Taking Cities in the Modern Age

[Romper-Stomper]

-How's it goin'
It seems like creating an empire in modern times is a lot harder than in ancient times. Why is that, and what is the best way to take a city in modern years?

 

[Series1999]

Now THAT is a broad question...
It depends on a lot of factors...

For example, one way to take cities is if you have marines and transports, throw em on a boat and take out all the coastal cities...

You need to answer AT LEAST these questions:
1) Multiplayer or vs. AI?
2) Cities on your continent or not?
3) What techs do you have?
4) What defenses are in the cities?

Some thoughts that will always help are 1) use spies/dips to take out city walls, 2) if you can send at least 2 defense-type units (i.e. riflemen) to defend ur attack units on good defense squares, and to move in if you do knock out the defenses.

 

[Romper-Stomper]

-AI
-Same continent or not
-modern defences in enmy cities
Are airplanes good at softening up cities?

------------------
Gaurd:"Welcome to Alamosa, Prisoner 24601, your cellmate will be Romper-Stomper."
Other Kids:"Romper Stomper!? *gasps*"
<IMG SRC="http://a1486.g.akamai.net/7/1486/1597/0001/media.southparkstudios.com/media/images/401/401stompercrew.gif" border=0>

 

[allan]

If the city has no SAM defense, stealth fighters are really good against riflemen in cities--you can take out three or four of them (just make sure you have enough movement left to land somewhere) with each one, if your stealth is a vet (made at an airport, or won some combats).... Bombers and choppers are also good, although you only get one shot with each of these. If you're connected by railroad with the enemy city, howitzers are also cool (2 movement=2 shots over the walls, IF you don't use any movement getting there...). Battleships are good, just watch out for coastal fortresses.... You can also use a spy to buy the city IF you got enough cash, and the other civ isn't a democracy. The nice thing about this is that you get the enemy units that come with it--if they're any good, this can be a nice way to get one city out of the way so you can focus your troops on a bigger, juicier one in the enemy interior....

There are MANY ways to skin a cat, or skin the AI

. Welcome to CivFanatics!

 

[Romper-Stomper]

Thanks for the welcome.

------------------
Gaurd:"Welcome to Alamosa, Prisoner 24601, your cellmate will be Romper-Stomper."
Other Kids:"Romper Stomper!? *gasps*"
<IMG SRC="http://a1486.g.akamai.net/7/1486/1597/0001/media.southparkstudios.com/media/images/401/401stompercrew.gif" border=0>

 

[Andu Indorin]

My way to "skin the cat" is to build up a ridiculous technological edge such that my armor and howitzers are taking on their musketeers and dragoons utilizing what might be termed as the "Industrialization Trap." (See the game notes Modernization as Strategy elsewhere on this site. I find it sufficiently effective against the AI.)

 

[starlifter]

Velcome to za paartay, R-S!

For AI capitals: Tech superiority. For other cities: diplomats (or spies) and a fat bank account.

In GOTM 7, I had stealth fighters against AI warriors, in some cases. I kept most AI civs stagnent for about 4,000 years, and no civ ever even got close to gunpowder... except for the Mongols, with who I allied and gifted all tech but Stealth and Fundamentalism. But their lone city was in turmoil for dozens of years, building a pitiful cathedral at one shield per day, LOL!

 

[starlifter]

Hi Andu,

Your Roman campaign & website were excellent to read about! I saw the link from one of Thunderfall's posts and just finished reading it http://www.civfanatics.com/RomeTime/RomanTime1.shtml

Your "no temple" strategy is an interesting idea, BTW. Like you, I perfer using Howies and Stealth Fighters for conquering the world, plus usually a strong navy.

 

[Series1999]

I'm going to assume he doesn't have stealth fighters yet. And while I agree that MY preferred course of action is just show up with some dips/spies and alot of cash to take AI cities... the post is about how to win with military (I think

I'm going to assume you're playing 1x movement also.

What I would do is:
1) send in dips to at least knock down city walls.
2) fortify a rifleman or similar unit on good defense terrain, and either hope the AI wastes any offense units trying to kill it, or use it to protect movement 1 units like catapults, cannons, artillery or whatever you've developed. The additional advantage is that you can use that unit to defend the city once you capture it.
3) send a mass attack from all sides on ONE city, KEEP it, buy city walls if you can the FIRST turn, fortify ALL your units in it. Sell the useless and most expensive improvements first (i.e. university, bank...) And for all you people who say, WAIT, THOSE arent useless, id rather have the cash now in an a captured city on the front line, and in case its recaptured (although it rarely is) you lose em anyway.
4) Buy new units or move more units into THAT city, and use it as a stronghold until you're ready to take the NEXT city, and repeat process.

Eventually you'll wear your enemy down and your forces will render his seem laughable. When you have completely secured the front, and the war is won, you can concentrate on integrating the captured civ into your own.

Remember the first couple of cities are usually the hardest, and soon enough they start falling like dominos (this principle works for multiplayer as well as solo vs. AI).

Any further questions? Ask 'em here or find me at night on the MSN Zone (Civ II MGE, of course!)

 

[drake]

Against AI

Engineers to build the rail, howitzers to clean out the cities and mech infantry to hold them afterwords.

Against another person

Same strategy will work if your opponent is un-skilled in modern warfare. If they are skilled, the key is to only take ground that you can hold. Its pointless to take cities if you can only put one defender in afterwords. The spontaneous, un-planned attackas that work flawlessly on the AI will flounder against a worthy opponent......So plan plan plan. And always watch your back! Get walls, coastal forts, sam batteries, sdi's up in all important cities and sever rail lines that bring your enemies right to your doorstep......Use guerilla warefare to throw a wrench in your enemies plans. Destory their roads and irrigation and then send in spies to destroy their factories. Use stealth fighters to survey your borders and always keep a curtain of naval units around your coasts, so as to give you early detection for any invasion.

I love modern combat, its great.....just really sllllloooooow.

I see I ranted and have no real point, but I like talking about this time in a game so.....

 

[Series1999]

Sometimes rail isn't such a good idea...
Realize that whatever advantage YOU gain with rail, your opponent has too... Sometimes keeping the city you've captured (or are about to capture) ISOLATED works better, because you eliminate the defense's supply lines until YOU can build it up...

Assuming you are the stronger power (I hope so, if you're more focused on offense than defense) the settlers and rails sometimes do as much or more harm than good...

ONE IMPORTANT CAVEAT, though, is that if the AI's defense has some attacking units, if I'm not mistaken, the AI will almost always attack engineers BEFORE military units, so as extra "defense" units, engineers are better than nothing.

P.S. Howitzers and mech inf? He's probly not there yet.