How do you use air units?

[LoneDragon]

I don't understand. They are supposed to have a base, but they can deploy and fly in circles on the map. And then deploy again and fly in circles farther from the base...
What exactly am I supposed to do with them?

 

[MistyRonin]

You deploy fighters from an airfield, while deployed they recon an area, and if there's any enemy approaching their patrol area, they will have the option to fight it.

If your planes take damage, you can send them back to an airfield or airstrip to repair.

 

[dexters]

You deploy fighters from an airfield, while deployed they recon an area, and if there's any enemy approaching their patrol area, they will have the option to fight it.

If your planes take damage, you can send them back to an airfield or airstrip to repair.

I've only used fighters in a limited way, it appears they can deploy to a map point without need to refuel ad infinitum.

It's weird but I kept thinking it was like Civ2 for a while XD

I also had a look at the bombers and their promotion path. There's definitely a nerf to bombers in Civ6 vs. 5; and the early promotions IIRC tend to focus on survivability vs other air units than increasing bombard power. Should make bombers slightly less OP.

 

[Dearmad]

I like how they fly above the map now and feel like a normal unit again... UNLIKE the atrocity that was Civ V where they stayed hidden until used.

Still miss my paratroopers though!

 

[LoneDragon]

Can anyone explain how they work in more detail? How do I attack with them? What's the point of having range if they can just fly farther each turn?
I won my game a few turns after I built my first Biplane so I didn't get to fiddle with it much.

 

[Dearmad]

They can't fly further each turn. They are limited by the central location of where they are based- either in a city or an airbase or carrier.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

What happens if the carrier moves out of range?

 

[Dearmad]

When I tried it let me fly my planes back to the nearest base when I wanted to repair. Otherwise they remained flying where I had left them.

 

[Big J Money]

They can't fly further each turn. They are limited by the central location of where they are based- either in a city or an airbase or carrier.

You miss the point of the question. The OP is wondering what the point of having a base is if they can deploy to hexes outside the base.

I guess the point is that it slows down your air advance somewhat, but is much less limiting than it was in Civ V. However, when deployed into the field, I don't know if you can have more than 1 per space like you can on an airstrip. I'll have to test that out. But I'm not even sure yet why that's significant.

 

[Dearmad]

You miss the point of the question. The OP is wondering what the point of having a base is if they can deploy to hexes outside the base.

I guess the point is that it slows down your air advance somewhat, but is much less limiting than it was in Civ V. However, when deployed into the field, I don't know if you can have more than 1 per space like you can on an airstrip. I'll have to test that out. But I'm not even sure yet why that's significant.

It also allows you to build with one less resource. It also is the place where you build things to speed up experience gains. No need to be so curt in your response.

 

[3 EMS]

You miss the point of the question. The OP is wondering what the point of having a base is if they can deploy to hexes outside the base.

I guess the point is that it slows down your air advance somewhat, but is much less limiting than it was in Civ V. However, when deployed into the field, I don't know if you can have more than 1 per space like you can on an airstrip. I'll have to test that out. But I'm not even sure yet why that's significant.

I think its only fighters that can be deployed. Bombers have to be based.

 

[LoneDragon]

I reloaded the old save and messed around a few more turns after the victory while I picked up Flight Slingulator.

Apparently Biplanes can deploy (fly in circles) 3 spaces from the airstrip, then next turn deploy 3 more spaces, 3 more the next turn, then I get attacked by Spain and the Biplane can attack any units within 3 spaces of where it is flying in circles. This is very different from previous Civs.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

I reloaded the old save and messed around a few more turns after the victory while I picked up Flight Slingulator.

Apparently Biplanes can deploy (fly in circles) 3 spaces from the airstrip, then next turn deploy 3 more spaces, 3 more the next turn, then I get attacked by Spain and the Biplane can attack any units within 3 spaces of where it is flying in circles. This is very different from previous Civs.

So no limit to how far away it can go?

 

[LoneDragon]

So no limit to how far away it can go?

Not sure. I only played with it for a few turns while I was getting the achievement before I started my next game.
It was at least 9 tiles away before Spain declared war on me and I decided to start testing attacking instead of moving.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Not sure. I only played with it for a few turns while I was getting the achievement before I started my next game.
It was at least 9 tiles away before Spain declared war on me and I decided to start testing attacking instead of moving.

