If ya'll have talked about this before, please list the threads so that I may look at them instead, if not then here it goes. How do you use the Navy to your advantage? I never seem to get them to work well and wondered if there was a tactic that works well for ya'll.
Navy
- Thread starter Quatney
- Start date
Well I searched the old threads for "Navy" and read a few things. It sound like the veterans of this game chose not to go this route, that of building a Navy I mean. But are there any of you out there that do build a strong Navy? I just wanted to pick up a few more tips from ya'll if you did.
drake
Bring it
If you're playing a competitive game that has lots of smaller continents and islands, a strong navy is essential........
BlueMonday
Can I Kick It?
I find that a strong navy is essential to play a game where you are building a large trade empire and fighting defensively. Being able to control the seas give you an advantage in protecting your homeland. When other civs try to invade via water, you just sink them; and destroying an army group in a transport is much easier than destroying them on land. Also, a strong navy facilitates the ability to transport high priority caravans through hostile waters long distances for lots of cash.
------------------
<IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/image_uploads/goodbye3.jpg" border=0>
<FONT COLOR="blue">You move like I want to, and sing like your eyes do.</FONT c>
------------------
<IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/image_uploads/goodbye3.jpg" border=0>
<FONT COLOR="blue">You move like I want to, and sing like your eyes do.</FONT c>
chem
Chieftain
I'm still new, but on maps with lots of coastline, I often had several units destroyers patrolling to attack directly from sea. However, it seems that destroyers are not effective at attacking coastal cities at all, especially with city walls! Maybe there's a big offensive penalty for attacking a city directly from the water.
It does seem like the pros who post here mainly use the navy for transport and defense against incoming enemy ships.
By the way, which naval units can attack onto land?
It does seem like the pros who post here mainly use the navy for transport and defense against incoming enemy ships.
By the way, which naval units can attack onto land?
Heffalump
Proboscidea Heffalumpus
Destroyers are not effective at bombarding fortified units in a city. I usually don't risk anything less than battleships unless the defenders are particularly antiquated.
If an enemy lands troops on my shore I'll sometimes patrol that area to intercept future landings there (the AI can be quite predictable). Early and mid-game I also like to send out raiding/exploration/colonizing units and hope to pick off a few AI trirermes with settlers, etc.
But I find it resource intensive to try to maintain control of the seas as the game goes on .... the AI loves to crank out ships and if I'm the most powerful civ in the world then practically everyone hates me, so it ends up being my navy against everyone else's. On most maps i find other ways of spending my shields are more productive. And of course if the AI gets rocketry then your ships draw cruise missles like flies so you dare not send anything out without an Aegis. By that point I'll put my ships to port and use bombers or cruise missles to patrol each turn and bring out a ship only if i really need it.
If an enemy lands troops on my shore I'll sometimes patrol that area to intercept future landings there (the AI can be quite predictable). Early and mid-game I also like to send out raiding/exploration/colonizing units and hope to pick off a few AI trirermes with settlers, etc.
But I find it resource intensive to try to maintain control of the seas as the game goes on .... the AI loves to crank out ships and if I'm the most powerful civ in the world then practically everyone hates me, so it ends up being my navy against everyone else's. On most maps i find other ways of spending my shields are more productive. And of course if the AI gets rocketry then your ships draw cruise missles like flies so you dare not send anything out without an Aegis. By that point I'll put my ships to port and use bombers or cruise missles to patrol each turn and bring out a ship only if i really need it.
TimTheEnchanter
I...am...an Enchanter!
Early naval dominance can be good. I have found "Super Ironclads" to be very powerful weapons.
A super ironclad is an ironclad built when you have both Lighthouse (1 extra move + vet status) and Magellan (2 extra moves)
Suddenly your ironclads have an attack and defense rating of 6, with 3 hit points, and 7 moves.
You have to build them before magnetism to keep Lighthouse going. but the key is that you can build them before gunpowder! Plus coastal bombardment ignores city walls, so you can pound away at those walled vet pikemen from the sea until a city is empty, then just move any old ground unit in directly off a caravel. A super ironclad can take out 2 or three strong pre-gunpowder defenders and still have 50% hits left. The only drawback is that not all cities are on the coast. But once you have a bunch of these patrolling the seas, you can pretty much own the oceans.
