Help! Understanding Defense Lines

Okay, I just can't seem to get how defense lines work. I've played like 5 or 6 games now and I can't get them to consistently protect cities. I've tried various things... a line through the city, a box around it, 3 points walling the city... doesn't matter. I keep having opponents take the city without having to attack the line. You can even still see all my units still in their defense lines going through the captured cities afterwards. What am I doing wrong? How do defense lines ACTUALLY stop anything? I feel like I'm just placing units randomly and incorrectly all the time when they might be better served inside the cities to reduce the number of units my enemy has left over at the very least. They've been useless standing outside.

That's probably cause you didn't wall around the city properly. Leaving part of the city outside the wall could potentially be used by your opponent to take the city.



Source: http://atwar-game.com/forum/topic.php?topic_id=7855&topicsearch=&page=1

Just in case ... you know the defense lines are not effective on the turn you place them, but only the turn after, right?

I mean, if you move units to wall a city during turn x, and an opponent attacks your city during the same turn x, the attack won't be prevented. Walling does not act as an interception. It has to be built before preventing an attack. Therefore, (if your walling moves were not prevented during turn x), the walls will show at the beginning of turn x+1, and will prevent any units to attack your city during turn x+1.

I always build the 3 point walls exactly as shown in that gif. I've had it fail before though.

I did learn the hard way that they don't work same turn, but the last couple of failures were on walls built 3 or more turns before the attacks came. Is it maybe because they were using Stealth units? I keep getting Stealth units bypassing my lines and taking my cities directly.

Also is that 3-point wall really the most effective thing I can do or is there a better way? I've seen other players (ones that destroy me) using walls differently... like really long lines in front of multiple cities or boxes. How do the effectiveness of these compare?

Written by crazyli825, 05.06.2017 at 14:47

I always build the 3 point walls exactly as shown in that gif. I've had it fail before though.

I did learn the hard way that they don't work same turn, but the last couple of failures were on walls built 3 or more turns before the attacks came. Is it maybe because they were using Stealth units? I keep getting Stealth units bypassing my lines and taking my cities directly.

Also is that 3-point wall really the most effective thing I can do or is there a better way? I've seen other players (ones that destroy me) using walls differently... like really long lines in front of multiple cities or boxes. How do the effectiveness of these compare?

There's absolutely no way a unit can trespass a wall without breaking it before... either you didn't fully wall the city or idk what seems to be happening

Also, it depends, Triangle walls are more effective for little objectives such as cities while long walls usually prevent opponents from advancing in a direction in a more general way. That's up to you to decide what thought process you want to follow

Thanks. I guess I'll keep trying... it's just really frustrating to think you've guarded a city only to have it taken and your units still standing there around it (it's happened to be at least 5-10 times so far across the games I've played)

If you can, try to printscreen when the turn is being processed, and post the image here. We will be able to see your units as well as your enemy's moves.
If you don't know how to printscreen and post the image in the forum, here is a thread on the subject: http://atwar-game.com/forum/topic.php?topic_id=19519&page=

If you leave your city empty, your allies can take them because they can bypass the defense line.

Ok if it ever happens again, I'll Printscreen the battle phase and post it here.

I'm not actually sure this screenshot will help anything since it doesn't really show what I had before the attack... but the defense line (2 militia) were attacked and the city itself was attacked in the same turn. I'm pretty sure there was also a line connecting that unit north a bit to one of them, though it doesn't look like it's in the same spot as I remember actually placing it (I thought it was closer). Unless this works because the enemy flew around the line and then attacked from the opening in the sea, I'm stumped here. I can't really tell WHERE they came from because it was Stealth.

Written by crazyli825, 07.06.2017 at 12:38

I'm not actually sure this screenshot will help anything since it doesn't really show what I had before the attack... but the defense line (2 militia) were attacked and the city itself was attacked in the same turn. I'm pretty sure there was also a line connecting that unit north a bit to one of them, though it doesn't look like it's in the same spot as I remember actually placing it (I thought it was closer). Unless this works because the enemy flew around the line and then attacked from the opening in the sea, I'm stumped here. I can't really tell WHERE they came from because it was Stealth.

Wait, 2 militias? How do you plan on surrounding a city completely with just 2 militias? Ofc that guy could easily attack the city from sea also, those stealth planes have quite an impressive range as well

No, there were 3 militia but 2 form a defense line (as in if you attack, it just attacks 2 of the 3?). If he didn't need to attack the line, why did he?

Also how can I even guard the sea?

I had a line of 2 facing the side that was attacked connected and the higher of the 2 had a line drawn to a 3rd unit north of the city. Not sure if that counts for anything though. The city was still open from the sea since I dunno how to guard that side.

Written by crazyli825, 07.06.2017 at 13:41

No, there were 3 militia but 2 form a defense line (as in if you attack, it just attacks 2 of the 3?). If he didn't need to attack the line, why did he?

Also how can I even guard the sea?

As a new player, i'll tell you the easiest way is to build two ships (destroyers or transports) and make a wall with them in the sea parallel to your militia wall, so the city is entirely surrounded by walls...

if someone doesn't make a ss of it, i'll do it later when i'm online.

[you aren't from SP Police are you ? ♥]

Written by crazyli825, 07.06.2017 at 13:41

No, there were 3 militia but 2 form a defense line (as in if you attack, it just attacks 2 of the 3?). If he didn't need to attack the line, why did he?

Also how can I even guard the sea?

With destroyers:


Leaving a unit on the water:

Oh wow, lots of options. Thanks!