Cannon Help

[psjoe]

Have I missed the mark on cannon? I find I can only use them to attack enemy cities. (American revolution) Haven't built them in other games yet.
Do they only attack like other ground units, click them onto target? No bombard button appears in my list of options.

Is there no way to bombard enemy units or shipping when they are next to your cannon? My way of thinking is that their primary use is to soften up targets before attack. Also to drive off enemy ships that are bombarding your cities.

I have also not built catapult units either.

Thanks Joe

[bobshiznit]

Cannons (Seige weapons) can only bombard cities. Using cannons on a stack of enemies is effective because they cause collateral damage.

Cats do the same thing

[Hauptman]

Their MAIN strength, is when the enemy invades, they usually send them in as stacks to defend each other. If you attack with catapults first, yes you will loose them, but in return you weaken most, if not all, and thus make it easier to attack with your main units and win.

[Jaybe]

Seige weapons cannot fend off naval units in Civ4.
Why? Because of
(1) game mechanics: Since they have to physically attack non-city targets and they are a land unit, they cannot units at sea. Just as a (helicopter) Gunship is a ground unit and cannot attack naval units.
(2) historical: It has always taken special HEAVY/relatively-immobile guns to defend a potential naval target. It would be way to generous to apply such capability to just any seige unit. Besides, what's your problem: other than an occasional surprising-as-hell mass naval invasion, the AI is no naval threat!

[Caligula 37 AD]

Originally posted by Jaybe
(2) historical: It has always taken special HEAVY/relatively-immobile guns to defend a potential naval target. It would be way to generous to apply such capability to just any seige unit. Besides, what's your problem: other than an occasional surprising-as-hell mass naval invasion, the AI is no naval threat!

Yet, in the intro movie you can clearly see fireballs from trebuchets raining down on the triremes.
Seems Firaxis can't make up their mind about this.

I never play MP, but I'd guess an attack from sea would be rather difficult to fend off?

[Hauptman]

if the ai would try an amphibiose invasion once in a while instead of just dropping troops next to your city, this game would be alot harder single player.

As far as MP. you need to picket your coast with ships. Lots and lots of ships.

[psjoe]

I will play it the way it is, there are always some improvements you can think of. Just wondering if I missed something.

Personaly I feel they lost a lot since Civ III Conquests, when you could bombard everything around you. Build a fort and bombard any enemy units who came at you. Worked great in the Napoleon Scenerio as I used that plan to defend the Denmark city when playing as England.

No the AI has not attacked from the sea (I've only had the game a week) but in the American Revolution scenerio the British navy is constantly degrading your cities defenses. A connon here could/would drive them away.

Historicaly and the reason I played this scenerio today was because I am reading the book 1776. Washington was putting seige to Boston. A deciding factor of the battle was that General Knox went to Fort Ticonderoga and brought back 58 mortars and cannon. (mortars, 12 & 18 pound cannon and one 24 pounder). Once these were placed on Dorcester Heights the British were pretty much done as the town could be blasted at will. Also the first thing the British navy did was move out of range, almost two miles. So Howe had two choices attack the battery or quit the town. He blamed the weather but did leave Boston.

History leson over but you can see the importance of cannon. I think they should have much more effect in the game.

just my thoughts,
Joe

[bobshiznit]

Cannons have a huge effect on the game. I have played over a hundred games and there hasn't been one where I have not built at least 20 of them. This doesn't count the pile of catapults I upgraded. A stack of cannons and grenades with a couple of calvary can destroy any civ that only has longbows in the city. My city raiding stacks usually consist of 8 cannons and six grenadiers. 8 cannons will bomb almost any city down to 0% in one turn and the grenadiers will kill the longbows. Bring up some more grenadiers if you suffer casualties and for new city garrisons. 4 Calvary units will mop up any AI unit that is stupid enough not to hide in the city. When I get to this point I know a domination victory is gonna happen in about 100 years (continents monarch difficulty). If the AI gets rifles good grenadiers have a bonus against the rifles. Suicide a cannon or two (barrage I and II promotions) into the defenseless city and you will have a rolling invasion. If you want to be really safe add a pikeman to the stack.