On the Defensive

[Krystal Pistol]

OK, I'm still trying to implement some of the great strategies I've learned here and get a feel for what my playing style is. I'm playing on Chieftain, as the Babylonians, as many have suggested. I'd say that so far, I seem to be a builder type.
The problem is, I'm on the same continent as the Hittites, and they keeping declaring war on me and upsetting my neat little plans.
I've just discovered flight, which they don't have yet, and have most of my cities hurriedly building bombers.
What I'm looking for is some advice on a good defensive strategy for fending off warlike neighbors. What are some good ways to defend my cities besides just loading them with units (which I have already done, and their units seem to always kick my ass)?
I'm in Democracy, so my people are getting really sick of war (and I understand, cause I am, too).
Help me, wise gurus....

 

[rickyson1]

the best defense is a good offense,,and also democracy isnt worth it most of the time because it isnt that much better than republic and it has way higher war weariness

 

[Krystal Pistol]

Hmmmm....I think I posted this in the wrong forum. Maybe a mod can move it up to Strat & Tips main for me. And I'm not playing in Chieftain, I'm in Warlord. I've amassed a massive army and a respectable navy and small air force now. I took some cities away from them then sued for peace and got it. But I know they'll be back at me soon enough. Rome and Portugal have a MPP and an MA against them, so maybe that'll keep them busy for a bit. Now the Mayans have gotten way ahead of me in techs, and for some reason, everyone is either Annoyed or Furious with me .

 

[ellie]

Have you razed any cities? Or broken any agreements?.
Both tend to upset the AI.

Of course the AI can be angry for no apparent reason as well.

For defense, i prefer offensive units as well as defensive. If a city is pure defense its a punchbag imho. The key tho for defending an empire imho is railroads. If your empire is railroaded you can move in reinforcments instantly and are almost impossible to kill.

Artillery is great for offensive defence with a railroaded empire you can easily have all your arty bomb the heck out of any units that try to invade, making them easy to finish off with your offensive units.

 

[Krystal Pistol]

Well, I have razed some cities, but it was an accident, I'd have much preferred to keep them. I don't know of any agreements I've broken, unless signing a peace treaty while in a MA counts?

 

[rysingsun]

Well, I have I don't know of any agreements I've broken, unless signing a peace treaty while in a MA counts?

yeah, that counts

 

[Krystal Pistol]

Ah, those AIs are so sensitive.

 

[Mirc]

Also you rep will go down if you have a deal with someone (peace treaty, lux trade, MA, MPP, gpt, or anything) any any of these deals break (e.g. if someone ELSE destroyes that civ).

Anyway, on Warlord you'll be soon able to be always way ahead the others in techs.

 

[Krystal Pistol]

Anyway, on Warlord you'll be soon able to be always way ahead the others in techs.

Now, don't go assuming I have a clue what I'm doing.

 

[theskibum]

my two cents (although I am just to the point now where I think I can win on regent, my current Ottoman game is going swimmingly!).

Defend with offense.
As others said Railroad, all cities must be connected with railroads, move artillery stacks around to whatever city the AI is going after, bomb the hell out of them. Your new bomber airforce has a sweet ability to lethal bomb, so bomb the crap out of all incoming units, redline as many as possible. Then use cavalry, or if you have tanks now, use them to finish off the units.

A tactic you might use to help decimate the Hittite army is to draw them into your territory, this works great with railroads and is called "pingponging the AI".
They will invariably send stacks of units after undefended or lightly defended cities. Move all of your units out of a border city (assuming they do not have any units within its radius). When the AI moves a big stack into that city's radius, move all artillery there, as well as a couple defenders, several tanks/cavalry. Since all units should have movement points intact, bomb the enemy heavily, use your artillery first to redline as many as possible, then use bombers to further redline/kill already redlined units. Next send out your tanks/cavalry and finish the job. If they have another sizeable stack just behind the first, DO NOT kill the very last unit or you may leave one of you fast attack units undefended. Retreat all units to your city. Now you have another undefended city, rinse and repeat as needed.

On Regent I have used this tactic to completely erradicate a larger civs military, then with their lack of attackers and reduced defenders, I rolled through with tanks and took 3/4 of thier territory in 2 turns

 

[Drakan]

Open embassies and sign ROPs (Right of Passage Agreements). The AI will not declare war on you while the twenty turn long treaties are in force providing you're the kinda player who is "honorable" and doesn't go about breaching treaties and being a total dealbreaker. Even if the aggressive setting of the AI is turned on at the highest level they will not attack you, I do it all the time.

 

[Krystal Pistol]

Great strategy, theskibum, I'll try that next time. And I didn't know they wouldn't attack me with a ROP, does that hold after the twenty turns if neither of us cancels?

 

[Yondaime]

After the 20 turns they usually still don't cancel since that would count as breaking a treaty.

 

[TruePurple]

I think I've been attacked in a ROP by AI (embassy too), more then once. With ROP you might be forced to put troops in most cities instead of just the peripheral ones.

 

[ellie]

Ive been attacked in an ROP i think.

Ive also been attacked while opponent is 'gracious' and im paying GPT for a tech or whatever.

One thing id like is slightly more 'rational' AI

 

[rysingsun]

i've been attacked in ROP on occasion. most notably if the ai is heading toward me and it has every appearance of a preparation for attack, and if i try to thwart the attack by quickly signing a ROP, well that doesn't stop the attack. other than that ROP usually works so well that i've started making it a habit some months ago to sign ROP with absolutely everyone on my continent (usually everyone since i usually play pangea) as soon as i can get embassies in. and i can go clear into the IA with no military and no one attacks. every 20 turns each ai comes back to me to renegotiate the ROP. every once in a while i get burned by that strategy, but it's rare enough, and the freedom it gives me to have no military before the IA allows me to recover from some pretty grim technology situations to win the game later on.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I dunno how "rational" you want... human players attack while in an ROP - human players attack while owed GPT.

The AI will do what it does, in an attempt to win the game.