Stupid AI and their Howetzers!

[Brad]

O.k first I'll start this off by saying that the AI sux!!! Sorry, just a wee bit ticked off. I'm in a game right now where the Japs have no hope, it's a losing battle for them but they are making it quite annoying and difficult w\thier howies. They are on this island, all cities linked w\rail. I take a city and they start peppering me w\howies. It's hard to keep a city manned while trying to take over the others... What can I do to minimize thier impact on me. Prince level, they are Democratic, can't steal cities.

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[This message has been edited by Brad (edited June 30, 2001).]

 

[moksliukas]

Well, in such cases I do not try to take a city with just a couple units. Just build up a couple howitzers (or whatever) yourself, so that you can still move them after you have taken the city and go on a railroad to look for the enemy howitzers, etc. Surely, it would be best to support your expeditionary force with good defenders, and fortify tons of them in the conquered city. The main idea is that you shouldn't try to take a city with just a couple of units (even if the city is totally undefended).

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My doctor says that I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fibre and that I am therefore excused from saving universes

 

[HIEROPHANT]

i dont have to worry about high tech in that level beause the computer is luckly if it get gunpowder by the end of the game.

 

[Kefka]

The only thing I can say is build up some more units and totaly overwelm them!

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<IMG SRC="http://www.grworld.com/vanillacubesgames/files/kefka.gif" border=0>"Why Create things when you know they must be destroyed!"
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[starlifter]

by Brad:

They are on this island, all cities linked w\rail. I take a city and they start peppering me w\howies. It's hard to keep a city manned while trying to take over the others..

Wow! Full RR already! Outstanding, soldier! With howies and rails, you need simple start a methodical, buttoned-up campaign. Take city by city and do not stop. Minimial defense behind you, put good defense units ahead. For instance, get 4 engineers, in groups of 2. Make a fortress on a RR choke point beyond your latest conquest, and put a veteran fanatic, or rifleman, or Mech Inf. into the fortress. The AI will have to attack and defeat all the units in the fortress to break through. By the next turn, you just use the RRs to continue, until the enemy is eradicated!

Don't let up... attack attack attack! Don't pull a Clinton and waffle around! Don't pull a Truman and sue for peace or betray your troops! Press your strenths and exploit the RR's... incrementally rush build any troops you need and never let up until the enemy's cities are yours!!!

 

[Arrian]

Along the lines of what starlifter is suggesting:

Build up a substantial force of howitzers yourself, enough to wipe them out in one turn. Depending on how big they are, you may need quite a few (50 or so ought to do it). If you are a democracy too, and are worried about your senate forcing you into a cease-fire, there are two options - 1) change gov't; and 2) have enough howies to wipe out ALL of their units and them take all of their cities at once. If they have developed guerrilla warfare this can be a problem due to partisans. If you're not demo or republic, you have no such worries - just waste 'em

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

You may also want to try and cut the rail line (and road) he is using to get to you. Find a spot (or several) where you can cut the lines and then change the terrian to something that takes two movement. Like mining a plains to get a forest. It may cost you few engineers, but you can effectively stop him from recapturing a city that way.

Once he moves his howizters onto the forest, let em have it. The defense bonus wont do howiters much good, but will stop them from moving in on you.

Also send a spy in to check where the howitzers are supported from and see if you can take that city first.

You can also force a civ out of Democracy by destroying their city improvements that make the people content.

Hopefully some combination of those will help.

 

[Sukenis]

If they are on an Island why not get a handful of battleships and raid everything without taking a city. he will defend his cities with the excess Howies and then the battleships can wipe them all out. This tends to work for me (when killing island civs).