What's the perfect size of your permanent army?

[FredLC]

There’s a question that is always bugging me in CIV III

What is the perfect size of your permanent army (units per city), trough each era, to have a good balance of defense/offense potential and respect from other nations, without draining too much from your treasure?

Please, can any of you vets gimme some insight in that matter… I can’t find the perfect number.

Regards .

 

[Mozenwrath]

Well, this is what I have but it probably won't work for everyone...
Ancient: 2 spearmen in each city and around half my city number of swordsmen in case of a war.
Middle:2 pikemen/musketmen in each city plus the same amount of knights as swordsmen above. Once I get milit. trad. one cavalry in nearly every city.
Industrial: 2riflemen/infantry in each city, 1cavalry/tank in every city and one artillery in each city once you get it. Also, if on a map with much water, a few marines.
Modern:in each city-2mobileinf, 1 modern armor, 1radar artillery, 1 bomber and one jet fighter.
Of course, I'm assuming that as you progress through the ages, you will build up an empire capable of supporting such a military. If not, I usually cut out aritllery/bombers. Also, you can make it less costly to support units in the editor.

 

[Zachriel]

Normally, you need two units to quell malcontents while in despotism anyway. Later develop a mobile army which can be dispatched where needed. It's usually a good idea to have a few bombard units near the frontier, to slow the attackers and allow time for the cavalry to show up.

 

[Richard III]

I don't really start to organize it until the industrial age, which is when I fight the most savagely, but when I do, it tends to be:

2 riflemen/infantry per city
1 cannon/artillery in every second city, and:

One field force (but not an "army") for every five cities of 2 cavalry/tanks, 1 artillery and 4 rifle/infantry, placed a square or so back on the road net from major borders.

Although I am finding in a current war with the Americans that, since I've started playing on Monarch, I should be taking an extra cannon or artillery unit along with that field army for offensive action.

Usually, a fleet of 1 ship for every two ports plus one free to patrol on each coast does the trick as well.

R.III

 

[IronicWarrior19]

I keep as few units around as possible, usually a couple for martial law, and then a large force of units (10-15 war chariots, immortals, swordsmen, or horsemen) to take out a nearby civ (I go for an early conquest and surrender of the nearest civ every game). So you could say I'm almost always at war But I wouldn't bother keeping offensive units around unless you find war is inevitable (then build them up quickly), although I keep my old units around and upgrade them when possible.

 

[Badluck]

If i play in monarhy

1 defender per city, but some city don'T have any if they are in the middle of my empire.

normally in the beggining i don'T have any defense or i have 1 for 3 city and he move between them depending wich one need it.

i have like 2 attack unit per city, maybe more. so anyway i kill any troop coming my way befroe they can attack and i get elite faster this way for *LEADER*!!!!

i tell myself if i attack the computer and take 5 of is city will he send troop out and try and attack me?? NO!!! because if he did he would end up losing a lot more city since my troop are already at is door.:
)

 

[Bill9999]

I pretty much stay along same lines as above

Ancient, 2 Spearman / city plus swords + horsies = 1/2 cities with a few catapults thrown in

Middle -- 2 Pikeman / musketmen / city -- Cannon on each city that is on borders. Knights / cavalry - at least 1 per city, with a few mobile cannons in addition

Industrial 2 Riflemen / Infantry / city -- artillery in every border city -- cav / tanks usually built up to at least 2 per city by this point with usually a few mobile arty and usually 10-20 bombers

Modern -- 2 Mech / city 2 modern armor / city few more bombers than above, with some fighters thrown in. 1-2 ICBM per city just case I want to whip up some nuclear action.

Navy usually is 1 boat from each era, with 4-8 transports, a couple of BB and MAYBE a carrier.

 

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by Bill9999
I pretty much stay along same lines as above

Ancient, 2 Spearman / city plus swords + horsies = 1/2 cities with a few catapults thrown in

One small difference in my games. I use one warrior and one spearman. I build the warrior first and postpone the spearman as long as possible, usually fitting it in between settlers. The warrior is only half the price of the spearman and allows resumption of settler production sooner. You don't really need two soaks right away, except perhaps in the capital. Finally, the warrior can be upgraded to swordsman later.

 

[LaRo]

2 or 3 units in your frontier's cities and 1-2 in the cities inside your territory. (defensive's unit)

20-30 offensive's units. If you don't raze, 2-3 defensive units minimum and more to quel resisters.

 

[chiefpaco]

Originally posted by LaRo
2 or 3 units in your frontier's cities and 1-2 in the cities inside your territory. (defensive's unit)

20-30 offensive's units. If you don't raze, 2-3 defensive units minimum and more to quel resisters.

Exactly. Some defensive units to go with the offense so as to protect them.

