How do you ambush?

**Piko** · 03-04-2005, 20:46

please help!

**BDC** · 03-04-2005, 21:00

Put an army in those little trees, and then they crouch down and go "Ambush set" or something.

**Old Celt** · 03-04-2005, 21:22

I like to hide in the bushes and jump out at a time when the enemy doesn't expect it... but that's just me

Seriously, it's automatic. Just stop at a place with thin vegetation on the campaign map, and your character will crouch and say: "Ambush in place!"

**Count Belisarius** · 03-04-2005, 21:34

Usually, if a human player is careless enough to get ambushed, his army is caught in line of march, and the enemy springs up almost within melee range with no time to reform or arrange battle groups. It used to happen to me all the time before I began scouting the lay of the land with spies before moving my armies. RTW 101, I know, but I refuse to read game manuals, and I was still learning.

Anyhow, the point is, you want to be careful when you turn the tables on the computer and ambush him. Sometimes you won't get equal treatment. Example: using a small Julii army, I trailed my coat in front of a large Spanish army, hoping to lure them into an ambush. I was successful in setting the ambush, but for some reason, the battle deployed both armies in the normal set-piece fashion. This may be a bug, I have no idea. I mauled the Spanish barbarians terribly, but eventually their numbers and superiority in cavalry turned the tide against me. And once the rout is on, you know how that goes. I really couldn't afford to lose that battle, being embroiled in conflicts with the Greeks, the Carthaginians, and the Gauls already at the time. They paid the price a few years later, of course, the insolent dogs.

**Malrubius** · 03-05-2005, 06:54

Originally Posted by Count Belisarius

Usually, if a human player is careless enough to get ambushed, his army is caught in line of march, and the enemy springs up almost within melee range with no time to reform or arrange battle groups. It used to happen to me all the time before I began scouting the lay of the land with spies before moving my armies. RTW 101, I know, but I refuse to read game manuals, and I was still learning.

I once had a spy (at least 3 eyes) not notice a German army hidden right next to his path and then my army following him got ambushed. It was the most exciting battle I'd had in a while, surrounded on 3 sides.

Playing this battle over and over, since it was so challenging and fun, I noticed that the autoresolve would let me get away with half my army intact. To do this well myself took me many attempts and a lot of failure. It must be similar to the seige autoresolve, that autocalc doesn't take the situation on the ground into account when it performs the calculations and you can come out ahead by autoresolving.

**The Stranger** · 03-05-2005, 15:15

tried to ambush many time but it seems that i never do it right.

**DukeofSerbia** · 03-05-2005, 18:58

I always ambushed Julii under Alps (when I played with Spain, Dacia, Scythia, Macedonia).

**katank** · 03-05-2005, 22:38

Sometimes the ambush works and sometimes it fails. When it fails, you have time to prepare and deploy.

I guess the Spanish got time to deploy. Once, ambushed by Dacians, I got time to deploy.

I usually comb agents throughout including diplomats to snipe off captains. My diplomats actually discover more than my spies do.

Having a pet hunting dog ancillary is also very useful and the rank of general may also come into play when dealing with ambushes.

**Vlad Tzepes** · 03-06-2005, 18:19

You need two conditions for a proper ambush: to place your army in those little groups of trees (and it goes "ambush in place!") and the ambush place to be near a road. AI uses certain paths while moving armies on the map - and it will favor roads quite often.

Anyway, the negative of this type of attack is that the battle (if you've got a good army) is even more blitz than usual clashes on the battlefield. It's really charge-contact-rout.

**Orda Khan** · 03-06-2005, 21:44

Had many armies say 'Ready to ambush'
Never had an AI army ever walk into one

.....Orda

**HarunTaiwan** · 03-08-2005, 07:54

Never been ambushed and I don't scout the roads.

I also have never ambushed anyone successfully.

I guess I'll tell my wife I need more quality time with RTW.

**RollingWave** · 03-08-2005, 16:31

I have tried but the few times the AI did walk into the ambush they still got time to deploy:/

However hiding ur army has other advantages even if you don't ambush... for example I was very annoyed as the Gaul when the Brits and Germans seem to work in unison hitting two different cities then run when I come with my only real army up there... so I decided to ambush near my city and wait for the germans to come... and hit them before they could run from me

**aw89** · 03-08-2005, 20:59

Grandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrand grandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrand grandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrandgrand grandgrandgrandgrandfather! noooooo! you killed him! :'(

**General Carnage** · 03-08-2005, 21:10

If you want practice at defending against ambushes, there are a couple in the 'Historical Battles' section of Rome:Total War. I am convinced that one of these is quite impossible.