Aircraft carrier and naval invasion use by the AI

[thisismyusernam]

I think it is odd that the aircraft carriers have existed since Civ I, but the AI was never programmed to use them in Civ I, Civ II, or Civ III. Has anyone ever been attacked by an AI invasion force which has ever included one of these?

I feel almost as if I am cheating when I use aircraft carriers in Civ, because I know that the AI is not able to respond in kind with any similar force, it just doesnt know how to. Its as if there exists a weapon in the game that only the human player may use.

On the larger topic of naval invasions, the AI must know how to conduct proper naval invasions. Perhaps it should base the troop size of the invading force based on the troop size that it knows the player has defending the target area (I wouldnt mind if the AI were to cheat in this respect). Invading with piecemeal landing forces every few turns rather than massing its troops and invading with a sizeable landing force is the only way for the AI to go.

It was fine that the AI could not and did not use Aircraft carriers (literally) in Civ 1, Civ2 ... and maybe even in Civ3 ... but you'd figure that by the time the fourth incarnation of the game comes along, the game would make use of units that have been around since the first Civ game.

 

[UnitQ]

I was attacked by AI carriers in almost every game i played with them in it. I dont know why you never was attacked by one.

The AI conduct an ok naval invasion buy you are right they do need improvement.

 

[HourlyDaily]

No I think he's right - The AI doesn't really use them, and their naval invasions up till this point have been piecemeal.

Run a search on 'Naval' 'Invasion' or 'Island' if you want to find some more on the subject.

 

[oldStatesman]

I am always being attacked by AI carrier based bombers...they don't use them in a real strategic sense...they just load 'em up with bombers and close the coast. But they cetainly DO use them in C3C. Last game I played (Regent or Emporer) the Zulu's built a ton of them...they had them stacked three deep with 9 escorts in a square off my coast loaded with 12 bombers...thankfully they were bombing the heck out of Ghandi, not me.

Once I've even seen them have fighters on board doing Air Superiority...boy was I shocked when my bomber was shot down attacking the AI carrier group.

I agree that the AI needs a better program to use naval stuff...there was another thread floating around about this last week or so....

 

[I_batman]

I think it is odd that the aircraft carriers have existed since Civ I, but the AI was never programmed to use them in Civ I, Civ II, or Civ III. Has anyone ever been attacked by an AI invasion force which has ever included one of these?

I feel almost as if I am cheating when I use aircraft carriers in Civ, because I know that the AI is not able to respond in kind with any similar force, it just doesnt know how to. Its as if there exists a weapon in the game that only the human player may use.

On the larger topic of naval invasions, the AI must know how to conduct proper naval invasions. Perhaps it should base the troop size of the invading force based on the troop size that it knows the player has defending the target area (I wouldnt mind if the AI were to cheat in this respect). Invading with piecemeal landing forces every few turns rather than massing its troops and invading with a sizeable landing force is the only way for the AI to go.

It was fine that the AI could not and did not use Aircraft carriers (literally) in Civ 1, Civ2 ... and maybe even in Civ3 ... but you'd figure that by the time the fourth incarnation of the game comes along, the game would make use of units that have been around since the first Civ game.

Not only will the base game use them, try playing El Justo's Cold War scenario, and you can feel the full weight of naval based aircraft.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

I have to say that, with no actual experience of a pre-C3C game, that I will never no how frustrating the AI's improper use of naval vessels was in Vanilla and PTW. All I do know is that in C3C the AI civs use the naval and air-power units with a better than average level of intelligence. More than once I had rued the day I forgot to put a fighter in a city, because it got the stuffing bombed out of it by a horde of bombers. I have also been on the recieving end of some very decent naval landings near my cities (though, I confess, never near my capital!)
Needless to say, though, this gives me great hope for Civ4 because-if this is where they were at with the AI in Conquests-then we can only guess how well the AI will use air and naval units in Civ4, especially if the systems are tweaked such that they are more worth using!!!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[Superkrest]

i just overall hate how the AI uses air and naval force..and carriers just lump these to flawed systems together... i guess we might expect to much from a computer..but i found it amusing as heck in the one time the ai used an aircraft carrier against me that they put it right at my coast..i used a stack of doom artillary to lower its strenght..then killed it the next turn with a destroyer...this is all before they bombed me to any effect..with the 1 bomber they had on the carrier..lol.. the system needs to be tweeked..not overhauled..but these tweaks are soo important that i feel if ignored..will uterly ruin gameplay in civ4

 

[Lahdoz]

I think the AI only used the carriers in Conquests. I've never seen them used in vanilla or PTW. Aussie_Lurker makes good points on how the AI seems to use air and naval units much more effectively in Conquests. Can anybody else back this up?

 

[LordGek]

While I have little firsthand experience to offer here, I kind of gathered with the introduction of the seafaring civ characteristic AND having some special civ uniques be naval units, improving the naval aspect of Civ 3 was a big focus in C3C.

 

[TVA22]

I've seen the AI mass 20 or so battleships into different stacks, and then use those almost exclusively. The only time I've ever been bombed by a carrier based airplane by the AI in Conquests, or any other version of C3 was when I was on an earth map, and some AI civ came up with a carrier, and bombed my city on Australia with a fighter. The bombing raid failed, and the next turn I sank the ship. I think it needs a major overhaul, as I'm astounded by people who say they've seen the AI be effective with these things. I just never have.

Also, I play on the highest difficulty level, with the AI build handicap removed (my thinking was if the computer's strategy changes at all at higher levels, I wanted it to be that way, but I didn't want to have to play like you normally do on Sid to beat the game i.e., tons of cities, no technology, constant war, and hoping for luck)

 

[Commander Bello]

As we all know, the naval warfare capabilities of the Civ3 engine are even weaker than for land-bound warfare.
Having played on regent and emperor levels all the time, I cannot recall any massive appearance of modern time warships at all. To be honest, I don't recall to have seen a single carrier in all my games (in the epic game, of course).

 

[kryszcztov]

What are carriers ? What are fighters ? Never ran into such units in Civ3...

Seriously, if only the game could be more interesting in the modern era, and if only we would have to reach it before winning...