Apparently airships (blimps) can spot submarines. Presumably they also can attack submarines. There's historical precedent in this, so I think it's pretty cool.

But, if they can be based only in cities and forts, then they're only going to spot subs along the coast. In real life, airships were used to escort ocean-going ships and spot/attack subs along the way. I wonder if this is in any way implemented in BtS.

What makes you think they're not a normal unit that can go anywhere?

From what we've seen of unit stats this far, they seem to be air units with range equal to bombers. Could be something like Civ 2/SMAC helicopter instead... Most likely not, but airships are supposed to have great range.

yes, i also would like to see airships as kind of early helcopter unit who can enter water tiles. but it seems to be just an early bomber.

What makes you think they're not a normal unit that can go anywhere?
There's a screenshot of an airship showing that it has the same functionality of a regular air unit - air missions and range.

Hey, I thought the topic was airship bashing.

Well, here is my contribution:
Airships suck, they're just like big baloons....(silly voice) oooh, I'm so cool, I can fly around with my my fleet of airships, I have no life so I spend my whole days looking at submarines.

end contribution.

Um, wouldnt it make more sense for the Airships recon ability to reveal subs?

I think I'd rather have seen this role represented by an ASW (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASW#Modern_anti-submarine_warfare) or AEW (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_Early_Warning) aircraft (providing a large "viewing" area via recon,) but I'm glad its in here nonetheless.

Yes, airships recon ability. The point is that if they are based only on land, then the ability can extend only so far from land. I guess if they have a range similar to bombers this might not be a big issue.

However, if they could be attached to ships (imagine that they can "land" on battleships), then they could provide this ASW function well out to sea.

Whether they will be useful in the game is hard to know. If navies generally become more important, and if the new attack sub is potent and/or the ability to launch missiles from subs is potent, then ASW becomes important.

Another thought: If you paired a battleship with an airship, maybe you wouldn't have to build a destroyer. (I guess this partly presumes that the airship would defend a ship-stack against a sub attack.) Since your coastal cities can be busy building battleships, it is often the case that you don't want to spend time building destroyers. A non-coastal city could build the airships.

Another thought: If you paired a battleship with an airship, maybe you wouldn't have to build a destroyer. (I guess this partly presumes that the airship would defend a ship-stack against a sub attack.) Since your coastal cities can be busy building battleships, it is often the case that you don't want to spend time building destroyers. A non-coastal city could build the airships.

The problem is when you get the subs interdicting trade routes (buoys, I think someone called them,) in ocean squares that are out of range of shore-based airpower.

This may be a reason why they might restrict airships to land bases only.

What about just using attack submarines to fight other submarines?

What about just using attack submarines to fight other submarines?

Certainly. I'm just trying to figure out (without waiting until I have the game) how useful airships will be.

Also, as I mentioned, my coastal cities are usually busy building capital ships and transports. I never build subs now; I'd rather use some nondescript landlocked city to build airships than use my drydocks on subs.

Maybe in BtS, I'll find that I need to build attack subs. I guess we'll see soon.

Yes, part of the reason why neither you nor anybody else built many subs (aside from those who just think subs are cool) is because they were largely useless. They were invisible but not useful enough against naval units to justify their existence. The real role of submarines was as commerce raiders. Since there has never been, until now, commerce to raid, they never had much purpose. Now there's an incentive to build them.

Certainly. I'm just trying to figure out (without waiting until I have the game) how useful airships will be.

Also, as I mentioned, my coastal cities are usually busy building capital ships and transports. I never build subs now; I'd rather use some nondescript landlocked city to build airships than use my drydocks on subs.

Maybe in BtS, I'll find that I need to build attack subs. I guess we'll see soon.

Do you use destroyers much? Just curious. I find myself building them not so much to fight subs as to use as a cheap(er) supplement to Battleships. My "tin can" fleet usually consists of upgraded Frigates and stuff that was rush-built to fight off enemy ships.

I usually try to have at least one submarine available in case I need to sneak a spy into a foreign civ that is otherwise unreachable.

mostly because navies were (hopefully no longer true) mostly useless in Civ4. now we might need better strats for navy use

I build destroyers only until Industrialism. If I have two promotions for some reason, I go for medic, then later those destroyers help my battleships heal. I never give any thought to subs.

can airships only see subs or can the attack subs as well?

can airships only see subs or can the attack subs as well?

IIRC, subs can spot other subs in vanilla and Warlords. So I will speculate that subs will be able to see other subs in BtS, too.

I believe he was asking whether airships can bomb subs. I don't know that any of the screenshots reveal that information. My guess is that if you can see it, you can bomb it.

I believe he was asking whether airships can bomb subs. I don't know that any of the screenshots reveal that information. My guess is that if you can see it, you can bomb it.

It would be nice if they can.

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