Most worthless unit?

[Thalatta]

They can be promoted; they start off with Woodsman I and Guerilla I. Their best function if there's nowhere to explore nor a use for them as medics is probably as guards for workers chopping forests.

 

[davion76]

Someone said machine guns with high drill take hardly any collateral damage.

This is kinda true. BTS made all machine guns immune to collateral damage. They can serve as a counter to a stack heavy with cannons/arty.

 

[weregamer]

BtS definitely fixed Machine Guns; before a "bombardment" unit that couldn't attack was just gimp. Expanding "bombardment" units to be immune to collateral damage made them useful again.

On the Explorer/Medics - this doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Three Infantry who have a more combat-oriented second promotion plus one Infantry with Medic is more powerful in combat (defensive or offensive); Three Infantry and one Explorer costs the same amount of unit maintenance, will live longer on the defense (because incoming attacks are spread across four targets instead of three), is basically all around better. The only advantage to the Explorer is that it was cheaper to build - but you must have built it earlier when you had less production too.

 

[Bushface]

Explorers are poorly named, as there's seldom anywhere left to explore bythe time they come out, but they're very useful indeed as medics. In the late game, build Red Cross in a city which can't churn out powerful units every turn or so and set it to produce a few Explorers with Medic 2, one of them going with every stack of fighting units to which you have given fighting promotions.
Off topic, has anybody ever actually used the extra healing ability of a Hospital? All my fighting takes place miles away from them, in foreign lands.

 

[elder abuser]

I just got BtS, and after a few uses of the Guided Missle, I wasnt disappointed with 'em. They are quite versatile, usable on ships as well as ground units, so if you have been neglecting your navy, these will do the trick. Also GMs are extremely cheap, so even less powerful cities can contribute to your military. Lastly they avoid interception by 100%, so fighters and SAM's are futile. Sure they arent going to targets for OP hate threads, but I think they can find a use.

 

[Welnic]

If it is not enough to have a useless unit, you can have one with useless promotions. CRIII on a machine gun is as worthless as it gets.

 

[Bushface]

How about Accuracy and Amphibious for a MG ? Both are apparently available.

 

[Dida]

I vote for the Guided Missile. I think they should be able to pick their target and make some kills as opposed to just damage.

 

[floppymoose]

Explorers...

for the time they're available most of villages and landmasses have already been taken or discovered...

We have a winner!!!

 

[elsybelsy]

Why not just make it invisible to most units and remove the strength aspect?

Because really, what can one scout do to an army?
Unless he's Sylvester Stallone or Chuck Norris

Isn't that a spy...invisible to units?

 

[Cer]

Because really, what can one scout do to an army?
Unless he's Sylvester Stallone or Chuck Norris

Remember, we're talking about a modern army scout. The fact that he has strength comparable to a bunch of guys with maces is no surprise to me. Because really, it takes a bunch of guys with maces to kill one guy with a gun.

 

[Rusty Edge]

I vote for the Guided Missile. I think they should be able to pick their target and make some kills as opposed to just damage.

i find guided missiles useful as they are.

As for alterations, I'm in the "guided missile should be able to single out a target" camp.

If that means cost increases and nerfing for balance, fine. If that means that it does 50% damage / strike, that's fine, too. But if it's called a guided missile, and it's picture looks like a cruise missile, I think it should be a precission weapon.

 

[HiroHito]

carrier is worthless, it could play a big part in a navy but once you get stealth ships it gets targeted and then boom and dies.

 

[Bushface]

I have a new nomination - Mobile Artillery.
Eagerly awaited by myself and others, I have only in the last hour brought three of them into action, but the results are, to put it mildly, disappointing. Attacking stacks of Toku's outdated units brought the following results:-
M.A.#1 showed 99% RETREAT chance, made 2 hits at 31HP damage, took none, did some collateral, and withdrew.
M.A.#2 showed 98% retreat chance, made 3 hits at 26 HP, did some collateral, took 2 at 14, and withdrew.
M.A.#3 showed >99.9% retreat chance - and withdrew without a hit by either side.
I'm lost for words, almost. But it's going into the Bugs thread.

 

[uat2d]

Stealth just means you don't appear on radar, not that you're invisible

but the stealth bomber flies really high above our tiny heads; but the stealth destroyer is not reallistic at all; a work boat in the same tile can't see him because it doesn't shows up in radar, but if i built that work boat 3000 years ago, it wouldn't have radar, and could see normal galleys...

Someone said machine guns with high drill take hardly any collateral damage.

This is kinda true. BTS made all machine guns immune to collateral damage. They can serve as a counter to a stack heavy with cannons/arty.

not actually, artillery has got a 100 % bonus against machine guns



an my opinion?

ironclad, it really sucks!

 

[kristopherb]

After reading this tread i'm surpized that Marines are useless to me. I "gun" for rifleing Due to my redcoats.
Marines look good on paper 50% vs machine guns.The AI doesn't use marines or machine guns so what's the point, it uses infantry 25vs 24.
Pikemen/ spear men are useless it needs to be more powerfull vs melle ,first strike will do it.(it woun't effect mounted it would make them more usefull attacking cities)

off topic
There needs to be more units per era 3-4ish I would mod it in but my attempts are uselss.

 

[torsoboy]

On the Explorer/Medics - this doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Three Infantry who have a more combat-oriented second promotion plus one Infantry with Medic is more powerful in combat (defensive or offensive); Three Infantry and one Explorer costs the same amount of unit maintenance, will live longer on the defense (because incoming attacks are spread across four targets instead of three), is basically all around better. The only advantage to the Explorer is that it was cheaper to build - but you must have built it earlier when you had less production too.

The point of having an Explorer/Medic is that its low Strength will make him the last unit in your stack to defend. Infantry with Medic are more powerful, that's true - but what use is a Medic Infantry if he gets killed on the first round of combat? Better to stick the Medic upgrades on an unit that doesn't get attacked. If it really comes to the Explorer/Medic having to fight, you've probably lost the entire stack anyway.

Oh, and my nomination for most useless unit goes to guided missiles as well. Quite underwhelming, not enough range and too much micro. If only I could build them in batches of four... and they got to pick targets out of a stack... and they could kill things...

 

[DemonMaster]

Do we have a "powergamer" among us here. I mean when did spearman/pikemen become useless. If a group of knights come, I rather have have a group of pikemen than macemen or longbowmen when I combat them, to use knights on knights is to much of a gamble for me. (And yes, a balanced army is the best).

Don't the AI use marines? I was attacked from the sea by 7 marines (and just as many other units). That was quite devastating. Can admit that the AI doesn't only use marines when he makes amphibious assaults, but he does use them. And before I could counter him, he has transported in more unit (there was over 30 in the city, before I could muster up enough units) and it was a blend of all modern units (incl. other mentioned "worthless" units).

If someone attacks a weak unit, then you should guard it. So if you have a carrier, guard it, the AI does (if he has any ship available, that is).

Regarding the explorer/medic: He is available before Red Cross and just as mentioned above, he is attacked last and he has a move of 2 (and can join some cavalry raiders, if you like). Yes, I use the Red Cross to (usually building marines there, and destroyers if I can).

PS (off topic)
The above mentioned city (the one with over 30 modern units), I used a rather odd tactics to take it back, I nuked it (yes I nuked "my own" city). Not many defenders was left and they ware injured. Did I get some bad 'Rep' for that, and if I didn't, shouldn't I get that.

 

[GuitarHero]

The Guided Missile sucks hard.

 

[Shoot the Moon]

Explorer, hands down.