A surprise strike at the enemy capital is my preferred opening move in a war. If it succeeds, it stops enemy research for quite a while, and the city to take up palace construction is prevented from producing military units. The capital is also a likely place to find wonders.
This works especially well if the enemy capital is located at the coast. I have been known to have my entire ground attack forces (about 20 units) disembark next to the enemy capital at once.
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To defend an island I control from invasion before flight is practical, I build warships to patrol the coast and sink enemy troop transports.
Posted 25-Aug-08 00:02 by Adrian