplomacy will be crucial to PTW. The best CIV players wont be able to cope with a four front war against humans. .

 

[warpstorm]

But the best civ players won't usually be on the receiving end, will they? Like you said, real diplomacy will be something the best civ players will have to be able to do (or they won't be they best, they'll be the losers).

 

[Mad Bomber]

Warpstorm:

True, but coalitions could be formed against you simply because you are a good player.

 

[warpstorm]

The old tried and true attack the top dog strategy.

 

[col]

Reminds me of the good old days of Diplomacy. Ally then insert the knife at the precise moment your ally is committed elsewhere.

Beware the smyler with the knyf under his cloak (Chaucer)

 

[aneeshm]

Depends on city

Coastal

2 defensive
1 artillery
1 Fighter/Jet fighter/F-15
1 ICBM ( if I get the time)
1 battleship

Non-Coastal

Same as Coastal , minus battleship

 

[ThePrankMonkey]

hmmm intersting. right now in my new game im at war with russia, england, india (ok they're down to like 3 cities and they dont really count) and formerly china (i just signed a treaty with them, they had aluminum that i needed that they didnt know about because they were behind in tech and it was right next to my border!). because of the multiple attackers i built up my forces in fives. five mech infantry and five modern armor, i can defend and attack at the same time and not have to use the same unit twice in the same turn. this is working out quite well for me considering russia has a whooping coming to them for demanding a tech and declaring wear when i told ole chubby cheeks to go get bent on some vodka and eat a bowl of borst. i already took 4 of her cities and that was in two short rounds for me, she has yet to make any kind of significant move against me. i took her rubber so no more infantry for her! dont you just hate it when that happens? so far the best any of them can do is bombartd one of my lone island cities and england is not very good at it. i presently have a couple battlehips on the way to send ole pale and pasty's man-o-war's to davey jones' locker.


anyway......i'musing the rule of five. five defensive units and five offensive units per city. yes that seems like overkill but overkilll is working for me and i can still afford it. did i forget to mention i have iron works??? sucks to be the enemy!

 

[dominox]

Why do you keep so many units in your cities?

In ancient age, I keep 2-3 units in all cities. In most cities (except border cities) many of these units will be warriors just there to prevent unhappiness.

Later in game when I have covered with railroads, I fortify all border cities with as many units as I think I need, while I leave all cities that cannot be reached in 1 turn with NO units.
Oh.. on Deity...