Running interference with workers and other dirty tricks

[Xiao Xiong]

I have noticed that the AI is really bad at strategy and tactics. There are a few dirty tricks you can play on the AI that it really shouldn't fall for, but seems to.

1. Using workers and other trivial units as "peace keepers". When an AI you are at peace with is attacking another AI, whether civ or city state, if you have open borders you can send your units in and blockade around the target city. For example, you can open only a few tiles around the target city to allow a couple of attackers in to be slaughtered. This is a good way to chew up a lot of AI units.

2. Convincing the AI to attack a city state that is your ally, and then feeding advanced units to the city state. The AI really should figure out that the constant stream of strong units into the city state it is attacking are coming from the city state's ally--you. I have actually had a city state wipe out an enemy capital, after convincing the enemy to attack!

In the above two cases the AI never breaks off the impossible attack, nor seems to turn its anger towards the guilty party (me).

 

[ColinTH]

Thanks - I like No1 on your list and might well use it in the future.

No2 would be impossible for me because the City States allways have more advanced units than I do, I don't think the City State would accept a swodsman to fight alongside their riflemen!

 

[timtofly]

You can also use a worker to "empty" an AI city of it's Artillery when you are at war. It will come out and capture the worker. You can then bomb it or take the artillery out with a tank.

 

[Steelyglint]

You can also use a worker to "empty" an AI city of it's Artillery when you are at war. It will come out and capture the worker. You can then bomb it or take the artillery out with a tank.

or a mech