How many of you are brave enough...

[Kronis]

To build a real navy ? Really, you'd have to be playing an archipelago map, and a fairly large board, as well. Since bombard by artillery and bombers works efficiently, plus curbs expansion, you'd expect to see a lot of warships, right ?

But, I've never seen the AI field large numbers of warships, beyond a 1:1 ratio as "escorts" for cargo ships carrying settlers or troops. I've repeatedly patrolled between continents, and it's the rare convoy that brings more than 1:1. And this will be after I've sunk a few caravels/galleys/transports.

Also, I've never seen an enemy carrier. If you think about it, this one makes sense, because the only reason you'd need to place aircraft far away from adjacent cities' strike zones is for defense, to attack units only (land and naval forces), or because of large amount of inhabitable/unprofitable terrain (mountains/desert/tundra). But carriers are indispensible when attacking other warships !

Submarines ? I've seen a few, but they're just not powerful enough to merit concern.

 

[alamo]

Time to move up in difficulty. The AI tends to overbuild their navy, IMHO.

 

[Turner]

I've done it before, usually to support the ground invasion along the coast lines. But the problem is it's too hard to build the navy so far away from the front lines and move them to where they're needed. I guess it's much like RL where in WW2 we built ships in the US and they had to travel 3000 miles to the front.

Much easier to concentrate on tanks/MA and use RRs to the front.

 

[~Corsair#01~]

I always build vast navies once I enter the Industrial Age- they're excellent for bombarding enemy coastal cities and stopping AI expansion.

 

[Desert-Storm]

Is super cool to build a navy, adds more estrategy to the game, and more variety. Yet, I haven't do any. Perhaps I should......

 

[digitalgoodtime]

You should see the damn viking navy in my current game I counted 35 ships in one screen, four frigates to one transport... I am england and I have about 20 man o war total.... Getting ready to build battleships and my oil source is exaughsted... Of well time to go to war again

 

[ManOfMiracles]

Don't get me started on games where the waters are thick with privateers. Blast them all!

 

[Turner]

What cracks me up about the AI is the two and three defenders for a transport.... I know if I see that then it automatically becomes a bombing target, assuming I'm at war with that civ.

 

[King Alexander]

I will built a large navy if the map requires it and definetly have 1 destroyer or cruiser or battleship in every harbor if required(just to have my back covered for when I go to war).

Also, I've never seen an enemy carrier.

I've had several occasions that enemy carriers made the life difficult for me, if I didn't had as many fighters/jet-fighters as needed.

 

[Jawz II]

desperate naval warfare is really fun

i play on emperor and usually im the underdog

 

[Swooping Hawk]

I'd like more practice in developing my navy. In my most recent Emperor game, I was at war with the Persians and 15 frigates appeared on my coast and proceeded to bombard my capital!

 

[-Gladiator-]

I really like navy and always build a rather large1, since i usually play archipelago maps they are also very useful, at start I build 5 galleys to do the exploring(i always try to build the Great Lighthouse-1 of the most important ancient age wonders to me) and then start slowly building up my navy...i build all ships exept for ironclads(i just don't like them) and when its time for war->Im sorry for the ppl that live in enemy coastal cities...

 

[Longasc]

I recently had a game with some serious naval warfare, but still, it is unimportant compared to land fighting.

BTW: I prefer destroyers, i only build cruisers and battleships to have some, destroyers and carriers are way to go.

Due to the sub bug, they are next to useless, and the time were they could be useful - e.g. pick a carrier out of a huge enemy stack of ships - are as are as building the iron works small wonder...

I heard that flagging Subs as hidden nationality makes the AI produce them like mad, a bad thing, this would otherwise be an easy do-it-yourself-fix for the submarine bug.

 

[Paradigne]

I'm beating my first Monarch game, and have seen enemy Carriers for the first time (that I recall). They seem to only be using them for the defense though. I have yet to notice any planes coming from them. Maybe on the next level

 

[MaisseArsouye]

When I play maps such as Little Antilles or Greece, I have to build a strong navy

But anyway, I usually build good defense ships as "coast guards" and some carriers so that I may project my force away and have a strong credibility. They ALLWAYS negociate, when they have a good navy off their coasts

 

[IroquoisPlisken]

I've never played on an Archipelago map, so I've never needed much of a navy.
The AIs in my current game, however, seem to love naval units. The Iroquois have over 40 frigates last time i checked. They only have 6 Galleons, though.
The Aztecs loved building Privateers at one point. They loved using them to terrorize the straight between our two islands. They've paid the price now, though...