How would you plan and do a military attack during ...

[James Adams]

... Ancient, Middle ages and modern as the tactics and things change. How do you win a military victory, by attack?

[Scouse Gits]

Rule 1: Use vets!
Ancient: Two Phalanges and a Cat (or Ellie), move Phalanx#1 up to city - offensive defender (if present) either dies or weakens himself killing this unit. Next turn move Phalanx#2 + Cat up to city - end of city. If you have Ellies just run two (preferably three) up to different attacking squares and let them go - your butcher's bill can be high, but the city falls.
Rule 2: Use Vets!
Middle Ages: Crooks and Clads - choose major coastal town - reduce by naval bombardment - do NOT capture. AI runs all spare troops into city. Repeat step 1 as many times as necessary - release the Crooks - civilisation falls.
Rule 3: Use Vets!
Modern: Do games ever reach this era? Mine don't, but I have heard tell that vet Howies are quite effective....

Did I mention the importance of utilising veteran forces?

SG[1]

[Unix]

When the AI makes me mad enough to wipe them out, I always use cannons or armor. They can attack anything and take the city over. If far enough in I make destroyers along with a transport. The destroyers will take care of the city till its unoccupied then unload the transport and take the city.

[War4ever]

in anything but the largest maps, games just shouldn't go past gunpowder and cavalry.....

if they do, your not getting out on the board quick enough.....

vets make the difference and so do HORDES of troops..

the vet ironclad reduces civs to pulp.....really a nasty unit and the tech window can be surprisingly long even on deity.

plan your attacks carefully....especially if your using very few troops.....a force of 10, 8 attackers 2 defenders can easily be enough to take out an entire civ if done correctly.

[Xin Yu]

AI likes to attack the closest city (or fortress) of yours. Also its troops tend to move to the direction of the most recent battle. Just send a decoy consists of one settler and several other units, build a city on mountain (or river hills), rush city walls and kill a couple of AI units over there. Then you'll see the whole AI civ moves to that direction. Now if you attack from behind you'll see most cities are lightly guarded.

[rah]

Yes, Xin, used that one a lot. It works even better in rough terrain off their road network, so when you start your main attack it takes them a few turns to get back. By then, the city that supported them is usually gone and they just dissappear.

It's always a good idea to have a diplo in the fortress with your troops. Pick up a few non-units while you're at it.

RAH

[Hydey]

It even works in MP games against anyone silly enough

[La Fayette]

History teaches us that it worked hundreds of times with proud generals in real life

[Orcus]

Never underestimate the power of a dozen veteran spies.

[Straybow]

Orcus, you're back! By now your first is three, more dangerous than a dozen vet spies… I'm amazed you have time for Apolytoning.

[bellisaurius]

Ah, my favorite part of civ, operational planning. Being a peaceful type, my wars usually require a lot of thought about whether or not it's more effective to buy someone off and kill them later. I just don't have a lot of forces at the start of a conflict until later in the game.

Still, after my government decides to declare war, assuming it's pregunpowder, I take a look at the AI cities to see which are weakest against seige tactics if I can't knock down walls (surrounded by plains, and only one or two big production squares), which are closest for an immediate attack, or which area is most highly developed in terms of irrigation and such (I like to win in the long run).

Looking at my options, I decide which will cost me the least in terms of my reserves and leaving my belly exposed. Sometimes, I'll pull a switch and bait, letting the AI take a city then bribe it back (just like with the barbarians).

Once gunpowder arrives, I will usually play defensively unless the AI is very close in which case clad's are my primary offensive unit and keeping the continental interior clear from wandering units (they can't take a city if they don't get close!) is more important than actually taking a city.

[Straybow]

SG[1] says "choose major coastal town - reduce by naval bombardment - do NOT capture. AI runs all spare troops into city. Repeat step 1 as many times as necessary - release the Crooks - civilisation falls."

Hmmm, kinda like the strat of putting a fortress and a few defenders on a mountain just inside the AI's territory and drawing all his spare units to their deaths. You could call your version the superclad suckerpunch.

[Scouse Gits]

If your target civ is in Monarchy the Ironclad/Diplo trick works quite well.

Turn one, Ironclad kills just one defender and with luck destroys martial law.

Turn Two, City in revolt...Dilpo buys at cheap prices.

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SG(2)

[Scouse Gits]

"Superclad suckerpunch"

SG[1]