Warfare tactics

[The_Oakster]

I have just finished a game that lasted for a week and got up to about 2200 AD. I was testing different types of warfare that were suggested in The Academy.

Among them was the long drawn out air campaign to destroy links to neighbouring civs, towns and resources. Followed by a slow advance with troops one town at a time. Admittedly this looked good but was slow and tedious.

The second main one was to just get transports full of modern armour and steamroll through the towns only pausing to consolidate troops.

Is the first one worth the extra time it takes or is it just a waste of time?

Are there any other ways that the veterans among you use or are these the only real ways to destroy your enemies.

I also had my first nuclear war today!! The chinese just didnt have enough ICBMs.........

 

[superslug]

Was your nuclear exchange in the game you were asking about? If so, you've already taken a rep hit for nuking. Rather than aerial bombardment, I suggest this (somewhat known trick):

Place your ground units to the square immediately left (adjust however your map is laid out) of an enemy city. Nuke the square immediately to the right of the city. The damage blast radius will severly weaken the city defenders and you can roll in.

The more cities you do this to in one turn, the better.

 

[The_Oakster]

The nuclear exchange was in the same game but i dont really want to fight over territory with a nuclear war because of the pollution.

But surelt however bad my reputation is it must be ten times worse if i nuke someone.

You also have the problem of most of the other civs declaring war aswell....

 

[superslug]

I take it you can't wait until you get the shield up then?

About the rep, if you've already used them...I'm not sure it'll get worse. If you do get the shield, don't worry about pollution. Just raze some cities and automate your slaves to clean pollution only.

 

[The_Oakster]

What do you mean by the shield??

 

[superslug]

Sorry, I should have been more specific.

After you have five cities with SAM batteries, you're allowed to construct a Small Wonder called SDI Defense. It means that any nuke fired at your territory has only a 25% chance of detonating, rather than 100%. It'll shoot down 3 out of 4 fired at you.

 

[The_Oakster]

No i had that but is nuclear war really a viable way to take over another civ??

 

[digger760]

It is if they are close to a domination victory, or about to build the space ship. You can prevent the domination by reducing there population...I think they need 2/3 rds of the global population and 2/3 the land area to win by domination.

If you nuke the capital while they are building the space ship, it make it easy to take the capital and destroy the space ship.

You could blow all the cities to kingdom come, and march through there lands, don't warry about pollution it is not going to kill your units, just make sure you clean up the pollution quickly or your homeland will turn to desert.

I've only fired a nuke once, just to see the animations. I prefer the pounding of artillery and armour:rocket2: + i hate cleaning up pollution

 

[superslug]

Using nukes to take over a civ? I've never really tried, just on the sheer amount of damage a nuke causes to what you're hoping will be yours.

As far as your original question (sorry to go off on the tangent I've taken) going in with steamrolling ground troops vs aerial assaults to set up the blow, I'd say in your case you should steamroll in. I don't think aerial micromanagement is needed because if you do run into trouble, that would be the time to nuke.

Of course your best bet might be getting objective advice from someone who's not so obsessed with nukes....(Edit: I didn't know Digger had posted when this first went up, I wasn't trying to imply anything about his post)

 

[The_Oakster]

In the later stages of the game i can see the obvious advantages for destroying links to resources etc but for the time it takes to rebuild them does it really damage the civs ability to build units. If they have already started building a resource specific unit and that resource is taken away then the unit is still constructed. It just affects the next one they try to build...

To digger: I take it that you use artillery for destroying links instead of aircraft or are they for destroying units....

 

[digger760]

I use fighters to destroy links and defend cities against bombers.

I use bombers to destroy links and wear down enemy forces. It depends on what is most important at the time.

Probably the highest priority is cutting a city off from re-enforcements. so bomb all the back roads connecting it. This is only my opinion and every situation/game is different (thats is what is great about civ)

I never really use artillery to pillage, if the artillery is close to the city, then the city cops it first.

I know the AI constantly re-builds roads and stuff, but you slow them from doing other stuff and you can slow them from bringing re-inforcements to the front line.

 

[The_Oakster]

But the AI never really builds up a credible force to defend itself so surely it is easier to just send in MA and take over everything?

 

[digger760]

probably, why don't you sav the file before you attack send in the MA, see how you go. After you have finished them off reload the sav and try a different tactic. Practice makes perfect....if only i had the time

 

[superslug]

Oakster, Digger has a good suggestion. Saving the game and then trying out different approaches is a great way to learn. Bear in mind that a lot of the articles in the Academy are written/designed for the highest levels of the game where you can expect your enemies to be as big or bigger and as or more advanced than you are. If you have any kind of advantage over your target enemy, be it numbers and/or tech, there's nothing wrong with a good ol' steamroll...

 

[The_Oakster]

I will try this way to learn but i am finding it hard to jump from playing as warlord to even make the jump to the next couple of levels. I just cant seem to stop the AI from demanding stuff that i cant afford to give and then being taken over...

 

[digger760]

Sounds to me like you could do with a training game. I might not be the best for it, but you could send me a sav file or something and i can offer suggestions.

Otherwise reading training threads are also good ways to improve. I read one once and found it useful...let me see if i can find it.....ah

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21305

training players play 10 turns, post there turns on the thread and Sirian (a diety player critiques there turns).

 

[Pal {UI}]

Originally posted by The_Oakster
I will try this way to learn but i am finding it hard to jump from playing as warlord to even make the jump to the next couple of levels. I just cant seem to stop the AI from demanding stuff that i cant afford to give and then being taken over...

The AI never demands something that you cannot afford. Whether you WANT to give it to them is a different matter....

 

[The_Oakster]

Exactly, and i never do. Here is an example -

I started this game in Regent and it is the hardest level i have tried to play. I started next to spain who in matter of turns had military units and settlers swarming all over the shop. I was struggling to build anything, and then they asked for a RoP. I agreed then they said they didnt want to renew it. They then proceeded to ask my guys to move but when i did the same they declared war.

The next two screenshots show how quickly this all happened and how quickly i am about to die...

 

[The_Oakster]

WHOOPS : THIS POST CAN BE DELETED I MESSED UP WITH THE IMAGE POSTING

 

[The_Oakster]

530 AD - RoP just cancelled. (feel free to comment on city placements or other points you notice)