The best unit in the game!

[ced93us]

Tanks are definatly the best military unit. They're soo fast(compared to infantry) and pack quite a punch.

 

[Ronin228]

I find my cavalry units get owned a lot on the battlefield. What kind of promotions do you all give them typically?

 

[Eggolas]

I find my cavalry units get owned a lot on the battlefield. What kind of promotions do you all give them typically?

My cavalry are usually Cossacks and they get Combat promotions until Blitz.

 

[jafink]

In my experience on Noble - Monarch i have found the Cho-Ku-Nu (probably spelled wrong) to be the most effective.

 

[Nials]

I find any airborne units to be very overpowered. Their sheer mobility and ability to bomb within a fairly large radius with very small risk is extremely good.

Too bad regular games are over by the time you get them.

 

[Donkey Puncher]

the praetorian the best early unit for warmogers because there so powerful so early

 

[The 777 Hoax]

Tanks... I find them easier to move into enemy territory and start crushing them.

 

[turquoiseninja]

Military wise, and just for its era it's by far the Preatorians, they just utterly dominate. That's why Rome is my favorite Civ, and I can't wait to play as Augustas (spelled wrong) once Warlords comes out.

 

[Instant_Cereal]

I think it all depends on era. Phalanx rule the ancient world. Certainly Macemen in medievil. The Grenadier is a handy unit to have while people are just getting around to building musketmen. Then the tank because of it promotion capablitly in modern.

I think grenadiers are overpowered because of that. In most of my games it's almost pointless to build riflemen. The AI ends up having so many grenadiers it's insane. Their timing just feels a little... off.

Knights cost 90, macemen cost 70, and one would expect a stack costing more hammers to be better. Those 120 shields neatly buy a crossbowman and pikeman, which is a far better garrison than a bunch of injured knights (where even if you hold the city, you'll probably lose some). The key problem with mounted units is not really their raw abilities, it's cost-benefit.

Typical knights aren't that great, but the conquistadors can dominate.


Anyway, my best unit is the praetorian. Considering many games can be determined early on, the praetorian's timing is one of its main strengths, including the techs required to build them. Not to mention it really has no effective counter. The only units that are capable of putting up a respectable fight against them are elephants and well entrenched axemen (forest/hill and city/hill/walls). But even then, they're still formidable. There are two things that make praetorians completely unstoppable. Praetorians + pyramids + catapults = unstoppable (and the pyramids aren't essential), assuming they're properly led, of course. It's very feasible for a Roman player to conquer 5 civs before the medieval period.

Close runner-ups are redcoats, cossacks, and conquistadors. I especially enjoy redcoats out of these three, though. They're much like the Roman legions of their day; they have no really effective counter and are able to be conscripted.

 

[turquoiseninja]

Yeah, I would say Redcoats are right behind the Preatorians for overall dominace. Rome and Britian historicaly were after all the most powerful civs of their times. Although I still think Britians UU should be Man O' War like it was in Civ3...

 

[Pantastic]

Not to mention it really has no effective counter. The only units that are capable of putting up a respectable fight against them are elephants and well entrenched axemen (forest/hill and city/hill/walls).

Straight up axemen put up a respectable fight against praetorians, 7.5 strength vs 8 strength and they're cheaper. Give them pretty much any bonus and they come out ahead, it doesn't need to be a huge bonus like you're saying. The AI doesn't build nearly enough axes so you'll spend a lot of time fighting wimpy little arches, thats the biggest reason praets are so incredible at conquering. From what I've heard of MP games they're not nearly as effective on humans; praets are good, and Rome will often win an early war, but they won't just walk all over neighbors like in SP.

 

[Murky]

Pretorians are probably the best ancient age offensive unit when you're playing the AI. I like German's Panzer or Navy SEALs for later starts.

 

[PsychoJ]

Straight up axemen put up a respectable fight against praetorians, 7.5 strength vs 8 strength and they're cheaper. Give them pretty much any bonus and they come out ahead, it doesn't need to be a huge bonus like you're saying.

But give the praetorian one bonus and it is better too, and gets more benefit from the bonus than the axeman. What decent warmonger sends out attacking units without building a barracks?

 

[Pantastic]

But give the praetorian one bonus and it is better too, and gets more benefit from the bonus than the axeman. What decent warmonger sends out attacking units without building a barracks?

I said bonus, not promotion, and if you actually read both my post and what I was responding to it should be really clear since specific examples of bonuses were used. The attacker doesn't get the benefit of defensive terrain when attacking, and can't neccesarily avoid open ground (especially against a human player who will clear forests around his cities).

 

[Instant_Cereal]

Straight up axemen put up a respectable fight against praetorians, 7.5 strength vs 8 strength and they're cheaper. Give them pretty much any bonus and they come out ahead, it doesn't need to be a huge bonus like you're saying. The AI doesn't build nearly enough axes so you'll spend a lot of time fighting wimpy little arches, thats the biggest reason praets are so incredible at conquering. From what I've heard of MP games they're not nearly as effective on humans; praets are good, and Rome will often win an early war, but they won't just walk all over neighbors like in SP.

I did say axemen are one of the few units capable of a respectable fight against praetorians...

Anyway, I don't know why you say that when I've trounced many people in MP with praetorians, including axe-abundant opponents. And no, these weren't noobs. If you know how and when to use them, and which units to use with them, they're simply overpowering. But, I suppose any unit is like that, except I suppose it's just easier to be overpowering with praetorians than it is with other units. But it makes sense, 'cause the Roman war machine was the epitome of the classical age, just like Britian's redcoats were for their time.

 

[alpha wolf 64]

After watching my stacks of Infantry/Panzers get destroyed by Cossacks, I'm voting for Cossacks. They seem to have no modern counter. They were winning one-on-one and a single cossack held a hill against 3 panzers.

 

[Murky]

After watching my stacks of Infantry/Panzers get destroyed by Cossacks, I'm voting for Cossacks. They seem to have no modern counter. They were winning one-on-one and a single cossack held a hill against 3 panzers.

That seems odd. It would seem impossible to happen in the real world. I could see non-promoted Panzers getting smacked down by upgraded Cossacks but not the Infantry unless there was a huge terrain disadvantage.

 

[Instant_Cereal]

That seems odd. It would seem impossible to happen in the real world. I could see non-promoted Panzers getting smacked down by upgraded Cossacks but not the Infantry unless there was a huge terrain disadvantage.

Not even against Panzers would that make any sense.

 

[PsychoJ]

I said bonus, not promotion, and if you actually read both my post and what I was responding to it should be really clear since specific examples of bonuses were used.

My mistake. I did read your post, I just saw the "give them bonuses" line and thought you meant giving them promotions instead.

The point still stands, anyway, since the biggest terrain bonus you can get in a city is a +25% from hills, and if you reserach for a fast war you can get them mobilised before most cities finish building walls. Give them city raider 1, tap a random unit before you reach the city and get city raider 2, instant +45% to the already powerful 8 strength.

Like IC said, they are meant to strong because they were historically better than everything else at the time

 

[theimmortal1]

Cavalry obviously...



If you tech properly and get to calvary fast, the defenders will still be bows and what not. Even at the higher levels. Maybe a musket here and there. Thats complete rapage.

Obviously if you tech proper to any unit, you'll have an advantage. But calvary can come much earlier than its counter, and it is such a huge jump on any unit that can come before RIfles.