What would the AI do if you pillaged all its squares?

[Ringo Kid]

Would it be worthwhile to pillage all the enemies squares before attacking them?

Would they disband units to make up for the lost gold? Sell improvements? Halt research?

In my current game I have conquered my continent, there is just one one other powerful civ, the Inca, on a continent I have not even seen yet. Actually I have not met the Inca or the Aztecs, they allied with the civs I conquered against me, and I have stayed at war with them the entire game . THAT will teach them!

I have four cavalry armies, so I think I could pillage their empire a lot faster than I could conquer it. They have the tech lead and the score lead, too. Military advisor says my military is "weak compared to these guys".

So I was thinking a complete pillaging would slow their research and weaken their military, so that by the time I get tanks- they will be so far behind me I can just run all over them with the tank treads.

Good idea? Will it work, in other words. What do you think?

 

[Ringo Kid]

Its about 1600 and I am Greece, just about to enter the Industrial era in two turns.

 

[Stormrage]

I only pillage in revenge

So you would send those 4 cav armies as raiding parties? Even if you send in more units, alot more units, if they are that much stronger than you, they could slaughter them..

 

[dutchfire]

The AI usually doesn't attack armies right?

 

[Chamnix]

Yes, it will work as long as they aren't so far ahead of you that they have Flight. With a few exceptions, the AI will not attack a fully healthy army (but bombers are another story).

For even faster pillaging, send a bunch of explorers along with the armies. Use each explorer to pillage a tile every turn as well - just make sure all the explorers end every turn protected by an army.

 

[Ginger_Ale]

Yeah, you would slow their economy to a halt. It's like playing on Sid - the AI reaches a point where they have built up so many units (and continue to do so) that they have no gold in reserve and spend all their money on unit upkeep. If you have no intention of actually conquering them for a while, and they're on another continent (meaning the chance of them attacking your cities is very small), go ahead.

Especially go after roads connecting cities (e.g. isolate his cities, cut off trade) and resources (mainly luxuries). The more luxuries you cut off, the less citizens he will have working tiles, and thus the less food/shields/commerce he brings in. It'll be a slow process, but it will work. After all, it makes sense. Roads yield commerce. Take away roads, no more commerce.

 

[LowEndUser]

The AI usually doesn't attack armies right?

At Regent I`ve waltzed a MI Army around in 1939 pillaging an AI that has Tanks in their Cities and they never attack it. It`s kind of cheesy but sometimes they deserve it

 

[civverguy]

I don't think the AI will disband units. The units are automatically disbanded when their treasury goes below 0.

 

[eldar]

The AI will attack armies if they're the only targets available. And they will bomb them and send in troops to mop up.

 

[Ginger_Ale]

They'll also use artillery to attack them (if it's stationed in a nearby city - they won't move artillery into the city though from elsewhere to attack the army though).

 

[Ringo Kid]

I have never seen the AI attack a pillaging army, unless its very weak.

Earlier in the game I had one knight army against the Americans and their Cavalry, and they just ignored it while I pillaged every tile around their capitol.

I am sure five or six cavs could kill a knight army. At least I think they could. But the AI does not seem to know that. They will attack a city garrisoned by an army sometimes. But thats all I have seen.

Bombers wont be a problem, as they will never have any oil. There will be some really pissed off spearmen and longbowmen running around, but they will never learn to fly. Should be fun.

 

[Ringo Kid]

Note the Cavalry standing around ignoring the rampaging pillaging armies.

 

[Ringo Kid]

 

[Ringo Kid]

 

[Ringo Kid]

Image thing not working. Dont know why. Never mind.

 

[Quintillus]

You usually have to use the "Go Advanced" button to get images to work...not sure why. Also make sure you're using the button with the mountains on it just to make sure it's formatting correctly.

Kind of crazy how the Inca aren't doing anything at all. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Ginger_Ale]

Note the Cavalry standing around ignoring the rampaging pillaging armies.

As has been said, the AI generally doesn't attack armies unless it has units far superior.

Image thing not working. Dont know why. Never mind.

Next time, upload your screenshots right here at CFC or at ImageShack, a site that allows hotlinking.

 

[Ringo Kid]

Hey, it works when I upload to civfanatics! thanks.

 

[Rising Star]

I love it when the enemy just stands there and watches you do things. I just conquered Russia in my latest game, by marching my swordsmen up to their cities and sneak attacking them. The idiots were moving troops out of the cities. This despite the fact there was no RoP or anything. Took them out in one turn.

 

[Ringo Kid]

I have the tech lead now- rate of about 7 turns. Looks like the Inca have stopped research altogether to keep from disbanding units. At any rate they have not learned a new tech since 1685.

I have captured about a dozen workers, since without roads they cant escape the armies.

My knight army did get destroyed - it went past a cavalry which took a passing shot at it- then as it was weakened about five other cav's jumped it the next turn and destroyed it.

But it looks like the strategy works. My civ is advancing rapidly, and the Incas are losing ground fast. They were sending boats of cav to attack my homeland- but I built a screen of frigates and put a stop to that.

What I cant figure out is how the Incas are staying in Democracy. I have been at war with them for literally the entire game. They declared war on me before we had met, actually. I would have thought the war weariness would have them in monarchy or communism long ago. Strange.