Tanks- The New Mobile Artillery

[-Sturmgewehr-]

I was shocked when Civ 4 did not include a mobile artillery unit in its game- this unit had been a staple for me in Civ 3. Seeing how arty is even more important in Civ 4, a mobile and devestating artillery unit is needed to be successful. I suggest modifying a few tanks by giving it collateral damage upgrades (Barrage I and Barrage II). However for attacking cities there is still a need for airpower because tanks cannot lower city defense bonuses. But by using this strategy you can focus your air war on destroying the city defenses while your new half tank - half artillery units cause collateral damage before the main attack.

 

[mrpresidentbob]

I was shocked when Civ 4 did not include a mobile artillery unit in its game

Dude, perhaps I don't understand - you do know about the Artillery unit in Civ4, right? The one you upgrade from catapult to cannon to artillery?

 

[Heroes]

Dude, perhaps I don't understand - you do know about the Artillery unit in Civ4, right? The one you upgrade from catapult to cannon to artillery?

In civ 3 there is the ultimate artillery unit: radar artillery. It has 2 movement!

 

[snepp]

In civ 3 there is the ultimate artillery unit: radar artillery. It has 2 movement!

Vanilla Civ3's radar artillery only had a movement of 1, did this change in the expansions? One of the mods I used for vanilla changed radar to movement 2.

 

[spiceant]

aircraft are the artillery of the modern era, if you cant launch your planes on a city make yourself a new one or take one that is inbetween your settler.
better yet, if you have open borders with someone and your enemy doesnt you can use this persons citys as airports for your airborn military.

 

[Heroes]

Vanilla Civ3's radar artillery only had a movement of 1, did this change in the expansions? One of the mods I used for vanilla changed radar to movement 2.

It's so in conquests, not sure about PTW.

 

[ahsingjai]

in conquest, they have two movement pts.

 

[snepp]

It's so in conquests, not sure about PTW.

in conquest, they have two movement pts.

Thanks, and...thanks!

 

[Vizzini]

Bombers. Bombers bombers and more bombers. They have absurd range and now that a Barracks won't automatically heal all units in 1 turn as they used to you can begin the collateral damage attacks before your attacking stack ever arrives.

Me like lots.

 

[Harbringer]

Aircraft are finally usefull in a civ becuase of the new collateral damage system. They replace artillary well, and even the fighters dont do to bad of a job at doing collateral damage and lowering defences. There mostly just convientient(they can be put on carriers) andthey handly air supperiority well.

I personally think the bombers should have a suicide run button. It could double there bombing range but you would lose them becuase they runout of fuel.

 

[ahsingjai]

What you mean finally. Shealth bombers in bunches use to help wipe out their unstacked units.

 

[vodkamattvt]

I guess it is more realistic, but too bad bombers cant be put on carriers. Cruise missiles for ships please

 

[-Sturmgewehr-]

Airplanes are still not good enough for a modern army

And yes I am talking about Mobile Artillery- Thre Radar Artillery from PTW and Conquests. Bombers can easily be shot down by SAM Infantry, other Fighters, and Mech Infantry. Mobile Artillery is vital for any major armed forces, and I am someone what confused on why it was taken out. Artillery is vital for keeping up with the tanks to hammer a position before they attack, and since these units are not available, you must change some of your tanks into these hybrid tank/mobile arty peices.

 

[gibbie99]

I am playing a game in which I lost to Gahndi in the space race (by alot), but continued playing to get a feel for the modern era. The main issue I noted is global warming; it's slow and steady, which will eventually halt the game (too bad).

Anyway this is what I noted.

1) Battleships/destroyers are great for reducing city defense (20% per shot)
2) Bombers less so (stealth only 8%). Fighters don't cause collateral damage and have more of a chance to be intercepted (more so than stealth).
3) Artillary are more or less obsolete *if* the city is near the shore. Otherwise, you'll have to pound a 80% defense city 10 times with stealth. (vs 4 times w/ artillary). Bombers are great for reducing units, but will stop at 50% damage (which I don't think is the case w/ artillary collatoral damage). Also they can get intercepted readily.
4) Critical. Invading stacks must have air support; ie a carrier with jet fighters, or SAM infantry.
5) Enemies with air superiority will destroy your civ by pillaging it to death, ie that one aluminum resource, every turn. Air intercept missions can help, their range is the base range of the fighter (8 squares?). That's the only defense against long distance pillaging.
6) The reverse is true; if you enjoy air superiority, you can pillage your opponent to death. However, if the opponent has lots of jet fighters, there is little you can do except have huge stacks of stealth bombers.

 

[Vizzini]

Bombers can easily be shot down by SAM Infantry, other Fighters, and Mech Infantry.

I don't know about anyone else but I've used fighters and bombers extensively against enemy fighter and SAM infantry and have never lost one to interception. Get damaged, yes. Destroyed? Not so far.

 

[Grand Fromage]

I don't know about anyone else but I've used fighters and bombers extensively against enemy fighter and SAM infantry and have never lost one to interception. Get damaged, yes. Destroyed? Not so far.

Lots of damaged ones, but only lost two planes yet.

In my experience I have noticed that attacking with a damaged unit = lose that unit no matter what the odds, so if you were hitting them with damaged bombers that might explain high losses.

 

[WuphonsReach]

I've lost quite a few stealth bombers. Odds are around 1:8 that I'll lose the plane entirely on a particular run due to SAMs and Fighters in the target area. About 1/3 of the time, the plane is merely damaged and put out of action for a few rounds until it heals up.

You can chew up an invasion force pretty badly with half a dozen stealth bombers. It really works against the AI stack-of-doom method. After a few strikes, the collateral damage really adds up and your ground units can mop up the remnants with ease. The AI landed a nasty stack near one of my coastal cities and I had managed to kill it off within 2-4 turns (before they could do much damage).

Most of my cities (even in my interior) all have at least 2 bombers and 2+ fighters. With the range on the bombers, I can generally bring as many as 12 bombers to bear on an invasion force anywhere in my empire. With even more available in high risk areas (where I've parked 5+ bombers in each city).

 

[ahsingjai]

What's the point in having bombers in cities? I always move my bombers to the frontlines of battle or borders. Having one SAM and fighter in each city should be enough to counter attack bombers already.

Unless your cities are really far apart. Fighters from other cities can intercept enemies even if its flying toward a different one.

 

[Good Omens]

Bombers in cities can be used to weaken a ground force trying to invade your territory. They can weaken opponents allowing your defensive troops to take them out, or, even better, convince your opponent to turn them around and go home.

That said, I don't use them for defensive purposes, but I can see how they'd be effective in that role.

 

[WuphonsReach]

Exactly what Good Omens said.

Having bombers and fighters sprinkled around my empire allowed me to beat off a surprise landing (actually 2 such landings, on opposite sides of my empire) of a stack of troops. At the time, I was mostly unprepared to fight off an invasion in those areas. Most cities in the area had 1 up-to-date ground unit and 2-3 older units along with a fighter plane.

Fortunately for me, those antiquidated units were enough to hold the enemy invasion stack-of-doom at bay for a few turns. Long enough for me to utilize bombers in nearby cities to beat on the stack while I moved more modern units into place to mop up the remainder invasion force.

(At the time I had probably 24 cities in my empire on a piece of land similar to modern day India. The bombers on the northern frontline didn't have the range to reach the invasion beachheads.)

And in a pinch, having 2+ bombers in every city allows me to rebase one of them elsewhere without leaving myself too naked in my interior.