Helicopters and paratrooping

[Yndy]

Hi all,

Do you use helicopters?

What for?

What about paratroopers?

Can you tell me some things about potential use of these ones?

Is it that only paratroopers can be transported with helicopters?

I heard that infantry and marines can do that also.

Can you send paratroopers from a city with airport? (I mean just paratroop in the enemy territory without a helicopter)

I only used them once in a game that was practically over. I built helicopters and paratroopers and send them over a strait to a small island. Attacked four riflemen with six para's and took the city with the last one.

Do you use them in real war? One where Modern Armor, Mech infantry are used by both sides?

Thanks for your views.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Sad to say, I never found a situation where I'll have to build a helicopter, paratrooper or marine unit. IIRC, the heli can be used to transport any infantry unit a few squares out.

 

[Darkness]

I've never build any of these and all I've ever seen the AI build are marines. What's the use of them anyway? what can you do with these units that you can't do with other (more powerful) mordern age units?
I can do without them...

 

[Gen]

Helicpoters can airdrop one infantry (foot) unit, not only paratroopers. You must load that unit into helicopter and use airdrop command. Paratroopers themselves can do the same without help of helicopters, but they have to airdrop from city with airport.

 

[JuicyCivNewbie]

Helicopters and Paratroopers are both pretty much useless.

 

[Crow T Robot]

The usefulnesss of helos and paras depends a lot on the map and the proximity of warring cities to one another. They are special case type of units and you can often do their task with other units.

A helo can be used to *instantly* reinforce a city under siege. Rather than an infantry unit taking 3 or 4 turns to get to a city, and perhaps getting killed along the way, you can helo units directly to the city.

You can also parachute a para unit over the fighting to instantly reinforce a city, drop some to pilage and deny a resource; to create a diversion; create or reinforce a rear picket; drop an attack force behind enemy lines etc. *OR* all the above in one turn from 1 or 2 airports.

You can also para across channels as part of a suprise attack, foregoing naval vessels or freeing them to be used elsewhere.

The para is more useful than the helo because you can parachute as a many paras as you have in one turn, whereas a helo transports 1 unit per turn.

 

[Hades]

I have airdropped a paratrooper to a distance enemy city once. Never heard anything from him since.

 

[Crow T Robot]

If there was an enemy troop on the tile, he was captured, tortured, gutted, disemboweled, his tongue cut out and eyesgouged out with a spoon.

 

[Hades]

Either that or he got drunk and died on the street

 

[Perfection]

Originally posted by Crow T Robot
If there was an enemy troop on the tile, he was captured, tortured, gutted, disemboweled, his tongue cut out and eyesgouged out with a spoon.

Isn't that from monty python?

I like to usethem in border wars. The can forgoe perimiter defenses

 

[Yndy]

Thanks Gen and Crow T Robot,

Also thank you all the others. I didn't mean to ask you why paratroopers and helis are useless as you can read that from threads about worst units.

I'm just interested to find out potential good uses of those as I want to build some (mostly because I never did), but also to use them.

 

[Perfection]

What i do is when a border war goes on I paradrop behind enemy lines and take some cities. The troops usually pull back giving me time to beef up my milatary

 

[MadScot]

I've used paratroops a little, and helicopters once, and have vowed never again for those.

Paratroops I've used as blockers to delay enemy reinforcements getting to a key city I have almost cut off but can't get to the last square. Gambling that they won't get through the red beret-ed roadblock/speedbump in time.

Helicopters are useless. IMHO. Since you can't build infantry once you get mech inf, either you have to use marines or paras. (Or save inf and not upgrade them) So I need to buy an expensive unit just to helo it. No thanks. Plus being tied to airbases is a pain. I built them, tried to use them. After one turn they couldn't even reach past the front line. Pointless.

 

[kb2tvl]

I use paratroopers where there is an island with an enemy city on it and I can build a city within drop range. I will nuke the city till it has no defenders, drop a paratrooper on the island and walkin unapposed. This is faster than to build a ship and sailing it around a hug panagea.

 

[Yndy]

MadScot,

You have a point with helicoters. Range is also kind of short. But I might be nice if you could send some troops in mountain squares in enemy territory.
Would have good defence, would create additional problems to the enemy.
I bet that in multiplayer you could catch someone by surprise with such tactics. Especially with airfields built outside cities.

Now, I don't think any of you ever saw an AI helicopter or paratrooper, did you?

 

[Dio_Time2Go]

I've seen the AI build marines, but they never use them for amphibious assault. I think once the AI learns amphibius assault they just treat marines like a longbowman upgrade. Cheap, slow attacker to slub on the bottom of the stack O' doom.

I've never seen the AI build paratroopers. Paratroopers are probably a good tactic for confusing the hell out of your opponent in multi-player, but I can't think of a real practical use...

 

[Yndy]

Originally posted by Dio_Time2Go
Paratroopers are probably a good tactic for confusing the hell out of your opponent in multi-player, but I can't think of a real practical use...

I'll consider confusing the hell out of my opponent a practical use of a unit.

Dio_Time2Go you mean that Longbowmen can be upgraded to marines? ... Nah, you must mean that AI builds them cause they are a cheap unit. OK, I got that.

 

[Proteus]

Sometimes Helis can be useful. It depends on the Map, such as Robot already mentioned.

In one Game I was at War with England. I had conquered Cambridge, but there was an english City nearby on a small 2 Tile island. The english used it to send their Bombers in and destroy the Improvements near Cambridge (I had 2 Jetfighters there, but some of the Bombers always got through).
There was no Transport-Vessel nearby and Cambridge was landlocken, 1 Tile apart from the Shore, so I couldn´t rush build a Transport Ship.
But luckily I had built 2 Helicopters. So I ordered them to Cambridge, stationed all of my Bombers there and shipped Troops from Cambridge to the Island. 2 Turns later the City on the Island was mine

 

[Yndy]

FRom what you say, and I agree, there are some major points:

1. Helicopters and paratroopers are not very strong units.
2. In particular situations they can be of a limited use.

Conclusion:
1. Don't hurry for the advanced tactics (is that the name of the tech >)

2. When you eventually get it build 2 to 5 helicopters, a couple of paratroopers, and keep a dozen of infantry. Just in case.

 

[Evincar]

The really bad thing of helos is that infantry is generally not available by the time you get them. Because, it's clear "Why should I research advanced flight when I can research computers?? Helos and paratroopers Vs...mmm Mechs, Research labs, SETI program and the key to more techs..." obviously, I end up researching computers. And, after that, I get helos only to see I have not any infantry left to airdrop...