NAVY Strategies

[zaphod2016]

NOTE: playing Vanilla

Is it possible to upgrade naval units?
If so, how?

I usually don't start building a navy until later in the game; destroyers and battleships. In some earlier games, I ended up with fleets of ironclads- useless against later era ships.

I focus my game on air superiority, and tanks. However, I got whooped by the Azteks in my last game because I could not get a transport (with escort) to their continent.

I would like to learn more about naval strategy.

For example, is there any cost-effective way to blockade?

On regent level, how much navy do I need?

How do units differ? Should I focus on battleships or pump out cheaper subs?

I usually skip the frigates and galleons, and wait for transports and battleships. Am I being prudent, or wasting opportunity?

 

[Globex]

I am not an expert on naval warfare but if you are having trouble getting units onto another continent, it might be useful to establish a base there first. Load several transports with marines and infantry (or load several transports with infantry/mech infantry and one settler) and send them towards the AI continent when you are not at war. Place your transports outside of their borders so that you can reach their shores in one turn. Then, on the next turn, declare war and capture one of there coastal cities with your marines (or land your infantry/mech infantry and settler). Then on next turn build your city (if you chose to bring a settler instead of marines) and rush barracks, walls, and harbors/airports. That way, your base will be able to withstand enemy assault, heal your wounded defenders quickly, upgrade units without having to ship them back to your home continent, and connect all the resources you capture to your core. As soon as you can, sue the enemy for peace, then continue to ship your military to the base you established. Then, you can fight your wars like you normally do.

Also, the war academy article below has a strategy for a quick and effective naval invasion.

http://www.civfanatics.com/civ3/strategy/conquering_abroad.php

As for upgrading naval units, just move the ship into a city with a harbor and you should be able to upgrade if you have the tech, resources, and money. However, most naval units cannot be upgraded. Galleys can be upgraded all the way to transports but I am not sure about the other units.

 

[sercer88]

IIRC, vanilla ironclads do not upgrade to anything anyway, so I usually don't build too many of them. Once I have, though, I disband them for shields in a city producting a Battleship or Destroyer.

 

[Brucha]

I presonally love sea-faring civs and naval warfare. Privateers are great - you can send them off to explore the world, thus increasing your map and contacts with other civs, and they can ruthlessly wage war on the ships of the AI without declaring war.

Frigates, IMOP, are excellent units to use. They are very effective in bombarding tiles to tear up the enemy's lands or to red-line enemy units along the coast. When defending a colony city on another coast, I have found that having walls, a strong defensive unit garrison in the city and a stack of frigates or the like, can easily defend the city. One city in a recent game managed to hold off America for 20 turns by doing this. I tore up every unit that tried to attack.

I also aggressively go after the enemy's naval units.

 

[Newbie civer]

i have civ 3 complete and i owuld like to no any tips on a good way to rule the seas during acient age and atleast till after i think it is industrial or something like that age also is there anyway to tell whoss privateer it was that attacked me because i am at peace with everyone in my game ecept the koreans which are way behind in tech they are still iun ancient age but do have superior number but can a person i have a mpp with attack me with there privateer

 

[sercer88]

Ok, here is what I can answer:

1)Unless you see the privateer go into a harbor, or under a stack of ships without attacking, I'm pretty sure you cannot determine the nationality of an enemy privateer (though the AI knows your privateers, and it degrades attitude severely )

2)A person you have a MPP with can still attack you with a privateer, since it is "hidden nationality"

 

[Brucha]

i have civ 3 complete and i owuld like to no any tips on a good way to rule the seas during acient age and atleast till after i think it is industrial or something like that age also is there anyway to tell whoss privateer it was that attacked me because i am at peace with everyone in my game ecept the koreans which are way behind in tech they are still iun ancient age but do have superior number but can a person i have a mpp with attack me with there privateer

I don't think there is any way to figure out which civ owns a privateer. I think thats the whole point behind the unit. You can build one and attack AI ships, as they act like pirates, so to speak.

 

[vmxa]

"Is it possible to upgrade naval units? "

I do not recall any thing other than galley/caravel/galleons being upgraded in vanilla.

"I usually don't start building a navy until later in the game; destroyers and battleships. In some earlier games, I ended up with fleets of ironclads- useless against later era ships."

Ironclads are ok in C3C as you can upgrade them to destroyers. I tend to not build capitol ships, only a few destroyers for escorts.

If you put 4 destroyers on a stack of transports or even 4 frigates (prior to DD's), you can safely move about, as long as you are out of bombers range.

