It defies sense, totally.

[Andre]

A few of my VETERAN spearmen had just fallen repeatedly to REGULAR archers with the chance for victory being roughly 50% for each side(2/2+2). And those archers didn't even take a single point of damage when they should logically have....it doesn't make any freaking bloody blasted sense at all....

BTW, both units were battling on the plains with no defensive bonuses to either side

 

[Dell19]

Next time your spearmen may be the lucky ones, and kill all the archers without losing any health. The combat is random and so sometimes you will have a winning run and sometimes they will have a winning run.

 

[Andre]

next time? I doubt that there will be one....that's why man---itz all so sickeningly unstable

 

[Dell19]

So are you never going to play Civ again then? Next time you should use more varied troops so even if you lose some spearmen, you can gain your revenge on the next turn.

 

[Andre]

Varied troops? I dun have anything much else, anyway....jags only have an attack and defense value of 1....and archers? Nah...they won't last for long, either...

 

[damunzy]

The combat is a bit flaky in Civ3...but I have won combats where I should have. I attacked with a veteran Mech Inf versus a vet Mech Inf that was fortified in size 12+ city and I won with only 1 hp lost. You just have to accept that combat isn't a neat little package like Civ2...it is more like it is a gift wrapped by a man.

 

[Andre]

but that is what I practically can't stand....the great uncertainty...dang it

 

[Graeme the mad]

Uncertainty is real in warfare man - no battle is certain and I think spearmen beating arcyhers or warriors beating spearmen is fair enough - neither side has oncredibly advanced, weapons - in acient history such things often happened.
Its what makes civ fun

 

[Andre]

fun?addictive? but they just keep falling unendingly.....

 

[Shabbaman]

Well, to be accurate, the chances are more like 30/70, so that makes it even stranger. But you say 'repeatedly'. Do you mean like 'reloading' or like 'I had about 100 spearmen who got beaten up by 1 archer'?

Because reloading doesn't change the outcome of the battle. 2 spearmen beaten by archers is still a fair chance.

 

[Andre]

it's like when 3 or 4 spearmen fall to regular archers on 3 separate occasions....continously....and it's really too much for me to bear

 

[Graeme the mad]

What are you on andre? - each time its a 50, 50 chance that the spearmen will win.

How many times have the spermen won?? Lots I imagine, probably about 50% of the time

 

[Dell19]

Originally posted by Graeme the mad
What are you on andre? - each time its a 50, 50 chance that the spearmen will win.

How many times have the spermen won?? Lots I imagine, probably about 50% of the time

Yeah but those victories don't count, because he deserved to win those battles...

 

[Andre]

The spearmen didn't win AT ALL! Not even once! And defending spearmen are seemingly almost unbeatable...I mean-- veteran and elite spearmen, archers and warriors didn't stand any chance against them AT ALL....bloodily flawed game they call civilization...

 

[Shabbaman]

Think of it this way: now we're talking of unbeatable archers instead of The Unbeatable Spearman.

My advice: get a Panzer.

 

[Andre]

Gimme a break. I'm only in ancient.

 

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by Andre
The spearmen didn't win AT ALL! Not even once! And defending spearmen are seemingly almost unbeatable...I mean-- veteran and elite spearmen, archers and warriors didn't stand any chance against them AT ALL....bloodily flawed game they call civilization...

If you have elite spearmen, it means they did win battles.

Don't lose hope Andre. Start another game -- at a lower level -- and try again. You are probably being overwhelmed by details of the game and numbers of the enemy. If you post a game, there are many who would be happy to give you tips. (Hint: You have to zip the game first, to post it.) It is worth the effort.

 

[Andre]

yea...they did win battles before, but those were only against unskilled native barbarian tribes and not vs true soldiers of skilled and capable kind

 

[ainwood]

Originally posted by Andre
A few of my VETERAN spearmen had just fallen repeatedly to REGULAR archers with the chance for victory being roughly 50% for each side(2/2+2). And those archers didn't even take a single point of damage when they should logically have....it doesn't make any freaking bloody blasted sense at all....

BTW, both units were battling on the plains with no defensive bonuses to either side

I suggest that you ask to have this threaad merged with your other one on the same subject.

 

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by Andre
yea...they did win battles before, but those were only against unskilled native barbarian tribes and not vs true soldiers of skilled and capable kind

Do you understand the basic combat system? If you right-click on a unit, it will give its combat values. For instance, Spearman 1/2. That means, it is one on attack and two on defense. Spearmen are defensive units. Warriors are 1/1. That means they aren't worth much, but they do upgrade to swordsmen. Horsemen, 2/1. That means they are attack units. Attack, retreat to heal, and attack again.

Do you have horses? You are probably attacking before you are ready. Try expanding to fill all the arable land that is available. Generally, on a standard map with standard number of civs, you need 5-10 towns. What level are you playing? Are you playing standard everything? No mods?