Attrition of Military Forces

[TechWins]

I'm for something like this which would limit that annoying and unrealistic gambit of parking a unit in your city area and forcing a war to get rid of it.

This wouldn't happen if they have national borders in the game. If a Civ's unit is inside your national borders, simply just ask them to remove their troops from your borders.

Off subject I think when asking another Civ to remove their troops all units should be included. The reason for this is in Civ 2 some stupid Civ would keep a caravan running around my cities forever and I couldn't even irrigate in certain places because of that. Regardless of whether or not caravans are going to be included.

[johndmuller]

Originally posted by TechWins
This wouldn't happen if they have national borders in the game. If a Civ's unit is inside your national borders, simply just ask them to remove their troops from your borders.

In SMAC, it's only your friends whom you can ask to leave (not neutrals) and they can (and often do) say no (and sometimes say something like - we'll see who belongs here - vendetta on you ...), so it is not a lot different.

[TechWins]

In SMAC, it's only your friends whom you can ask to leave (not neutrals) and they can (and often do) say no (and sometimes say something like - we'll see who belongs here - vendetta on you ...), so it is not a lot different.

If the diplomacy is as good as it has been claimed than this shouldn't occur either.

[Kc7mxo]

Hah. This has always been a trait of the ai. Its a pushy bugger.

I think attrition would be a good idea, but only if your units don't have to travel very far. If i'm the romans, and I want to go to war with the chinese, it makes sense that they coudln't get there very easy. Alexander had to conquer everyone on the way to india to secure his supply routes.

But in civ THERE IS NO ONE BETWEEN US.

With only 7 civs, and a limited number of of cities you can effectivly have, and units that simply cannot go very far, you will never be able to have a war. Empires will simply glare at eachother across the gulf of barbaric landscape while destroying eachother explorer units.

Attrition only works in a small world, like in Europa. Else only hundred city empires spanning the globe will be able to engage eachother.

[Ralf]

Originally posted by Kc7mxo
With only 7 civs, and a limited number of of cities you can effectivly have, and units that simply cannot go very far, you will never be able to have a war. Empires will simply glare at eachother across the gulf of barbaric landscape while destroying eachother explorer units.

Well of course; the concept of attrition must be implemented very differently in Civ-3, comparing with (for example) in Europa Universalis. Thats goes without saying.

In Civ-3; no indevidual units are withered away - ever. Only the combat-strength of these units are slowly & gradually reduced. And this can be regained by letting them rest - preferbly in one of your cities or fortresses (yet another reason why on should build fortresses, by the way).

[MORON]

Ideas

1. Attrition rate depends on distance to nearest base/city and terrain

2. A cap on damage based on unit type...say 50% for infantry and so on

3. A penalty on fighting when attrition rate exceed a certain number

[Ralf]

Originally posted by MORON
1. Attrition rate depends on distance to nearest base/city and terrain

Unnecessary and way too complicated. Please; keep it simple & generic. The idea is too add the quintessential concept of attrition - not to mimic complicated real-life army-march logistics in every possible detail.

2. A cap on damage based on unit type...say 50% for infantry and so on

I think the cap should be 1/3 = red damage-bar.

3. A penalty on fighting when attrition rate exceed a certain number

Well, thats the big idea with implementaing attrition in the first place. Let the combat-penalty go from full strength to 2/3 (yellow damage-bar), and then to 1/3 (red damage-bar).

[Sirotnikov]

Attrition is a serious and difficult subject. It is indeed real and quite burdening. The problem is, that while you can use it in games about regional battles (big regions, ie a portion of europe or something) it is difficult to implement in a game in which you should often conquer the whole world.

I think that there is no need for attrition, as most units die in their first or second battle, and adding elements hindering them from fighting would just make fighting an annoying experience.

You can't possibly claim the units should rest before even reaching the front lines. At least not today.

The attrition in previous times, is here also, as on a map, a macedonian army usually loses most of it's units in combat before reaching east persia, and most units are already in the yellow or red health.

Having more limits will mean that fighting becomes even more difficult. Long distance fighting hardly ever happens in ancient erras in civ. Why? Attrition. Only it wasn't the units who got tired, but we, who got tired of moving them each turn. And yes, I am aware of the go to, and it is still annoying.