Need help with a 100 - unit stack!!!

[sgrig]

Well, actually its 104 units in one stack...

The strory is as following:

I began an invasion of a distant continent, using an off-shore island as a base. For many turns I bombarded coastal enemy city New Shanghai until it was down to size 1 with virtually no improvements, so then I began an amphibous landing operation which went smoothly and I captured the city with no problem. I need this city as a base for further advancement into the continent.

However... The next turn I find three enemy stacks right next to this city.

A German (China's allies) stack with 3 riflemen, 3 cavalry
A Chinese stack with 2 Mech Inf and 8 Infantry
And... a Chinese stack with 85 Infantry and 19 Mech Inf !!!

They also have a few infantries hanging around the area...
Now the question is, do I abandon the city and evacuate my troops or do I stand ground?

My troops withing range are the following:

19 Mech Inf
12 Modern Armour
4 Marines

2 Battleships
3 Destroyers
2 Frigates

11 Bombers
3 Jet Fighters

Plus maybe a few more the next turn.
Most of my and enemy units are veteran.

I am playing with edited rules, such that Infantry has attack 8, Modern Armour has bombard 12, range 1, rof 2, bombers have bombard 10, rof 4, jet fighters have bombard 8, rof 2. The hitpoints are increased so that Consript =3, Regular =4, Veteran = 5, Elite = 7. Also naval movement is increased.

What should I do? Do I stand a chance against this horde?

Oh yeah, and the city is rioting, but resistance over ....

 

[Shaitan]

Stick it out. Rush a barracks then walls. Fortify all units in the city. Bombard the stack every chance you get. When infantry starts popping up on top of the stack take them out with your modern armor. It would be nice if you had some artillery but you should be okay with your bombers and modified modern armor.

 

[Sixchan]

I wanna see a screenshot of that Stack!

 

[sgrig]

Here's a screenshot

Edit: Did not work, I'll try again

 

[sgrig]

For some reason when I try to upload or attach the screenshot, it gives me a 'page not found' error

 

[Dinorius R.]

Don't be a hero, you crazy young fool.

Run. Run for the hills, you'll be lucky to get out of there with your pants on.

Dinorius Redundicus (The Chicken Man).

 

[sgrig]

Originally posted by Shaitan
Stick it out. Rush a barracks then walls. Fortify all units in the city. Bombard the stack every chance you get. When infantry starts popping up on top of the stack take them out with your modern armor. It would be nice if you had some artillery but you should be okay with your bombers and modified modern armor.

Ok, thanks for the encouragement! I will try and hold out!

:tank: :ak47: :shotgun:

Anyway, if I lose I will be able to escape to Alpha Centuri on my spaceship in 4 turns!

 

[chiefpaco]

I'm suspicious of the new offensive/defensive flags support. I've noticed really large stacks of AI rilfemen & infantry invade my territory. However, very very few cavalry (or other pure offensive units). Like in the proportions of what you're witnessing.

Does the AI not build the cavalry because it can build either a cheaper offensive and defensive unit? Does it not build it because the rifleman is cheaper and offensive? If so, I think it is a problem.

I've also noticed much larger stacks too. I increased the tech rate to slow down the game, but have noticed way, way more units. Stacks of > 30 infantry invading my land. I have never seen that before. I thought it was just because of slower tech advances, the AI would run out of things to build, but if you are noticing it too...

However, in my current game, with 3 of these really large stacks, my opponent was not interested in any of the border cities, even though they could take which ever and how many they wish. They could have wiped me out with that force! I was truly outgunned. They spent 12 turns crossing my empire to take 1 town & 1 city on the other side, and then guard them with a lone damaged rifleman & move on. They were in a democracy so I was able to retake the cities & get peace because they were getting tired of war. If only the AI knew what power they had...

 

[Sullla]

The difference is that now under 1.21f the AI classifies riflemen and infantry as both offensive and defensive units. The other civs always built a million of these units and virtually no offensive units like cavalry or tanks, but now instead of putting 2 or 3 of them in each city, they are sending them out in big stacks when at war. This does mean, however, that there are fewer defenders in each city. Overall it makes the AI a much tougher opponent compared to before, when most of their forces just huddled in cities waiting to be destroyed.