------------------
DEATH awaits you all...with nasty, big, pointy teeth.
A super ironclad is an ironclad built when you have both Lighthouse (1 extra move + vet status) and Magellan (2 extra moves)
Suddenly your ironclads have an attack and defense rating of 6, with 3 hit points, and 7 moves.
You have to build them before magnetism to keep Lighthouse going. but the key is that you can build them before gunpowder! Plus coastal bombardment ignores city walls, so you can pound away at those walled vet pikemen from the sea until a city is empty, then just move any old ground unit in directly off a caravel. A super ironclad can take out 2 or three strong pre-gunpowder defenders and still have 50% hits left. The only drawback is that not all cities are on the coast. But once you have a bunch of these patrolling the seas, you can pretty much own the oceans.
------------------
DEATH awaits you all...with nasty, big, pointy teeth.
Az
Emperor
here are two threads about navy....
http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubbcount.cgi?expath1=Forum2&expath2=&topic=000105&type=&number=2
http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubbcount.cgi?expath1=Forum2&expath2=&topic=000100&type=&number=2
------------------
<IMG SRC="http://www.3dflags.com/images/g/3dflagsdotcom_greec2gs.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://www.civfanatics.com/others/azsig.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://www.3dflags.com/images/f/3dflagsdotcom_franc2ws.gif" border=0>
http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubbcount.cgi?expath1=Forum2&expath2=&topic=000105&type=&number=2
http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubbcount.cgi?expath1=Forum2&expath2=&topic=000100&type=&number=2
------------------
<IMG SRC="http://www.3dflags.com/images/g/3dflagsdotcom_greec2gs.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://www.civfanatics.com/others/azsig.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://www.3dflags.com/images/f/3dflagsdotcom_franc2ws.gif" border=0>
I also don't usually go though the bother of building a navy. If I'm getting particularly pestered, I designate a couple of cities with port facilities as 'sub-producers' and just crank out subs.
They're cheap and they have a high attack rating, so I win out in unit attrition.
They're cheap and they have a high attack rating, so I win out in unit attrition.
DBSD13
Chieftain
In an island game, I found myself dominating the sea with 30 battleships (prince of course). It was damn annoying as now after the conquest at the south side of the world, I gotta move them all to the north of the world to finish the conquor of the world.
(By the time they got there, my troops had already landed and took over most of their coastal cities) Then they have to journey back to their respective cities to be disbanded.
Az
Emperor
That's why I say that a great fleet is a pain on yhe @$$ when you don't have Magellan
Hmmm....I think that you make a major error here....and it's quite
You can disband your units in ANY of your cities. No need to go back to the home city!
Maybe I'm just missinterpreting your words...
------------------
<IMG SRC="http://www.3dflags.com/images/g/3dflagsdotcom_greec2gs.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://www.civfanatics.com/others/azsig.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://www.3dflags.com/images/f/3dflagsdotcom_franc2ws.gif" border=0>
HIEROPHANT
Videogame God
i had to defend against vetern ironclad with only pikmen in a bad game but i find ways to survive until i can gain the upper hand.
ardasander
Chieftain
Computer love to build a big fleet in a map, which has a huge archipelago. And I think (of course untill the development of rocketry because the cruise missiles are pain in the a**) to fight with that big fleet makes me feel like fighting the Midway or Battle of Britain.
It's quite fun and challenging in higher difficulty levels.
------------------
Sanders
------------------
Sanders
RedWolf
Deity
When i used to play on lower levels I used to make "Carrier Battle Groups" - much like what the United States Navy does.
You create a Carrier (with bombers and fighters), a sub or two (with cruise missles and nukes) a destroyer and a battleship (or two of each) and two transports loaded with Marines and Armor. Oh yeah - don't forget an Aegis cruiser or two.
Then you sail that group around the globe keeping them together. That combination of firepower allows you to respond with overwhelming force making you feel very "COOL" and powerful.
Unfortunately it's really only for fun and isn't all that resource efficient. It's also almost impossible at the higher levels.
You create a Carrier (with bombers and fighters), a sub or two (with cruise missles and nukes) a destroyer and a battleship (or two of each) and two transports loaded with Marines and Armor. Oh yeah - don't forget an Aegis cruiser or two.
Then you sail that group around the globe keeping them together. That combination of firepower allows you to respond with overwhelming force making you feel very "COOL" and powerful.
