Airpower

[RDomico]

I haven't had much time to play. Is the AI any better with using an air force? It was the first thing listed in the patch notes.

 

[Iberian]

Lets face it the AI is terrible at using any military powers but it is even worse at using/defending against air power. Once you get jet bombers the game is over. I haven't seen an air unit despite stringing several AI's into the late game.

Naval power is also awful. I have yet to see a proper naval invasion with a group of ships actually coming in, much less with any supporting units to land. At best it is an annoying caravel from 2 eras ago pillaging my fishing boats. More or less a job for the local police department not my navy.

 

[DemonMaster]

With GS I have seen plenty of AI air and naval units and they use them. Sure, the AI doesn't use any units unless they have a plan, so the AI won't do pot shots just because it's possible (like most players do), but they (now) use them. Then how much air and naval units an AI have depends on what they like, different civ like different things. In my latest game (playing Canada), I was joining in, in a lot of emergencies and in one of the late era ones, America had a whole lot of planes and bombed Korea back to stone age (made it much easier for me to swoop in and take the city (that was the emergency)). In my first GS game, I was attacked by India with a big battleship navy. I didn't had much of a fleet myself (I had never needed one before in Civ 6) but was saved by my neighbour and ally Phoenicia (with the biggest navy I have ever seen in civ 6).

 

[Aristos]

With GS I have seen plenty of AI air and naval units and they use them. Sure, the AI doesn't use any units unless they have a plan, so the AI won't do pot shots just because it's possible (like most players do), but they (now) use them. Then how much air and naval units an AI have depends on what they like, different civ like different things. In my latest game (playing Canada), I was joining in, in a lot of emergencies and in one of the late era ones, America had a whole lot of planes and bombed Korea back to stone age (made it much easier for me to swoop in and take the city (that was the emergency)). In my first GS game, I was attacked by India with a big battleship navy. I didn't had much of a fleet myself (I had never needed one before in Civ 6) but was saved by my neighbour and ally Phoenicia (with the biggest navy I have ever seen in civ 6).

Cool... I am approaching that phase in my first game of GS, will let you know what I see... but so far, at least I haven't seen any big blunders from the AI, and even the diplo AI feels more rational... that is my observation at least, and in only one game, but so far, it's more than I expected, and many of you probably know that I am not the most apologetic when it comes to FXS' AI...

 

[DemonMaster]

What I hope for in my future games is: (or things that I never had seen in civ 6 so far)
* See the AI build a carrier with planes on it.
* See the AI build anti-air units. We saw the AI had one in one of the FXS streams, but I haven't seen one in any of my games. (I doubt it)
* See the AI build a missile silo.

But I doubt I will. Well, at least I saw some bombing in my latest game by the AI (including some actions by P-51s) so perhaps there is hope.

edit: After this I ran a "spectator" game just to see if any AI build any of these and I saw an Australian carrier with a fighter on it. I noticed that the AI can sit on its units, not only air, but all units (especially units not directly on the front) and do nothing even though they are at war but then all of a sudden they can go all in, including with air. I think FXS needs to tune up the AIs willingness to "call in reinforcements".

 

[Atwork]

With GS, I've observed differences in AI behavior.

In my current game, from another continent, the Aztecs embarked a group of 6-8 melee units across the ocean to attack China's lightly defended city to the south. At the same time, Norway had 5 caravels attacking a different Chinese city. In an attempt to counter, China deployed 2 fleets of caravels which inflicted a good amount of damage before being sunk by Norway's navy after three turns. The counter effectively forced Norway to abandon its attempt to take its targeted city, but the Aztecs were able to land their units and put its targeted city under siege.

I'm still looking forward to seeing how the AI's behavior may have improved regarding use of air units. It couldn't get worse, that's for sure.

 

[Uncle_Joe]

My first game I was separated from the rest by a mountain range. Some of the AIs had navies but none of them ever bothered with me. I lost interest in the game in early Modern when most of the AIs were still tooling around with Ancient and Medieval ships and units (this on King).

So while they actually HAD ships, I never saw them used other than sailing around the map.

 

[PhilBowles]

In my experience the AI is late to start using aircraft (despite having the tech to do so) and is unable to target bombers appropriately: I only ever saw bombers attack units or pillage, never attack cities. The one turn where I saw an AI use nuclear weapons it used three in the same turn ... all against the same city, which it then never invaded.

It still has fighters on patrol but I've seen no actual engagements involving them - this could of course be because the AI refuses to bomb cities with fighter defence, which would actually make sense. Fighters are at any rate never sent to attack units.

It is at least a small improvement in that the AI will now build air units in some quantity and can physically use them, if partially - but much more needs to be done with its targeting logic, and it ought to build them earlier as the game often ends on Deity before the 20th Century.

 

[Timothy001]

In my first game as Canada, I was in a war with Kongo. I was sailing an Aircraft Carrier with 2 bombers, to level the city, when Teddy joined the war with Kongo vs me. He then sunk my carrier with 3 bombers.

 

[Infixo]

Fighter attacking a destroyer:
https://www.reddit.com/r/civ/comments/asl7rq/why_is_the_ai_fighter_jet_keep_one_shotting/

 

[Tech Osen]

Aircraft now using aluminium is probably the reason I'm seeing less aircraft than what I'm used to when using the airpower mod during R&F. Building less myself as well, usually short on aluminium.

 

[Tech Osen]

Fighter attacking a destroyer:
https://www.reddit.com/r/civ/comments/asl7rq/why_is_the_ai_fighter_jet_keep_one_shotting/

Not sure if it's a bug or intended but the AA ability of a ship doesn't work on the ship itself, only on adjacent units. So you'll always want at least two ships with AA to cover eachother and the rest of your fleet.

 

[Starwars]

I've been seeing more aircraft in my games for sure. I definitely wouldn't say that the AI is using them effectively though but it's better.
Since some games can go on for a longer time, I guess just that fact increases the chance that you'll see aircraft as well.

 

[DemonMaster]

Not sure if it's a bug or intended but the AA ability of a ship doesn't work on the ship itself, only on adjacent units. So you'll always want at least two ships with AA to cover eachother and the rest of your fleet.

I wonder if that's the case for AA units as well. I guess that is a bug.

Yes, how much resources you have can really limit the number of advanced units you (and the AI) have. I have had a very strict rule when it comes to strategic resource trading in civ but I have now skipped that with GS and I now trade strategic resources both buying and selling. I need it and the AI need it.

 

[Xandinho]

I have seen AI using more airplanes than before, Macedon used a fighter to bomb my units, Incas used bombers to bomb enemy units, I do not remember this happening before.

 

[Tech Osen]

I wonder if that's the case for AA units as well. I guess that is a bug.

AA support units will protect a unit that is on the same tile. Which makes the ship thing more confusing.

Edit for clarity: this was my experience during R&F. I haven't had any air battles in GS yet.