Should I build or attack?

[lockandload]

Roman, 2cnd game ever, one level above Chieftain. I have finished off 2 civs and control a large swath of map but am 5-10 + moves behind other civs, reputation shot, towns good. Virtually no wonders. Huge map. ~1500 AD.

Since I never finished a game (chieftain too easy) I don't want to lose at the end because of some unknown (to me) i.e. UN vote, nukes, or whatever.

Scenario 1: Use my large industrial base to pump out rifleman/cavalry and attack a random neighbor. This has worked up till know, but my legionaries ain't what they used to be and the neighbors are obviously more advanced. France randomly nearly finished me off until miraculously I bribed them off.

Scenario 2: Hunker down and build industry/science. This may not play to the Roman strengths.

Scenario 3: Wait for advanced units then attack. But I can only finish off one civ at a time and it took millennia to get 2. I fear running out of time or losing by culture etc.

Thanks for any replies and the forum organizers for a great job.

 

[Louis XXIV]

Any chance I could see a game save to have a better idea?

 

[777]

I would go with scenario 1 and remember to build cannons, or one option would be to head towards Replaceable Parts and build artillery & infantry. But it might take too long, though depends what you've invented at the point where you're playin' at.

 

[lockandload]

remember to build cannons

I am very disappointed in cannons. Their hit rating seems to be about 10%. I built a lot and sold them all.

Any chance I could see a game save to have a better idea?


Sorry, I don't know how to do that. I can say the map is pangea, my cities are all nicely spaced and organized (thanks to this forum) and the workers are doing what they are supposed to. My score at the modern era was ~700, the AIs about 500. But they had industrial cities about 10 moves ahead.

 

[Tomoyo]

10%??? That's great! 100 cannons will redline a city, letting you take it with low casualties!

 

[lockandload]

10%??? That's great! 100 cannons will redline a city

Are you being sarcastic? I can't tell. 100 cannons???

 

[Tomoyo]

Meh. I was saying that a 10% hit chance is not that bad, since if you get about 100 of them (not that hard on a huge map) your armies are pretty much invincible and will suffer almost no casualties.

Concentrate on getting replaceable parts and getting artillery, because those are twice as accurate and twice as powerful (and twice as deviating), and have twice the range.

 

[lockandload]

if you get about 100 of them (not that hard on a huge map) your armies are pretty much invincible and will suffer almost no casualties.

Since the cannon can't defend themselves, you could a lose a LOT of assets if you lost that square.

 

[Tomoyo]

Considering if you defend them well enough, the AI will not attack that square...

 

[lockandload]

Thanks for your comments. I look forward to artillery. Maybe tonight.

 

[dresdor]

Considering if you defend them well enough, the AI will not attack that square...

Well, they COULD...after all AS seems to be pretty random at times.

 

[Louis XXIV]

Look at this thread to find out how to upload a game save.

BTW, bombard units are very underated. Even though their accuracy isn't great, using them in large numbers is. There is a person who made there way through a significant portion of the game using only Spearmen and Catapults. Bombarding units until they are size 1 is an almost definate way to ensure victory.

 

[Tomoyo]

There is a person who made there way through a significant portion of the game using only Spearmen and Catapults.

Are you referring to Bamspeedy? He used Pikemen and Catapults.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I figure he started with Spearmen, than went to Pikes, than Musketeers, but he could have held off until Pikes.

But I don't think I should be mentioning what Bamspeedy did. It might encourage someone else to try it, which could cause severe damage to that person's mental health.

 

[777]

remember to build cannons

I am very disappointed in cannons. Their hit rating seems to be about 10%. I built a lot and sold them all.

So you're playing vanilla or PtW? In C3C artillery is way more effective than than in vanilla or PtW. I know it's frustrating to see artillery whipping first buildings, then people, then few misses and finally it success to hit unit.

But without artillery you're going to waste many unit.

 

[lockandload]

discarding cannon = bad idea. I didn't realize they could be upgraded.

 

[tR1cKy]

I am very disappointed in cannons. Their hit rating seems to be about 10%. I built a lot and sold them all.

You can't be serious... you pissed away your best asset.

 

[Daghdha]

Underscoring the wonder of artillery ! Until reacently I didn't understand how to use them but I'm learning and it's a great thing. Beeing Scandies I had English mech coming in stacks of 4-5 and they could land on a mtn 2 tiles away from my city to defend. Having 15-20 artillerys in that town I just redlined most of them and went picking them off with tanks, and that's just one of the defensive ways of using them. Offensive they can be just as cool as stated before. In war academy there is pieces on both def and off use of artys. Read and conquer