Attacking multiple civ occupied squares

[Quillan]

That wouldn't do any good even if it was in the game, because the AI can't use them properly. In one of my earlier games, I gifted 4 tanks to Genghis because the Mongols were getting steamrolled by the Aztecs. Monty's best unit was cavalry, and Genghis didn't have anything better than musketmen. With 4 tanks (all of which had the Barrage I promotion) I could knock the crap out of any stack of Aztec troops invading me, and moved them back to safety after the fight. Genghis ran them all out individually and left them sitting unprotected. Needless to say, all 4 tanks were dead within 2 turns of hitting combat, and made absolutely no difference.

I've even gone so far as to gift someone several dozen riflemen in that situation, figuring at least he could put 4-6 riflemen in each threatened city, and while the attacker could destroy the outside infrastructure the city would at least be fairly safe. What do they do? Use the riflemen to attack...

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

I don't care if they can't use them well. I just like the idea of being an arms dealer

Well, that and the idea of getting something, anything for my surplus units. As opposed to disbanding them.

[rah]

Yeah, I like getting the concept of selling them.

On a side note about then not knowing how to use them, in the most recent game I'm playing, on my forward island base for second continent landing prep. I noticed an enemy aircraft carrier cruise by. It was actually encouraging to see that it had a couple of destroyers to protect it, and the aircraft carrier actually had three jets on it and was using them to harrass my countryside. I think back to CIV II where you'd gift the AI a carrier and it would use it to immediately attack and destroy itself against a thoroughly fortified city. I always laughed at that type of thing. Needless to say all those units ended up in DJ lockers quite quickly, but it was still encouraging to see that the programming for carrier use has been somewhat fixed.

[Ming]

Yeah... I used love in Civ II how you could gift a fully loaded carrier to the AI, and it would self destruct against the first city it found without ever launching an air strike

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

I had a birds-eye view of some AI conquests in my current game (Monty and Kublai, the opportunistic b*stards, declared war on Hatty after I had conquered, oh, 13 of her 16 cities or so).

Anyway, Monty lands a stack of 5 catapults and 3 Cavalry next to an Egyptian city with 2 rifles in it (I was observing via bomber). The next turn, Monty has the city - 2 catapults are missing, 2 are pretty badly damaged (withdraw?) and one cavalry is pretty beat up as well.

Next turn, one of the cats is upgraded to cannon, and the turn after that, Monty takes out the Egyptian capital (Rifleman/Longbowman/Spearman). I was impressed. I normally bombard city defenses down to zero, mainly because I don't like losing units, or even having them get seriously hurt, which delays the next conquest. That obviously isn't always necessary - and perhaps the AI factored in the healing effects of promotion in its battle plan (?)

Anyway, I never picked up any insights from the AI in Civ2. So this was interesting.

[Arrian]

The CivII AI was incredibly stupid. But of course that was like 10 years ago.

Ah, the days of 2 phalanxs in a fort on a mountain. :nostalgia: Those two units (eventually upgraded all the way up) would end up killing hundreds of AI units.

-Arrian

[DrSpike]

Well it's the same with barbarians now.

[Blaupanzer]

Recently, playing earth, India and I (Japan) are conquering the new world in close competition when we come to a huge Barb stack in a city on a hill in western Mexico. This AI is all the way to macemen and knights, while India and I are rifles and cavalry. Anyway I have the strategic advantage with way more troops in position to gather for the big attack. India leads out with three grenadiers, not nearly enough IMO. Next turn the Grens are gone! "Wow that's fast," say I. Then as my stack approaches, I come in sight of the city and there sit the grens. India gifted them to the barbs to make it much harder for me to take that city.

Apparently, gifting does have its purposes.