Why AI surrounded my city but does not attack?

[AAjus[LTU]]

Napoleon declared war and surrounded one of my cities with units enough to capture it. But for a few turns already it only moves units around, doing nothing bad, except preventing my citizens of working land. I already killed one of its units with city bombardment. Is it normal? I see a poor choice of action by the AI and I am disappointed by a weak challenge.

 

[Miravlix]

DI don't know for sure how the AI is programmed, but it seems to me the AI has an overall strategy, but each unit evaluate it's own attack.

So in this case the unit doesn't feel it's worth it's while to attack your city, but the overall strategy still say go for the city.

Same problem exist with barbarians not attacking, barbs should almost 99% of the time choose death by attack over moving around and slowly get plinked to death by one archer.

But at least it sometimes manage some awesome offense, with smart withdrawal when loosing to many units to fast.

The AI is still totally broken on defense pre. airplanes.

 

[dexters]

Napoleon declared war and surrounded one of my cities with units enough to capture it. But for a few turns already it only moves units around, doing nothing bad, except preventing my citizens of working land. I already killed one of its units with city bombardment. Is it normal? I see a poor choice of action by the AI and I am disappointed by a weak challenge.

Spoiler :

I looked at the image. They are not attacking because they don't have enough force to take your city.

There's almost no ranged units and no seige units. Really weird that France has musketeers but no crossbows

Also he's GG is way back, so you may only be facing his first wave, intended to wear you down as he brings the big hitters.

 

[smallfish]

If you kill off their siege units, they will back off (unless their melee units are an era or two ahead of you - or they have more than enough melees to spam the city health below red).

 

[RealHuhn]

Yeah, I think the AI evaluates every turn whether it's worth it or not to continue the attack.
You probably bought a few units and he is waiting for reinforcements.

 

[Callonia]

AAJus, I see four melees and three bowmen, that isn't even enough to take a city like marrakech if napoleon commited with that kind of force you would win even with just one or two military units in the area.

And what's more, half of the french forces in the area barely have half of the strength of your city.

 

[Xotite potancev]

Had the same happen with the huns managed to get cav around his flank to kill off the rams, his pikes stood about while a second set of rams came up, after they died he packed up and walked home.

Yes if he had attacked with the melee and few archers he had he would have taken the city but at the expense of most of his troops. Perhaps its a good thing that the AI doesnt trow 20 turns of production away on one crap city.

 

[grandad1982]

Hmmm.

I see this problem in my games.

Siam and Korea were at war and Siam had at least 6 Elephants, 2 LSwords, and several Composite Bows around a small and relatively weak city. The city had a GProth and Bow in it. They danced around the city for about 15 turns without attacking it once. In this time they lost a few units to the city and its defender.

The city was totally isolated from the rest of Korea (especially once Hiawatha and I took the rest of Korea's cities ) so no reinforcements were coming. Ok in the attack they may have lost 2 or 3 units without siege but so what? They had overwhelming force and didn't use it. AI needs to be more aggressive at city taking.