Soldiers better than Dragoons for defending?

[TrevorB]

Just want to verify that Soldiers are better than Dragoons for defending cities.

I wouldn't think it much of an issue but in my last game, the REF was attacking with marines, directly off the boat without hitting land! My dragoons in the city were getting squashed and the city defenses didn't seem to be doing much of anything.

REF forces on land get chewed up by dragoons pretty quickly.

What do you defend your coastal cities with?

 

[GenocideBringer]

Dragoons don't get defensive bonuses. You know all those awesome city fortifications, liberty bell bonuses, etc? Useless.

Defend with cannons and infantry.

 

[obsolete]

I also was shocked/surprised that the king got NO penalty for amphibious attacks. That really raped me, and I'm not sure if that is SUPPOSED to be patched, or if they decided to not upgrade to Civ IV's improvements.

It's just another reason why the defense/fort gimmicks are broken.

BTW, why would ANYONE seriously want that founding father who gives you a free stockade in each settlement? Surely you can save your points for something better, something that actually works!

 

[Tennyson]

Stockades are cheap; a free fort in each settlement would be worth the points.

I'm not sure having seaside forts without a Navy is worth the investment, either. The Man-o-war's just pound them into dust. And the Ship-of-the-Line odds vs. Man-o-war's isn't even worth thinking about.

 

[Andvare]

"Don't defend, attack!"
That and
"Less is more!"
Seems to be the mantra of this game.

 

[Oddible]

I'm not sure having seaside forts without a Navy is worth the investment, either. The Man-o-war's just pound them into dust. And the Ship-of-the-Line odds vs. Man-o-war's isn't even worth thinking about.

This game seriously needs some Destroyer-bombing Zeppelins to balance the odds!

 

[Tennyson]

This game seriously needs some Destroyer-bombing Zeppelins to balance the odds!

Letting cannons fire at passing ships ala-CivIII would be nice. Let the Man-o-War's get wounded but not dead so Frigates and Ships of the Line could kill or chase them off.

It's what really happened anyway, isn't it?

I'd also prefer if cannons and artillery were capturable units (even ships).

 

[mastrude]

Just want to verify that Soldiers are better than Dragoons for defending cities.

I wouldn't think it much of an issue but in my last game, the REF was attacking with marines, directly off the boat without hitting land! My dragoons in the city were getting squashed and the city defenses didn't seem to be doing much of anything.

REF forces on land get chewed up by dragoons pretty quickly.

What do you defend your coastal cities with?

I recommend only having one coastal city, and abandoning it when you're attacked. I don't think you can defend coastal cities.

 

[Honolulu Blue]

Letting cannons fire at passing ships ala-CivIII would be nice. Let the Man-o-War's get wounded but not dead so Frigates and Ships of the Line could kill or chase them off.

This was also in Col Classic, and I miss it.

 

[dratner]

I recommend only having one coastal city, and abandoning it when you're attacked. I don't think you can defend coastal cities.

I have just started playing Civ-Col. Frankly, its kinda frustrating. I can't seem to beat England due to time.

I tried the above strategy. The ships just moved around and bombarded the coastal city. It took forever to land the troops. When they did, I was able to kick butt because I had loads of cannons, infantry and Dragoons. But by the time they landed, England won by default.

How in the world are you supposed to deal with 5 damn Man-o-War when even ship of the line barely even keep up with them? You can't bomb them as far as I can tell. You can't board them. Can't shoot at them. If I bother to build a fleet of frigates or ship of the lines, they get wiped out and the # of Man o War ships increases against me.

 

[Andvare]

High rebel sentiment + Bolivar = SOL on par with Man-O-War

 

[Axxon]

All king's regulars (soldiers and units) get 50% attack bonus again settlements, so unfortunately I don't think defense is a good option in this game. Forts get pounded by Man-o-Wars quickly

I would keep some contigent of soldiers since if they get MinuteMan II they can get pretty decent defense wise and they're good enough to hold the fort until said fort is destroyed, but otherwise I would rely mostly on Dragoons and attack the hell out of anything that boards my shores.

 

[The_Dwarf]

I also was shocked/surprised that the king got NO penalty for amphibious attacks. That really raped me, and I'm not sure if that is SUPPOSED to be patched, or if they decided to not upgrade to Civ IV's improvements.

It's just another reason why the defense/fort gimmicks are broken.

For inland cities it actually works quite well if you go for defense if you really want to.
So to say forts etc. are broken seems kind of not true in my opinion.

 

[Axxon]

For inland cities it actually works quite well if you go for defense if you really want to.
So to say forts etc. are broken seems kind of not true in my opinion.

That's a good point.

My best city tends to be my (only) coastal one, which is why forts seem useless there. I guess I could try moving my factories inland next time and keep the coastal cities to minimum.