Do You Use Airbases?

[Marlos]

I have tried several times to build strategically placed airbases, and found that they seem to have little actual value. The AI seems to attack the units in them the same as they would a city, and a city can be defended with walls while an airbase cannot.

Since the hill/mountain airbase is illegal in the GOTM, I find that I don't build them anymore (although I do in MP games with my friends ).

Do you build airbases? For what purpose? Where?

Are there any strategic values to them that I am unaware of, such as quicker repair times for damaged units?

 

[funxus]

Hardly ever

I have used them when I've realised I only have one more move on the airplane and don't want to lose it. Quick in with two engineers and the airplane is saved. I've also built them when the distance between two cities is too big for the planes, and I don't want a new city. Not often however

 

[AGRICOLA]

An airbase bestows another benefit because it acts partly as a fortress. Units that are stacked on an airbase are not all destroyed if one is wiped out by an attack, only the one that lost the fight. From observations, not tests, I don't think an airbase actually increases the defensive value of units stacked on it.

A really far-out possible use for an airbase in an MP game is as a low tech SDI. If one of your opponents has nukes but you don't have SDI or he is pounding you with cruise missiles, as a desperate measure you can surround a city or an area with airbases. No attacking airborne or missile unit can cross an airbase without landing and becoming easy meat for one of your ground units. Just keep the partisans away. Don't try this in a solo game, the AI's nukes have no problem crossing airbases without landing.

 

[Titi]

I tried once to see what they could really bring, but I finally decided they were worthless.
However, I have to tell that this was before I found a post explaining airbases count as farms.
Anyway, I'm not used to playing with planes (only fighters to defend the cities, but no bombers : too many unhappy citizens !)
In other words, I never build airbases.

 

[covok48]

Airbases are more worthwhile than carriers though. At least the AI doesn't bombard the bases with cruise missle until it's destroyed!

 

[Old n Slow]

I tend to postpone flight until the last possible tech, thus a lot of things may have happened in my favor before then. Usually I’ll have most of the ai civs in hand, so it is simply a matter of running through the last twenty techs or so on my way to space/ or the final chop.

One of these days, I may play a game pushing a slower path & seeing what the challenge might be in the late game. In that case, extra edges might make for some interest (and maybe I’ll try Commy as well…)

 

[sethos]

If you cover your city radius with air bases, you need neither a mass transit nor a solarplant for that city.
Airbases prevent from pollution.
Exception: When you're nuked.

 

[Ace]

I voted sometimes. I vaguely recall building an airbase once to extent air range for a bombing campaign across an ocean, but other than that, the only time I use them is to get extra resourses out of a square. Not legal in Gotms, but lots of fun in SP.

As for carriers, I don't use them. I have yet to run into a situation in Civ 2 that cannot be handled more cheaply with Ageis Cruisers and transports and spys. Carriers and their planes are just to costly to risk.

 

[Dark Ascendant]

Originally posted by sethos
If you cover your city radius with air bases, you need neither a mass transit nor a solarplant for that city.
Airbases prevent from pollution.
Exception: When you're nuked.

I don't think you have to worry about nukes if airbases surround a city. In fact, you don't have to worry about enemy air-raids at all. They all go into the base, letting the mostly useless rifleman destroy a grounded 120-shield bomber.

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Originally posted by Dark Ascendant
I don't think you have to worry about nukes if airbases surround a city. In fact, you don't have to worry about enemy air-raids at all. They all go into the base, letting the mostly useless rifleman destroy a grounded 120-shield bomber.

If it's an AI nuke, airbases won't stop it. The AI nukes just 'appear' next to a city and attack, they don't actualy 'fly' to the city. They also know which cities you have SDI defenses in and which ones you don't. Plus, they can attack you with any nuke they have, even if it's in a city on the other side of the world.

 

[GaryNemo]

Remarkable, Duke. I recall a game where I was counting the distance, 16 squares, from any AI city to my city. My cities that were farther than that from any AI city were never a nuke target, iirc.

On-Topic, I have never built an airbase.

 

[funxus]

I thought the target city had to be in the range of any city of that civ, but it didn't matter in what city the civ had the nuke in.
They don't use carriers, but do they use airbases? I don't think I've ever seen them use them.