Aircraft Carriers

[revenantlast]

We know MUTUAL hidden nat nuking is gonna get the job done. But that causes too much impact on a random map game that i wouldn't want to implement. What about just 1 hidden nat nuke going off? I'm thinking about having a AI strat less hidden nat nuke that only i will build and drop cleanly in the middle of the ocean on some naval unit to get things going.

I've tried that and it defiantly works.
The only down side is that everyone still seems to know you did the deed... ... that can be a lonely place and can scupper your trade deals and newly formed alliances.
Also it still leaves it to the human player to do the honorable thing and launch the nuke before you attack... and I'll admit, if given the opportunity, I for one find it hard not taking advantage to take that city/civ that might otherwise use their nukes and win!

Have you tried using a scape-goat Civ, that doesn't start with any settlers or cities, just a Hidden Nat nuke set as a cruise missile?
The effect is it just sits and waits for any other civ to move a unit into range before firing... then it takes all the blame, destroying its self in the process, but allows the AI to use its nuke units!

 

[Predator145]

I've tried that and it defiantly works.
The only down side is that everyone still seems to know you did the deed... ... that can be a lonely place and can scupper your trade deals and newly formed alliances.
Also it still leaves it to the human player to do the honorable thing and launch the nuke before you attack... and I'll admit, if given the opportunity, I for one find it hard not taking advantage to take that city/civ that might otherwise use their nukes and win!

Have you tried using a scape-goat Civ, that doesn't start with any settlers or cities, just a Hidden Nat nuke set as a cruise missile?
The effect is it just sits and waits for any other civ to move a unit into range before firing... then it takes all the blame, destroying its self in the process, but allows the AI to use its nuke units!

After extensive testing I'm sorry to inform that I celebrated too early. A single hidden nat nuke going off is not gonna make every AI use its "tactical nuke" AI strat units freely on each other. What I saw the other day was the work of bombers .

I've tested again in the Fall of Rome scenario. I made archers nuclear with unlimited bombard range and hidden nat. I played as the Persians and nuked the Eastern Romans with the starting archers. Everyone went furious as you said. I also gave catapults the "tactical nuke" AI strat and range of 5. After declaring war on the Eastern Romans and using debug mode to have them produce a cat I can report that they will use that cat on me. But when I had the Western Romans make a cat and paid the Franks to fight them the Western Roman catapult never fired on the Franks .

The AI will only use "tactical nuke" AI strat units on those who had dropped a nuke on someone. Only nuclear perpetrators will get hit by "tactical nuke" AI strat units. But "ICBM" AI strat units are fair game as I never got hit by tactical nuke yet got hit by ICBM every time the game goes that far (I never use nukes). The same goes for "air bombard" and "cruise missile" AI strat flags.The AI won't care if that weapon is nuclear or not and will use it. Firaxis at it again with another senselessly broken AI strat. By reassigning tactical nukes as "air bombard", I've had the AI build and use a few them along side bombers despite having 0 bombard strength and less range. But instead of being stuck in the original city, they'd rebase to the front.

In order for carrier based fighters with the "tactical nuke" AI strat to work, you'd have to have a barbarian civ produce a nuke, nuke someone and then have all of the AIs and yourself nuke the barbs. In a random map setting this would be an advanced barb set as a nuke and a small wonder producing ancient nukes. Everyone is gonna be furious at each other and the pollution and units wiped out is gonna be too great. The impact on a random map game is not worth the implementation.

Too bad... We've come so close to having carrier-fighters that would never rebase. It looked so good when tested on the WW2 Pacific scenario. But global mutual nuking is what's required. Unless you're playing a nuclear amargeddon scenario it's not doable.

 

[Kirejara]

We've come so close to having carrier-fighters that would never rebase. It looked so good when tested on the WW2 Pacific scenario.

I must admit, that I do not see the problem, that the KI rebases their planes as long as they use both land bases and carriers (which they do, even if they prefer land bases).

In real WWII both the US and Japanese Navy used their carrier squadrons also from land bases if needed (mostly in the Guadalcanal campaign).

And there are at least ways to avoid unsuited aircraft (like multiengined Bombers and Heavy Fighters) abord of the Carriers.

But yes, the KI could use their carriers more efficently.

 

[MeteorPunch]

Wondering if anyone knows of a third option for differentiating Aircraft Carrier types?

IE:
1. load normal aircraft
2. load aircraft with the Tactical missile flag into carriers that transport tactical missiles
3. ???

I've tried Aircraft with Foot Unit and Cruise missile, which neither worked.

 

[Kirejara]

I've tried Aircraft with Foot Unit and Cruise missile, which neither worked.

I turned the KI for this screenshot into a human player.

In the previous turns the Chinese used these Floatplanes stationed on their Light Cruiser and the Seaplane Tender against the Romans (before I turned Rome into a japanese Province ) and then against the Ottomans

This Floatplanes are marked under unit abilities (not strategies!) as "Tactical Missile" and the Cruisers and Tenders are marked as "Carry only Aircraft" and "Carry only Tactical Missiles".

The RAF Floatplane is the basic seaplane autoproduced by the previous mentioned "Naval Aviation Wing" of the Royal Aircraft Factory (the Chinese just did not upgrade them into their normal F1M Seaplane).

And yes, the chinese Carrier also carries and uses Ki-3 and Ki-30 Light Bombers.