Paratroopers
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Mik1984
Prince
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2008
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When planning a large conflict many players waste time though spamming military units beforehand. This tactic doesn't work on Immortal, since you'll end up loosing your window of opportunity. What I did in almost all wars is to start it from cutting off the enemy from his strategic supplies. AI is not good at regaining control over them during war time. Paratroopers might be a good way of pillaging that oil resource.
The enemy cannot produce good units without resources, while you can and it gives you an advantage that leads finally to your victory.
However IMHO paratroopers have a too short range to be useful in most of the games. They should have a paradrop range of 12 - like in SMAC. I don't see a problem if they can be intercepted. 5 is barely getting out of your territory.
The enemy cannot produce good units without resources, while you can and it gives you an advantage that leads finally to your victory.
However IMHO paratroopers have a too short range to be useful in most of the games. They should have a paradrop range of 12 - like in SMAC. I don't see a problem if they can be intercepted. 5 is barely getting out of your territory.
cyclosarin
Chieftain
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2008
- Messages
- 4
I seem to remember in Activisions Call to Power II (their version of Civ after the legal battles) you could load 4 paratroopers onto a bomber and drop them from the bomber long range... that could be a good idea for Civ 5 maybe... its a better option than increasing their range because this way they get a long range but that advantage is balanced byu the need to build lots of bombers to deploy them.
I was think it would be nice if they brought back zone of control. Then you could drop them in on hills in enemy territory and really tie him up. Of course you would have to make zones of control only work during war to prevent exploits, which is why I think they got rid of it. I me in civ 1 you could box in an enemy really earlier with out declaring war.
Pir Lan Tota
Warlord
Para's rock the civilized and uncivilized world. They kick massive ass....First of all, they are inf units so they get defensive bonus. They will defeat anything that attacks them when they are in forests, have excellent upgrade potential and have great range.
A tank can go max 2 slots into enemy lands, a para a whooping 6!
A tank doesnt get defensive bonusses, a Para does....
A tank is strenght 28, a para 24, not much worse....
Now the biggest complaints ppl give are: they get gunned down by Anti Air units, thats why I use tanks.....well, I counter that by tanks get killed by anti tank units, thats why I use Para's....this is a pointless discussion, as no single unit can win a complete war...However, para's supported by fighters and bombers can end a war really quickly.
Try it, scout the enemy, then drop stacks of 5 (4 anti gunpowder and 1 medic) on a defensive square next to several towns, use fighters before hand to shoot down enemy fighters, then bomb the living . .. .. .. . out of them. 20 para's can pressure 4 cities, forcing the enemy to keep troops there instead of sending them to the front, OR even better, forces them to move troops away from the front.
para's are flexibility and the threat of quick attacks along the entire border, none para units can only attack a short distance into enemy lands. Use them well and use loads and you will love them
A tank can go max 2 slots into enemy lands, a para a whooping 6!
A tank doesnt get defensive bonusses, a Para does....
A tank is strenght 28, a para 24, not much worse....
Now the biggest complaints ppl give are: they get gunned down by Anti Air units, thats why I use tanks.....well, I counter that by tanks get killed by anti tank units, thats why I use Para's....this is a pointless discussion, as no single unit can win a complete war...However, para's supported by fighters and bombers can end a war really quickly.
Try it, scout the enemy, then drop stacks of 5 (4 anti gunpowder and 1 medic) on a defensive square next to several towns, use fighters before hand to shoot down enemy fighters, then bomb the living . .. .. .. . out of them. 20 para's can pressure 4 cities, forcing the enemy to keep troops there instead of sending them to the front, OR even better, forces them to move troops away from the front.
para's are flexibility and the threat of quick attacks along the entire border, none para units can only attack a short distance into enemy lands. Use them well and use loads and you will love them
TravellingHat
Warlord
Agree with the last poster. I've had great success with combined air power: fighters and bombers (or missiles if available) to soften the target, gunships to mop up, paras to get men in on the ground fast. A nearby fast medic makes a handy "airbase" so your gunships can heal up while the foot-sloggers catch up. This is not to say you don't need a land army too. A determined defender that's close in tech can break this flying blitzkrieg (notably SAMS and defending fighters).
As others have said, properly promoted, paras can be excellent thorn-in-the-flesh units. The base unit is probably going to get minced in the open against the wrong type of opponent, so don't use them like that. I found the best combination to be companies of 3-4 units: a unit with woodsman/guerilla depending on terrain, one with drill to back that up and maybe lead an opportunist attack, and a bit of a luxury, one with commando for easier pillaging. Medic paras in reserve at a nearby city/fort (I think they can lift-off from forts in your territory) can be dropped on their mates as needed.
