Point Of The Army???
- Thread starter Godwynn
- Start date
The Last Conformist
Irresistibly Attractive
I usually build exactly one Army from a Great Leader, in order to faciliate Heroic Epic, Pentagon and Military Academy. The Military Academy can then supply any further "nutcrackers" I need. If there's no Wonders to build for a later Great Leader, an instant Solar Plant is always nice.
You know that you could use the leader to rush the improvement right? Why only get 50 shields when you could finish production?
I usually make my first leader into an army so that I can built the heroic epic and get more leaders later. All leaders after that are used to hurry wonders unless there's a particularly hard city to crack. Generally I'd sooner have the flexibility and three attacks of three knights, rather than one attack (admittedly the unit is far less likely to lose, but if you play the odds well it shouldn't matter).
Hygro
soundcloud.com/hygro/
bouchedog, i meant using an army made from an academy.
Rubberjello
Emperor
Agreed 100% here. A further note - Armies are sort of "luxury items" (really). I usually don't build them in the really close games where I'm clawing for my life. But if you ever get into a late game war where the enemy is defending with MI, Armies of Modern Armor are a very, very good weapon.
Norlamand
Procrastinator Rex
I've experimented with armies and have come to the conclusion that they are best used for defense. I'll routinely use a GL to make an army to enable Heroic epic/pentagon and then use all other GL's for wonders. If I have time later I'll make a few armies and leave them "unfilled" until I'm in a serious war. I then fill them with my best defenders and place them in threatened high value cities or captured cities. Even a determined attack is weakened by the army and my counterattack can crush the shattered remnants. If the AI was better at softening up with bombers before they attack this strategy would probably fail more often (luckily the AI sucks at logical use of units).
sabo
My Ancestors were Vikings
Norlamand,
I have found that out too, after you get the Pentagon and you have an army of 4 MI and camp it out in a city chances are you will never lose that city.
I have found that out too, after you get the Pentagon and you have an army of 4 MI and camp it out in a city chances are you will never lose that city.
sabo
My Ancestors were Vikings
Norlamand,
I have found that out too, after you get the Pentagon and you have an army of 4 MI and camp it out in a city chances are you will never lose that city.
I have found that out too, after you get the Pentagon and you have an army of 4 MI and camp it out in a city chances are you will never lose that city.
Grille
panel insect
a related question:
Can I keep an army if I only actually own 3 cities? Does it get "auto-disbanded" when I lose my 4. city?
Can I keep an army if I only actually own 3 cities? Does it get "auto-disbanded" when I lose my 4. city?
Hygro
soundcloud.com/hygro/
you keep it
Grille
panel insect
Thanks. 
Dr. Dr. Doktor
Emperor
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2002
- Messages
- 1,354
If the army had the 'radar' flag checked it would be good. I mean most armies have reconnaisance units attached to them. Maybe the logistics train attached to an army would mean that it would ignore most terrain penalties. The armies should also be made to heal faster.
Vandervekken
Chieftain
good grief, you have to be playing like a pudding to lose cities once you have MI, even just fortified in a town they are defence 27! when you have a metropolis with a civil defence and nearby radar tower they are defence +225%=48.5!!! more than twice the attack of MA.
for heavens sake use armies filled with the best assault units you can get, they almost always will bust a defender in even the biggest cities. In the late game when you (hopefully) have a military academy and pentagon they are utterly amazing,, build the Military academy in your most productive city and then churn out armies there, pretty soon you can have several units with ADM 24,16,3 and 16 hit points. nothing stands in the way of that lot, you just have to make sure that they don't get caught on their own, keep lots of other MIs and MAs with them they are not a war machine on their own until you have at least a dozen.
You have to remember not to wait, for them to be useful you have to USE them. keep them empty until you go to war, THEN fill them with hte best unit available, if you fill them when you get them the units will be obsolete by the time you are ready for a war. remember though, you only need 1 to get the heroic epic, then the military academty, then you can build more to get the pentagon... I use my first leader to make an army, then use all the others to build wonders in 1 turn.
for heavens sake use armies filled with the best assault units you can get, they almost always will bust a defender in even the biggest cities. In the late game when you (hopefully) have a military academy and pentagon they are utterly amazing,, build the Military academy in your most productive city and then churn out armies there, pretty soon you can have several units with ADM 24,16,3 and 16 hit points. nothing stands in the way of that lot, you just have to make sure that they don't get caught on their own, keep lots of other MIs and MAs with them they are not a war machine on their own until you have at least a dozen.
You have to remember not to wait, for them to be useful you have to USE them. keep them empty until you go to war, THEN fill them with hte best unit available, if you fill them when you get them the units will be obsolete by the time you are ready for a war. remember though, you only need 1 to get the heroic epic, then the military academty, then you can build more to get the pentagon... I use my first leader to make an army, then use all the others to build wonders in 1 turn.
The Last Conformist
Irresistibly Attractive
During the "Trench War Era" (after Inf and before Tanks), I find that an Army filled with Infantry is a very good artillery guard, since the AI is irrationally reluctant to attack defensive Armies. This is about the only time in the game I find defensive Armies worthwhile, however.