Unfortunately it's really only for fun and isn't all that resource efficient. It's also almost impossible at the higher levels.
CeramicCyanide
Chieftain
When i play on the world map i usually crank out a good sieze navy of destoryers and cruisers with a few subs thrown in, then a set up a net in the north atlantic (ai hardly ever builds in south america unless it's started there) and via that just stop any attempt to invade my europeon utopia ( i play as the english). also the AI has avoided using cruise missles on anything lower than a battle ship or carrier for some reason. and speaking of carriers, has anyone actually seen the Ai build one of thier own.
------------------
Ceramic Cyanide
------------------
Ceramic Cyanide
DBSD13
Chieftain
I kow... I prefer having some human aspects in this computer game. Think about it...
These battleship crews, follow me into a world war for the past 50 years and gained me a world empire. What do they get? Their ships sail to some newly conquored cities and go straight to the scrap yard. The crew, instead of sailing back to their home cities in honors or to the capital for awards and medals, they journey back as civilians from back-water cities, with no airports or harbours and may have to settle at the new hostile enviroment and be murdered by the local rebels! I dun think thast wat the crew deserves! They are the elites of my navy, the champions of the empire, conquors of nations.. and they get disbanded at some unknown city.
How is this possible especially when my empire is a democratic one? Think of the poor hundreds of thousands military units, disbanding.
In my current game, I send all the ships to my capital, all the ground units to fortresses around my captial before heading home.
Stupid as this sound, the game gets really boring after you have conquored everyone in the world.
hehe
These battleship crews, follow me into a world war for the past 50 years and gained me a world empire. What do they get? Their ships sail to some newly conquored cities and go straight to the scrap yard. The crew, instead of sailing back to their home cities in honors or to the capital for awards and medals, they journey back as civilians from back-water cities, with no airports or harbours and may have to settle at the new hostile enviroment and be murdered by the local rebels! I dun think thast wat the crew deserves! They are the elites of my navy, the champions of the empire, conquors of nations.. and they get disbanded at some unknown city.
In my current game, I send all the ships to my capital, all the ground units to fortresses around my captial before heading home.
Stupid as this sound, the game gets really boring after you have conquored everyone in the world.
Quatney,
I find that with my style of playing CivII, a navy is absolutely essential. I really enjoy doing D-Day type invasions in the game and landing troops and doing shore bombardments, and later in the game conducting large scale bombing raids from offshore carriers.
In a game I played a couple months ago, I was fortunate enough to get extremely powerful and developed a huge navy. I had several small continents in the southern hemisphere and I surrounded them (not each individual island, but the whole group) with a chain of ironclads that were each 3-4 squares from eachother; the idea being that nothing could get through without me seeing it. As I took over more small continents and islands, I just moved my chain to encircle it, and built more ships if necessary. Since I had Leo's workshop, it was nice when they all became destroyers.
I then saw a large continent in the southern hemisphere that I wanted to take over. It had about 10 French and Roman cities on it that I wanted. I built two large invastion fleets to strike the island; one fleet striking the south, and the other fleet striking the east (the western part of the land was uninhabited). This was a very fun thing to do, for I did not strike until I knew my fleet was almost unopposable. By the time the fleets were ready, each of the two fleets had about 8-10 transports full of tanks and marines, escorted by 5-6 destroyers, 6-8 aircraft carriers full of mainly bombers and missiles, 4-5 battleships for each fleet, and 3-4 subs moving farther ahead to sink any opposition, which was minimal. When these fleets bombarded the coastal units and cities until there was nothing left, the marines and tanks swept across the continent toward the north. It was rather easy because each city I took over could then produce more tanks. The 3 cities in the north hung on longer than expected, but I sent over a couple more carriers from my homeland which took care of them. When the continent became mine, I owned the whole southern hemisphere, so I had to move my destroyers to include it. This caused me to basically have an unbroken line of destroyers along the whole equator. When you think of what it would take to do that on planet earth, this is rather impressive. I went on to win this game, although the war turned nuclear. As nuclear attacks got closer to my homeland, I was able to build the spaceship and land on Alpha Centauri in the year 2016.
As you can see, I use my navy heavily, and I like to have a strong one.