As others have said, properly promoted, paras can be excellent thorn-in-the-flesh units. The base unit is probably going to get minced in the open against the wrong type of opponent, so don't use them like that. I found the best combination to be companies of 3-4 units: a unit with woodsman/guerilla depending on terrain, one with drill to back that up and maybe lead an opportunist attack, and a bit of a luxury, one with commando for easier pillaging. Medic paras in reserve at a nearby city/fort (I think they can lift-off from forts in your territory) can be dropped on their mates as needed.
Rusty Edge
Deity
Cut the strategic resources, then city hop with fighters/bombers/helicopters and paratroopers.
They work pretty well on Archipelago maps, I've managed to seize a few cities with them. They are also good as a way to cut resources and run as diversions. Should be used in combination with a large invading force
majk-iii
Eeh?
sabo
My Ancestors were Vikings
That's my 2 cents, I like them. If you have tanks and only foot infantry they are the only way to keep up with those tanks. Move them to a city and drop them on a load of armor that is attacking a city, or better yet have them garrison a new city if you can't get through the AI's culture.
They are definately better than the para's in Civ III
pxpdoo
Ninja Burger Fry Cook
Thats what they're called... from now on anyway.
Kind of like the Americans adopting Native American guerilla tactics v. the British; Paratroops are the latest unexpected stick in the eye of any commander.
He's in his Command Post, directing faraway units in large actions, surrounded by guards and sentries, sipping his tea, thinking about whether to have steak or seafood for dinner, and what wine would go best...
When 75 enemy paratroops swarm his CP, kill his XO, steal his steak, and take him hostage.
MOST disconcerting, I should think. For him, and for anyone who was awaiting his orders...
Moon Pine
Nuke Attack!!!
Do not forget, tank can't get Medic Promotion.When you need a medic to frontline, the paratrooper's your best choice.
And the Paratroop with Gurilla or Woodman could be directly droped on the Mountain or in the Jungle just next to enemy cities to protect your invading force.
AA fire to Paratrooper's really terrible, a 25% evasion rate can't change anything and the fighter's great interception radius's really killing the paras.
Pir Lan Tota and Travelling Hat's posts made me think about it, and I decided to give the paratroopers a try in my last game.
I had a slight tech lead, and beelined Assembly Line, Fascism, Flight and Advanced Flight. I was pumping Combat 4 Commando paratroopers right out of the box (Aggressive + a whole game of aggression) and Combat 2 gunships, along with a dozen of bombers and jet fighters.
I declared war on the second continent in 1879 AD, and vassalized 3 civs before 1892 AD where I won a Domination victory. They indeed kick massive ass. Take city, heal 2 turns, paradrop while you move your gunships, take city, heal two turns, rinse and repeat.
The only counter is SAMs, airships and fighters being gunned down by your own fighters. When you face a nest of SAM infantries, the things don't go so well but you can always go to the city on your feet (Commando came handy), and your bombers will drop the defenses and damage the defenders even if half of them are intercepted, allowing your paras to take the city without significant casualties even without CR promotions. That's a valid strat indeed, and a really fast one. All you need is air superiority, and you can play "death from above" on everyone.
I had a slight tech lead, and beelined Assembly Line, Fascism, Flight and Advanced Flight. I was pumping Combat 4 Commando paratroopers right out of the box (Aggressive + a whole game of aggression) and Combat 2 gunships, along with a dozen of bombers and jet fighters.
I declared war on the second continent in 1879 AD, and vassalized 3 civs before 1892 AD where I won a Domination victory. They indeed kick massive ass. Take city, heal 2 turns, paradrop while you move your gunships, take city, heal two turns, rinse and repeat.
The only counter is SAMs, airships and fighters being gunned down by your own fighters. When you face a nest of SAM infantries, the things don't go so well but you can always go to the city on your feet (Commando came handy), and your bombers will drop the defenses and damage the defenders even if half of them are intercepted, allowing your paras to take the city without significant casualties even without CR promotions. That's a valid strat indeed, and a really fast one. All you need is air superiority, and you can play "death from above" on everyone.
