Blocking straits with navies

[Stark]

As AS I wanted to block KH from going to Asia Minor, so I positioned my fleets to block Bosphorus and Dardanelles, but next turn several KH armies were in Asia Minor. They have only one settlement nearby so it's impossible they were built there. Do ships block straits? I'm not sure how probable is that they transfered all those armies with ships.

Before that I wanted to block Macedonians on that island to the west of Asia Minor (Miles or similar), so I positioned one fleet on the only place where my diplomat could pass to that island. The next turn, two full armies of theirs were besieging my city.

[Brennus]

From my experience fleets do block straights, or at least they kept the Romans out of Sicily for me for ages. Be warned that the Dardanelles has two possible crossing points.

[Arjos]

I think that some straits crossing were made obliquely, so it's not possible to block them all...

[Cute Wolf]

meh, a depleted panda (or hoplitai hopless) unit in a fort will do the same result, with obviously bigger blocking range

[Taedius]

Yes, I don't think fleets can block landbridges, only the access of other fleets. Am I wrong?

[Stark]

Yes, I don't think fleets can block landbridges, only the access of other fleets. Am I wrong?

That would be a shame. And completely unrealistic.

meh, a depleted panda (or hoplitai hopless) unit in a fort will do the same result, with obviously bigger blocking range

Could enemy besiege that fort? If not that would be a great way to block straits. If it can, than there is no point, I still have to defend it all the time. A navy can free me from countless battles on that front.

Besides, as Koinon Hellenoion controls both sides of Bosphorus, I only want to deny them reinforcements (atleast until I counquer that city), not stop them from invading me. Currently I can do that by navy only.

[Rahl]

Only if the straits are horizontal or vertical they can be blocked, if they are diagonal they can't.
The engine is limited here, because CA never thought about crossing sea straits without fleets. As far as I understand, the EB team used a trick when making the map so the straits became crossable for armies.
Because of the engine, fleets and armies don't have control zones for each other, so you can only block an army if you fleet stands exactly in the way. Diagonal straits mean the armies also cross them diagonally and thus don't march over a sea tile, only diagonal between land tiles. If the crossing is horizontal or vertical they need to cross a sea tile and if a fleet stands there they can't move over it (like you can't move through allied armies if the block a pass or river crossing).
Most sea crossings are diagonal, so you can't block them, the only one I remember is the one between Italy and Sicily.

[Ca Putt]

a fort with a depleated panda unit or(as i do it) a unit of slingers and a unit of levy spearmen, can block them for at least one turn thus they are forced to halt at that point and you can attack them/send reinforcements in that direction, with a unit of spearmen and a unit of slingers you can even give them sort of a fight and thus sorting out some elites before the real battle.
sure it's not as good as permanently blocking them but hey, that'd be unfair^^

[Stark]

I don't see why it would be unfair to block them from crossing the sea strait if I position my fleets there. After all armies can't walk over water. It's a pity engine doesn't allow that.

[Ca Putt]

unfair in terms of: the AI is stupid enough as it is and would be largely impede their petty excursions without hope of them beeing able to outwhit you and ship around the strait, while you can very well outmanover an AI-fleet that, by mere chance, bobbles around a strait.
not an exploit tho

ps: is there a difference if you have a fleet WITH an army(or a depleated unit of pantodapoi)?