How do I defend cities from inside?

[Tormund1]

If you're on the world map and a city is being attacked, can you defend it from inside? If yes, how do you get in? If no, what do you need to do to defend cities from inside? Thanks.

[Iosif Stalin]

Are you talking about reinforcement armies aiding besieged cities? If that's your question, all you need to do is station an army right next to the besieged city (and it has to be no more than one square away), and then when the enemy attacks the city, your army outside will enter the battlefield and you can bring it into the city.

[Tormund1]

Are you talking about reinforcement armies aiding besieged cities? If that's your question, all you need to do is station an army right next to the besieged city (and it has to be no more than one square away), and then when the enemy attacks the city, your army outside will enter the battlefield and you can bring it into the city.

No, I'm not talking about that. I hadn't even thought about that. I'm talking about defending cities from inside the cities.

[Tormund1]

Haven't you ever put archers on the walls? You need to be inside to do that.

[BHL 20]

What you are asking is impossible in this game.

[Anthropoid]

If you're on the world map and a city is being attacked, can you defend it from inside? If yes, how do you get in? If no, what do you need to do to defend cities from inside? Thanks.

In order to "defend a city from the inside" then units must ALREADY be inside the city when the attack ensues.

Let us suppose a scenario: your city is Capua. A Carthaginian stack is attacking it. You have a stack also in the same "zone" of the attack on the city (meaning that, the unit will spawn as a 'reinforcement' to the attack on the battle map).

A unit cannot attempt to enter a city while it is under seige, it must instead attack the besieger. If a unit is on its way into a city (set to arrive on the next turn) and the attacker initiates a siege during this turn, then the unit will be blocked from entering the city, and will begin the next turn with possibly some movement points left, and in the range of the city (would depend on movement allowance and costs / zones of control issues).

With all that said, there are only two ways that a city can be defended:
1. units that were inside the city when the seige began can be placed inside the deployment zone which covers the city (e.g., archers on the walls, infantry at strategic points, etc.).

2. units that are "in range" of the city when the besiegers assault can participate though whether they will spawn as the main force, as an immediately spawned secondary force or a reinforcement that experienced delayed entry onto the map will depend on a number of factors.

So getting back to the scenario of Capua being besieged while a friendly stack is "in range."

If in fact, there are NO defenders inside Capua, then I am guessing that what happens is the city falls immediately. If there is a sufficient number of defenders (and "1" soldier is likely enough, much less 1 unit), then the besiegers will have to assault the fortifications and win the central flag to win the battle. If there are friendlies that were in range but outside the city, the things I described above will apply, i.e., depending on range, positioning, speed, etc. the friendlies may be able to participate.

It is essential to always leave AT BARE MINIMUM one unit inside any settlement that you do not wish to lose. This is how you "defend cities from inside" you ALWAYS leave defenders inside.

[Saul Tyre]

In RS III some settlements have inner defence walls, like Pergamon (with Gateway entrances inside the perimeter defence wall) & Surakusiai (around the central square & colonnade)but I am sure you cannot put men up on them. Barbarian hillfort settlements like Gergovia and Bibracte have similar but differently designed inner defences with Gateways where you can put units up on top. I don't know if this helps but it is all I can think of atm

[Frunk]

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