Some " General " Advice

[Big Boss Man]

I would like some advice about warfare . Noble difficulty . Gunpowder + The Age of Sail . I would like some insights in dealing with rivals overseas . What are some tactis to " win " . Im finding it hard to invade later in the game , the A.I.'s are Cav strong and have a knack for Coll. damaging my stack and mopping me up with rifles . I managed to take a size 20 port city but could not hold it . The counter attack was a masssive 40 + Cav/Riffleman/Cat ambush comming from all directions . Guess thats what I get for invading the french

I'd like to prevent getting my ass handed to me again
So i'd like some general advice on countering a massive A.I. Stack'O-Doom
Should I just have sacked Paris ?

 

[johncross21]

i have much the same issues

some useful responses to my thread on modern warfare and the thread on intercontinental warfare

in response to intercontintental warfare i suggested establishing a garrison town on another continent with astronomy and growing it discretely for up to 300 years while you finish off rivals on your continent. however it requires good relations with your overseas neighbour. probably sweetening them with gifts etc

the first few moves in any invasion are very unpredictable. the AI will usually defend in force to begin with so be prepared

- you need to have a tech lead or well promoted troops
- a forward party of cavalry for pillaging and heavily armed defensive units
choose hills or forests for initial assault. you might need the same on the flanks
- pillage roads/rail as you progress to reduce enemy mobility (3 or 4 cavalry units are best for this -they use first move to advance - next to pillage - but they need defenders)
- be ready for counterattack (this can be a very good thing because enemy troops on your soil have less mobility and can be picked off)


and send in main stack with big force of siege weapons. you need large numbers

 

[xanadux]

Drill 3 machine guns on a forest hill. Make that about 1/3 of your stack.

 

[sveint]

-Get an ally to go to war with you
-Land at several points; many "weak" defender landings on hills/forest
-Blockade the enemy completely
-Get/build a city near them; or attack from their neighbour's territory

 

[Blaarg]

Intercontinental invasions are difficult to pull off unless you pick on an under teched or small civ.

 

[Silence101]

Intercontinental invasions are difficult to pull off unless you pick on an under teched or small civ.

On that note, I'd say to pick your fights - fight the Civ's that you know you can win. Intercontinental wars can be difficult. I've also noticed that the AI will often throw most every non-essential city protector out to defend your target... so basically, if you can survive the initial wave of units, the AI Civ will struggle to hold a military advantage. As was said previously, you can also use this to your advantage by baiting the AI toward one perceived target and following up with an assult on a secondary target which will likely have less of a defense. Your naval escorts can (depending on unit) bombard coastal cities. I would still recommend bringing seige weapons to soften up the city defenders, though... bring lots!

If you can gain a foothold on the continent with a few good production cities, that will make future warring on the continent much easier... so try and pick off the smaller, weaker Civs first.