Grrrr.... how the airships gain XP?

[Handel]

I just build 2 to see how they work and they can bomb city defenders but gain no XP.
Also why the Civpedia says they are good against ships? There are no bonuses listed vs navy units in the description.

 

[Um the Muse]

It's been awhile since I've used airships, but from what I remember: You can get experience
1. When you first build them (Great Generals, civics, airports?)
2. If they intercept another air unit (or are intercepted) and win the battle. IIRC, you only get one point

Basically, pretend that they never get experience.

 

[rah]

or wait for flight, upgrade it to a fighter, put it intercept mode and watch it destroy all the AI's airships.

 

[Handel]

or wait for flight, upgrade it to a fighter, put it intercept mode and watch it destroy all the AI's airships.

I yet have to see an AI airship (or privateer)

 

[Keilah]

AIs love airships in my experience. Perhaps you rarely allow them to reach physics.

 

[Handel]

Is there a way to bring airships to attack the enemy continent?

 

[Elkad]

Either find a spot to squeeze a city in and move airships there, or take a city and then move them.

As soon as you have a foothold, you can start paving any culture of yours in forts to jam in more airships.

 

[ahcos]

Also why the Civpedia says they are good against ships? There are no bonuses listed vs navy units in the description.

They can see submarines AND they give alot of vision with recon missions. Knowledge is power, so they're actually pretty decent vs. Navy units that often disappear in the fog or attack out of it.

 

[BornInCantaloup]

Somehow, I thought Airships had +50% vs naval units. I recall using them against Frigates and freaking out because of their bonuses.
In this chart from 2008 (scroll mid page), they're warranted a +100% bonus against ships.
In BTS 3.19, there doesn't seem to be any bonus.

Would anyone know how that changed ?

 

[Handel]

Would anyone know how that changed ?

I don't know how it was changed but they definitely don't have bonus against the navy. Few minutes after I wrote early I never saw the AI to use them, Justinian started to attack my privateers with airships and they barely put a dent in their health (damaging about 1 strength from 6, quite often the caravels deal more damage when lose the battle).

BTW - it seems at least some leaders have a crush for certain techs. In my games Justinian beelines for physics and Hannibal goes for chemistry; probably there are more of those...

 

[s.bernbaum]

Airships do damage ships but it is pretty low level. I think it may be 10% at most. OTOH, before destroyers, they cannot be damaged by ships, so you can use them to soften up an enemy ship a bit before attacking it with your ships on the same turn.

 

[Nick Carpathia]

Is there a way to bring airships to attack the enemy continent?

Rebase to an ally's city. Hopefully your victim has neighbours who hate them and don't have open borders. That way, they won't get killed by a warrior walking into a city and lighting the fuel lines.

 

[Fibonacci1123]

Does it matter?

I've produced airships with XP from a GG or a civic, and I didn't think that they were more effective than the 0 XP ones. Does any one know if CI (or even CI + pinch) actually lets them do more damage?

 

[vranasm]

airships have 20% damage cap. i regularly see them doing 15% first strike. they rotate through strongest defenders first.
they won't damage unit damaged at damage cap and will chose the one that is not damaged enough yet.

that way you can eventually damage all defenders if the healing isn't quicker.

You can pin enemy stack in place out of city this way since AI prefers heal over move when unit damaged.

AI loves to use and stack airships if they get to Physics. It's actually one of the AI's strong points .
But they sometimes are overconfident with stacking airships into city you want to capture especially if you attack with 2-moves.
With naval units otoh...

 

[lymond]

The only thing I use XP on for airships is health. I don't think the promos do much anyway. I just like to heal them up if they fail a mission to get them back in action quicker. I think promos should be immediately things like Intercept chance or Range instead of Combat or Pinch, which are worthless.

 

[Handel]

When talking about upgrade to fighters - the fighters have 100% chance to intercept and there are 2 more upgrades; is this to compensate the evasion skill of the defender?

 

[yuchai]

When talking about upgrade to fighters - the fighters have 100% chance to intercept and there are 2 more upgrades; is this to compensate the evasion skill of the defender?

I think I read somewhere that damaged fighters also only intercept at the chance of % health remaining.

 

[rah]

AIs love airships in my experience. Perhaps you rarely allow them to reach physics.

Yeah, once the AI gets Physics they seem to overbuild airships.