Jimmyballz
Executive
i think paratroopers are useful only if able to airlift to battle area/newly taken over city.. then paradrop to skip some tiles towards the enemy..s
other than that, i rarely make 'em -offence only ofc
other than that, i rarely make 'em -offence only ofc
You can use them offensively without Gunships, even. Just make more of them, and plop them down next to the target city one turn in advance. You'll need Guerrilla or some such terrain defense specialists, a Medic, and a bunch of other Paras with Pinch and Combats (or Drills, if you prefer). As long as you can reduce the defense to 0 with Bombers, they do well enough. If you have enough air power to do significant collateral, they do REALLY well. Gunships have the disadvantage that they only move 4 tiles at a time, and then are extremely vulnerable to attack from SAM infantry. They're great if you can put Blitz on them, but otherwise, I don't bother.
If the majority of your ground force is in Paratroopers, they can move up to 6 tiles into enemy territory before taking a city. If they have Drill, they can do the same thing again next turn. The great thing about this is that AI cities rarely have more than 6 tiles between them anyways. If the AI is seriously lacking in air power compared to you, it's not even a contest. Just hop your Paras from city to city, taking one city every other turn using a stack of Paras. If you need more bombers and liftoff points on the front, build Forts. Once you take three or 4 choice cities, the Iron or Oil usually becomes vulnerable to Para targeting, and then it REALLY becomes a blowout.
The only downside to Paras, really, is that you can't draft them. It's too bad, but if they were draftable, they could very well be overpowered.
I used to think that Paras were useless until I realized that they had the same strength as Marines, and that got me started on testing them out. Marines, of course, are great because you can move them around from Coastal city to Coastal city with great speed, attacking and taking a Civ really fast. Paras are their overland equivalent.
If the majority of your ground force is in Paratroopers, they can move up to 6 tiles into enemy territory before taking a city. If they have Drill, they can do the same thing again next turn. The great thing about this is that AI cities rarely have more than 6 tiles between them anyways. If the AI is seriously lacking in air power compared to you, it's not even a contest. Just hop your Paras from city to city, taking one city every other turn using a stack of Paras. If you need more bombers and liftoff points on the front, build Forts. Once you take three or 4 choice cities, the Iron or Oil usually becomes vulnerable to Para targeting, and then it REALLY becomes a blowout.
The only downside to Paras, really, is that you can't draft them. It's too bad, but if they were draftable, they could very well be overpowered.
I used to think that Paras were useless until I realized that they had the same strength as Marines, and that got me started on testing them out. Marines, of course, are great because you can move them around from Coastal city to Coastal city with great speed, attacking and taking a Civ really fast. Paras are their overland equivalent.
Yeah, the gunships were there because Bismark was on the other continent and I had to expect mass panzers. They're also useful to capture workers and fight anything you see in a 4 tiles radius while your paras do the real job, but you can forget them if your enemy doesn't have tanks. Tough, if the cities are close enough (AI cities usually are), you can attack with your gunships from the next town, paradrop some troops to take the city once the defenders have been eliminated, and move your gunships in the city to heal. This way you never have wounded units in enemy territory between rounds and they won't get caught pants down if a enemy big stack is nearby and manages to wipe the defenders you would have left on the tile to protect them. Just make sure before that the enemy city isn't defended by a stack of SAM infantries. I forgot to check once, that hurts...
To destroy oil and iron improvements I usually rely on air strikes from my carriers. On a continents map there's not much jet fighters can't reach from a naval tile, and if you have enough of them (I usually bring at least 3 carriers with 9 jet fighters) the SAMs or enemy fighters can't stop you. Once you've started to take cities, it becomes even easier.
To destroy oil and iron improvements I usually rely on air strikes from my carriers. On a continents map there's not much jet fighters can't reach from a naval tile, and if you have enough of them (I usually bring at least 3 carriers with 9 jet fighters) the SAMs or enemy fighters can't stop you. Once you've started to take cities, it becomes even easier.
mboettcher
General
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 524
Boo paratrooopers
Pir Lan Tota
Warlord
* Para troopers run away afraid!!! *
Why you boo them? Dont scare the lil buggers
But let me counter your Boo with a Hurray Paratroopers and the world is equal out again!
PibbZ
Paladin
* Para troopers run away afraid!!! *
Why you boo them? Dont scare the lil buggers
But let me counter your Boo with a Hurray Paratroopers and the world is equal out again!
Im a huge fanboy of paratroopers myself, sorry for bringing the world into yet another unbalance
Im a huge fanboy of paratroopers myself, sorry for bringing the world into yet another unbalance
Me too, my red cross city produces mostly paras, at least before mech infantry arrives.
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