Question on Seige Weapons

[Rook]

In Civ 3, you can bombard a tile from a way off without endangering your own unit. In Civ 4 you can do this only to city defenses. Since the weapons are usually weaker in combat strength than their defenders, they seem to be used more for a kamikazi type tactic now. You send the weapon in, hoping for some good collateral damage, but you know you will lose it.

Am I missing something? I don't see the value in a unit you can use just once.

[Last Conformist]

You're missing that:

i) siege units are cheap. Sacrificing a few so your real units can mop up the defenses is a good trade.
ii) all siege units start with a decent retreat chance, meaning they don't necessarily die.

[mimi]

Yes, had a catapult withdraw from combat (after the other 6 died) and wondered what was going on.

Got a promo out of it so when it was destroyed on its next attack I took comfort in knowing it had at least experienced the joy of battle promotion.

[byrath]

If you attack the city of an enemy that is fairly even with you tech-wise, you simply have no choice. You are going to lose units softening up the defenders, might as well be the cheap catapults that can soften up several at once.

[Rook]

OK, I thought there was something I was missing. I think it was better in Civ 3, but I guess the developers see things differently.

[Rowick Hepan]

Once you get to the gunpowder era you can build cannons who have an attack score that is competitive against the infantry of that era.

Personally I only use catapults against city defences but cannons and artillery are a different story.

[Hauptman]

In civ3 I'd just make 6 - 10 artilery and never need another unit again beyond what i already had.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Rook
OK, I thought there was something I was missing. I think it was better in Civ 3, but I guess the developers see things differently.

They were overpowered in Civ 3. Just send in a stack, never worry about them taking damage, and reduce the opposition to nothing so your other units can just walk in to a city, or destroy a stack of doom. Then rinse and repeat with the same units you've been upgrading since Catapults. Civ 4 may not have the perfect system, yet, but it's certainly better than Civ 3.

[Rook]

You make a point.