How to win a conquest victory?

[check2011]

Greetings,

I had started a 1 on 1, conquest victory only, against Gandhi, thinking I'd have an easy time winning. I'd wait till I had thirty or so ICBMs and then go to war.

We both had ~50 cities and there was no more land to be taken. I had the thirty or so ICBMs I wanted, as well as some mechanized infantry units, and decided to attack some of his cities that were on the same continent as most of mine.

All but like 2 of my ICBMs were "shot down" by Gandhi. So I can throw that idea out the window. If I were to mass those mechanized units as well as tanks, then swarm his city, would that work? How am I supposed to take him down, when all his units have been fortified on his cities for the past 100 years (which adds the defensive bonus to them), and all my ICBMs get shot down?

Also, he got "Modern Armor" around the year 2000. I Googled it, and it appeared that both players could have Modern Armor units at the same time. Yet it wasn't given as an option in any city's build menu. What gives?

Thanks!

 

[Turquoiside]

Modern Armors require you to research Computers AND Composites, as well as having Aluminum and Oil, although judging by the size of your empire I'd say your problem is the former. If you were wondering, Ghandi had built the SDI which gives him a 75% chance to shoot down your ICBMs. As a workaround, you can build Tactical Nukes which had a 50% chance(?) to evade the SDI.

 

[Archon_Wing]

Once SDI gets built, ICBMs become pretty poop; stick some tac nukes on subs and go.

Also, air power. Bombers will take down enemy ground in a hurry, though you will need fighters to combat enemy aircraft.

 

[God-Emperor]

To build modern armor you need two techs: Composites and Computers. You also need to have both the Oil and Aluminum resources. The year has nothing to do with it.

The SDI national wonder gives a 75% chance of shooting down each ICBM. Tactical nukes have a lower change of being shot down (half the chance, which would be 37.5%) and are therefore much better if your opponent has built his SDI. They also cost less to make, but have a rather limited range. One tactical nuke getting through can mess up a whole stack of units enough to make wiping the survivors out easy (as long as you so it before you are nuked in return).

By the way: armor units don't get defensive bonuses, so they are not as good at defending cities as you might think. Also, helicopter gunships have a fair chance of killing them (Strength 24 + 100% bonus vs. armor units for total of 48 compared to str 40 modern armor) and only cost 2/3 as much - of course, they tend to get shredded by mechanized infantry.

Mobile artillery is quite nice for softening up the enemy too. Bring a lot.

 

[oldskald]

Some good advice in the posts above. There are really two options, each depending on taste, which can work very effectively in the late game:

1) Tactical Nukes (as mentioned above) + Paratroopers and units with Commando promotions. This can wipe out defending units and enable your conventional forces to walk into an enemy city. This tactic is particularly useful when you raze the cities thus captured. Commando promoted units can strike very deep into enemy territory and capture more than 1 undefended enemy city per turn (depending on geography). Losses here will be your nuke force (as each nuke is only one-use).

2) Combined Arms - Bombers, Armour, Mobile Support Units (Mechanized Infantry, Mobile Artillery, Mobile SAM). Combined Arms forces can also be backed up by Naval Task Forces to take out coastal cities. The basic idea is bomb the hell out of cultural defences and defenders, then send fast "panzer" attacks deep into enemy territory to take out his cities. Losses here will be mostly amongst the bomber force.

Which one you choose could depend on different factors - hammer investment you are prepared to make in the two types of forces, the speed at which you want to conquer, your assessment of the strength of the defence, the hammers you are prepared to lose from using one-use nukes vs bomber losses. Personally I prefer option 2, largely because I find it more of a tactical challenge, however both options are effective.

You will find forum members willing to defend their choice of options 1 or 2 (or variants) to the maximum. I suggest trying both choices and seeing which you feel more comfortable with.

 

[s.bernbaum]

oldskald's method #2 works great. That is the way that I do it, as well. I don't like nukes in the game at all and usually try to build the UN, get elected Sec Gen and then choose the vote to ban nukes. If there are a lot of coastal cities, I'll send in a fleet loaded with marines and air craft carriers, along with enough battleships/missile cruisers and destroyers to wipe out the cultural defense in one go. Then the fighters soften up the defenders and the marines take the city.

 

[check2011]

Thanks for the advice!

A few small questions remain - how do I make the tactical nukes? Once they're made, how do I attach them to a submarine?

Also, I've yet to see paratroopers in my build menu (even though I have everything researched) - am I just over looking them? And finally, about the Commando promotions - is it possible to promote units without having them be used in battle first, and if so, how?

Thanks!

 

[Archon_Wing]

The interface is terrible; modern war is fun, but carrying it out is not.

You must have the submarine and missile (guided or tac nuke) in the same city.Then click on the desired missile and click load.

You can use missile cruisers the same way too.

 

[sydhe]

Thanks for the advice!

A few small questions remain - how do I make the tactical nukes? Once they're made, how do I attach them to a submarine?

Also, I've yet to see paratroopers in my build menu (even though I have everything researched) - am I just over looking them? And finally, about the Commando promotions - is it possible to promote units without having them be used in battle first, and if so, how?

Thanks!

Yes, if I understand you properly. I'll often stock up on triremes and upgrade them to caravels when I get optics, or continue to build macemen, give them city raider promotions then immediately upgrade them to grenadiers. (You can still build triremes until you get chemistry, and macemen until you get rifling, even if you are also building caravels and grenadiers.) You don't need combat experience provided you have barracks.

 

[check2011]

Thanks, I'll give that a shot.

About the tactical nukes - this site (http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/preview/nukes.php) says that tactical nukes aren't in Civ IV (third paragraph under Constructing Nuclear Weapons). Is that accurate?

 

[God-Emperor]

Tactical Nukes are added in the Beyond the Sword expansion. They require Fission and Rocketry (and the Uranium resource, of course).

 

[s.bernbaum]

If you are not playing BTS, that is you are playing the original (or "vanilla") or Warlords, then you will not have paratroopers. They were also added in BTS.