 

[sealman]

LaRo and Chiefpaco pretty much hits the nail on the head. I may have one extra defender in some key cities with a little arty and/or air power.

 

[IronicWarrior19]

You shouldn't really have offensive units sitting around when you have no use for them. That's just wastage.

 

[lawren8]

Originally posted by IronicWarrior19
You shouldn't really have offensive units sitting around when you have no use for them. That's just wastage.

I keep a stock of fast units around to reduce my need for
defensive units. Except to quell unhappyness, I only
keep 1 unit per city. I've tried keep 0 units in core cities, but
i always seem to overlook the computer sneaking in some unit
as I'm too busy paying attention to the front.

 

[eyrei]

My army is usually pretty small through the middle ages, with border cities well garrisoned with 3 or 4 defensive units, plus any offensive units I have built. As the Industrial age progresses, my military becomes quite large, as cities finish all the available improvements and begin pumping out infantry and tanks every 2 or 3 turns. I almost never have a city produce wealth. By the modern age, I usually have an army at least the size of every other civ, and bigger than many.

 

[sealman]

Originally posted by IronicWarrior19
You shouldn't really have offensive units sitting around when you have no use for them. That's just wastage.

You need offensive units sitting around, just so you can quickly invade that country as soon as an opening appears rather than wait precious turns to build it up.

bty: for the most part, I consider arty as defensive due to the fact that they rarely hit anthing of value, thanks alot 1.17.

If you plan on the peace route, then you are right. You do not need a large offensive army, just be prepared to fight defensive wars until you can build up the response team.

 

[chaucer]

I am a Warmonger. I don't play nice with other civs. On top of that I believe that the best defence is a good offence. In my small cities I keep one defender (the best that I have) in my bigger cities (8 or more) I keep two. On top of that each city has its own attacking defender. Cities that are near my boarder will be garrisoned with several defenders and several attackers. Also I will send half a dozen workers down there to build forts right on the boarder and put two D and two A at each. When war does come, and it always does I have a resources in the area already. I find that by dividing my cities up 1/3 build units, 1/3 build happy improvements, and 1/3 build money improvments. This way a city will build swordman, temple, marketplace, and then repeat the process. When they can't build more improvements they build more units and then wealth. In my current game I have about a 120 unit army between city defence and boarder patrol.

 

[Bill_in_PDX]

Originally posted by sealman


You need offensive units sitting around, just so you can quickly invade that country as soon as an opening appears rather than wait precious turns to build it up.

bty: for the most part, I consider arty as defensive due to the fact that they rarely hit anthing of value, thanks alot 1.17.

If you plan on the peace route, then you are right. You do not need a large offensive army, just be prepared to fight defensive wars until you can build up the response team.

I agree with you sealman.

Additionally, a good defense should include a mobile reserve to go in an get the damaged units from the attacker. Otherwise you will see them again someday soon....

 

[Clubber]

I usually keep 3 Spearmen, to Pikemen, to Riflemen (I don't bother with Musketmen unless I'm already at war), to Infantry, to Mobile Infantry, per City. In the Modern age I also keep 2 tanks per city. I find it a waste of time to build aircraft or ships as they just don't work the way I had hoped and I find them a drain on my economy. I see too many complaints on this forum about aircraft not working correctly, although I myself have never really tried to fight a war using them. Once I get modern Armour and Nuclear missiles, if someone attacks my empire.......stick a fork in 'em, their done!!!

 

[IronicWarrior19]

Originally posted by sealman


You need offensive units sitting around, just so you can quickly invade that country as soon as an opening appears rather than wait precious turns to build it up.

If you plan on the peace route, then you are right. You do not need a large offensive army, just be prepared to fight defensive wars until you can build up the response team.

The only time I have offensive units sitting around when at peace is when I send them from attacking one civ to the next civ I wish to destroy, or in the early build up phase (build 10-15 units of choice). There is no point overcompensating when you're building up your civ. You should not have more than one unit in central cities, unless your using martial law, and it's usually obvious when the computer players are going to attack. I never take a whole peaceful route in a game, but there are still building up periods. I may add that the strategy I use has won 90% of deity games that get past the early stages.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

I usually keep 1-2 defenders, no bombardment in my cities. The exception: border cities to strong civs. Here i pile in up to 4 defenders - all state of the art - and up to 4 bombard units. Also, I keep a goodly stack of offence troops for each risky border (depends a little on terrain and road/rail network). Then I decide: blitz or not. Not means I draw the other guy into attacking my strongest towns - when he tries to bypass I beat him up with the offence troops. Then, when he has spent his offensive arms, I go for him, bringing about half the extra defenders along.

If I blitz, I build up extra offence and defence before I do so, since I will have to fihgt off counterattacks.