Is there a use for Ironclads?

[zagaz]

I will say this, at least there are no dead end techs anymore, and IIRC the tech that gives you ironclads is somewhat useful. They have 2 movement and can only go on coast squares, at that age in the game....does not seem worth it. I am thinking that if it were not for the fact that America is where the game were developed and where a large proportion of the sales come from, it would not be in the game...but meh...maybe someone else has found a use for them, maybe like territorial coastal defenders...

Guess I just answered my own question

 

[Iceman_IX]

Most sea units are marginally useful on almost all maps. Unless it's an island or pure continent map, sea is pretty irrelevant. If you're on an archipelago map, however, Ironclads would be quite useful for their time. Few open-sea battles even happen, in my experience.

I'm kinda disappointed how sea units are more or less marginalized in Civ 4 as opposed to being expanded in scope.

 

[yoshi74]

I also don't see a use for these things. Unless an enemy stumbles by accident near one of these they will see no fight at all, because every other ship at that age is way faster. Circumnavigate the globe, than they move at speed 3. So you could actually chase a galley. Not a reason to build them.

And upgrading them to destroyer is not much cheaper than the upgrade from a frigate. Build better these.

 

[RogueTrader]

I'd say that they have a great use... They help my destroyers and other ships with experience! You just use them for target practice

 

[zagaz]

I have not played that many games, does the AI really build these? Oh well, as you said, target practice!!

 

[MRM]

IMO they can be useful, if you have lots of enemy frigates and galleons at your coast ( ironclade have better winning chance ) or if your enemy has destroyers and ironclades is the best you can build - but in this case you have to outnumber him ...

 

[Gloriana]

I think they were put in the game as defensive units... they can't move out onto the oceans so they must stick to your coasts. Although they can't actually gain on any of the faster units, they can be handy to patrol your coastline in case of war...

 

[Zakar]

I can't remember ever really using the ironclad in any CIV game. By the time I've completed one, usualy I have researched far enough to build something better. I guess that is what happens when you are overly science focused.

 

[panzooka]

put on your fish resource, so AI would dare to pillage

 

[c-mattio]

Probably best to stick to frigates and upgrade them to destroyers later.

As for the "their only in it cos it was developed in America" comment, I kind of agree with you in the sense that the costal ironclad had a well known but unimportant role in the American Civil War. But the British Navy's first ironclads were essentially sailing ships with huge sheets of iron bolted (cladded) on like HMS Warrior http://www.hmswarrior.org/index.html. Would be great if we could have ironclads like that.

 

[ferenginar]

I have thought much the same thing, and have not bothered to build them. Then much to my surprise some AI Ironclads turn up in my coastal area and start taking out fishing boats and frigates alike. I have checked in detail, there is no way they could have got there without crossing ocean.

Is this a new feature of ironclads in 1.52, that has not been updated in the Civpedia, or is it the AI cheating, I have not yet built an ironclad to test if I can sail in into ocean.

 

[Thyrwyn]

do not forget that "coastal only" really means "coast or cultural borders only". Any coastal vessel can travel freely within its own cultural borders or those of any nation with which an Open Borders agreement has been reached.

 

[thordk]

on archipelago maps i use them for bombarding sometimes. they're not great defenders.

 

[BlizzardGR]

I never built them because hey are practically useless. They may be of some use in a marathon game though. Too bad i only play on normal speed.

 

[Velvet-Glove]

I have to say I'm not overly impressed with ironclads either. They are slow and so limited in where they can go. I might build a couple, to station on fish/crab resources if these are in the likely strike range of a potentially aggressive neighbour, but generally I prefer to wait for Destroyers.

 

[Gazglum]

I successfully used them in an archipelago map once to defend against galleys landing troops, and to provide excellent protection for my fish resources. I had them spaced out, so when an enemy ship got too close, the ironclads would close in on it like a pincer, I usually managed to catch even frigates that way thanks to the crappy AI.

 

[shadow2k]

I don't build them, but I've had them used against me. If you are trying to pillage the AI to death with Frigates, they'll often have a tech lead at higher levels, and build Ironclads to protect their waters. You can outrun them easily enough, but if they sit on the resource you want to pillage, it's a lost cause unless you can afford to sacrifice units.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

I didn't even realize there were Ironclads in Civ IV. That says alot of what I think about them

 

[karadoc]

I often have just a couple of them for defending resources, or for blocking off special strategic coastal areas.

 

[Grohan]

I use them to defend my sea resources against wooden ships. They are also good at bombarding enemy cities.