Ok, you are talking about the most recent ships, like something more powerful which becomes available with the latest techs (an AEGIS cruiser, or something like this).
However, if you think at how things worked a half century later, Shadowhal's combinations are not so incorrect: battleships still ruled.
Both in the game and in the real life, each unit must have a strong point, a usefulness (as soon as it's not obsolete), and it must be worth it to build it.
If a battleship is identical to a destroyer, just stronger, then the destroyer is an obsolete unit. No good!!! Why did they produce both battleships and destroyers in World War 2? Why did destroyers stay useful, and stand the battle against battleships? Give historymen the answer!
You're right about how things worked half a century earlier (crazy how fast technology advanced in 60 years isn't it?). And I understand Shadowhal's strategy system of x unit beats y, y beats z, z beats x.
But I say we cannot have a viable strategic system without the system simulating real life at least to some extent.
My biggest problem is considering WWII-era units as "modern". To me it's almost as if the mid-20th century should be it's own era, because technologically 60 years ago is archaic compared to today. Half a century ago is a totally different era than today; that's just the reality of living in the past 100 years.
"Battleships" aren't modern like the game thinks. For some reason they remain the strongest naval unit even in the future tech/space age, when reality shows us that battleships are no longer useful. That's where my problem is. Big ships with big guns just aren't used in today's world where small, multi purpose ships with missiles, carriers and subs rule the waves.
Maybe in Civ V they will work this out. For tech ages, it's easy to see the ancient era encompass thousands of years, classical hundreds of years, middle ages a few hundred, and the time spans getting smaller and smaller as you go through the ages. By the time you get to the modern era, that entire era only encompasses a couple decades. But think about how much things have changed in just those few decades?
Perhaps even a couple decades is too many years for the modern era? Maybe the current modern age can be broken up into two eras called mid 20th century and modern? It would be two complete ages...you'd go from industrial to mid 20th to modern; they'd be complete ages with a whole page of techs each. Each turn would have to take less than a year though or else units would be outdated in just a few turns. But it could be done. All that's needed is the techs of course and a reduction in the time span of each turn.
This way we'd see battleships that really ruled the waves, but eventually being replaced by modern carriers and their modern fleets. In the mid 20th era it would be all about the battleship. Plus think of all the possibilities for ground units and buildings/techs.
My brother's on the Arleigh Burke right now (the first modern guided missile destroyer and the ship for which the entire class of destroyers was named. Lucky him!) I'll have to ask him what role each ship has now. These days ships are multi-purpose so I don't know what a destroyer does vs a cruiser.
Option to rent area of civilization. Like Finland did for USSR petsamo was rented 44-56.
