Speed Kills

[pchang]

In this version of Civ, faster units get to retreat. You can batter your opponent, then run away to heal and come back. Thus, hordes of inferior, but faster units will eventually overwhelm any opponent. This seems to be a real game breaker and makes the Aztechs VERY powerful.

[Special_K]

Instead of sitting in your city waiting for them to attack go out and counter-attack.

[gfrazieror]

This is where bombardment comes in handy, as well as counter attack. I have not yet had an opportunity to bombard with cannon, but Artillery with its two square range is ideal for thwarting the attack and fall back tactics of the Aztecs and the mounted units.

[LandBuilder]

bombarding units only weaken an opponent- you still will need ground troops to go in for the kill- say, where have we heard that!!

[pchang]

artillery vs. mounted units? I don't know what level you are playing, but it I find it difficult to obtain such a large tech lead.

[gfrazieror]

Hey...blunting the attack with artillery will certainly aid your entrenched defenders when the bad guys do mount an assault.

Bombardment isn't a way to kill units, but to make them easier for your infantry and mounted units to kill...after they've been softened up. The objective is to blunt the attack and make the loss of your position (be it a city or a fortress or a river line or whatever) far less likely.

Also, my experience is that the AI often operates finances on the edge of bankruptcy, so it doesn't have the funds to massively upgrade older mobile forces. I've seen lots of attacks by ancient units in modern times against my well defended by infantry cities. Jaguar Warriors and Aztec Cavalry vs. Infantry and Cossacks and classic hub to hub Russian Artillery. What a concept.

[SofaKing]

One thing to be careful of when using bombardment is that if the defending unit cannot be reduced any lower (ie almost dead) you will destroy the terrain enhancements under it. This makes bombardment a little more challenging on your own soil, but invaluable against fortresses.

[hoyatables]

Use Frigates, etc as well

Hi everybody - this is indeed my first post. Still adjusting to Civ3 like the rest of you, and on my third attempt I am getting a feel for it. My first attempt with the Americans was abyssmal - I was playing by the old rules and gave up pretty soon. My second approach with the British met with some success, but I fought some silly wars and ended up with a detached empire. By the way, the game HATES that (more on this in another post). My third try with the French has proven VERY successful, and I think I'm ready to really give this game a shot past the Chieftan level.
Regarding bombardment - it can be very useful. Don't forget to use Frigates and more advanced ships to bombard as well. It seems to me that the AI, at least, doesn't really take advantage of this technology, either. These examples are from my latest military exploit - basically, I sailed across the sea in search of iron, and founded a city right on the British borders. The British used this as an excuse to start a war (and got 4 of the other 7 known Civs to join in - ugh, probably because I have more culture than them combined!), and I've spent the last 200 years defending, expanding, and protecting my roads and mines.
Defensively:
Always have a ship or two available, and keep it hovering. If the enemy approaches you can bombard a bit, soften them up, and then send your knights or Calvary out to finish them off, and bring them back to the city to heal. This is particularly useful when they enemy is lurking in forests and hills, like the British were doing to my French town. (They keep instigating wars with me - maybe it's because I stole their iron supply and soon discovered a massive trove of incense just outside the city in the desert...hehehe). A cannon is also very useful in a city - if the enemy attacks it will defensively fire, which is sometimes just enough to detract their force. Any time you can get in a free attack or two to lower their hit points, it can't hurt. Particularly if you're like me and forget about that ^&#&%^ "across the river" defensive bonus - had quite a few unnecessary losses that way.

Offensively:
I can't stress the importance of ship bombardment and/or cannon/artillery enough. It makes it SO much easier. Half the time the other Civs don't know what to do with them, especially if you use them easly on before anyone else figures it out. Just bring in two or three cannon with your invading force and pound away. And again, the Cannon/Calvary duo is fantastic. You soften them up with the Cannon, and then the Calvary get an easy kill, and can even get back to the city or a defensive unit or terrain so stupid *^*& Longbowmen don't kill them.

With the Brits, I advanced up to the Industrial ages and got to play around with Battleships and Destroyers and artillery. They are very cool because they sometimes have a wider range, so you can leave them outside cities. Perch one of those bad boys on top of a mountain with an Infantry or two and hold the ground until reinforcements arrive - you can just keep pummelling the city and keep the units blocked in.

I just got my first army late last night - no clue how it will actually work, but I'm about to find out when I punish the Russians for trying to make my life hell.

I'll admit, I've never been much for the military side of things - I always went for the Spaceship; but the variety of goals in this game makes war a necessary and fun distraction from the monotony of Cathedrals and Universities. I've got plenty to saw about first impressions on culture, scientific advancement, and resources, and I'll get to those in more posts.

Thanks for your time,
Tables