How do u capture cities ?

[Goritude]

Catapults are said to be good to take cities. But they dont do much damage.

What unit to capture a city ? What strategy (vs ai) ?

[The Prophet No One Wanted]

I typically take several legions (Roman) or Pictish swordsman (celts) and surround a city when possible. The catapults fire and weekend the city while the other units take fire and run to a safe distance. This also allows me to defend the catapults. After a couple of turns the city will fall

[tangoafterdark]

Are you talking about units that are good at dealing damage to cities, or actually capturing cities? You need melee units to capture cities.

The premier early-game "siege" units are Comp Bows and later, Crossbows. There is no reason to build Catapults and few reasons to build Trebuchets. Cannons are the first decent siege unit and are good to use while waiting for Artillery. Once you get to Artillery, you can clear most maps pretty quickly. If you're on a map with lots of coastal capitals, you can win even more easily with Frigates. Beyond Artillery, you don't even need ranged units. Adopt Mobilization and Lightning Warfare, buy a carpet of upgraded Landships/Tanks and paint the map in your colour.

[Goritude]

Yes, I find catapult weak.

Comb bows ? Do u mean archers ?

Also I have a problem with iron. Some units require iron. If I dont have this resource, what should I do ?

[RANDOM]

Well to start, the type of seige unit depends greatly on the era in which you attack your enemy and the civ that you have been given. if you get the huns or assyria, then the best seige unit is either the battering ram or the early assyrian ram. if you are playing as any other civ, it would be best to wait for crossbows or cannons. composite archers are strong and can be mass produced but have little health, as for melee, legions are helpful early on but most melee isnt strong enough until the midevil era or whenever you get pikemen. later in the game bombers, and artillery are the best at taking cities. to address your iron problem, my suggestion would be too expand early on in the game therefore increasing your chances of having iron appear within your borders. hope this was helpful.

[saif3r]

Only melee unit is able to capture a city.

[americanman_4_life]

Originally posted by SPARTANG217:

I typically take several legions (Roman) or Pictish swordsman (celts) and surround a city when possible. The catapults fire and weekend the city while the other units take fire and run to a safe distance. This also allows me to defend the catapults. After a couple of turns the city will fall

Don't Run... use their lands around to heal the Melee unit surrounding the city. Any Siege, catapults and up, is good to strike city... best with more than one though. AND BEST with as much as possible upgrades to Siege a City! Starting with the units' promotion (forget what its called) added for the Siege. Than add a General? Plus Honor tree has adjacent unit +15% combat bonus? If you build the Statue of Zues? Adapt Religious bonus "Just War" with attack bonus near enemy city converted to your faith? All this provides accumulated combat bonuses to strike a city! Granted, the last one needs a Prophet to lead your soldiers in battle, converting City in advance of battle, than assault city.

If you manage to combine all those combat bonuses together, it is possible to slaughter cities with a breeze!

I usually scout my target cities in advance! Range units can not fire over un level terrain at max range, for early range units anyway. So Archers, Catapults, Galleases, all can fire over flat land with nothing in between unit-target. If your on a hill, your target on a hill, and a hill with no trees (forest, jungle) between, you can still fire over hills to the target, cause your both level with eachother. If either on flat, and tile between on flat, can still fire at full range. If either on flat, with other on Hill, and hill in between, or even if all on hill, but trees between, or all on flat, but trees between, you can not fire from full range. It doesn't matter if unit is adjacent to target, can fire no matter what terrain either has.

Scouting, I determine how many Full range I can surround a city with, and hit from full range without any interference of terrain. I try to split that amount between range siege, and range on foot; ie Catapults and Archers, but I always try to have at least 2x Catapults minimum.

So I typically march with 2-4 Catapults, 2-4 Archers, 4 soldiers, 2 spears or spikes, 2x horseman. Marching to target city however is the tricky part. Some units move better through rough terrain than others. I try to keep Soldier in front of foot range. followed by siege, followed by Spear/Spikes. Running on sides of march, going back and forth to help cover, foresee any flank attacks, are my horsemen.... when the first of my march get to city, I keep back 2 tiles, so city can not strike til I'm ready to march on city, til everyone caught up to the front line, and all ready. Catapults directly behind Soldier troops, with archers covering the flanks. Spears cover the archer's flank. While i'm mobilizing, wether approaching city, or moving into position around target city, should I face any enemy soldiers in route, I try to only use Front soldiers and spears as Defensive force, not attacking anyone. If only a few enemy, i only attack with archers. If a lot to face, and a stand off fight, I set Catapults preferrably on Hills, and let Catapults assist in attack of troops, if needed, still using the Soldiers and Spears/spikes as defensive to protect the Range. Horsemen can run around and help if needed. Once the soldiers move to hold adjacent to target city, they stand by! Catapults on Hills if needed, to hit city from 2x tiles out, and surrounde by archers. I use archers to help support fire on any enemy units surrounding city as well as strike city. Catapults only will strike city, or other Siege of enemy. Horse and Spears/Spikes will help cover flank of forces, protect em, while they attack city. During assualt, should any unit take damage, Pillage land he stands on to heal. Only pillage to heal. Every turn, I strike city with as much Range as I can, except any archers attacking units. If archer doesn't strike a unit, it will fire at city! Once the target city is in the Red zone, All melee able to strike city, will attack city, after all range has attacked. Once city is Red, and all range fire, by the time I strike with all melee, the city will fall!

With my tactics, once I target city, and march on city, and can manage to have the number of troops I mentioned... i can almost gaurantee I will have the city, which falls in under 3 turns after I begin my besiege!!

[americanman_4_life]

Originally posted by Goritude:

Yes, I find catapult weak.

Comb bows ? Do u mean archers ?

Also I have a problem with iron. Some units require iron. If I dont have this resource, what should I do ?

Composite Bowmen??

[Tatanka]

If you dont have iron simply wait to capture untill you have muskets. If you dont want to wait, or someone is that close it annoys you, take honour, get a free general. Build his fortress right infront of a city, place spear or pikeman in it on defence, declare war.
You should have horse, if not trade for them. get one horse and place next to spearman, have then switch turns who takes agro from city. Use experience points to upgrade the horsemen to healer, pikemen to defence.
Build two or three archers and let em bombard, they wont take agro as AI is dumb and ALWAYS shoots the weakest unit, so make sure your pikemen with defence is hurt, otherwise they will start shooting the archers (which are the weakest if no other units are hurt).
Piece of cake capture :) who needs iron anyway.

[AtomicCaleb]

Originally posted by americanman_4_life:

Originally posted by Goritude:

Yes, I find catapult weak.

Comb bows ? Do u mean archers ?

Also I have a problem with iron. Some units require iron. If I dont have this resource, what should I do ?

Composite Bowmen??

Do you have DLC because comp bows are addded in the DLC

[Goritude]

I don't have all DLCs. That's why I dont know this unit.

[Prisoner 76561197992841073]

Pro tip: don't use catapults against modern era, that's probably why you are failing horrendously

Ain't like the good old days when you can march in a doomstack is it?

[Goritude]

Thx for all tips. I succeeded with cannons. This is a game of patience.

[americanman_4_life]

Originally posted by Goritude:

Thx for all tips. I succeeded with cannons. This is a game of patience.

very much so!

a game that can take a couple weeks to a couple months, to play through, is definately a game of patience!!