Another cheap ploy is to make a few extra transports (generic for any ship hauling units) in the stack. They can absorb and extra attacks, other than subs ( not sure if subs can pick their target in vanilla).

"I focus my game on air superiority, and tanks. However, I got whooped by the Azteks in my last game because I could not get a transport (with escort) to their continent."

I feel that air is not a strong enough pay back for the shields. I will use a few bombers for finishing off ships, but won't make them in large numbers. I would rather attack on the ground.

Anyway you if better to not wait for planes and tanks, many games can be won on levels below emperor before that. If you have 4 to 6 escorts and a few dither ships, you should be able to go anywhere.

"For example, is there any cost-effective way to blockade?"

It is a waste of time, except in soem very special cases. I have use dromons to sit in from of a city and ship all new ships as they are build. Not so much as a blockade, just to not let them go on attack or invade.

"On regent level, how much navy do I need?"

None, if it is pangea. Just enough to get an invasion force to the next land otherwise.

"How do units differ? Should I focus on battleships or pump out cheaper subs?"

Neither, I do not build either for the most part. BB are too expensive and too slow, DD's are better for any job. Sub are mostly a waste and I rarely build them.

I did build 2 in my last Sid game, just to park them in spot that let me see anyone coming and going.

"I usually skip the frigates and galleons, and wait for transports and battleships. Am I being prudent, or wasting opportunity?"

If it is not a pangea, then frigates are fine and galleons are useful, you can't sit around waiting. I have invaded with galley's and no escorts. So I would say you are missing some opportunities.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

If you are able to enslave the privateer, you'll know the nationality.

In generall, you can guess it - I've seen privateers join stacks of frigates....

 

[Newbie civer]

ive had problems with privateers until i got some frigs noone attacked me again i did nt no anyone had them and they attacked my sjip with my mgl in it which sucked lol and i jus wnated tov see if i ocul;d find out how to determine there nationality but thx lol

 

[Hasdrubal Barca]

If you intend to build a strong navy, dont research map-making until last resort, pump as much curraghs as you can on your core coastal cities, once you have the amount you need develop map-making, build a harbor and upgrade them all to galleys/caravels/galleons and so on.

 

[Newbie civer]

ill try that out thx

 

[Aabraxan]

. . . . they attacked my sjip with my mgl . . . .

May I ask why you had an MGL on a ship? I can't think of any reason to do that unless you're playing a version in which you could rush a Great Wonder with the MGL.

 

[vmxa]

Well I cannot think of any reason to have an MGL in a ship. You cannot get another while one is active, so create an army and then ship it (with escorts).

If it is C3 or PTW, then use it for your wonder where you are, unless the other land is quite close and safe for travel.

 

[Optional]

I can think of some reasons to have a military great leader on a ship: the most blatant one is when the leader got generated by an amphibious attack; the leader then gets generated on a ship and needs to be sailed to land to become of any use. By the way: it's quite funny if you sail your ship away without first having given your great leader the command to board it: the leader will just hang there in mid air above the water!

But the other one, well, I've never been able to put an army aboard a ship. How is that done? Or maybe I wasn't capable of doing it, because an army gets counted as three units minimum and I was trying to put it on a galley? Does anybody know?

If you can't put an army on a ship, as so far I haven't been able to, then it can make sense to ship the great leader of course. If that other body of land of yours doesn't have an army yet, for instance, and you want to do some damage there.

 

[Aabraxan]

But the other one, well, I've never been able to put an army aboard a ship. How is that done? Or maybe I wasn't capable of doing it, because an army gets counted as three units minimum and I was trying to put it on a galley? Does anybody know?

The Army itself counts as one unit, and each unit loaded into the army counts as one. So, yes, you may be trying to put it on boats that can't hold it.

 

[vmxa]

An army gets counted as plus one. That means, if it is empty it takes one space, if it have 2 units, it is counted as three. I have load armies from empty to full 4 units.

Galley army with one unit.
Caravel army with 2 units.
Galleon army with 3 units.
Transport full.

 

[Newbie civer]

well i had actually turned him into an army and was transporting him to add troops to the army so i could go ahead and take out the koreans and this was before i new everyone had privateers because i was safe on sea travel until i noticed

 

[Newbie civer]

so until they got privateers i was completely safe

 

[Villainwill]

(though the AI knows your privateers, and it degrades attitude severely)

Is that true!?! Even if I don't blatently give up my nationality?

On an earlier game, I made a half-a-dozen or so privateers and patrolled my entire continent (and others too, for fun) attacking anything in sight. Their mood towards me wasn't too polite, but I didn't attribute it to the Privateer attacks...

If that's true, what's the point of those blasted things?!
I kinda liked building them