Tank vs Spearman - The Answer

[Azimuth]

Tank vs Spearman - The Answer.

It's the roads. In Civ1 it would show in your unit's moves remaining that you had thirds of a move left after using roads. Roads make 1 move take 3 squares. Your unit's attack strength is decreased by 1/3 for each movement along that, if it only has 1 move left. So you could have just 1/3 of a move left and attack, giving your unit 1/3 the usual attack strength. This was explained in the Civ1 manual. Shame they left out this detail in Civ3, not showing that your units have thirds of a move left and not explaining it in the manual.

So look at the attack strength of a Tank unit, divide that by 3; compare that to the Spearman's defensive strength. There is your answer. Especially a fortified one, or on defensive bonus terrain.

I've seen people complaining about losing Tanks to Spearmen a lot, but I haven't seen any say "and it didn't involve roads at all!". They did mention other bonuses or lack thereof, but not roads.

So there you have it.

 

[Kalach]

It was the same way in CivII as well, but I assumed because there was no mention of it in C3 that it was removed. Do you know for sure it's still in?

I think that it's more likely just luck, the way the RNG works there's no reason why spearmen wouldn't be able to destroy tanks ocasionly.

 

[norwegianviking]

That's what I think to, I started the forum 'tank versus spearman: the ongoing struggle' and found out that non of the losses were road related or at least no one noticed or reported it, we did have a similam sullution though, they thought it was the blitz, we thought it was a myth.

 

[digitalgoodtime]

This is a good point, I also remember thoose rules in the earlier civ's but have not heard anything about it in civ3... I think the penalty may have been removed though because wouldnt your units go kamikaze when u use them in a blitz or second attack?

 

[norwegianviking]

Off topic: you been welcomed yet digitalgoodtime?

 

[Chieftess]

I think there was a test on this a long time ago. I even did a test on it, and didn't really find anything different. It's probably just the luck of the RNG.

 

[Turner]

It's just the RNG. Civ3 does not suffer from the movement penalty that existed in Civ & Civ2. If you've ever noticed, you can move onto that mountain every time with a one move unit that only has a third of a movement point left. There were plenty of times in Civ2 (don't recall about Civ1) where it would take me several tries to get up on that mountain.

Might want to create a scenario to test this....run it a few hundred times and see what happens. Make sure to document it.

 

[Aggie]

Turner_727 is right. This feature did even exist in Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri but is deleted from CIV3.

 

[Longasc]

This feature does not exist anymore.

Just attack with an Ansar Warrior over roads, with only 1/3 movement left and 1/3 attack power their chances of defeating Pikemen would be very bad, but you will notice that they attack with full power - otherwise they could not be really effective.

 

[CaptainPete]

I wasn't sure but I presumed that feature was taken out because you never get windows popping up saying "If you attack now your unit will only have 1/3 strength" or something like that.

 

[digitalgoodtime]

Off topic: you been welcomed yet digitalgoodtime?

No should I expect a fruit basket or something : )

 

[Padma]

We don't send fruit baskets here.

But how 'bout a little party?

 

[Mr. Do]

I'm surprised I've never seen a "wacky" flash animationo of the eternal sturggle between tank and spearman.

 

[Padma]

You mean like this?




(The original had the spearman animated, too! )


(Yeah, it's a smiley, not a "flash", but what the heck. )

 

[SwitchbladeNGC]

I have lost Panzers to spearmen (or pikemen can't remember exactly) when I was the one being attacked so I don't think that the road thing explains it.

 

[Mr. Do]

You mean like this?




(The original had the spearman animated, too! )


(Yeah, it's a smiley, not a "flash", but what the heck. )

Well kind of, but with bad music blaring in the background, and everything anime-ised.

 

[painkiller]

I once wrote a topic like this one. The answer is the same both now and then... Since the spearman has a chance to defend himself, he will score victories against tanks. But in modern times (the real world) it would take more than just wodden sticks to beat a tank. Maybe the wodden sticks are upgraded with nuclear warheads in order to make the spearman more modern and effective.

I lost a cavalry to a defending warrior yesterday and it sure is annoying. The warrior was standing on a grassland and he wasn't even fortified. The warrior was an agent from the world of Matrix so when my cavalry fired his rifle the warrior simply dodged the bullet and killed my cavalry

 

[BigNHuge]

I once lost 2 tanks to a fortified warrior on plains. This made me so mad, i sent a nuke right on the spot he was! I went back, all that was left was pollution. Goodbye sir.

 

[ssvensson]

I once wrote a topic like this one. The answer is the same both now and then... Since the spearman has a chance to defend himself, he will score victories against tanks. But in modern times (the real world) it would take more than just wodden sticks to beat a tank. Maybe the wodden sticks are upgraded with nuclear warheads in order to make the spearman more modern and effective.

I lost a cavalry to a defending warrior yesterday and it sure is annoying. The warrior was standing on a grassland and he wasn't even fortified. The warrior was an agent from the world of Matrix so when my cavalry fired his rifle the warrior simply dodged the bullet and killed my cavalry

Think of it this way! In this forum alone there are thousands and thousands of players playing more or less all the time - even if the odds were a million to one (and in reality they not even near that!!!) eventually some unlucky people would still be complaining about loosing a tank to a spearman.

Moderator Action: Warned for vulgar language.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

...or you can think of it this way if you prefer - a lonely spearman hiding in a tree - when the tank passes by he jumps on it and pokes the driver's eye out through the hole. The driver looses control over tank and runs out over a cliff and gets destroyed. Spearman 1 - Tank 0.

 

[Mr. Do]

Remember, in Indiana Jones and the last crusade they defeat a tank with a PEN.