Cruise missiles: are they useful?

[Sinterklaas]

Anyone here uses cruise missiles in Civ 3 Vanilla and if so, what strategies do you use for them?

I know they're cheap and can do some good damage but you can only use them once, so why should you build cruise missiles instead of some extra modern armour or mech infantry?

 

[vmxa]

Very useful to sink a ship that you damaged and no bombers in range.

 

[Verarde]

I don't generally use them as a rule of play, but they can be helpful to knock out any transports with AI invaders ready to storm your beaches.

 

[Raliuven]

I think the reaction to this one will be interesting. My guess would be that the majority will say they never use them. But I wonder if that is because their situational usefulness is tied to the difficulty of the game.

It is interesting that vmxa says they are useful - I've read some of his recaps and seen that he uses them. That gives me a good reason to pause and reconsider.

In a stock game of anything lower than say deity, I'd guess no one needs them because you can either out produce or out maneuver the AI and other builds have more versatility and use. For example, I rarely build bombers on anything lower than demi-god. Bombers are good units at times, but if your invasion races ahead of your bomber range, then bombers are worth less than artillery.

For the same reason, by the time cruise missiles are available, the game is usually well in hand and artillery takes a back seat to tanks, MI & MA.

To come full circle, I think that cruise missiles probably only come into play on Deity & Sid games. In any other game they are probably viewed as a luxury.

 

[Theov]

I was wondering that the other day, I sometimes use them to speed up the offense. You don't need to put your armies and arties in enemy territory, slowing them down.
You need A LOT of bombers to empty an enemy city. You only need a few missiles. I'm not a fan though as they do cost quite a lot.

 

[Fiddlin Nero]

Very useful to sink a ship that you damaged and no bombers in range.

I assume Vanilla is like PTW where bombers can't sink ships. I play PTW and regularly get into the Modern Age and I find Cruise Missiles very useful for keeping AI fleets away from my coasts and convoy routes. I find building fleets to match AI fleets a waste of time and production, although sometimes it can be fun to have a navy war.

 

[vorlon_mi]

I remember reading a post from someone ... thought it was this thread, but guess not ... about using them as "shield transfer agents" I have some productive core cities that don't need more buildings, and I don't really need more military since I don't have war plans. Build a missile, ship it via rails to a mostly corrupt town, and disband it to speed up the build of a marketplace (for the happiness multiplier). Rinse, lather, repeat.

Having said that, I like the idea of finishing off AI ships that I have damaged; need to remember that.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

I remember reading a post from someone ... thought it was this thread, but guess not ... about using them as "shield transfer agents" I have some productive core cities that don't need more buildings, and I don't really need more military since I don't have war plans. Build a missile, ship it via rails to a mostly corrupt town, and disband it to speed up the build of a marketplace (for the happiness multiplier). Rinse, lather, repeat.

That can be done with almost any kind of units. Especially useful are Longbows and Explorers. Although when Cruise Missiles are available it is a little late these kind of practices. Exporting shields is best done in the Middle Ages when the better and more productive cities are free so-to-speak, and less productive cities still need vital improvements. That practice is more suited for builder games, especially fast research.

 

[TomYo689]

As far as I know cruise missiles don't get shot down by enemy fighter planes. Along with naval defense they can be used in combination with artillery to finish off an enemy stack or city, clear an enemy location after using normal artillery to weaken. I use cruise missiles regularly

 

[bigFRANK]

Unmodded advantage I see is that they can be brought by rails to the location you need and fired in the same round (unlike aircraft) to a greater range than other arty, potentially sinking that transporter that’s bringing a group of tanks to your unprotected middle. But the single use makes them expensive and they aren’t guaranteed to even hit never mind destroy what your targeting so I wouldn’t normally bother.

My most recent game I’ve modded the characteristics to make them tactical missiles with greater range and cost but not single use only it makes nuclear submarines a much more useful force giving them a conventional bombardment capability.

 

[Quintillus]

Ship-sinking's my primary use for them. Occasionally they might be useful to speed up an offensive, if you have Modern Armor/Panzers/Cavalry advancing faster than your planes and artillery can keep up, but if that's the case you're already doing pretty well, and an extra Modern Armor probably is a better deal (an extra Cavalry, if you didn't have Modern Armor yet, would be a lot more questionable. Tanks wouldn't usually be fast enough to outrun artillery or air support in the same manner).

 

[r16]

ı play always at Conquest monarch , develop slowly and ı find cruise missiles very useful if the enemy has Mech Infantry . Saves lots of tanks . Just keep them to the last to be used after your artillery have redlined the all of your targets .

 

[Lord Emsworth]

ı play always at Conquest monarch , develop slowly and ı find cruise missiles very useful if the enemy has Mech Infantry . Saves lots of tanks . Just keep them to the last to be used after your artillery have redlined the all of your targets .

I think bombers are usually more popular for that purpose. Depending on how much lethal bombardment you need, they can pay off quick.

 

[r16]

my AI just loves to poke at me . I redline 20 guys in the stack or city and my bombers go down in droves . Cruise missiles , they would die anyhow .