Least Important Unit?

[ParadigmShifter]

Grens were awesome before they were pushed back in BtS.

But Chemistry->Steel->Mil Science is still strong.

 

[dirtyparrot]

I would have gone explorer too. I can't remember the last time I've built one. Apart from using it as a two move super-medic and it being one of the last ones targeted in a stack, it has almost no uses imo. Maybe it can defeat a tank.

 

[Ghpstage]

At least explorers have the useful ability to be carried by caravels, and therfore explore territory on other landmasses which they do a better job of than spies unless totally overwhelmed by barbs. They can also explore overseas rival territories without risk of being caught if you can get OB, and they make useful supermedics. Not being able to attack hut warriors does really suck though.
I still don't understand how they can be worse than Iron Clads?

Maybe it can defeat a tank.

IMO the 4 greatly supports this theory!


Has anyone had any worthwhile use of iron clads at all?
Defensively they are utterly worthless, they cannot catch anything. Ever. Period.
Blockading islands? Pointless as you could do it with astro, which you almost certainly will have if islands are an issue.
Its too slow to support any galleon based attacks.
The only things I can actually think of are slow mobile bombardment thats hard to kill, but cannons cost the same, need less techs and resources and are so much better at this its mostly pointless to consider. The only slight advantage the iron clad has is its somewhat difficult to kill.
Being a blockade ship thats awkward to remove, this seems to be the only plausible use. But blockading isn't going to be huge on a pangea and I can't see iron clads being used on anything else .
or supporting an erm..... galley based coastal invasion

I'd have voted for the explorer if available, since it sucks so utterly even at its own role (at least spies can pop guarded huts).

At least it has a role

 

[Ai Shizuka]

Voted stealth destroyer but it's a tie with choppers and subs. Basically all the late modern stuff.
If the game isn't won with infantry/artillery, it is with tanks, maybe tanks/mobile artillery. I beeline mobile arti right after tanks if I still have some strong rival and it's my favorite modern unit.

Ironclad sucks but sometimes I use it to defend seafood from wooden ships.
Edit: if I beeline infantry, oil ships aren't available until much later, so actually there's a decent window for ironclads to have at least SOME use.

 

[r_rolo1]

We are talking of really least important or least important against a player that thinks it can defend using archers solely ( that is, the AI ) ?

Anyway, ironclad is definitely a almost useless unit....

 

[Ghpstage]

Ironclad sucks but sometimes I use it to defend seafood from wooden ships.
Edit: if I beeline infantry, oil ships aren't available until much later, so actually there's a decent window for ironclads to have at least SOME use.

It only prevents wooden ships from pillaging the seafood they can however, still blockade it from the ocean in complete safety . Just a shame the AI doesn't do things like these

 

[6K Man]

Ironclad as well. It's practically a purely defensive unit that doesn't have enough mobility to defend well.

I'd also argue Musketman - just because I seem to skip them on the way to Grenadiers and Riflemen. Macemen can get CR and it seems that Longbows defend almost as well as they do. But I suppose the ignoring walls thing has some value.

I rarely build Paratroops.

 

[Dirk1302]

Mostly agree with the results of the poll. No offense meant but the one person who said MA is useless should get his head examined imho . A bit surprised at the 3 votes for muskets. Often a useful unit, it's not always that you can research to rifling fast enough. Muskets are draftable which makes them strong in situations where you need backup for your attack troops.

I think ironclad might be most useless but honestly i don't know, i've never build a privateer too and i have no idea what things an attack submarine can do.

 

[6K Man]

Mostly agree with the results of the poll. No offense meant but the one person who said MA is useless should get his head examined imho . A bit surprised at the 3 votes for muskets. Often a useful unit, it's not always that you can research to rifling fast enough. Muskets are draftable which makes them strong in situations where you need backup for your attack troops.

I think ironclad might be most useless but honestly i don't know, i've never build a privateer too and i have no idea what things an attack submarine can do.

I forgot about drafting Muskets, mainly because I usually draft Riflemen if I draft at all... good point.

Attack Submarines are great at defending sea stacks against other Submarines... they get a great bonus and can save you from having your Battleships worn down by attacks from Subs with Flanking. They do carry a Spy which is occasionally useful.

Privateers are a lot of fun vs the AI and can get you cash, free GG points and seriously wreck AI economies. But they are probably much less useful vs humans and it's hard to break even with them once the AI has Chemistry/Astro.

 

[dirtyparrot]

I like privateers. I think that they're quite useful and easily exploitable. They pay for themselves (and then some), they cripple the AI's economy without any diplomatic consequences, and earn easy XP (for powerful destroyers and GG's).

 

[GenerallyGreat]

I'd be tempted to vote archers if they were in the poll.

 

[Dirk1302]

Archers are often essential on emperor+.

 

[PieceOfMind]

Ironclad. At that stage of the game, a unit that can't leave the coast or territorial waters is a lot less useful than we'd like it to be.

Anti-tanks definitely have some importance. Upgrading anti-tanks to mech infantry, which doesn't cost all that much, is a great way to get free Ambush promotion on mech infantries. Also, when playing Pro civs, anti-tanks are actually pretty decent units anyway, for their cost.

I suppose if you play a small enough map or low enough difficulty though, you might not ever see enemy tanks or modern armors. In those cases it would be fairly useless.

 

[Ghpstage]

I find anti tanks pretty useful. They obviously kill tanks well but they also start with 20% intercept and have access to the intercept promotions. They're the first sort-of-effective AA weapon in the game, great for killing airships in particular.

 

[JTMacc99]

I wouldn't vote ironclad because I've actually used them. They're like a cost effective coast guard during that period when: 1. I really don't want to build any more wooden ships given how expensive they are to upgrade to destoyers, and 2. I am almost phoning in a war to gain diplomatic points. All it takes is 3-4 ironclads to protect my seafood from marauding frigates.

I like paratroopers! They're excellent CG units, and I find that paradrop ability makes them easier to move in behind my tanks than marines.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Voted stealth destroyer but it's a tie with choppers and subs. Basically all the late modern stuff.
If the game isn't won with infantry/artillery, it is with tanks, maybe tanks/mobile artillery. I beeline mobile arti right after tanks if I still have some strong rival and it's my favorite modern unit.

Ironclad sucks but sometimes I use it to defend seafood from wooden ships.
Edit: if I beeline infantry, oil ships aren't available until much later, so actually there's a decent window for ironclads to have at least SOME use.

Just so you know, subs can carry 3 tac nukes.

 

[Dirk1302]

Gunships are very very good in modern wars. if you have enough of them you can pillage all roads around you and get the ships save. Ai just can't touch you anymore no matter how strong he is.

 

[Soirana]

ironclads since i do not get their meaning...

If you are bothered with frigates just add few ships of line...

i rather dance around AI's ironclads with my galleons...

 

[Ormur]

I voted ironclads and I'd pick them over Explorers since I usually have them as my super medics. But I never build ironclads. Completely useless.

 

[Laurwin]

subs are in my mind pretty worthless, unless the A.I. manages to get SDI set up. Attack subs too, I mean, do they exactly counter any particular units, why build them over the missile carrying normal submarine that really can have its uses?

In any case, 3 tactical missile spots, you gotta move into range of the enemy cities to nuke em, and come back to port to refill the missiles. In all this time you could have built simply ICBMs that are a bit more expensive but have infinite range... So I wouldn't say that submarines are the worst units, ironclads clearly are . or the most useless, whatever.