And whenever it needs to heal it can just go back to the nearest airbase in one turn?

 

[CoconutTank]

My experiences line up a lot with what folks have described here, and yes I really do like it way more in Civ6, relative to how air units basically became glorified towers in Civ5. Pretty much agree with what Dearmad said earlier

Given that the biplane line can fly on the map forever, it sounds like I can actually field a very large air force; even if the only Aerodrome in my empire has a capacity of 4, I can have 20 biplanes flying around and chasing enemy units. This is awesome

On the other hand, (re)deploying a plane does have some constraints; it's not the same as regular movement, and it looks like planes can't fly into fog of war, since green tiles don't show up there. Additionally, I don't think air units are part of the unit cycle; clicking next unit doesn't seem to go to any deployed air units and you need to go find them yourself.

And whenever it needs to heal it can just go back to the nearest airbase in one turn?

No, I think rebasing an air unit sill has a limited range. I certainly don't recall being able to rebase a biplane to an Aerodrome on the other side of the world.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

My experiences line up a lot with what folks have described here, and yes I really do like it way more in Civ6, relative to how air units basically became glorified towers in Civ5. Pretty much agree with what Dearmad said earlier

Given that the biplane line can fly on the map forever, it sounds like I can actually field a very large air force; even if the only Aerodrome in my empire has a capacity of 4, I can have 20 biplanes flying around and chasing enemy units. This is awesome

On the other hand, (re)deploying a plane does have some constraints; it's not the same as regular movement, and it looks like planes can't fly into fog of war, since green tiles don't show up there. Additionally, I don't think air units are part of the unit cycle; clicking next unit doesn't seem to go to any deployed air units and you need to go find them yourself.


No, I think rebasing an air unit sill has a limited range. I certainly don't recall being able to rebase a biplane to an Aerodrome on the other side of the world.

Not talking about "rebasing"... but if you deploy a plane so it is 30 hexes from the airbase it was originally deployed at... can it "go back to base" in one turn?

 

[CoconutTank]

Not talking about "rebasing"... but if you deploy a plane so it is 30 hexes from the airbase it was originally deployed at... can it "go back to base" in one turn?

I'm not home to test this for sure, but I believe that is no. I don't think the plane has memory of where it came from in the first place. If you want to put a plane back in the base, you need to move it all the way via re-deploy.

 

[Big J Money]

It's not forever. Okay, it works like this from my play so far:

Deploy: Fighters can move their distance each turn, moving farther afield so that their operations can be extended. This is limited to a distance that appears to be equal to the fighter's range extended outside of your territorial borders. Think of fighters being able to land and refuel pretty much anywhere near friendly territory. Bombers cannot use this action, but they also have a much greater operational range.

Rebase: Travel to a base that's a bit farther out than your movement range. It might be 2x or 3x this distance, but it's not unlimited. Or it might be a hardcoded distance for all aircraft. This purpose of this is to more quickly move aircraft around in your territory, but only certain things count as bases: cities, aerodromes and airstrips. I assume aircraft must be in a base to heal but I don't know yet since my aircraft never took any damage before I won. Cities are not the best bases because you can only have 1 unit based out of them. Airstrips and Aerodromes get more slots.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

It's not forever. Okay, it works like this from my play so far:

Deploy: Fighters can move their distance each turn, moving farther afield so that their operations can be extended. This is limited to a distance that appears to be equal to the fighter's range extended outside of your territorial borders. Think of fighters being able to land and refuel pretty much anywhere near friendly territory. Bombers cannot use this action, but they also have a much greater operational range.

Rebase: Travel to a base that's a bit farther out than your movement range. It might be 2x or 3x this distance, but it's not unlimited. Or it might be a hardcoded distance for all aircraft. This purpose of this is to more quickly move aircraft around in your territory, but only certain things count as bases: cities, aerodromes and airstrips. I assume aircraft must be in a base to heal but I don't know yet since my aircraft never took any damage before I won. Cities are not the best bases because you can only have 1 unit based out of them. Airstrips and Aerodromes get more slots.

The question is how carriers work with that.... since they presumably take a fighter far out of friendly territory (I guess this applies to Airstrips too...can they be outside of borders?)