The Edge
I find that with my style of playing CivII, a navy is absolutely essential. I really enjoy doing D-Day type invasions in the game and landing troops and doing shore bombardments, and later in the game conducting large scale bombing raids from offshore carriers.
In a game I played a couple months ago, I was fortunate enough to get extremely powerful and developed a huge navy. I had several small continents in the southern hemisphere and I surrounded them (not each individual island, but the whole group) with a chain of ironclads that were each 3-4 squares from eachother; the idea being that nothing could get through without me seeing it. As I took over more small continents and islands, I just moved my chain to encircle it, and built more ships if necessary. Since I had Leo's workshop, it was nice when they all became destroyers.
I then saw a large continent in the southern hemisphere that I wanted to take over. It had about 10 French and Roman cities on it that I wanted. I built two large invastion fleets to strike the island; one fleet striking the south, and the other fleet striking the east (the western part of the land was uninhabited). This was a very fun thing to do, for I did not strike until I knew my fleet was almost unopposable. By the time the fleets were ready, each of the two fleets had about 8-10 transports full of tanks and marines, escorted by 5-6 destroyers, 6-8 aircraft carriers full of mainly bombers and missiles, 4-5 battleships for each fleet, and 3-4 subs moving farther ahead to sink any opposition, which was minimal. When these fleets bombarded the coastal units and cities until there was nothing left, the marines and tanks swept across the continent toward the north. It was rather easy because each city I took over could then produce more tanks. The 3 cities in the north hung on longer than expected, but I sent over a couple more carriers from my homeland which took care of them. When the continent became mine, I owned the whole southern hemisphere, so I had to move my destroyers to include it. This caused me to basically have an unbroken line of destroyers along the whole equator. When you think of what it would take to do that on planet earth, this is rather impressive. I went on to win this game, although the war turned nuclear. As nuclear attacks got closer to my homeland, I was able to build the spaceship and land on Alpha Centauri in the year 2016.
As you can see, I use my navy heavily, and I like to have a strong one.
The Edge
I don't use a navy for anything but invasion. Plus, I only think about a navy during modern times, I HATE old style navies. O.K., so anyway what I do is:
1.) Build three engineer, four to six transports/cariers, five Armor/Marine/Mech Inf., eight fighters/bombers and two subs/AEGIS/Battleships/Destroyers.
2.) Then I transport it ALL to the opposing island, build cities with the engineers, fortify the Marines and Mech. Inf. in the cities and attack with the rest of the **** that I built.
1.) Build three engineer, four to six transports/cariers, five Armor/Marine/Mech Inf., eight fighters/bombers and two subs/AEGIS/Battleships/Destroyers.
2.) Then I transport it ALL to the opposing island, build cities with the engineers, fortify the Marines and Mech. Inf. in the cities and attack with the rest of the **** that I built.
Mongol Horde
Resident Savage Army
Navies are completely and utterly resource inefficient but they can be a lot of fun too. I usually restrict my navy to defensive duties (wiping out enemy transports before they land). Ground bombardment from the see just seems to favour the defender too much. I also quite like a carrier or two full of stealth bombers to back up my invasions.
Supernaut
Prince
I'm with Redwolf on the Carrier Battle Groups - great fun and almost invincible. I remember the terror I felt when the AI first bombarded one of mine with about 6 cruise missiles - and I survived!!! Also, essential if you are going to attack a new continent in the modern era - it can be quite tricky to get an invasion army across otherwise.
The other use of navies which no-one has mentioned is exploration - I always have a few ships wondering around the map finding out what is on every coast line (especially the goody huts - sometimes I can suddenly discover an advanced tribe on the other side of the world, whcih can make for an interesting strategical position!). I like to start them as triremes and then watch Leo's upgrade them repeatedly. I usually have a few occasions where they will run into an opposing trireme or caravel and sink it with all hands, thus ruining my opponent's expansion plans for a few turns!
The other use of navies which no-one has mentioned is exploration - I always have a few ships wondering around the map finding out what is on every coast line (especially the goody huts - sometimes I can suddenly discover an advanced tribe on the other side of the world, whcih can make for an interesting strategical position!). I like to start them as triremes and then watch Leo's upgrade them repeatedly. I usually have a few occasions where they will run into an opposing trireme or caravel and sink it with all hands, thus ruining my opponent's expansion plans for a few turns!
