Is it just me, or is combat very easy?

[Dom Pedro II]

It seems to me that with the armies in this game, it is much easier to achieve military victory. All you need for your army is good units that do not have to exceed in number that of the defenders of any given city. It works much better since all of your forces engage the enemy at once. But it seems to me that the AI doesn't put up much of a fight either. In all the time I've been playing, I've never even been attacked even when I put my troops outside of a city.

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"...The highest realization of warfare is to attack the enemy's plans; next is to attack their alliances; next to attack their army; and the lowest is to attack their fortified cities." - Sun Tzu

"I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle this job is under-estimating" - George "Dubya" Bush

Dom Pedro II - 2nd and last Emperor of the Empire of Brazil (1831 - 1889). :Hannibal3

[MarkG]

quote: even when I put my troops outside of a city

strange, it is nearly certain that the ai will bombard me when i leave a unit outside an enemy city

[Dom Pedro II]

Yeah, I don't know why. I declared war on one civilization and had a whole army waiting at their front door. They made no attempt to stop me. Maybe it was because I was playing on an easier level. I don't know. But it's not entirely true that they never attacked me. Once they killed a Diplomat on a peace mission.

[Forster]

They always bombard me, at least if they have units capable of doing that. I've played the next to the most difficult setting, huge, slightly more water than land settings. Kind of disappointed in the level of AI expertise. Had hoped they would have much improved it from CCTP, but it appears it is only a marginal improvement.

[Carrion]

Thats is rather strange because I'm playing a lan game with my buddy on medium difficulty and He is getting pounded by the AI players. They leave me alone because I'm very far from their empires so I'm able to send army's over to his area and harass their re-enforcements. *shrugs* Maybe you are playing an AI player that isn't good at war like ohhhh the French.

[TheLimey]

Or the Italians

[The diplomat]

Maybe you are right: certain civs are programmed to be more pacifist than others and therefore easier to kick around. I have found in my games that the AI is not necessarily bad at war just more defensive in most cases than it should. It seems to me that the AI plays defense. I have only played on medium difficulty. Perhaps on more difficult levels, the AI is more aggressive. Here is an example. In my first game. I was playing the Incans. They are fascist. And it is the year 1800 or so. We are both well in the modern era with bombers and SAM's. I am currently reasearching tanks which I will get in about 6 turns.
So far, I have had the hardest time in taking even one city on his main continent. The AI has tons of units (and well mixed up to, lots of fascist units combined with artillery, cavalry) in each city. So, as I have said, the AI is really good at defense. But eventually it will fall, especially when I get those tanks rolling. The AI has not tried to attack me. It just lets me throw my troops against its rock solid defensive positions.

[Rollo Tomasi]

I've managed to conquer 2/3 of the known world with one stack of knights and catapults (in the Alexander scenario). I made another identical army, and I'm confident those two will make short work of India. Or will they?

[colorme]

You know that the real Alexander turned tail and ran, when confronted with the Indian empire, don't you

Be very, very careful.

[Dom Pedro II]

Ok. I'm starting to take back what I said... The AI WAS very easy to defeat. Then I reached occupied Bremen... My war with the Scots was going well. I had taken a Scottish port city. Then I took Dusseldorf. I brought my brand new Battleship down to occupied Leipzig and began bombarding the city. I moved my 1st Artillery unit toward the city, but by the time they arrived, the enemy had been defeated and I walked right in.

Having done that, I sent my army down to the quiet little town of Bremen. Little did I realize that the entire Scottish army was waiting for me there. About ten catapults and cannons and an army of cavalry and defensive units. You don't realize how ineffective bombarding units are until they get to fire second! Those artillery units in the city pounded me every turn. Luckily, I had some defense units, but even they didn't help much. Needless to say, I did numerous reloading.

FINALLY, I was able to use a small squadron of four fighters to take out the remaining catapult, cannon, and two defensive units. So maybe it's tougher than I originally thought.

[colorme]

again, as mentioned by others too - AI defense is good. its the offense that sucks.

problem is that if you're playing Bloodlust, essentially you can take your time picking out the AI cities slowly (even if this is expensive), and you'll still win because it won't be able to get them back.

you'll soon see that it'll be fairly easy to conquer one civ completely in a short time (in fact while you're out there capturing its cities, it'll still keep fighting silly border skirmishes with other civs).

[swat-spas]

I agree completely that the computer plays defense. I was playing on hard difficulty with the Japanese as Fascist Imperialist AI opponents being my major warring faction. For the longest time I was trashing my own military with machine gunners and artillery, bashing it like crazy up against huge stacks of units (mainly fascists and artillery) in its cities, sometimes it would take up to 24 units just to capture a city. Even with bombardment prior to. As expected though, tanks got me rolling right along, although as I've said in another thread, the computer doesn't do much to attack or even to counter-attack when you first take over a city. The computer likes to pick off stray units outside of your cities, like units that were marching up to the front and didn't quite make it. It also likes the empty troop ship/empty aircraft carrier/empty helicopter unit. Kinna defeats the purpose of those units don't you think?

[DaddyCool]

quote: Originally posted by colorme on 11-27-2000 09:48 PM You know that the real Alexander turned tail and ran, when confronted with the Indian empire, don't you

His army threatened mutiny if he didn't turn back...he wanted to keep going.


[This message has been edited by DaddyCool (edited November 28, 2000).]

[Carrion]

quote: Originally posted by Troll on 11-28-2000 05:25 PM Heh Heh Heh Heh..like The man said once.."Only two things come from Canada(Canadians are are considered Frenchmen )...and those are Hockey Players and Whores...thats why when I play MP games and capture a Frenchie-mans City..I rename it.."FREE FRENCH WHORES!!..like I am assuming there are any other kind?? Troll

Damn and I thought I was prejudice against the French. Guess you are more than me Troll.

[Grandpa Troll]

quote: Originally posted by Carrion on 11-28-2000 05:48 PM Damn and I thought I was prejudice against the French. Guess you are more than me Troll.

Just a wee bit O' Humor my friend..if the 'Ole Frenchies cannot take it..I am sorry..I listen to all sorts of comments when I am online about Americans..and I take it with a grain of salt..just a bit of fun!!

Troll