Stack hide and seek

[MrKlew]

So in my current noble game, it is more or less down to me and Saladdin. We each pretty much have our entire continent vassaled. I've got a pretty good tech lead, but he has more troops. My plan went like this. I settled a one tile useless island about 3 tiles off his coast, massed my fleet and stationed my bombers there. I also stationed a few bombers in one of Lincoln's border cities (the only one Saladin hasn't vassaled yet). I easily took a coastal city near the border surrounded by a river. Paratroopers and tanks quickly sabotaged the rail lines into the city. My plan was was to wait until his stack got in range then barrage it with bombers/cruise missiles/artillery wipe it out and then romp over the continent.

The problem is I struck too early when his stack was in range of the bombers but not the ground forces. He retreated his stack back to his capital. Now we are in a kind of stalemate. I can't venture out of my captured seaside city because even though my paratroopers and marines can easily take his cavalry and infantry, he's got enough artillery and rails that he could hit my stack and pretty well decimate it before I got a strike in. I could withdraw back into my fleet and leave behind a machine gun or two in hope of luring his stack out, but then I wouldn't have the ground forces to do mop up once the bombers do their work. So what tactics would you use? I suppose an ICBM or two might do the trick. Or should I just keep ravaging his coastal cities?

 

[CreeDakota]

sounds like you are being too cautious and too afraid to take casulties. Hard to say more with out screenies and a save.

 

[rah]

Bomb the crap out of the rest of his rail network and them tempt him out.

 

[MrKlew]

sounds like you are being too cautious and too afraid to take casulties. Hard to say more with out screenies and a save.

No I'm not being too cautious. My first invasion failed big time when that stack hit me, even though he only had trebs to my artillery. I'll see if I can post screen shots or saves later.

 

[Manco Capac]

Wut? Your arti should vanquish treb nations with ease.

I sense undertraining of units; you lack units in your stacks.
This makes me remember someone who was in fear with their tanks against longbows. Of course, that was not going to work because even outdated units can take out really few highly advanced units.

Focus on militaty buildup.

 

[MrKlew]

Wut? Your arti should vanquish treb nations with ease.

I sense undertraining of units; you lack units in your stacks.
This makes me remember someone who was in fear with their tanks against longbows. Of course, that was not going to work because even outdated units can take out really few highly advanced units.

Focus on militaty buildup.

Well he did have rifles and calvary to back up the trebs (wierd AI research priorities). But you are right the main problem was too small a stack. I think I came over with 8 galleons worth or so, about 1/3 of that artillery. He had probably about twice that.

 

[Manco Capac]

I sure hate cavalry.

If you want the AI avoiding attacking you, grow your stack. The AI while thinking attacking or flinching is comparing their single units/stacks to your stack, that is the strength combined globally.

Sometimes, even outdated units are not even attack by the AI even though he's more advanced just because of that fact!

That statement is backed by the code of the game itself.

 

[coanda]

Nuke it from orbit, mop up the pieces.

Alternatively, you could do as rah suggests and just bomb his railroads away so he can't get the first strike on your guys when you push out.

 

[Zx Zero Zx]

I agree with Coanda. Build more nukes.

 

[shulgi]

When I am getting ready for one of these world wars - empire vs empire, I really wish I could tell my vassals to get ready as well. It seems like this could be possible, one more dialogue option "start building troops!" and they could go into their typical war prep. It would be unfair if the AI couldn't tell their vassal the same.

 

[nfw]

Put a worker just out the reach of his cavalry, then watch 6 of them sally out from the city to kill it - "100% win? How can I lose?"

 

[Unconventional]

When I am getting ready for one of these world wars - empire vs empire, I really wish I could tell my vassals to get ready as well. It seems like this could be possible, one more dialogue option "start building troops!" and they could go into their typical war prep. It would be unfair if the AI couldn't tell their vassal the same.

It was a while ago and in one of my games (prince I guess) I saw Hammurabi the vassal of Montezuma positioning his stacks near my borders although we were not at war with Monty at the time. No more than 10 turns or so, Monty declared war on me and Hammurabi advanced his troops into my borders immediately.

Then I thought "Do AIs communicate with their vassals in a secret way like saying ' get ready WE ARE GOİNG FOR WAR?" I never saw that happening again and I still wonder if such a thing happened to anybody else.

 

[MrKlew]

Nuke it from orbit, mop up the pieces.

Alternatively, you could do as rah suggests and just bomb his railroads away so he can't get the first strike on your guys when you push out.

Turns out withdrawing into my boats and waiting for him to heal worked. Even broke up his stacks into smaller pieces for me. Might try the nukes thing still though. It will be a much quicker win since he won't capitulate until I wipe out both his vassals.

Can you bomb railroads? It won't let me in my game. If I choose air bomb mode and place it over a tile that doesn't have any improvements other than a railroad it gives the gray you can't bomb here box.

 

[Redcoat1]

BTS doesn't allow you to bomb / eliminate a railroad, unless someone knows a trick I don't.

 

[capnvonbaron]

I'm just gonna add a +1 for "shoulda brought nukes". Really even if you just have more air cover, you'd do better. A couple dozen bombers and fighters (fighters stationed on carriers, that is) could have kept his stack pinned down easily if he didn't have SAMs or fighters of his own. Put 5 or 6 MGs in there too, upgraded with Drill2. Those will shred the trebs that Sally throws at you.

 

[damerell]

It was a while ago and in one of my games (prince I guess) I saw Hammurabi the vassal of Montezuma positioning his stacks near my borders although we were not at war with Monty at the time. No more than 10 turns or so, Monty declared war on me and Hammurabi advanced his troops into my borders immediately.

Then I thought "Do AIs communicate with their vassals in a secret way like saying ' get ready WE ARE GOİNG FOR WAR?" I never saw that happening again and I still wonder if such a thing happened to anybody else.

Yes. Better BUG AI, and maybe Better AI, lets you Shift-Alt-click on the scoreboard to "toggle war plan", giving human players the same control over their vassals.

 

[jarhead_leif]

,.nukes are necessary when going for modern warfare..
,.soften those enemies stack o' doom, suppress, then flank..
,.or maybe it's bombard then assault..

,if the manhattan isn't built yet.,forget about it..instead, use that production city to build reinforcements.. ,maybe airborne or naval units..
,airports too are very important if he's on other continent..

Yes. Better BUG AI, and maybe Better AI, lets you Shift-Alt-click on the scoreboard to "toggle war plan", giving human players the same control over their vassals.

,.BTW,is there a mod that is something like "hey vassal ai, your priority is to capture this city" similar to researching a certain technology,..

 

[Bob The Average]

When fighting a war with bombers it can be a very good idea to bomb his city improvements. If you can get his main production cities into starvation and shrink them down, you can halt his production of units. This can be HUGE in breaking a stalemate because preventing units being produced is the same as killing them.

This is not as good as just blitzing through his cities with enough units, but if you don't HAVE enough units this can be the best strategy.

 

[MrKlew]

,.BTW,is there a mod that is something like "hey vassal ai, your priority is to capture this city" similar to researching a certain technology,..

Don't need a mod for this. Go to diplomacy screen, select "Let's discuss something else" choose "Why don't you attack..." and then select city. You can also direct research from the same screen.

 

[Unconventional]

Yes. Better BUG AI, and maybe Better AI, lets you Shift-Alt-click on the scoreboard to "toggle war plan", giving human players the same control over their vassals.

WOW! That's all new to me. I should give it a go. This changes a lot in the game I suppose? Do AI get prepared for the incoming war?