Defending Citys

**Groove74** · April 15, 2009, 11:05 AM

Well I am need of some advice? I would like to know what are some of the unit combos you all use for defending your Citys? I have found I am always running close to the red money wise due to the fact my defending armys eat up my cash flow. I generally put 4-6 rifleman per city problem is this limits me to 1 full stack army for advancing my war effort. what are some better units for city defence. How many of each?

**KipDynamite** · April 15, 2009, 11:09 AM

Could depend on the faction you're playing as and your research level.

**Groove74** · April 15, 2009, 11:13 AM

I am using DarthsMod/late campain I am playing as the US?

**MyKingforahorse** · April 15, 2009, 11:23 AM

Mortars, howitzers and the cheapest infantry you can afford along with a few colonial units for police bonus if you need it.

Ultimately I would suggest you raise your taxes to the breaking point though

**Groove74** · April 15, 2009, 11:31 AM

Ahh ok. thanks for the tip

**jehazy** · April 15, 2009, 12:44 PM

I find that the economy works roughly like real world economies. Years of war compound themselves, causing lowered income and lowered population growth (from the high taxes). It's pretty good to cycle through, years of peace, keep your money coming in, then ramp up to war and try to conclude war pretty quickly.

City defense is kind of tricky IMO, forts don't seem to provide as much of an advantage from height as they should, and I find that equally sized armies actually are easier to fight outside of your fort rather than inside. Maybe I just need more practice.

Definately agree with Mortars though, they're easy to house in your Fortifications and provide you the most bang for your buck.

**KingDave** · April 15, 2009, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by Groove74

Well I am need of some advice? I would like to know what are some of the unit combos you all use for defending your Citys? I have found I am always running close to the red money wise due to the fact my defending armys eat up my cash flow. I generally put 4-6 rifleman per city problem is this limits me to 1 full stack army for advancing my war effort. what are some better units for city defence. How many of each?

Don't defend your cities. Always be on the offensive. If you put all of those troops you have in your cities together, you have another stack, maybe more. Use that to take the fight to the enemy. If you don't let your enemy break your lines, you DONT NEED to defend ANYTHING.

**Eagle Seven** · April 15, 2009, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by KingDave

Don't defend your cities. Always be on the offensive. If you put all of those troops you have in your cities together, you have another stack, maybe more. Use that to take the fight to the enemy. If you don't let your enemy break your lines, you DONT NEED to defend ANYTHING.

That's the key. To properly defend your territory, you must bottleneck the enemy to 1-3 chokepoints, and defeat him in the field. Anytime you defend from a city, it should only be because you were ambushed (another neighbor declared war), or are desperately losing the war.

But what if you are large like Russia? Then you must take the fight to the enemy! Smash his armies as he comes in, or on his own turf. You cannot effectively defend all possible territories, so focus on smashing his hardpoints.

Even if he takes some of your minor provinces, you will be victorious. While he's busying attacking your appendages, you will sever his jugular.

**Major Inconvenience** · April 16, 2009, 10:56 AM

I've given up defending cities, until enemy forces managed to land via ships I can never see a situation where an enemy force is going to sneak up. I'm currently playing as UP and have taken france. I've just got one large stack on the spanish border so I can take them on there instead if they ever attack

**Gornard** · April 17, 2009, 06:50 AM

Don't defend your cities, just keep a few stacks. If you are worried that your rear is open, build walls and maybe keep a small force around in a fort or in a particularly vunerable city.

City garrisons are too expensive i only ever use them when i have to throw a few dragoons in to police a region.

**caldwell77** · April 17, 2009, 02:24 PM

I miss the free garrisons of MTW2. Going to mod the cost of some cheaper units to make them more sensible police men. Minutemen were volunteers for heavens sake!

**Souvorov** · April 17, 2009, 07:46 PM

Another thing that is interesting - don't fight the huge enemy armies all at once. Because of the complex pathing an enemy army can be provoked into attacking you with only a portion of its srength. So you have to be careful to outnumber the enemy or have more useful units or better strategy and defeat the AI without losing any men if you can - then your army is preserved for the next battle, and even war.

I find that if you walk up to a city bit by bit the AI attacks you before!!! you reach the city with a small army and you cab beat it, then take the city.

Also send your reduced, worthless units to pillage and attract the enemy army forces.

**cpt_acid** · April 17, 2009, 08:51 PM

Policing bonus units, like dragoons for policing, flogging the rioting masses.

Everybody else:

Charge!!!

**HawkDreams** · April 17, 2009, 11:08 PM

I dont ever have more than 2 stacks running around anyways. In most ways, this new diplomacy system makes it too easy.

But for the question... Place your armed citezenry into the buildings inside your city (as many as possible), use a couple of line units on the wall facing the direction the enemy is attacking from to man the cannon, and a unit of dragoon on the ground within the city. If you have a couple of cheap units, put them on the ground also inside the city. Ignore the line infantry on the wall except to change then to melee once the wals are in full swing of being taken. Use the cheap units to harrass units coming down from the wall before they are all the way down. Ignore the citizens in the buildings as they will keep up a field of fire. Leave your Dragoons until last when you finally have a hard incursion into the city or until you get cavalry coming through the gates, then hit and run, hit and run. Most units will break rather quickly once hit by a Dragoon charge as they are already being picked off from the buildings and tired from getting to you.

I also use my former general units as city protection where there might be a danger as they usually have experience after the general gets killed or dies and I dont want to disband an experienced unit. But in all honesty, I have never had to defend a city except right after taking it and only then if another army was in range.

BTW Groove, how is that 920 CPU? I still have my 9850 as I really didnt see much of a need to upgrade since I am clocked at 2.9GHZ anyways.