Combat: how much do YOU get for your hammer?

[VetLegion]

I have been playing Civ4 and my record ratio of kills versus loses has so far been 4:1. Usually I consider 3:1 OK and 2:1 (barely) acceptable, while I've fought quite a few smaller wars or skirmishes or cleaning operations where the ratio was closer to 1:1. That is units, I haven't kept track of actual hammers.

BTW., acceptable loses is not a function of AI size, it's just the best I can do. In most of these situations I am on technological parity with AI and invading their territory and the sample is large enough for RNG not to be a factor. I try to use terrain, promotions and counterunits as effectively as I can.

What are your expiriences? Given that you and AI you war with both have reasonably large civs and armies - how many hammers do you expect to spend to kill a hammer of AI's?

[SPQR300]

I only play MP, there usually if I invade someone who is a bit backwards, this ratio is 1:2, if we are equally teched maybe a bit more: 1:3. Players can defend a lot better then the AI.
Once I played with someone, who was a bit backwards, we had been fighting for about 300years(~1000AD), and I could only get 1 city eventually, even tough my army was superior. Then he quit, and the AI took his place. It took about 20turns from then on to kill the AI off. The AI attacked out from cities with inferior troops, they didnt concentrate forces etc... The AI is simply miserable at war.