Armies -- Only Offensive?

[Shogun Gunner]

I have always loaded my best offensive units into armies, but I was wondering...has anyone created a "defensive army" made up of the best defensive units? It seems that would make an unbeatable defensive square if your fortify, build fortress...etc.

If not a total "defensive army", does anyone add one good defensive unit with two good offensive units? If so, any insight to experience or strategy would be useful to me in my current game. Damn Aztecs

Lastly, can GLs be created from winning armies with ELITE units? I've yet to see it...was wondering if anyone had an insight to this.

Thanks!

[Kuciwalker]

Yes. Usually late-game, to protect my capitol. It's fun having a four elite mechanized-infantry army.

[Harovan]

A lot of my armies are defensive. There's nothing better to protect a large stack of artillery than an army of 3 or 4 infantries.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Yes, my strategy usually focuses on force protection and attempts to minimize combat losses. Defensive Armies are usually the best as they can survive a few long streaks of battle losses without losing any units.

[Quasar1011]

Defensive armies are great for pillaging. Place 3 infantry into an army. Send it into enemy territory, along with 1 or 2 cavalry. The AI tends to leave the army alone, and your cavalry can dart out each turn to pillage one tile each. I did this once, even though my cavalry had was badly wounded with 1 hit point left. Eventually the army/cavalry reached a hill with saltpeter on it, clear on the other side of my rival's territory, where they fortified.

[steamthunk]

Interesting...never thought of this. I hate having units with 1 movement (e.g. infantry) mixed in with my tanks so I usually go all offensive units. However, my best invasions are always ones where I have at least 1/3 the number of defensive units as offensive for occupational duties. The blitzkrieg shuts down pretty fast if I have to leave 3 offensive units to guard each captured city - have often made wars much longer than necessary this way.

[FrustratedPoet]

[Theseus mode]

Mixed Unit Armies! Mixed Unit Armies! Mixed Unit Armies!

[/Theseus mode]

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

I will have to try that, Quasar1011.

[vmxa1]

I use armies for two things:

1- break down cities
2- pacify cities.


To breakdown cities requires offensive units.
To pacify you can use def or Off. I like to have one type of army to use in a city with resisters and not in danger.
Here left over Calv armies are great.
If the city could be attacked then MI armies are better.

[Last Conformist]

I find defensive armies rather pointless for defending cities - it might quite possibly go down quicker than would 3-4 individual defenders, and if it survives, it won't heal instantly with a Barracks.

OTOH, Infantry armies are great for Arty guards. The AI appears to be paranoically scared to attack them on defensive terrain. But I only find it worthwhile during the "Trench War" part of the game, where big Arty stacks are the key to offensive success.

The pillaging trick works too, but I dislike tearing up the AI's land too much - it's soon going to be mine, after all!

[Theseus]

Shogun, here ya go:

On the Utility and Use of Armies

I do defender Armies all the time...

In most games I'll usually improve early offensive slowmover Armies (e.g., 2xSwords or the equivalent), later upgraded with say a Rifle and an Infantry. I may do a 3 or 4x Infantry Army as well, and later add an MI too it (lose the movement, but it's a very fast way to build an almost indestructible unit).

There's also the all-purpose Army, btw... in AU 402 I played Scandinavia, and although I stopped at 1500AD, had been planning to add a Rifle to a 2xBerzerk Army.

In terms of fastmover defender Armies, I'll add an MI to a 3xTank Army (why slow down my upcoming MAs?), and I may do 4xMI Armies for critical positions.

Unfortunately, Armies (nor the units in them) cannot generate GLs.

[vmxa1]

One of the benefits of using an army to pacify a city (say at least 7 pop) is that the AI often will not counter attack it. Like I said, I love to bring up an obsolete army and use it to prevent resisters from rebeling. An army of Calvs can be used to snatch up a wounded straggler and get back into the city.
They can often withstand an attack from say an MI since they get teh bonus of the city and any other bonus that if available. Of course if you had three units, then the single attacker could not take the city anyway on that turn.
The healing is a sore spot to me, as the doc claimed that the patch made armies heal using a barracks, but that is not true.

[Theseus]

They heal faster now, though... I'm OK with it.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
and if it survives, it won't heal instantly with a Barracks.

But then again the beaten individual units never heal at all...............

[The Mad Monk]

Perhaps its best to have an army along with one or two indepentent units that can insta heal in a city, to cover for a badly wounded army?