Useful Fortresses

[Willem]

In my last game, I came across a defensive set up that finally gave me a good excuse for building Fortresses. What I did was build one in every other square in front of my border cities, then put a bombard unit in each one, along with a defensive unit. This left a gap in between the them, which the AI would try to go through in order to get to my city. And everytime it did, my bombard units, at least one on each side, would be able to get in a shot or two. By the time the enemy units reached my city, they were usually fairly damaged, and not as much of a threat. This worked especially well when I got Artillery, since with the extra range, I was able to get in more shots on the unit, making them easy pickings for my Cavalry.

Spacing them two squares apart also has the advantage of making them much easier to reinforce. It kind of works like Vel's Yang strategy, in that a unit can quickly move to the Fortress from the city, and still be able to Fortify, which gives it a 25% better defence on the next turn, when the enemy civ attacks.

[Alex]

That is a strategy I like to employ. There is a curious tale involving this strat, BTW.

I was playing as the romans and built a lot of fortresses on my border with Egypt. The only way they could reach me would be through Greece's territory. When they started to cross greek lands, I managed to get a military alliance with the greeks, and Egypt's armies were easily destroyed. I called this the "Red Sea Strategy".

[Capt Dizle]

It is nice to set up a killing field by building fortresses on hills and mountains. The AI will bypass strong points and advance on flat tiles where they are easy pickings. I still think that the fortresses are too weak.

[DrFell]

If stacked death was brought back (which made it easier for the defender, I thought they were supposed to be making war harder in civ3?) or ZOC and a higher defence value, then the fortress might just become valuable.

[Willem]

Originally posted by DrFell
If stacked death was brought back (which made it easier for the defender, I thought they were supposed to be making war harder in civ3?) or ZOC and a higher defence value, then the fortress might just become valuable.

I didn't think they were valuable either but now I see that they can be. I always commented on how the AI would always go around a Fortress and very seldom attacked them. Now I see you can use that to your advantage, sort of like herding cattle. In the example I gave at first, having an open space between Fortresses means that's where the AI will try to come through, so it's quite easy to set up a killing field for it there. It's just a question of using them properly. You sort of have to think opposite from what you intend when building them, not trying to stop the AI, but instead directing it, making it go where you want it to.

[steelehc]

A warrior in a fortress on a mountain defends at 4. That isn't bad, if you ask me. Fortress= x2, Mountain= x2.

Steele

[Willem]

But the thing is that the AI will seldom attack a Fortress on a Mountain, it's smart enough to know that it doesn't stand much of a chance of destroying the guarding unit inside it. So knowing that, you can use a string of Fortresses to more or less tell the AI where it is you want it to go. Leave an opening somewhere, and it will try to get through at that weak spot, where you just happen to have a stack of ambushing units waiting for it.

[Skanky Burns]

Sorry, my imagination isn't what it used to be...

Could someone post a pic of their use of fortresses in their game please

[DrFell]

They still don't sound too useful for MP. I used to use fortresses when I was attacking in MP, to protect my units waiting outside cities. You could also use them for defence but they were less useful. But in civ3, they have like many other things been relegated to once in 100 game specialist functions.

[Cuervo72]

I used one (well, two actually) at a major choke point basically connecting two large continents, mine to the north and the Egyptians to the south (an obvious use). They expended a few forces trying to get through...what was unfortunate for the AI is that they never attempted to cross the 3 squares of water separating our lands....

Once I acquired all the Egyptians land (within reason, I left them with a few ex-Roman cities), I would have liked to have gotten rid of them, but couldn't selectively pillage...didn't feel like destroying my mines/roads.

[Arrian]

I generally use forts to set up kill zones, because the AI at least knows better than to throw its entire army at a fort on a mountain. They will therefore bypass the fort and end up out in the open where my attack troops can slaughter them. I have built a "maginot line" of sorts before, to force the fighting onto one particular front for a while. The AI took one look at the fort system, and sent all of its units on a long flank march to engage me elsewhere. When I have built up enough units, I issue forth from my forts to attack the enemy core, which will be minimally defended.

-Arrian

[godinex]

I use it in the hill or over the mountains

[Capt Dizle]

I think the correct defense factor of a warrior fortified in a mountain fortress would be 2.75.

[Solver]

When my Workers get finished with the main job, I build a couple of fortresses. One on each strat resource I got, as I always also have a unit on strat resource square. Then, a couple of others in strategic points of my empire.

[Mikel]

ZOC

Could someone explain to me ZOC? I find that my units in a fortess will not always attack the enemy as they march past. Do your units need to be fortified? I used this set up of a fortress in every other square but not a single shot was fired as the Egyptians headed over my borders and razed my cities (2 infantry, 2 cavalry, and 2 artillery in every fortess).