What is the largest stack you've been attacked with?

[namyzarc]

A couple of weeks ago I was playing a game on Price (Huge, Fractal). I was the largest civ in the game by the modern era with Kublai beeing 2nd. He did however have a much larger army, which seemed strange to me at the time since I had a HUGE number of solders myself. I had a continent to myself, and Kubai had his own very large continent as well, but the two continents were close enough at one location that I had a "-" for close borers with him.
Inevitably he attacked me. at first I wasn't worried because I had a huge naval force (~25 battleshps, ~20 destroyers, ~22 subs plus 20+ fighters + 20+ bombers) + loads of mech infantry and Modern armor (all left over from previous wars I had with Mansa & Hatty to take my continent). At first he just came at me with a few transports escorted with a couple of destroyers & battleships with the ocassional carrier filled with fighters. No biggie. I usually sank everything before they reached my shores.
Then about 10 turns into the war, IT came. IT was the single most largest stack of units I had ever seen: 36 destroyers, ~15 battleships, ~10 aircraft carriers (all filled with fighters) and 12 trasports filled with Artillery, mech inf. & modern armor. Add to this all the fighers & bombers that were directly pillaging all the tiles of my 5 closest coastal cities.
Turns out it was actually 3 stacks that just happened to be travelling to nearby destinations (they split up just before reaching my shores).
I did manage to take everyone out, but wow, I lost the majority of my fighters, bomers & subs trying to soften them up before attacking full force. They did manage to land 30 some troops, but they were easily dispatched as I had plenty of artillery and Modern armor at hand.
I did get VERY worried when I saw that stack however... has this happened to anyone else? What's the largest number of units you've been attcked with?

 

[lbhhh]

Never seen anything quite like what you just described. I would've just nuked it while it was still in the water(although I'm guessing the UN had banned nukes).

 

[Armor (Veteran)]

Talk about stack of doom...just reading about that stack made me almost wet my pants. I've never seen anything close to that in my games, though that could be because I tend to play smaller maps.

So once you managed to destroy all those units, did you make Kublai pay?

 

[jUNGLE cHRIS]

Wow, thats insane. The biggest I've ever seen was 4 stacks of about 15? units each coming from Alexander. It was a scary mix of riflemen, cavalry, and grandiers. Even though I had Infantry, I was expecting such a humongous force, and all my units were fighting a war against Japan. Luckily, those boys were meant for Saladin and not me. I would have lost all the territory from the Indians if it was.

 

[automator]

Man, that's big. I thought the AI was tough when I quit my last game around 750 AD when the formerly pleased Hannibal walked up to my borders with three stacks of mixed War Elephants, Axemen, Archers and Cats (about 10 units per stack) and said, "Hi, I'd like to declare war now."

And I thought I was safe because he was separated from me by two empires.

 

[namyzarc]

Talk about stack of doom...just reading about that stack made me almost wet my pants. I've never seen anything close to that in my games, though that could be because I tend to play smaller maps.

So once you managed to destroy all those units, did you make Kublai pay?

LOL. Didn't have time to since it was quite late in the game. But I did take control of two smaller islands near my main continent. One of the islands was a horizontally stretched thing just south/southeast of my main continent with 3 of my own cities and 1 of his, and the other was more rounded and to the NE with 2 of my cities on it and 1 of his. I ended up winning a time victory...Lately I play with space race turned off since it seems when it's on I feel I'm pretty much forced to win that way.

Barring some rare occasions, I usually don't play much past the win.

Edit: Also it was impossible to win a diplo in that game because EVERY other AI was either Annoyed or Furious towards me since I pretty much used my power to declare war on everyone at some time or another (more than once!). It was so funny to have everyone forced to either give-in to my unreasonable demands or end up losing a bunch of units to my experienced ships before ever reaching my shores.

 

[Giaur]

After many experiences, especially on Deity level, I regulary look over (F11) Demographics screen. And Two things which I'm am interested in are Production and Military Strength. Acording two my skills I managed to never engage in combat when the opponent is stronger. Recently I had make a mistake. Opponent's Strength was not such horrible, but he dominated in production over 8 times (including difficulty level). How did it come to this? He had a philosophical trait and already his Golden Age had started ;p. Theoreticaly I should start my own golden age then, but this would be a problem, cause I rarely produce more than 5 GP's when I'm attempting for conquest/domination.

 

[bassist2119]

I've seen stacks similar to (but, admittedly, to slightly lesser degrees than) those described. The thing is, though, the type of units described (cavalry, battleships) all indicate that these are late game events. By this point in the game, everyone has lots of units, lots of cities and improvements therein to produce armies. The point is... Sure. I encountered an incoming stack of 6 artillery and approximately 30 infantry (and, man, did my bombers have fun!), but this was NOWHERE near as scary as the single stack of 7 conquistadors that came at me, IIRC, around 900 AD.

 

[Arlborn]

Yesterday I lost a city defended by 2 Infantaries(with city defender 2), 3 Marines(1 with city defender 2 as well), a tank and 2 cavalaries. I got that city by sea with lots of Marines(capital of Shaka, a lot of longobow and rifles and grenadiers defending), so that was all that arrived in the city after conquest, some Marines was still at the transporters, but no moviment point. Man, when my stack walked into the city, what a shock to see a stack of 22 Trebs(!!) + some rifleman and knight defending them just outside the city! I coudlent even move my units out of there, no moviment point! Of course, I lost the city and he lost ONLY 2 Trebs and like 5 did withdrawn!!!!!!!!!! Never seen so many siege units togheter..

Gotta hate Blake's AI

 

[T.A JONES]

Then about 10 turns into the war, IT came. IT was the single most largest stack of units I had ever seen: 36 destroyers, ~15 battleships, ~10 aircraft carriers (all filled with fighters) and 12 trasports filled with Artillery, mech inf. & modern armor. Add to this all the fighers & bombers that were directly pillaging all the tiles of my 5 closest coastal cities

That bloody well could be greatest thing to ever happen in a Game of Civ PERIOD!(an Im talkin including any modded Civ3 game ever played aswell)

You should have snapped a picture! What you witnessed was the first real D-DAy invasions ever attempted by the AI. A land stack means nothing. I see huge AI armys make cross-continential campains all the time. Its over seas that cripple the AIs abilty to stack massive attack. Their to itchy on the trigger!

Its the fact they waited to save those 12 transports worth of ground forces! and managed to hold off launching them till the last one was filled that stuns me

Combine that with suffient Navy protection and a full navy airforce to boot! All lauched at the same time!.
Something I though only humans were smart enough to plan out for the the AI.
The stars must have a-lined in your favour man. Thats one of the coolest things I'll ever hear and something I doubt I'll ever see.

Before this I only heard of a few ways to replicate this behavior:Giving the Civs lots of units at the start tends to trick them into a false sence of home securty, thus they feel able to launch a powerful force after saving up a bit. This only works most the time if you can make them want something bad enough an ocean away. (some type of planted resource) A moderator (Platonius) at CIv3 figured out this way)

 

[Elmstr]

wow i have never seen such a big army either

 

[gettingfat]

I wonder how any civ can afford the insane unit cost to start with.

 

[wookiee]

... lol, I have been nuked many times in every one of my cities all in one turn but man that takes the cake..

 

[ppete111]

... lol, I have been nuked many times in every one of my cities all in one turn but man that takes the cake..

i have never been nuked, still waiting on that, so i can nuke someone back without declaring war on the world. even after ive nuked someone they don't retaliate.

as far as the infamous dday stack goes, DAAAMMMMMNNNNNNNN. Never seen anything close to that, hope i do someday though.