AI use of Air Force

Game was released 8 months ago and the AI still doesn't use airplanes.

 

I had seen AI building bombers, though haven't seen they lauched an attack on me

 

They do use them, but it is rare. But this is an issue that needs to be fixed, yes.

 

I've seen them use them quite a bit in my test games, but they tend to do dumb stuff like bomb the same encampment forever, even when it has 0 HP. Once they get around to pillaging the encampment, they'll instead bomb a 0 HP city forever.

 

It does use them. It just doesn't beeline and rush them like some human players do. You'll see AI defensive fighters and offensive bombers if you stick around.

 

It's been 8 months and I haven't used an airplane either. Don't be hatin'.

 

I think part of the problem might be that an airforce requires an enormous investment - you need to build an expensive district, then fairly expensive units. That is a lot of investment near the end of the game, when your production is likely better focused on actually winning.

 

I've seen the AI build planes, but not use them. They don't try to intercept my bombers. They just sit there.

 

Another part of the problem - at least from what I imagine must be the AI's point of view - is that it probably keeps a fairly even technological development. By "even" I mean balanced between the upper, middle and lower parts of the tree. It doesn't beeline. If you want to get a tech lead on the AI, albeit with some risk, you can beeline distant technologies.

One such beelining is to go for Advanced Flight. This can be very effective. It fills out mostly the upper part of the tree - which is no bad thing - and can give you a tremendous military advantage very early against the AI. The advantage comes because of the invincibility of bombers until Anti Aircraft technologies are available. AA technologies come largely from the middle part of the tree, culminating in the Missile Cruiser which is deadly against bombers. But if your opponent, AI or human, is balancing their research, you'll have very many turns free rein before your bombers are contested by their AA or with fighters. And by that time, you've probably won anyway.

As I said, such distant beelining has its risks. You'll need to back-fill the techs you're missing at a later date, sometimes breaking off your beeline for a while in an emergency and then reinstating it afterward. Beelining Advanced Flight will leave you vulnerable on the ground. However, if you have a strong ally, especially a co-op human multiplayer one against the AI, you can split the research and hence military specialization between you. Against the AI that is pretty much an unbeatable approach even at the highest difficulties.

Anyway, because of this lack of beelining by the AI, and its programmed-in knowledge that AA techs will be available at roughly the same time as bomber techs (if, as it must assume, its opponents also research in a balanced way), it has far less incentive to build an airforce because it can only assume such an airforce will always instantly meet stiff opposition. And if it does build an airforce, it has less incentive to operate it because of aircraft vulnerability and the high cost of replacement.

 

air and sea units they don't use either

 

i used to think similar but have been looking at this... all the AI seems to do is beeline.

 

I seen AI build plenty of airfields and also a plane or two so they have the technology. They don't use it (properly).

 

AI nukes the same city over and over and very rarely uses their air-force. Anti Air is useless imo, especially when the enemy doesn't bomb you.
I remember a game I had in CIV 5, I was dead locked for hours with the Overwhelming AI Army, and I don't even think it was Deity.... miss those days when AI could actually bring a challenge and make me tremble...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE UP THE ANTE ON THE AI... I WANT TO TREMBLE AGAIN!

 

In Civ5 I'd sometimes get sick of the AI spamming AA units. In Civ6 I haven't seen them build a single one.

 

the good ol days, when you would actually have to calculate your air losses in order to hit the heathens where it hurts. now with one bomber and time you can have your way with them.

 

Its a key point... Air combat was cool in Civ V, its worked and you looked forward to the change in combat flavour, it did help the end game. You HAD to change strat to deal with aircraft. Is this another thing that will be fixed in an expansion?

 

this sat i am building a new rig....load times on this rig are painfully irritating....think i will be installing CIV 5 for a good and satisfying Total War Experience...

 

I had a game recently, AI had 2 bombers and a Fighter in an airfield near my border. He declared on me, I brought my forces up, bombed the crap out of everything, and not once did he use his air force. When I took the airfield, he had moved his units to the nearby cities. Not once did he use them against my forces.

 

It seems that AI is not programmed to deploy fighters at all. They seem to use bombers as you don't have to deploy them, but never fighters, they just stand on airfield until destroyed.

Spoiler :

Had a pretty long war with Spain with my AT crew defending from top city, their biplane never ever was deployed or attacked anything.

Game is downright unfinished.

 

It's unfortunate the AI doesn't effectively use Airpower or Naval power, but it's pretty easy to see why this part of the AI went unfinished - most people don't play most games all the way through to the end. Since aircraft don't come up for a long time, fewer people notice that the AI doesn't use Air. Naval combat is pretty simple early on, also, so as long as the AI produces some units, the deficiency in naval AI isn't noticed either for a long time. Both deficiencies are unlikely to be covered by most reviewers.

Hopefully this will be addressed in an upcoming expansion. Based on the unit mix and Civ expansion history, it's very likely more middle and late era units and techs will be added, giving them a chance to fix the AI to better utilize (or utilize at all) air and naval forces.