 

[sgrig]

I actually survived the first round!!!

I counted the losses:

I lost:

16 Mech Infs
6 Modern Armours
2 Marines

My enemies lost:
79 Infantry
7 Mech Inf
4 Cavalry


Actually my first loss occured after my Mech Infs destroyed 41 (!!) infantry units. However near the end most of my defenders only had 1 or 2 hp left, so my casualties started piling up. At one point I thought that I'm not going to survive this, but the enemy attack finally stopped!

In addition, all of my surviving units are now elite (albeit with 1 hp each!) and I got a leader as well!

 

[Shaitan]

Sweetness. You've almost got him to parity then. Heal up those units, use the bombers to discourage his remaining forces from attacking and you should be sitting pretty.

 

[Mavfin]

This would be one of the times that I would have decided my course, i.e. stay or go, saved the game, and played on just to see what happened. If I had decided I was going to leave the city, I would have reloaded and done so regardless of the outcome, but I would have *had* to see the battle.

This also highlights a difference between the AI defense and a human (or at least my) defense post-rail. If I had the resources to make that big a stack of infantry for defense (remember, I'm putting myself in the AI's shoes in this post), it would have had quite a few less infantry and a *lot* more artillery. That's my defense strategy post-rail for AI landings/incursions in my territory. I always have a stack of arty/inf(mech if available) around my territory for defense. AI lands, I zip the arty there, shell them to 1 hp, and kill them with the inf/mechs/tanks if I have them!

If *I* was running the AI instead of the computer, you would have had nothing left. That highlights an important difference. (I don't mean to say I'm a better player than you, but I can think strategically better than an AI can...I hope)

Cool post!

 

[dikwhit]

I am saddened, disappointed and even disgusted . A 100 stack square and no one suggests a simple 4-letter word.

ICBM





much easier.... and dependeing on the placement you might clean up 1 or both of the other stacks as well.

 

[CrazyDuck]

lol I'll have to try a ICBM on my enemys 56 stack in my current game

 

[MummyMan]

The only problem of launching an ICBM would be if the stacks were close to your city or your units, then they would be wiped out. Unless they had anit-nuke armor on, like the Men-o-war in my game.

 

[sgrig]

I thought of using an ICBM, but the stack was right next to my city - so I would suffer large casualties as well! The overall outcome would probably be the same as in what I did.

According to the military advisor, the Chinese lost almost half of their army!!

 

[God]

What city was next to the stack. Unless it was your core city its worth the risk of firing the ICBM. The pollution can be easily handled by your workers.

 

[friedmad]

Originally posted by Sullla
The difference is that now under 1.21f the AI classifies riflemen and infantry as both offensive and defensive units. The other civs always built a million of these units and virtually no offensive units like cavalry or tanks, but now instead of putting 2 or 3 of them in each city, they are sending them out in big stacks when at war. This does mean, however, that there are fewer defenders in each city. Overall it makes the AI a much tougher opponent compared to before, when most of their forces just huddled in cities waiting to be destroyed.

I actually would build hordes of infantry instead of cavalry for a couple reasons:

10 vs 3 defense;
upgradable;
when attacking rival cities, you dont find your forces as stretched out as with cavalry;
infantry dont require saltpeter (for some bizarre reason...). so on maps with sparse resources theyre better

 

[sgrig]

Originally posted by God
What city was next to the stack. Unless it was your core city its worth the risk of firing the ICBM. The pollution can be easily handled by your workers.

It was the city which I was defending - I captured from the Chinese a turn before.

I was worried that lots of my units in the city would be damaged if I nuked the enemy stack.

 

[grantnoelsucks]

You think that is a lot, In my current game The persians, my neighbors, have over 600 mechanized infantry and invaded me with several 100 unit stacks, Not sure if anyone else has brought this up but that seems to be happening a lot when you turn corruption way down. I turned it down to 40% in my game.