Survey: When do you attack an enemy unit?

[Neo Guderian]

I practice Force Protection and operate in a Search and Destroy tactical plan. Basically, I rely on superior numbers and firepower. The tactics are simple: put up a defensive front to force the enemy to move over open ground. Once in the open, I use either expendable units (skeles, tigers, fireballs, chaos marauders) or a group of cavalry that is promoted with flanking. Once the enemy is worn down, I send in heavies to finish them.

Odds are irrelevant in this strategy unless it is a city. Fight battles on ground of your choosing. Force the enemy onto open ground.

Fighting cities are abit more tedious. Once softened, I will send the heavies first if their odds are 99+ percent. Otherwise I send expendables until the heavies are guaranteed victory.

This goes for heroes too. I never risk them unless the battle is vital to staying in the game.

Don't lose units, it is wasted production. Read Sun Tzu's Art of War. =)

 

[Gyromancer]

For me, it all depends on the kind of war I'm fighting:

Offensive, outnumber enemy. I'll take 50% odds with my weak units, I'd want at least 85% with my strong units. Attacking a city, I'll make sure to hit with the weak units (even with 10% or lower odds) untill the strong ones can get 90% or better.

Offensive, don't outnumber enemy. I won't hit with any unit unless I can get 95% and be sure I won't get hit back.

Defensive I'll hit at as low as 10%, so long as I have enough units to kill whatever beastie is giving me trouble. (i.e. for a lone unit to kill-- sum of % chance of winning for all units that can attack it is at least 150% ) I'll only hit with my top of the line units at around 90% (lower if I'm in trouble, especially with units without defensive bonuses)

 

[Chalid]

Ok based on the feedback i will try to teach the AI the following:

- Don't attack with Heroes if you are not sure of winning. If you loose reload last savegame.
- Don't attack under normal condictions without good chance of winning.
- When attacking a big stack make sure you can kill most of it befor attacking.
- Suicide "throw away" units befor sending in the valuable units when fighting big stacks or very powerfull enemies (heroes, avatar class units).

 

[TheJopa]

You should also teach AI to use summoned units more suicidal (Skeletons etc.) In my game, I sieged city, AI summoned pit beast in city and didn't attack my stack

 

[Chalid]

You should also teach AI to use summoned units more suicidal (Skeletons etc.) In my game, I sieged city, AI summoned pit beast in city and didn't attack my stack

That counts to the suiciding...

 

[Aletr]

Usually I go to war when I have military advantage, so I think, it's possible to atack enemy units when having 40% victory chance, just make sure you'll kill all the units in the enemy stack and that you will have enough unharmed units on your stack to stand theyr possible attack at theyr turn. I think thats all what important. Yes, you loose units but that gives your economy some more place, so that you can build new, better units(thats works good when going to war at 100-110 turn on epic)... I play on monarch-immortal when going to war usually, if i play on lower levels i spesialize on economy...

 

[Zurai]

- Don't attack with Heroes if you are not sure of winning. If you loose reload last savegame.

Hah! That reminds me of a quest in Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Baal. Your party of near-deity-strength adventurers gives a quest to some little new adventurer because you don't want to go through the effort to get the item. The new guy comes back a little bit later and it goes through a little dialog with his party and they decide to attack you. They're annihilated of course, but then a little dialog pops up - "Biff reloads" - and the screen goes black and fades to right before they attack, and they decide to give you the item and take their reward instead. Hilarious when you first see the scene.

 

[Oldfrt]

I guess the percentages depend on your strategy.

I tend to play with few units - in fact a large stack for me is when I get to five units in it... I prefer to dig in, hold on through the onslaught then make precision strikes, normally in two waves, to take specific cities, then raze and retreat, or hold if required.

As such I normally find that my shadows will fight anywhere over the 50-60% mark. Whilst it means I do need to replace them fairly frequently, with careful use I can manage to have two in action at any time.

Heros I try to be more careful with - unless they are obsolete in which case I am willing to use them to crack a really hard nut. I dont notice the % with these though as it will vary depending on the situation, but try not to attack below 85%.

If playing as Luchuirp paladins/elohim will charge ahead around the 70% mark, but again, only because I am attacking from a strong defensive base & have a few golums behind to dig in and hold if the attack fails.

Catapults get a heavy use - even on a very very low % (like 0) - especially if they have a high retreat chance - that little bit of damage can be just enough to tip the odds.... .. and the same with summoned units... especially to soften up a unit so a mage/healer can take it out.

Mages/conjourers/major healers I only commit to combat is the odds are >90% and I am able to move a unit up to defend them afterwards... really I only do that for the exp gain.

 

[Sisonpyh]

Hah! That reminds me of a quest in Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Baal. Your party of near-deity-strength adventurers gives a quest to some little new adventurer because you don't want to go through the effort to get the item. The new guy comes back a little bit later and it goes through a little dialog with his party and they decide to attack you. They're annihilated of course, but then a little dialog pops up - "Biff reloads" - and the screen goes black and fades to right before they attack, and they decide to give you the item and take their reward instead. Hilarious when you first see the scene.

Why did you have to go there?

*quickly re-installs BG2 + expansion for the upteenth time*