Why doesn't my line of fortresses work??!!

[Hail2theQueen]

Hey there..

I've been playing an intense game of Civ III for the past 40 hours or so.. (with some sleep here and there ) It's the first game playing against the computer where I didn't start off too badly. I'm playing as Egyptians and I'm on one of the two continents along with the French to the west, the Spanish to the north and the Chinese to the south and east. In other words I'm pretty hemmed in.. (sigh)

The computers take turns waging war with me, so I have built a line of fortresses around my empire hoping they would help hold them off. Over the years I managed to construct my own version of the chinese wall with fortresses pretty much along my entire border. The problem is: THEY DON'T SEEM TO WORK!!!!!

I'd like to therefore ask two questions and hope you can answer them for me:

Question 1. How do I get my cannons in the fortresses to fire at passing enemy troops like it says in the civ encyclopedia?

Question: 2. Why don't my units in the fortresses have a zone of control???!!

Can you help me please???

Grz,

H2TQ

 

[narmox]

AFAIK, units FORTIFIED in a forteress have a certain % of chances of "firing" at passing enemy troops - aka zone of control. That's all that ZOC is in civ3, it's not like in civ1 and civ2 where it would keep the enemy from passing.

 

[Hail2theQueen]

Thanx, narmox.. (sigh)

I guess my beautiful 'maginot-line' is completely useless now, eh?? I mean even if the probability would be 50 percent (which it isn't, surely!!) it still means the cannon has to hit. That means I would need about 4 cannons to each of my 20 fortresses!! That would be a lot of cannons and I'm already having trouble occupying them with enough infantry to stop them from stealing the cannons that I have..

 

[Theoden]

1. Bombard them when they are within one tile

2. Units in a fortress do have a ZOC. It means that if a unit moves from one tile adjecdant to the unit with ZOC to another adjecdant tile, the unit has a chance of getting a free shot.

 

[provoko]

I thought only a certain amount of units had ZOC? Like cavarly (or is this just for conquest?)

Well besides, your units won't fire upon the enemies if their movement points are higher than yours, so maybe they're just too smart to not get shot by you, hehe.

Your forts are basically a non-city defense. It's a lot too, 100% with barricade. It's good to block off enemy at choke points with forts, but thats basically it.

 

[Dark Russell]

I use forts to funnel the enemy where I want them. They seem to avoid troops in mountain and hill fortresses so I funnel enemy troops into lower terrain and hit them with arty. I took on a 3 x 50+ stack army of Sumarians this way once, worked like a charm.

 

[Hail2theQueen]

I have just started adapting my strategy and am moving all my cannons to key positions like an access-road which goes right past my only source of gunpowder and to one of my most productive cities.

It's true what Russel says, the computer does tend to 'avoid' difficult battles which is exactly what drives me so nuts!! There is always a city that I leave open with just one infantry and then he moves in from miles away and takes that one. GRRRRR!!

Thanx for the advice.. Let's see how it pans out. I've been joined by the Japanese in the southeast. They pretty much mopped up the Chinese..

Sayonara..