Tactics Database

[HuangShang]

What'd Up

This thread is for anyone to post any tactics they use(or just ones they'd like to share) in CTP2.
The tactic can be economical, military, expasional, internal...ect.

You can trade ideas and add questions here too!
It doesn't matter how easy or obvious...
just not too much so

YO... Here is a link to all of the tactics so you won't have to go through the entire thread...

thanx Maquiladora


-- TheDivineEmperor

[Turambar]

I'd like to know how people make up attacking/defensive stacks? What combination of ranged/flanking/infantry units do people use?

[Oerdin]

Hehe, I know tons of MP tactics but I'm not going to share them until after the MP tournment!

[HuangShang]

GOD... this thread needs to get started so heres my half cents

1. never let your ranged units outnumber your frontline/flanking unit... that way, your ranged units will always be attacking and they wont get caught on the frontline where they die easily + they won't flank

i said the tips can be easy... like for noobs

[HuangShang]

Originally posted by Turambar
I'd like to know how people make up attacking/defensive stacks? What combination of ranged/flanking/infantry units do people use?

personally... not being too good my self...

DEFENSE: 1-2 defesive frontline units+1-3 flankers+2-4 attacking frontline units and heaviest ranged unit to match the # of units on the front lines(but it can be less than...)
if you want... add a slaver
these #'s change when 1. the enemies close/distant and that city's been/never been/may be(two words on perpose) attacked.
2.happiness: if you want that city to have more martial law than add to the # of unit... but you can have a whole grip of outdated/weak/cheap armies if that city's safe anyway

ATTACK: i'll get to this later... maybe someone else might acually post here but heres a hint... i use different types of attacking stacks
I'm more of a peacemeal stratigist anyway

[Locutus]

Offensive stacks: 5 or 6 of the best ranged units available (unless it's a stack dedicated to chasing AI and barb shrapnel, in which case it has the fastest available ranged unit), 2-4 of the strongest frontline units (best value for off+def) and 2-4 of the flanking units available.

Defensive stacks: I only play against the AI, so what defensive stacks?


Undocumented feature but *very* important tactic to follow: stack slavers with your armies: for every defeated enemy stack you will get one free slave!

[Immortal Wombat]

Undocumented feature but *very* important tactic to follow: stack slavers with your armies: for every defeated enemy stack you will get one free slave!

And slavers have two movement points. If you're going to use them like this, stack them with mounted archers and samurai or cavalry, and chase down barbarian infantry as early as possible. This will give you an (almost) risk-free source of slaves, and give your civ a good head start.

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Locutus
Undocumented feature but *very* important tactic to follow: stack slavers with your armies: for every defeated enemy stack you will get one free slave!

Yes, but one problem I found during the second tournerment game was that the slaves would go to the next city and not to the best defended one.

-Martin

[Turambar]

I tend to use 4 ranged, 4 flankers and a combo of 4 strong attacking/defensive units in the front line.

[Hermann the Lombard]

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann


Yes, but one problem I found during the second tournerment game was that the slaves would go to the next city and not to the best defended one.

-Martin

Well, they go to the nearest city with a garrison large enough to guard the slaves, so if you want them to go to a more distant city, move the garrison out of the nearer city (on a road, presumably), make your attack, then move the garrison back. If you forget to move them back...

OK, another tip: attack with multiple 12-stacks kept close enough for mutual support, like Napoleonic corps. Hit a powerful enemy stack with a one-two punch, having the first stack retreat when they start to lose units but have bloodied the foe, then the second stack finishes them off. This can yield a 10-1 or 12-1 exchange ratio.

Similar idea for city attack, and the speed of damage to the first stack tells you whether to break off the attack entirely. Ideally use a one-two-THREE punch, the first two stacks heavy on bombardment, the third stack is the assault troops. (Personally, I never seem to have enough units for three stacks on each active front, but I can usually manage two.)

