16-05-2001 02:29									#1
	Infinite Howitzer Strategy Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

In Civ2, the howitzer unit is the most powerful unit. Ignoring city walls, it basically would win every battle, most times defeating two units per turn. (Howitzers have two MPs)

As a consequence, many Civ players, including myself, simply use the following strategy:
1. Build up production capacity (Factories, Hoover Dam, Mfg Plant, Offshore Platforms, Railroads, Mines, etc.)
2. Mass produce as many howitzers as possible and mass howitzers for attack.
3. Attack with a hundred howitzers at once and overwhelm enemy before they can even counterattack.

What new concepts and features (especially those already announced) would prevent IHS from working in Civ3?

[This message has been edited by polymths (edited May 15, 2001).]

	16-05-2001 02:42									#2
	Increase the size of your Attachments

Limited railroad movement or inability to use enemy railroads. Changing howitzers to do % damage so they are good at weakening full strength units but inefficient at killing ones already under half strength. Allow defending howitzers to use counter battery fire. Use army combat system so bombardment cannot be conducted as a separate action. Artillery never attacks unsupported it always has infantry cover to prevent the guns being overrun.
[This message has been edited by Grumbold (edited May 15, 2001).]

	16-05-2001 02:59									#3
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Using howitzers as artillery instead of an attacking unit in terms of game mechanics is the key to fixing this problem. With the bombardment feature already known to be in Civ3, I see little reason why a howitzer would be able to do anything but such a support or wall-destroying action.

	16-05-2001 03:10									#4
	Increase the size of your Attachments

With strategies that are cheesy, like ICS and Howitzer usage, there is a simple solution -- refrain from using those cheesy strategies.

I know, I know -- I'm such a genius!

------------------
Never submit to social double standards.

	16-05-2001 09:42									#6
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

If you think that Howitzers arent as powerful as they are in civ2, your quite mistaken. My brother is in a cavalry division (artillery), and has repeatedly told me of their firepower.

Lobbing a bunch of howitzers in real life might work, except that real life combat is extremely complicated, and I wont get into that. but anyway, just thought you'd like to know about real life matters.

	16-05-2001 22:04									#10
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

improved road and rail rules would help a lot. I should point out that those same rules would limit the effectiveness of my legions of INVINCIBLE SPIES!
I've fought some wars against an overwhelmingly powerful opponent with 40 spies, and 1 howitzer. city goes to size 1, loses city walls, howitzer takes single defender, city and all its supported units disappear. sometimes can do 2 cities a turn with a single howitzer.
Improved road and rail rules as suggested in the EC3 would help a lot of this.

Hope it makes it in.