Walls and culture

[Theben]

Question about defensive bonuses: Let's say my city has a cultural defense bonus of 40%. Walls are 50%. Are the bonuses cumulative? I used to think so but after a recent game I'm thinking maybe not- my units performed about as well against walls as against another city without but with culture.

[Jaybe]

You used to think that the displayed city defense bonus was inaccurate?
I've always considered it accurate, that a cultural defense of 60% trumped a wall's 50. When you bombard the 60 down to 48, the walls do NOT take over. The game designers decided to KISS it.

Referring to the acronym, no lips involved.

[wodan11]

Question about defensive bonuses: Let's say my city has a cultural defense bonus of 40%. Walls are 50%.

Short answer: wtf, why build the walls?

[Jaybe]

I build walls for castles, as at marathon speed I appreciate the extra trade route and EP,* though I think Theben was referring to the AI building those walls. After all, those walls can be good if needed before your culture defense surpasses it.

* In my insecurity and curiosity, I like to be aware of what the AI are up to.

[snoopy369]

IIRC, in BtS 3.17 walls slow down bombardment speed (a bombard that w/o walls takes off, say, 12% now only takes some smaller amount off, say 4% - I don't recall the specific numbers or ratios). I'm fairly sure this is regardless of whether the walls or the culture provide the defensive bonus.

[Theben]

You used to think that the displayed city defense bonus was inaccurate?

Why would I think it was accurate, when I see a 60% on the screen but when I bombard I get a message saying the defenses of [city name] are down to 71%?!

[MinorAnnoyance]

Why would I think it was accurate, when I see a 60% on the screen but when I bombard I get a message saying the defenses of [city name] are down to 71%?!

Is a gunpowder unit selected when that happens? The message says the total defence and the screen is accounting for gunpowder ignoring walls.

[Blaupanzer]

Again keeping with the KISS principle, the bombardment battles to reduce the defense by 100%, whatever the stated amount. So, if the base defense is 60% and the bombardment reduces it to 90% of that, then the current defense is 54% and that is what will show on the map. As long as you note what the defense was at the start, the math is pretty simple to figure what amount of defense was removed by by the latest percentage hit. I tend to ignore the numbers anyway until we come to zero. I'm not going to attack until then anyway.

[Jaybe]

Yes, I also will occasionally attack when it gets down to 4-8%.

Scrap, if the attack odds are 85-95%+ the defense could still be 60 and I would sound the charge.

[sorinache]

What, the defensive bonus from walls is not cumulative with the one from culture ? Boomer !

This is the first game I'm building walls during the right era (previously I was building them only very late in the game, if at all, when I didn't know what else to build and wanted to build the Castle for the culture). I noticed that before Economics, the Castle brings an extra trade route - that's cool (first time I consider building a Castel before researching economics ...). Too bad I don't have stone and thence have to pay full cost ...

[wodan11]

that's cool

It is pretty cool. Best bang for the buck is to change your game style to beeline Engineering and get early Castles, and then delay Economics.

(first time I consider building a Castel before researching economics ...).

I often consider building castles after researching Economics.

(sorry in a sarky mood today)

[rah]

Castles I build very rarely, but If I have stone early and am a little isolated and don't feel the need for an early build up, I may build one or two in key financial cities, but normally not.

[joncnunn]

In BTS, I like to build Walls in the capital (for the chance of the reglious event that also requires a state religion), border cities, and cities I anticipate building Castles in for financial reasons.

Castles are only built for financial reasons or a border city that also has less of a buffer than normal (due to AI close city).

In any case I will build more of them when protective or I have early access to Stone then when not protective without Stone.

Also, if your playing the Celts, you'll want Duns in all cities building military units and if playing the Spanish, Citadels in all cities building siege weapons.