BTS Strategy Thread

[Berzerker]

I guess starting with myst compels researching a founding religion right away, that seems risky in our games when exposing that copper asap is sooo important

[crescentfresh]

...For example, I tried to start my turn with an attack on a weakly defended city (I had enough for the attack) but my opponent was able to reinforce the city before (or during?) my attack even though it was my first move.

some "pre-ordered" or queued defensive moves can be executed superfast at the start of a turn by using Ctrl-A. Your opponent may have known this. The opponent could have even had a newly spawned unit coming from a city whose rally point was set for the defended city, and it appeared and moved in to defend before you hit... Using rally points and Ctrl-A.

1) do pre-ordered units move first before we move the free units manually?

No. BUT, they do move first if you are tapping ctrl-A when the turn rolls over. However, always remember, a unit executing a "pre-ordered" move will freeze in it's tracks when it enters a tile adjacent to an enemy unit. This is why you can't use ctrl-A to attack.

2) if so, does this mean attacks like mine (catching a weak city off guard) should be pre-ordered? The attack would have needed to be pre-ordered from 2 turns before the actual attack, one to enter his territory and the next to the city.

No "pre-ordered" attacks on enemy units will never work. See above. I don't think you would even want the first of the 2 moves to be "pre-ordered." Consider the 8 second rule above in this thread. You will see a lot of MP players move a stack of doom into range at 8 secs remaining and then hit as soon as the turn rolls over, so the opponent has the shortest possible time to react. This is why in MP league games the turn timer often runs down the whole way without people ending their turns.

3) If my attack was pre-ordered and his reinforcements were not (I'm sure they were, we try to play fast and he knew I was trying for his city) would my attack face only the units he had in the city on the prior turn (plus maybe a rushed unit)?

"pre-ordered" attacks will never work on enemy units. See above.

4) what happens if my attack was pre-ordered and his reinforcements are pre-ordered?

"pre-ordered" attacks will never work on enemy units. See above.

No queueing of attack moves. The fastest way to attack is using numpad. spamming numpad as the turn rolls over. a player defending with a proper Ctrl-A move will beat numpad though.

[-Jrabbit]

If you have a mix of macemen and cats, the macemen will attack first, but if you have macemen and cannons the cannons will attack first.

Hmm. Please explain. I always attack with my siege units first (since they can't take the city, right?). Or were you just saying that this is how the computer orders units when you do a mixed-stack attack?

[rah]

The latter. It is my understanding that in a stack attack the computer attacks with the strongest unit first. Which is the unit shown to the far left when you click on the stack and goes from left to right. Which is why I group my units in the stack.

[-Jrabbit]

ANd don't keep all your units in the city if you're intending to let an enemy attack the city.

I'm not familiar with this tactic. (Usually I just clear as much defensive terrain bordering the city as I can and attack from within.) Can you give an example of why this is better?

Also, is there higher maintenance cost associated with posting a garrison in, say, a nice hill-forest square adjacent to the city?

[rah]

The key phrase was "if you're intending to let an enemy attack the city". Obviously if you have enough troops to decimate his SOD before he can use his seige units, then yes, it's better to keep your troops in the city or one square away so they can move in and attack the same turn.
But if don't have enough units to kill the SOD and you're waiting for more reinfocements and his seige units are going to get a crack at your units, it's best if you keep those units not in the city until he has attacked with those seige units, and move the other units in before he can take advantage of all the knicked units. (yes timing is everything)
Do keep in mind the fortify bonus.

There is no diff on the maint, as long as your unit are in your cultural border.

[-Jrabbit]

OK, think I got it. Let's chat about this tonight. Thx.

[Berzerker]

hmm...some good stuff

But if don't have enough units to kill the SOD and you're waiting for more reinfocements and his seige units are going to get a crack at your units, it's best if you keep those units not in the city until he has attacked with those seige units, and move the other units in before he can take advantage of all the knicked units. (yes timing is everything)

is it even possible to see what is happening in the city and the attacking stack? A setting to slow down events? Do you open the city screen and watch? Seems like these big stack attacks are over so fast I cant tell whats going on, just who won in the end. That is a good idea there.

and thx Crescent, this is definitely gonna take a while to learn all this Attacking and defending appear to be a fine art

[Berzerker]

so that means if I stack mace and cats and let the ai attack it'll go with the mace and end with the cats? Yikes. So stack the cats and the mace separately within the stack and manually attack with the cats and then with the mace.

[rah]

I believe so. Using the ctrl key is usefull. If you're holding the ctrl key and mouse left click on a unit, it will select all units of that kind. Just this alone will make attacks a lot quicker.

[Berzerker]

okay, what was that "event" thing you nailed me with? Or was that the ai just messing with me like a volcano or something? I wasn't paying close attention but I think I got some message about a spy operating in my area (we have spies?) and then improvements got wiped out. You said it was unavoidable so w

[rah]

It was an event that gave me three options.

1. destroy one improvement around your cap (free)
2. destroy multiple improvements (it cost gold or espionage points, can't remember)
3. destroy building and multiple improvements (cost was 50 esp points, but there was a 55% probability that I would be identified.)

Every time that This has happened to me, I never was told who did it. If you've got the esp points it's silly not to choose 3.
I was chagrined to be identified. Figures, I get caught.

I have no clue what triggers this event, I'm sure someone here can tell us. It's the first time in an MP game where I got this one. I'm usually the recipient.

[Berzerker]

okay...but was I the only option or were you given multiple possible targets? If you were limited to closer civs that would give us an indicator of who does it in the future, "good neighbors" But seriously, maybe its related to proximity.

[rah]

Yes, you were the only option given. Not sure if it was based on proximity but in the few times I've gotten it, it was a neighbor.

[Ming]

Every time I've seen it, it was somebody close by... and I have always selected the harshest option... why not