One thing I've noticed in a number of games recently is how poor a memory the AI has.
Let's say I have a good amount of Bowmen while playing as Babylon. Bowmen are tough to kill even if you can get to them, but now let's say I've got them across the river from the enemy civ. The enemy civ marches in a few units, then gets those units flattened by a hail of arrows.
What happens next is the problem.
Rather than trying to outflank the Bowmen by going around and coming down the river on the same side the Bowmen are on, the AI will instead send more units into an area it should already be able to calculate as to how much distance can be covered per damage point taken. It's a simple ratio that could be determined by the number of my Bowmen, the number of tiles per turn the enemy civ's units can travel, and the strength of those enemy units. Yet the same suicidal "Pickett's Charge" occurs into an area where they should assume they still can't succeed.
This is a more understandable problem when I use artillery, as artillery can be farther away and behind obstacles, making it so the enemy civ doesn't even see them or know exactly where the artillery units are. But Bowmen?
Long story short, I used to defend my empire using melee units. Now, I only use melee units if I can't find a river or suitable range of hills to slow them down. Otherwise, ranged units just tear the AI up in defense. On offense, ranged units can still damage the AI, but having to push forward with melee units takes up room and fewer ranged units can attack.
In the early game, ranged unit defense seems unbreakable against the AI, given enough ranged units of comparable tech level to the AI's. And with Great Wall, until Dynamite you can destroy almost anything a turn or two after it enters your border.
I guess my only question in all this (sorry for the rambling) is, could ToA be worth getting much more often than I thought? The food bonus is okay, I guess, but pumping out archer-type units seems a great bonus after the last few games I've played.
Let's say I have a good amount of Bowmen while playing as Babylon. Bowmen are tough to kill even if you can get to them, but now let's say I've got them across the river from the enemy civ. The enemy civ marches in a few units, then gets those units flattened by a hail of arrows.
What happens next is the problem.
Rather than trying to outflank the Bowmen by going around and coming down the river on the same side the Bowmen are on, the AI will instead send more units into an area it should already be able to calculate as to how much distance can be covered per damage point taken. It's a simple ratio that could be determined by the number of my Bowmen, the number of tiles per turn the enemy civ's units can travel, and the strength of those enemy units. Yet the same suicidal "Pickett's Charge" occurs into an area where they should assume they still can't succeed.
This is a more understandable problem when I use artillery, as artillery can be farther away and behind obstacles, making it so the enemy civ doesn't even see them or know exactly where the artillery units are. But Bowmen?
Long story short, I used to defend my empire using melee units. Now, I only use melee units if I can't find a river or suitable range of hills to slow them down. Otherwise, ranged units just tear the AI up in defense. On offense, ranged units can still damage the AI, but having to push forward with melee units takes up room and fewer ranged units can attack.
In the early game, ranged unit defense seems unbreakable against the AI, given enough ranged units of comparable tech level to the AI's. And with Great Wall, until Dynamite you can destroy almost anything a turn or two after it enters your border.
I guess my only question in all this (sorry for the rambling) is, could ToA be worth getting much more often than I thought? The food bonus is okay, I guess, but pumping out archer-type units seems a great bonus after the last few games I've played.
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