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Hermann the Lombard
Well, they go to the nearest city with a garrison large enough to guard the slaves, so if you want them to go to a more distant city, move the garrison out of the nearer city (on a road, presumably), make your attack, then move the garrison back. If you forget to move them back...

Actual I moved the garrison out of the city and the slaves taken from Barbarian armies went into the nearest city IIRC.

-Martin

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by Hermann the Lombard
OK, another tip: attack with multiple 12-stacks kept close enough for mutual support, like Napoleonic corps. Hit a powerful enemy stack with a one-two punch, having the first stack retreat when they start to lose units but have bloodied the foe, then the second stack finishes them off. This can yield a 10-1 or 12-1 exchange ratio.

Similar idea for city attack, and the speed of damage to the first stack tells you whether to break off the attack entirely. Ideally use a one-two-THREE punch, the first two stacks heavy on bombardment, the third stack is the assault troops. (Personally, I never seem to have enough units for three stacks on each active front, but I can usually manage two.)

Great tip!!!!

Will definately give this a try in my current game.

[Immortal Wombat]

Strategically losing cities:

1/ Early-game headstart grabbing
Its the early game, and you are in a costly war with a nearby civ, and you need every advantage you can get.
Vacate a small ( but > size 2 ) city near the border, and let them take it. Move your units beyond their line of sight before they take the city, but keep a slaver or coracle nearby so you can keep and eye on things. Once they have mostly left the city to seek further prey, get your units back over and take the city back again, trapping their offensive stack in your territory with no backup, and crucially, achieving the feat of wonder that gives you a headstart.
DO NOT USE THIS:
If the feat has already been achieved (duh...)
If they are way ahead of you in tech

Its risky, but feats add to your score too, so if you reckon you have a good chance of winning the city back, go for it.

2/ The AI is dumb
The situation is thus: You have an AI civ who is not overly powerful, likes you quite a but is for some reason or other a very desirable target. But its gonna take ages to get troops there, and the most you can send is a garrison for one or two cities.
In short, you need a beachhead to launch an attack from.

Firstly, exchange maps if you haven't already, then vacate one of your cities, one of your nice cities, and park your garrison a couple of tiles down the road, preferably backed up with some offensive units.

Then as your expeditionary party approach the AI continent, offer to swap your vacant (and rather nice) city for one of theirs (the closest one to your continent, unless it is the capital or something) - preferably a small one, that they might not want.

If they accept, use your garrison to take back your city straight away. It should be undefended because this takes place on your turn - they have no time to get units there. (If you are lucky, this may even trigger that feat of wonder thingummy)

Then move your troops into your new city on their continent. If they are too far away, rush buy a defender quick, and hope. If you can get a garrison there that turn, rush buy a temple or colisseum or something, else it'll revolt.

And there you are - one city for free on the other side of the world: an ideal beachhead for an invasion.

[Cookie Monster]

Yet more excellent tips! Has anyone tried this in MP? Can you imagine the look on someone's face after you pull one of those stunts?

[Immortal Wombat]

Neither would work in MP I should think. I'd never swap cities unless I knew damn well I could defend it.

[HuangShang]

allright... there wasn't any new stategegy for over a day... so here's one...

always bombard before attack a well defended city, but on the same turn... that way those not kill from bombardment are still injured...

i always built 12-stacks of battleships for shore bombardment...
i'd also send bombers if they can bomb them the first turn out of base
then my stacks can rush in

[Hermann the Lombard]

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann


Actual I moved the garrison out of the city and the slaves taken from Barbarian armies went into the nearest city IIRC.

Could this behavior be mod-specific? In Cradle I find I have good control over where my slaves go (by timely movement of garrisons).

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann
Actual I moved the garrison out of the city and the slaves taken from Barbarian armies went into the nearest city IIRC.

This would happen if you had insufficient garrison in all your cities - but I assume that wasn't the case.

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by J Bytheway
This would happen if you had insufficient garrison in all your cities - but I assume that wasn't the case.

