What about Incan Quetcha ? +75% vs archer.
Also note that archer is defencive unit from ancient to midlages. So it must be strong or get whiped.
stronger melee/mounted units
Like strength 6 and +15% city raid is not a strong melee unit ?
Or Persian Immortal strength 4 +40% vs melee, +25% vs archery.
Or Romanum Legionarius strength 6 +15% city attack +20% vs melee.
Horse archer +25%(?) vs archery, +30% vs melee.
Cateprahts strength 7, quite good callateral damage.
Or forgotten war elephants strength 8 +40%(?) vs melee, +20%(?) vs archery and impresive collateral damage.
There are so many strong units, but you cant have em without resarching techs !
I dont know why, but i never have any problems conquering a city with 3 archers, even a walled city.
Maybe becouse i dont use chariots to attack cities, or i dont attack walled cities on hills.
Now that you mention it, i remember Civ III. Making 15 cavalaries and conquering 10 cities with only them.
all i'm sayin is archers need to be weakened. perhaps only +25% city defense
French and Celtic archers have +50% city defance.
Huntsman has only +25% becouse he has +25% defance vs Archer.
I learned better use of units and promotion in Diety, where i could not have much units, so i had to keep em well trained with "perfect" promotions. Of couse till Cyrus attacked me with stack of 27 immortals, 16 persian spearmans, 10 warriors and 4 mercenary archers... (now thats what you call a crowded promotion)
As for melee units attacking cities. Sometimes its better to have Combat I and Cover I than City Raider II.
And ever heared of Pyrrhic victory ? Why cant you have such Pyrrhic victory in the game as well ?
And last thing:
Know that if You cant capture his cities, He will have same (or atleast close) problems with capturing yours.
And if you Really want STRONG offencive units and WEAKER defencive, than why you want defencive units in the first place, when they get whiped out faster than getting them built !