Planes, missiles, and logistics - How do I?

[warmonger]

Finally, I am having some fun with modern warfare but a few things seem to be different. Using vanila civ3 regent level.

I've built a sizable airforce and have the carriers to deliver them. but so does the other side. Every sortie ends in my fighters or bombers being shot down until all their defending fighters are used in that turn. this seems very wasteful. I can produce a tank in the same number of turns as a jet fighter and I rarely lose tanks. What is the best way to use an airforce against an opponent with a simiiar sized force? His airforce never attacks me on his turn.

Also, how do I transport cruise missiles across water. So far I have discovered that I can't airlift them, or put them into transports, battleships, destroyers, plain or nuclear submarines, or carriers. Are they really land locked?

This game is already won but I need to practise with all these modern gizmos.

 

[Galcador]

Originally posted by warmonger
I've built a sizable airforce and have the carriers to deliver them. but so does the other side. Every sortie ends in my fighters or bombers being shot down until all their defending fighters are used in that turn. this seems very wasteful. I can produce a tank in the same number of turns as a jet fighter and I rarely lose tanks. What is the best way to use an airforce against an opponent with a simiiar sized force? His airforce never attacks me on his turn.

Always send in your Fighters/Jet Fighters (on bombing raids) before your bombers. Their bombing probably won't have much effect, but if engaged by enemy fighters, they have a much better chance of winning the battle and thereby destroying the enemy fighter. Stealth bombers, with defence of 0, will always lose I think.

Originally posted by warmonger
Also, how do I transport cruise missiles across water. So far I have discovered that I can't airlift them, or put them into transports, battleships, destroyers, plain or nuclear submarines, or carriers. Are they really land locked?

You have to move them directly from land on to a transport next to the coast, not in a city. Don't know why this is, or whether it was intentional.

 

[warmonger]

Originally posted by Galcador

Always send in your Fighters/Jet Fighters (on bombing raids) before your bombers. Their bombing probably won't have much effect, but if engaged by enemy fighters, they have a much better chance of winning the battle and thereby destroying the enemy fighter. Stealth bombers, with defence of 0, will always lose I think.

Many thanks for your help. I quickly learnt about fighters before bombers but I lose the vast majority of dog fights of jet fighter to jet fighter where I try to bomb enemy installments- at this stage far more than the difference in the attack defend points would suggest. the results are so far away from expectations that I concluded that I was doing something wrong.

I would never have worked out the "park the transport off the coast" trick for the cruise missile - don't see the logic there but thanks.

 

[MadHatter]

I lose the vast majority of dog fights of jet fighter to jet fighter...

Do you build all your jet fighters in cities with airports, thus making them all veterans to start?

 

[elpadrino87]

Stealth bombers don't always lose; they get destroyed whenever they are detected, though. Otherwise, they have a successful run.

It's a bit strange how them having 0.0.1 ADM rating affects the game, because theoretically, you should be able to capture them when you capture an enemy city with stealth bombers/fighters based in it (as long as you have learned stealth technology). I remember this was discussed in at least one thread, and evidence does seem to prove this.

 

[steviejay]

I mentioned the whole stealing thing in an earlier thread, but I was talking about ships. I even used the example of how Britain sank the French Fleet in WW2 in order to prevent it falling into enemy hands.

 

[steviejay]

sorry. pressed the reply button by mistake. What I was saying is how it would be cool if you could steal planes. and elpadrino87 said "as long as you have learned stealth technology" which I think wouldn't be the case. You could learn Stealth from stealing bombers from a city you've taken over. In WW1 thats how the Germans developed tanks in the early stages of tank warfare. they stole the ones that they had attacked and disabled (after patching up)