Airlifting

[jkillips16]

I've read a lot of people talking about airlifting troops, units, etc. to other continents. I always figured there was a way to do it, but I must have missed it. How do I do that (I could really use it right this second, as a matter of fact - Russia's such a pain in the butt).

Jason

 

[Knight-Dragon]

You need to build airports in both cities on the two continents. Then move your unit onto one city and there'd be an airlift button (forgot what's the hotkey). Click it, then click over the other city and the unit'd be airlifted there.

You can airlift only once out of a city but you can drop many times into a city. So for an invasion, you can rush an airport on the continent to be conquered and then airlift units fr all over your own cities (with airports) into it.

 

[Grey Knight]

1) Before you secure a city on the target continent, build a couple airports on your home continent. You can only send one unit per origin airport.

2) Send over your invasion force, and position your force to be airlifted into your cities with airpots. Secure a city in the target continent, and rush an airport.

3) Select the unit you want to send, and press the "L" key to airLift the units. You will be given a list of target airports to choose where to send the unit to.

Enjoy. Not all units can be airlifted, notably settlers, workers, and explorers, so a good transport fleet is still needed.

Cheers,
Shawn

 

[Hades]

Grey Knight, you left out the most important unit that can't be airlifted: Army.

 

[jkillips16]

Okay, sounds good so far. However, is that 1-per rule 1 airlifted unit per airport per turn, or ever? Just want to plan my invasion. Thanks a ton.

Jason

 

[Hades]

1 unit per turn from the departing city. The receving city can have as many coming in as you want. You don't need more than 10 airports from your main continent if you don't mind moving units to the airports every turn. Happy invasion.

 

[JuicyCivNewbie]

It's one unit per turn. However, say you have 6 airports on your home continent and one airport on the destination continent. You can airlift 6 units from the first continent onto the destination continent. In fact there's no limit. The one unit only rule only applies for outgoing flights.

Personally I prefer using my vast fleet of transports to move units across, it tends to be cheaper, although if the continent is a long way away or you've got no navy I could see airlifting being very beneficial.

 

[Agamemnus]

per turn... per city... but you can airlift as many times as you can into a city as mentioned before.

Why is Hades Casualty #4?? Or Causality?

 

[Hades]

I lost my first 4 games before wining my first one.... shame on me tried to start the game from regent....

 

[Agamemnus]

Oooo!

 

[Grey Knight]

Don't feel too bad - I have played Civ (original), Civ2, read the manual (three times), and STILL lost my first game at Chieften level!!!

In somewhat related news, the U.S. just contracted with 3 major international shippers to move supplies and equipment to the middle east. It seems that in real life, shipping is much cheaper than airfreight.

Somewhat more on topic, my playstyle lends to airports being very effective. I don't have a Stack of Doom, but merely a Stack of Power, and follow it up with Endless Columns of Destruction (aka a steady supply of reinforcements).

Cheers,
Shawn

 

[Agamemnus]

Air transport is better over short distances because it's better.

Over long distance it becomes much more expensive. I think one could argue that CivIII models this well because transports are very inexpensive but slow and setting up and maintaining airports in all your cities is quite expensive but fast.

I also read that article (on AOL). Go M1s!

 

[Crow T Robot]

Assorted related tips:
* Build 2 airports on the receiving continent; if you end up in a prolonged war, the disorderly mob almost seems to always destoy the airport. Keep a few extra troops in the airport cities to quell the mob.

* Esp for a big invasion, dont depend entirely on airports; you'll still need transports for arty, workers, settlers, cruise missiles etc.

* A steady stream of materiel is nice, so rather than convoys of 3 transports once in a while, try to have one transport depart every turn or every other turn. This helps from having all the transports on one side of the ocean when you really need one on the other side, RIGHT NOW.

* A harbor on the invasion continent is nice to have eventually, in case you have to heal ships. The harbor and airports cost maintenance gold but they also provide food and commerce benefits to the cities.

* If there are enemy ships about, you'll need to guard the transports more closely, but can use this as an advantage (esp if transport capacity is more than you can build). Sending 4 transports across, with 3 empty as decoys, has sometimes SEEMED to 'scare' the AI as to the size of the build up. In this case, travel along the ocean territory border so they can see (unless they have a strong navy). Doesnt seem to work if they have a spy, obviously.

* If there is a strong naval threat near the transport lanes, it doesnt hurt to half fill transports and send 2ce as many per trip. Better to build extra transports than loose 8 tanks to a frigate you didnt see.

* Unload transports in cities in case there are subs around to see the contents.

HTH