Actual I had in every other city a garrison. As I attacked a Barbarian unit in the radius of another city the slaves went into this one. OK This thing most be investigated more, but so far I wasn't able to controll the slaves location of slaves taken during an attack. I had only controll over these ones that are take from other civs by a stealth attack.

-Martin

[Hermann the Lombard]

Martin, I don't suppose you have a saved game from just before the problem. One or another of us might be able to replicate it.

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Hermann the Lombard
Martin, I don't suppose you have a saved game from just before the problem. One or another of us might be able to replicate it.

I still have a save game, but we have the cheat editor, too. OK I tested it now. I found out if you move the units before the fight, then it works. But if you attack a Barbarian with a slaver in the stack right from a city, then the slaves goes to this city, although the city is empty after the attack, so slave diallocation from slaves taken during battles is caculated on the garrison strength before the battle. Actual this needs some more investigation, but so far every slaven taken during battles started from cities went directly into the city from which I started the battle, feel free to test this with the cheat editor.

-Martin

[TheArsenal]

More of a tip than a strategy:
Scenario:

1. You are using a stack with tanks, artillery, cannons or any other units which can not travel across mountains, to attack a city built in the mountains which is accessible by road/railroad.
2. You do not plan to occupy this city, but raze it or move its citizens.

Before you complete the attack by killing the enemy's last units, be sure to use the retreat button to remove the units from the city, and finish the attack with the other NON artillery/tank units on the next turn. If you destroy a mountain city with your artillery/tank units still in it, those units will be destroyed with it.

If this sounds like I learned the hard way, you are correct.

[HuangShang]

i just noticed how hard it'll be to update the first post when the tips/strategys are on another page
and they might not even look at the first post either
hey theres a new button
does it take me to where you can see all the thread's names

[Hermann the Lombard]

but so far every slaven taken during battles started from cities went directly into the city from which I started the battle,

Hmm...that might be an undocumented feature, because it makes sense (to me) that it works this way. You send out your garrison, they whomp the foe and bring him back into the city in chains. Now you want the spoils sent somewhere else? [Yeah, I know *you* want to send them somewhere else, but the locals might be quite possessive!]

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Hermann the Lombard
Hmm...that might be an undocumented feature, because it makes sense (to me) that it works this way. You send out your garrison, they whomp the foe and bring him back into the city in chains. Now you want the spoils sent somewhere else? [Yeah, I know *you* want to send them somewhere else, but the locals might be quite possessive!]

Actual I don't like the effect but I like the explanation very much.

-Martin

[HuangShang]

Darn... there wasn't any new tactics yesterday so here's mine

NAVY:

i use three different types of naval fleets/tactical groups

1. heavy fleet... these are built to bombard land/cities/enemy shiping
they are great for soften cities b4 you take em
they also clear costal roads of enemy land units and kill sea unit stupid/unlucky enough to be in the way
this fleet is comprised of all ships that can bombard land accompanied by one carrier full of bombers but also one air superiority fighter jst in case
bombard anything you can first... play this slow fleet safely

2. explore/wolfpack Groups... they can keep oceans clear of enemy shipping and/or explore unknow waters and/or blockade
don't stack them... have'm spread out... you might lose a couple to suprise attack... but they 'll never get through
make these up of your stealth and/or fastest warships
maybe a carrier for support

3. task force: Invasion... this is how to land troops in "shark infested waters."
2-3 carriers to provide ranged/exploration support for the marines
1-3 troop ships loaded w/ marines
another troop ships filled w/ tanks and arty to support longer patrols
fill the rest of the stack w/ the heaviest/most powerful ship (preferable that can bombard) that can keep up w/ the carrier/transports
its for invasion hence the name

[HuangShang]

yo maybe there are some other navy's you guy'll put in

[Hermann the Lombard]

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann Actual I don't like the effect but I like the explanation very much.

Explaining the senseless, my specialty!

[HuangShang]

nothing today either

[HuangShang]

at least nothing so far