How do armies really work?

[Theseus]

Thanks again, Arrian.

Rommel2D, try one o' these bad boys... you likee likee, promise.

[Mountain Sage]

Originally posted by Arrian
Just the hybrids. As I understand it, a pure berserk or pure marine army is amphibious, but if you mix the two units it ISN'T amphibious.

-Arrian

Absolutely. (That coming from me )

[Catt]

Originally posted by Arrian
Just the hybrids. As I understand it, a pure berserk or pure marine army is amphibious, but if you mix the two units it ISN'T amphibious.

Originally posted by vmxa1
That is how I heard it works. Never made one though.

vmxa1 - you gotta try a game, if only through the middle ages and if only once - berserk armies are unholy menaces. In C3C armies get the 1/6 bonus and amphib assaults get a 25% bonus; plus armies have blitz and an extra move, and heal quickly. A two-berserk, 9HP berserk army (only 2 berserks so it can fit in a caravel) has an attack value of 9 -- equal to a defense value of a fortified musket in a City on a hill. And the army can attack twice in the same turn. A pair of armies and a few supporting troops can clean any coastline.

I played a recent game as the Vikings just to have fun with berserks. The Babylonians were technologically equal, and Constantinople had built gobs of wonders -- Const. naturally had a dozen or so muskets and various spears and pikes defending all those wonders. Rather than amassing a large enough force to take the city in a turn or two, two caravels, each with an army of berserks, launched repeatedly out of a "combat settler" founded city (on Bab ruins ) within a couple of tiles of Const. A few muskets defended my port; a barracks was rushed. And for about 10 turns in a row, the 2 caravels left port, launched assaults on Const. killing four muskets each turn, and returned safely to port for a 1-turn healing of the armies. Rinse repeat. I was able to take down Const. without any risk of counterattack on a large offensive force at the city gates, and was able to task remaining offensive troops on other targets.

Absent blockading the coastline with ships, an AI simply has no defense against berserk armies -- it's unfair to the AI, but it's a lot of fun to go after them this way imagining yourself as the fearsome raider terrorizing the coasts without fear of a threat as the enemy cowers in its inadequately defended settlements . . . Muwahaha Sadly, the berserk army's powers are so great that it's unlikely the army members will ever get to Valhalla since they'll never be defeated.

Catt

[Theseus]

See, v... that might be the solution, using Marines, for your Sid game.

[Rhothaerill]

Originally posted by Catt




vmxa1 - you gotta try a game, if only through the middle ages and if only once - berserk armies are unholy menaces. In C3C armies get the 1/6 bonus and amphib assaults get a 25% bonus; plus armies have blitz and an extra move, and heal quickly. A two-berserk, 9HP berserk army (only 2 berserks so it can fit in a caravel) has an attack value of 9 -- equal to a defense value of a fortified musket in a City on a hill. And the army can attack twice in the same turn. A pair of armies and a few supporting troops can clean any coastline.

I played a recent game as the Vikings just to have fun with berserks. The Babylonians were technologically equal, and Constantinople had built gobs of wonders -- Const. naturally had a dozen or so muskets and various spears and pikes defending all those wonders. Rather than amassing a large enough force to take the city in a turn or two, two caravels, each with an army of berserks, launched repeatedly out of a "combat settler" founded city (on Bab ruins ) within a couple of tiles of Const. A few muskets defended my port; a barracks was rushed. And for about 10 turns in a row, the 2 caravels left port, launched assaults on Const. killing four muskets each turn, and returned safely to port for a 1-turn healing of the armies. Rinse repeat. I was able to take down Const. without any risk of counterattack on a large offensive force at the city gates, and was able to task remaining offensive troops on other targets.

Absent blockading the coastline with ships, an AI simply has no defense against berserk armies -- it's unfair to the AI, but it's a lot of fun to go after them this way imagining yourself as the fearsome raider terrorizing the coasts without fear of a threat as the enemy cowers in its inadequately defended settlements . . . Muwahaha Sadly, the berserk army's powers are so great that it's unlikely the army members will ever get to Valhalla since they'll never be defeated.

Catt

I think Catt is "Going Theseus" on us. I haven't tried the Vikings in C3C with the new armies yet. You make it sound compelling Catt. I may have to try that soon.

[Theseus]

I've been suffering through pzvh's PoF game on Demi, and was thinking I might play a Scandy game on Emperor just to get some jollies. Catt's right, wreaking Berserk havoc really DOES make you feel like a 'fearsome raider.'

[vmxa1]

Yes, but there are so many civs and it is not easy to get around to them all. I did play Vikes in one of the AU games (PTW), but I did not make any armies with them.

Sooner or later I hope to get a shot at it.