Got any Air Strategies?

[Hellfire]

I guess most people concentrate on land power and usually forego sea and Air power. Sea power is usually used to just pick up those annoying ships the AI over produces, but is most often used to get a land army from point A to point B.

So, do most people simply ignore air power over all?

The AI I've noticed for the most part ignores it, but not always. I once had a problem with Rome building lots of bombers. They inhabited several islands which I couldn't get near because bombers kept bombing my ships and then following up with battleships to destroy them.

The most basic of strategies to stop this is to include stacks of carriers and jet fighters on top of transports. Use the fighters as umbrellas (which you will have to set to air superiority missions by hand) for your ground forces.

Anyone else have any air strategies other than "Build jets for defense, build a whole lot of bombers for offense, and build a few stealth fighters for recon?"

 

[Mr Black]

Originally posted by Hellfire
Anyone else have any air strategies other than "Build jets for defense, build a whole lot of bombers for offense, and build a few stealth fighters for recon?"

That's pretty much all I do. I use my air force similar to Artillery, just bomb the hell out the enemy. In fact I stop building artillery when I get Flight. In contrast, the AI likes to bomb terrain tiles, while my army rolls through, which is just plain dumb. They also avoid attacking cities like the plague.

 

[elpadrino87]

I usually like to keep my artillery, because they pack more punch. But that doesn't mean that I neglect my air force. Dojoboy, a fellow Civer here at CivFanatics, decided to increase the transport capacity of helicopters to 2 or 3 units instead of one. I myself have done this, and it turns out that helicopters can be very useful, as long as the AI hasn't built a very modern air force. They can be quite valuable to land troops on the enemy's resources, which if the troops hold out, can then pillage the tile the next turn. They can also be used to drop off a diversionary group to force the AI to engage them first before your other troops are attacked.

But otherwise from that, yeah, my air force is really just bombers and stealth bombers to hit cities and resource tiles, fighters for defense over aircraft carriers and border cities, and stealth fighters for recon.

 

[taper]

I find it funny that both avatars in this thread are jets.

Carriers full of bombers are useful on archipeligo maps, but pangea just doesn't give them range to attack most of the inland cities.

positives=Can't be captured, unlike arty stacks left alone. I think the bombardment strength is higher too, but I don't remember. Helicopters with movement points are huge as soon as you can build them, I use them all the time.

negatives=limited mobility, high cost, high losses to SAMs.

 

[redhulkz]

its a joke that u can't enage enemy fighters on air superiority mission, it sounds ridiculous

 

[Hellfire]

Well there are some tactics you can use to "force" an air superiority showdown...

Remember that an air superiority mission is ment to rule the skies over the jet's range, not just "defend its home base." So if you want to force a jet showdown you need to move the jets in range of other jets.

For example, moving carriers next to a coastal city and making sure they are set to air superiority missions. The jets will showdown.

Border cities will also showdown, as well as jets from an airbase in PTW (well I'm guessing about airbases but it makes sense... I don't have PTW).

I had this happen to me when I had some jets in a border town and when a war started, the jets began fighting each other on their own without prompting by me. You might think the AI sent their jets against me, but the battle occured over THEIR city (plus the AI rarely attacks with jets). I'm not sure if there are more details on how this works.

 

[redhulkz]

hellfire i never met such showdown before.. wow must try..

 

[Beanzy]

I only use air units when I have an overseas opponent and am still waiting for my land troops to get there. Usually, I sail over with about 5 carriers stuffed with bombers and a handfull of battleships to guard. I'll bomb the hell out of 'em until my MAs get over. By that time, they're begging for peace and I just shred them to pieces.

 

[amirsan]

Bombing once with a whole bunc of bombers is tooo tireing!!

 

[Mishrack]

If you want to confront their interceptors, just send your fighters to bomb, they'll fight back when intercepted.

 

[Hellfire]

This is one of those times I wish I had access to the editor (Mac OS 9 users can't use the editor!!!!! )

If you attack with your fighters, this puts your fighters on defensive rather than offensive. That means that against Jets you have a 1/3 chance of winning, 1/4 if you are up against F-15s. At least I believe this is what happens. This is why I proposed the "Showdown" method which I believe puts you on the offensive instead.

I need to email bamspeedy and ask him for some tests