Yeah, sorry about the Blitz and blitzy thing. I've got two computer entry points for accessing the web (usually college, 'cos it costs me nothing), and the same name can't be used for both. They are both me though!
Sounds like playing humans is very interesting, although I unfortunately never have.
One of the great disappointments with the AI - and I think many others share my sentiment - is that it is utterly useless when it comes to the high seas.
I am surprised to hear that light ships have to be used against humans, but this is probably to be expected. The more sly your opponent gets, the faster your navy has to be.
For once I will have to agree with Sun Tzu and his bombers.
On land, bombers suck. At sea, they ROCK.
When I fight at sea, I like to think of it as a campaign in the desert, and a geurilla campaign at that.
This is primarily because of the terrain, which is utterly monotonous.
This mono-terrain completely changes the nature of sea warfare. On land, there are many geographic factors affecting the dynamics of the battlefield.
Hills, passes, roads, cities - they all affect the nature of the battlefield, and decisively influence the fighting.
At sea, in a general war, there are far less dynamics. Meeting the enemy fleet can be very random, and lead to considerable delight or horror.
Thats why bombers are so lethal. They patrol and strike beyond the range of any other ship (nukes aside). Also, they can be used to press home a land war, and can switch between land and sea bases. In an invasion from the sea, battleships are left behind on the coast after the first push inland.
I also think there are two types of player psychology. There are those who like to rule the waves, and generally upstage their opponents by humiliating them with fast-moving naval wars.
Then there are land players, who stick to the continent and annihalate on a local level.
Rocketry kind of ruins the fun a bit though.
Blitz