Mech Inf VS Mod Arm

[JMK]

Just like infantry and tanks, or spearman and archers. The same principle for the whole game.

When you compare Spearman and Archer, you compare two units moving at the same speed, furtheremore the archer can not retreat after the attack, so their come the spearman. Also both units are available in the same time.
Tanks will be available much later than Infantry (about 8 techs later), also Tanks are moving just twice as fast as Infantry (inside enemy territory), who can aford to loose the speed for the confort of a better defense?
If I am building fast units, it is because I need to move fast, otherwise I will build Infantry and Artillery, that could be used either for defense or attack.

 

[allhailIndia]

At higher levels the AI is a little more smarter with its counterattacks and it is usually wise to carry artillery and infantry/Mech Inf. along. Often, the tech gap isn't always huge and if the AI comes back at your Modern Armour with Tanks and Artillery, they can still cause serious damage.

More importantly, AI cities will be at metro levels when you attack them with MA, and it is difficult to dislodge even 3-4 MI with 3 times as many MA without bombardment. To protect the artillery you have to have some MI.

 

[techbota]

At the time MI and/or MA are available, most of my deity games are over.

LOL on warlord I am just able to start winning but never before future tech and a long drawn out battle. Right now im trying a war game getting attacks started earlier than usual although its really not that fun AND I cant seem to get out of war. Im into it with 2-3 civs at all times and having to ally with others to defend myself. So far its been never ending.

 

[dmanakho]

Look at GOTM and SG forums, play few SG games and you will learn how to beat AIs on Monarch without advancing to Medieval Ages in no time

 

[LionQ]

The point in the game were you usually win also depends on the map size and number of opponents. I regularly play on a Huge Map with 15 opponents, making an early win hard.

 

[dmanakho]

The point in the game were you usually win also depends on the map size and number of opponents. I regularly play on a Huge Map with 15 opponents, making an early win hard.

Yep, it is quite impossible actually to have an early win on huge map.
I love huge maps but i never play them since it often takes 30min to an hour to make a single turn.
Hopefully it will be resolved in Civ.IV

 

[LionQ]

Yep, it is quite impossible actually to have an early win on huge map.
I love huge maps but i never play them since it often takes 30min to an hour to make a single turn.
Hopefully it will be resolved in Civ.IV

, a turn on a Huge Map normally takes 3 minutes here...

 

[Pentium]

There was a thread about it...

OK JMK, you can take horsemen and spearmen. I'm trying to say that it's always the best to take both attack and defence units with you. If you attack you over-see neighbour with 8 tanks out of transport, they will get killed the same turn.

Edit: I did it once because my inf transport was a a turn behind.

 

[Admiral8Q]

Mech Inf vs Modern Armour is a tough call. MI should be used purely as a defensive unit, wheras MA is better as an offensive one. The advantage of MI over MA is that it's cheaper, so better to defend offensive armies, key points and cities. Another advantage for MI is that you can upgrade all your defensive units to it. MA is by far better for attack and counter attack, but costs more to build.

As Pentium stated, its like the spearman/horseman combo.

If you attack you over-see neighbour with 8 tanks out of transport, they will get killed the same turn. I did it once because my inf transport was a a turn behind.

Heheh, got impatient did you?

 

[Pentium]

Until you have Synthetic, you shuld build MI. When you get it, build only MA and you have both. Then go to war (if it's not too late). That's my tactic.

@Admiral8Q: Yeah, I did.

 

[Theoden]

You would do that when you capture AI city, want to decrease pop fast and can't do pop rushing...
You can draft conscript MI and then disband them immediately for production shields or use as an extra MP to prevent flip. it is a win-win situation.

Just remember that you can only draft native citizens, so you would have to make the city grow before you could do so.

 

[LulThyme]

At higher levels the AI is a little more smarter with its counterattacks and it is usually wise to carry artillery and infantry/Mech Inf. along. Often, the tech gap isn't always huge and if the AI comes back at your Modern Armour with Tanks and Artillery, they can still cause serious damage.

More importantly, AI cities will be at metro levels when you attack them with MA, and it is difficult to dislodge even 3-4 MI with 3 times as many MA without bombardment. To protect the artillery you have to have some MI.

Im not sure but I dont think the AI is actually smarter at higher levels, he just has more units with which to counter attack

 

[allhailIndia]

All the same I haven't found it that easy to blitz my way through enemy territory at higher levels mainly because I have to keep backing up my assault forces (Cavalry/Tanks/MA) with enough defensive troops (Infantry/MI) or else I get bogged down with counterattacks destroying too mnay of the elite assault troops.

 

[Pentium]

That's why SoD's are better. You need less backup if you have all offensive units together.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Why would you ever have MAs?
For Domination, not even Tanks are required (but usually helppful for the last blow).
For Diplo, you need exactly one Modern Tech.
For Space, Syn Fibres should be the very last tech to research...

And, if you simply want them since they rock, you should also have Radar Artillery...those rock, too .
MI are usefull units, though. And Computers is a useful tech.

 

[Woody]

Why would you ever have MAs?

Well in the game I just played my army with 300 modern armors attacked the netherlands and killed 100 MI's 50 tanks and numerous other units and captured 24 cities, including the capitol(destroying the spaceship they had just started), on the first turn of the war. This also left all roads and mines intact so I recieved instant benifit of three luxury goods I didnt previously have that were controlled by cities I captured. Seemed like a good us for modern armor to me.

Modern armor might not be the most effecient way to wage war but it is sure the fastest. If it wasnt for a half a dozen cites stuck down in the tundra this war would have only lasted three turns, with the tundra cities it took six to wipe them out completely. This made it easy to stay in democracy since war werriness had little time to add up. Also since it was a quick war only one city culture flipped on me and it was instantly retaken by more MA coming up in reserve.

PS emporor lever, huge map 16 civs.

 

[Tomoyo]

For Space, Syn Fibres should be the very last tech to research...

Not exactly. The exterior casing prebuild is hard to time if you have a small empire because it's the most expensive. I learned that the hard way in GOTM38.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Ok, this is a good point; however, Robotics should come first, simply because the ManuPlant will help you in exactly that case...

Woody: I don't say MAs are bad units; but it is extremely rare you'd need them, unless you were to lazy to do that job earlier.
Taking an AI capital in a Space Race can be a good use for MAs - but against the Dutch, a stack of Bombers and a single Marine would have done the trick more efficient, I bet .

 

[Tomoyo]

...not if they started on a 22 tile lake...

 

[rupertlittlebea]

Once had a stack of over 100 bowmen/archers committ suicide against a city with 8 MI. They nearly managed to take the city.