I don't understand how to take over cities in CIV 5 - Tips appreciated

[Danieljames]

The tutorials are not so great, they don't explain HOW to take over a city, just the advantages of it.

I started off the campaign with Genghis Khan and the objective is to destroy 4 cities within 100 turns. After upgrading some units and moving 5 into positions on tiles adjacent to the city south of my starting point, I started to attack the city with my archers.

I got the city down to a minuscule amount of life (red bar), and kept attacking, yet the city would not destroy or I would not take over it. The bar just didn't go down any more and my army was slowly killed off. I don't understand why? How do I liberate/destroy the city to meet my objective?

 

[notadummy]

you need to attack it with a melee unit, like a warrior, not just a ranged unit to capture it

 

[pxpdoo]

you need to attack it with a melee unit, like a warrior, not just a ranged unit to capture it

Correct. Archers and artillery aren't trained or equipped for the close-in fighting, like to search houses room-to-room. Melee (and/or or mounted) units would be.

 

[renkenbd]

I usually try to reduce with multiple ranged units (bows), as they can retreat easier. I bring at least one melee unit to actually "take" the city (as stated earlier, you have to use a melee unit as ranged units cannot take a city), sine the melee unit frequently cannot retreat out of range quick enough.

 

[renkenbd]

Oh... and though it doesn't apply to the scenario you are playing, i discovered that helicopters also cannot take cities, even though the fight like melee units. I thought they used to be able to, but i couldn't do it in one of the last games i played. Ironically, they were able to reduce it beyond that magical point past which other units can never seem to reduce a city (that "little red sliver"); the helicopters reduced the cities to COMPLETELY NOTHING... and yet could not enter the city to take it.

 

[notadummy]

Oh... and though it doesn't apply to the scenario you are playing, i discovered that helicopters also cannot take cities, even though the fight like melee units. I thought they used to be able to, but i couldn't do it in one of the last games i played. Ironically, they were able to reduce it beyond that magical point past which other units can never seem to reduce a city (that "little red sliver"); the helicopters reduced the cities to COMPLETELY NOTHING... and yet could not enter the city to take it.

I had an even worse experience...playing as india on my first civ game EVER...spent 60 turns bombarding seoul (the city state) wondering why it just wouldnt fall ...then a thought occurred to me...maybe I need a melee unit.....oh......facepalm

 

[headcase]

As said you need to finish the last 1HP with a melee unit, but typically you will want some ranged units (preferably siege units) backing up your team of melee units.

It really takes practice to learn what is and is not likely to take a city, given the opponent's units, unit placement, and city defence. The terrain matters a lot too. Rough terrain means more counter-attacks before reaching the city, crossing rivers means more damage for your melee units and less for the city. Bottlenecks caused by mountains and oceans are usually pretty bad news for invasion plans.

 

[HurleyReyes]

Surround the city with Melee units and have another layer of ranged units behind it such as Archers or even Naval Units. Make the units attack the city until the red bar on top of the city's name is depleted.