Does anyone build these units?

[jollyolly]

During many hours of playing civ3 there are a number of units that I never seem to build, such as:

Helicopter. Ok, so you can airdrop paras, but their range is sooooo limited!

Stealth fighter. Not built a single stealth fighter.

Destroyer. Battleships are so powerful in comparison!


Am I alone in this, or do other people find these units kinda pointless?

I actually think the game would be far better with fewer units to build, like civ2.

 

[budweiser]

If you build BBs, I suggest that you cover them with DDs or else enemy DDs will sink your BBs, much to your chagrin.

 

[PRIMEMOVER]

Destroyers are cheaper (and less powerful) than battleships and are useful for escorting transports or defending ports, etc.

They're not a good option for imposing your will across the seas.

I don't build any of the others.

 

[DS_Legionary]

I do build myself a some Destroyers. Mostly to defend my own coastline only. I won't send them to another coastline though. The Battleship is much better for that type of thing. As for the others I have never built before.

 

[apparition]

I build tonnes of destroyers. Their being cheaper means I can mass produce them and set them on explore.

 

[jpf]

I build destroyers mostly and not BBs...which unit wins depends more upon who attacks first rather than their strengths. So if I have almost twice as many units, I have that much more advantage.

 

[Globetrotter]

Never built the Choppers and Paratroopers (probably will in my current game just to try them)

I have built and used the Destroyers though, although the Battleship largely dominates them on seas.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Never build choppers or paras. Never ever reached the Stealth tech, so I've naturally never built any Stealth Fighters/Bombers; the same for AEGIS Cruiser and Radar Arty.

Often build a few Destroyers before Battleships come around.

 

[AlexBu]

I joint to jollyolly point of view.
There are many other units which allow to play with more efficienty.
For example such as missles , tanks , infatry.
There is no need in helicopters and stealth fighters .

 

[Arathorn]

I, personally, have never built:
helicopters
stealth anything
radar artillery
paratroopers
cruise missiles
AEGIS cruiser

I will build many more destroyers than battleships, though. They're so much cheaper and nearly as good at everything except bombarding. Since I nearly never bombard shore from ships and merely want to protect shipping lanes, destroyers are a FAR better investment. But I'll rush BBs with leaders on occasion....

Arathorn

 

[The Last Conformist]

You never build Cruise Missile? Why?

 

[Phoenix]

I build some Destoryers to protect my coasts. Stealth fighters are pointless as they are just Stealth Bombers but not as good. I build a few Helicopters when I am planning a large operation (I normaly improve there range with the editor anyway).

 

[Arathorn]

Why build cruise missiles? @60 shields each, they may or may not destroy one unit. I can invest slightly more shields in a tank or a destroyer and have a very high likelihood of destroying 3-5 units before mine is destroyed, if not more.

It just doesn't pay off cost-wise to build cruise missiles. Even if the missile is successful, which is no guarantee, even against a red-lined foe, it costs more than building a real unit which can do damage more than once.

Arathorn

 

[DoTheMath]

I've modded destroyers. Mine cost 100 attack/defend/bombard at 8, and move at 7 instead of 5. (Cruisers moive 6.) Historically, battleships we're slow, and this change makes destroyers an interesting build. I've also added PT boats which are available at Refining ( so some get built) cost 80 attack 5 defend 4 CAN SEE SUBS. To compesate, I've cut the cost of subs 20 shields.

And Ive never built these improvements: Military Academy, Pentagon, and as I learned the value of techtrading, and buying techs strategically, I've stopped building Wall Street. I already have enough gold.

 

[Zoke0]

I've built them all, not to say they're all good.

Me and my friends just like to make fantasy armies full of coll little carrier battle groups and fun helicopter invasions.

There is one good thing about the helicopter. I take infantry air drop them in a place to hold until I get tanks so that I have a good place to build up units (of course this is before I can get computers or I upgrade all my infantry). That's about it.

 

[apparition]

"It just doesn't pay off cost-wise to build cruise missiles. Even if the missile is successful, which is no guarantee, even against a red-lined foe, it costs more than building a real unit which can do damage more than once."

You don't use them to destroy. Use them to soften a target

 

[kokoras]

Use the artilery first,then try the cruise missiles on the ''injured'' units,in that case they are realy usefull(In case of defence).Or if you want to capture an enemy city that's close to your borders(range of the cruise missile).4-5 will do the job!Anyway,better to have a 'stock' because you never know when you'll need them.

 

[Woody]

Cruise missiles have two uses.

1. To finish off enemy ships after you have already redlined them with other bombardment units. In this case the sixty sheild investment is worth it since you kill a more valuable unit, in the case of transports you could be killing several hundred shields worth of units.

2. If you want to take a city with improvements intact. The cruise missile only targets the defensive units and not any city improvements.

 

[benstandby]

I build destroyers out the wazoo!! Once I get the tech, I tend to build about 12 to 40 (depending upon the size of my empire and a host of other factors) of them and use them in task forces of 3 or 6 to patrol my coasts, raid the sea-lanes, and defend my transports. I often have 4 or 5 destroyers for every BB, and 3 or 4 BB's for every carrier.

Helicopters are nice for the period before computers, and I'll even save some infantry after the development of MI (usually 4 to 8 or so) to be transported in behind enemy lines after I've eliminated his air power by using fighters to bomb his improvements and bait the AI's fighters into combat. I load up like 8 Helis and drop them all over the enemy's mountains. This works much better than paratroopers, but costs more (add the cost of the helis to the cost of the infantry) and requires more work (you actually have to save some infanty units and load them into the birds). But if the battlefield is the scattered remnants of a once-great empire that has been chewed up by a pie-load of other civs, the helis are great!

Paratroopers aren't as tough as infantry, so if you're going to get involved in the "get behind enemy lines" game, I'd prefer to use Helicopters and infantry.

In multi-player games, people don't expect them at all, so they make great little surprises!!

Stealth Fighters are cheaper than Stealth Bombers and can perform recon missions with less risk and more range than jet fighters (crucial in multi-player naval wars). I keep at least one on each carrier in my fleet, and use them to scout before I make any moves. The last thing you want is to move a carrier fleet into range of the enemy BB's without knowing you can sink them all :suicide: (or at least enough to make him run home to mommy).

 

[apparition]

How effective is a fighter screen? I'm being hit by bombers at the moment.