BTW, how much does an Army cost in upkeep?
BTW, how much does an Army cost in upkeep?
Grille
panel insect
Well, since the units in an army are listed seperately on F3 screen, I'm sure that you have to support every single unit in an army. I guess a GL/army unit will be counted as unit, too (because they are also listed as "unit".
However, I never intentionally watched that military advisor screen to observe a rise or stagnation of unit numbers if a GL appeared or was formed to an army (or -if my first statement was wrong- if I load units into army).
Trev
Prince
Great leaders appear too frequently later in the game too use for wonders only and they are so useful for attacking large cities with that I get as many armies with 4 units in each as I can, It means that it is possible to just attack without spending turns blasting with artillery first, and if it takes more than 1 turn to move up to the enemy city, you can be very sure that they will not counterattack your armies, they avoid attacking strong units
As I have turns where I generate 3 or 4 GL's it is not possible to build that many wonders, so may as well use them as armies to conquer cities
As I have turns where I generate 3 or 4 GL's it is not possible to build that many wonders, so may as well use them as armies to conquer cities
TrailblazingScot
I was kittenOFchaos
Exactly.
Armies are simply effective as they provide alot of hitpoints before you lose units. That makes them good for cost effective assaults on tough defenses or in a good defensive position.
They aren't much more effective that individual units and lack the flexibility (armies can only go one way, have less attacks a turn in effect), but are less likely to be destroyed so more likely to heal up and fight again. The advantage of that being that surviving battles in Civ3 often brings promotion of rank from conscript to regular, regular to veteran etc. Armies are likely to soon be composed of elite units that are very hard to destroy
KingEd
Chieftain
Armies rock!!!
I use they all the time. Usually first leader of the game creates an army and I have the army to kill some easy target. This way Heroic Epic, Military Academy and Pentagon can be build so that I can have more armies later in the game before actual industrial age fighting starts.
Early swordsman army is unstoppable in the acient era, usefull in post-land-grab expansions.
Knight armies are quite potent, however, the true strengh of army comes when filled with cavalry and only gets better. The best thing of cavalry armies is 3-tile movement in enemy teritory (only other unit abele to do this is modern armor or Panzer if playing Germans) and ability to attack 3-times if in place. So, thinking of "pentagonized" four-unit cavalry army as of an modern tank in the era of riflemen/infantry comes to mind. With similar devastating effects. In combination with artillery, this super-unit can change the course of world history...
An infantry army, very good for defense of artillery/cavalry/explorers.
Tank armies are very nice, however I often wait till the modern armor shows up. Army of these units is the ultimate game has to offer. You can just take five of them to the capital of any civilization defended with MI and blast if away in one or two turns not loosinf ANY unit in the process. In most of my emperor/diety games some city can produce army in 4-6 turns, so plenty can be made even by most peace-loving civs.
Also, disbanding of venerable swordsmen (or whoever) army gives 100 shields that can be handy somewhere.
I use they all the time. Usually first leader of the game creates an army and I have the army to kill some easy target. This way Heroic Epic, Military Academy and Pentagon can be build so that I can have more armies later in the game before actual industrial age fighting starts.
Early swordsman army is unstoppable in the acient era, usefull in post-land-grab expansions.
Knight armies are quite potent, however, the true strengh of army comes when filled with cavalry and only gets better. The best thing of cavalry armies is 3-tile movement in enemy teritory (only other unit abele to do this is modern armor or Panzer if playing Germans) and ability to attack 3-times if in place. So, thinking of "pentagonized" four-unit cavalry army as of an modern tank in the era of riflemen/infantry comes to mind. With similar devastating effects. In combination with artillery, this super-unit can change the course of world history...
An infantry army, very good for defense of artillery/cavalry/explorers.
Tank armies are very nice, however I often wait till the modern armor shows up. Army of these units is the ultimate game has to offer. You can just take five of them to the capital of any civilization defended with MI and blast if away in one or two turns not loosinf ANY unit in the process. In most of my emperor/diety games some city can produce army in 4-6 turns, so plenty can be made even by most peace-loving civs.
Also, disbanding of venerable swordsmen (or whoever) army gives 100 shields that can be handy somewhere.
FLQ.Storm
Chieftain
I think there's a problem with the army using the mac v1.21 version. I made about 20 armies now and they die all the time quickly. Ie.: my army of tanks would lose 4 hp to a spearman, while a lone tank would kill it without losing any hp.
In the age of catapults, armies really help to quickly take down hill cities. Otherwise, you'd be bombarding for centuries.
Sacrificing several units to remove a defender gives it the chance of promotion each time it survives. One could just be hardening all the defenders of a city, by failing to remove each one in its first combat.
OTOH, armies can't spawn leaders, so they shouldn't be used frivolously.
Sacrificing several units to remove a defender gives it the chance of promotion each time it survives. One could just be hardening all the defenders of a city, by failing to remove each one in its first combat.
OTOH, armies can't spawn leaders, so they shouldn't be used frivolously.
