Cities for units

[Sheik]

When I play on regent or warlord I am usually killing the AI culture wise because I build tons of improvements but am suffering on the military and expansion side. What percentage of my cities should I dedicate to units? And how many units should I have for each era?

[Txurce]

Whether to dedicate cities to building units is a decision in and of itself. You can have dedicated cities, or more balanced ones, depending on personal taste and geography. I don't think a percentage really applies. Era doesn't strike me as being relevant, either - circumstances and strategy are much more germane.

The unit question is a two-parter:

You should have just enough units - defensive and offensive - to defend yourself. My preference is for as few as possible, because I don't like to pay a lot for insurance; more responsible souls will feel differently. The more mobile your defensive units, the fewer you need.

Build as many offensive units as you need to accomplish your expansionary goals. The stronger the unit, the fewer you need. How many of a certain unit do you feel you need to take an enemy city, given their defensive units? How many are likely to die or need repair? How many cities do you want to take in the war in question? And how quickly do you want to do it? Answering these questions ought to provide you with your own preferred offensive equation.

[DrFell]

Well, I personally leave cities which are 'safe' undefended if I have the luxuries, and keep some defence on the borders. When I want to conquer I tend to build up a big chariot force, and use the chariot->horseman->knight->cavalry upgrade path to continue my conquests throughout the ages. It depends on what map settings you are using and on the situation, but generally between settlers early on I try to fit a couple chariots while the city is growing up to the size when it can produce settlers. Otherwise I build few units.