The Armada

[Argetnyx]

Tha Navy has always seemed to be an auxillary power for me, there was just no use for it. After researching WWII naval tactics, i found that every Aircraft Carrier had its own escort of ships. I had an idea!
I invented a new Civ III naval tactic, the Armada! I take 1 Carrier with 3 Bombers and 1 Fighter on it, 1 Battleship, 2 Cruisers, and 4 Destroyers. Whenever there is a crisis, i send one of my multiple Armadas to the area and beat them into submission.

 

[jfby]

I've used the armada tactic since Civ II vanila. My seas in Civ 3 are ussually filled with 80-120+ ships, each broken into a task force of a carrier and it's compliment, a battleship, four aegis cruisers, a submarine, and three troop transports loaded with four marines, four tanks, and three mech infantry and a worker.

 

[criminiminal]

naval units are priceless at every stage of the game (imo) to

a. explore
b. see another ship coming my way
c. stop said ships from landing troops
d. land large am amounts of my own troops + settlers safely
e. block off other countries from areas at pinch points

 

[Argetnyx]

Naval units were fine, but i had no use for the military types before the Armada idea.

 

[Globex]

I never use this tactic. Different kinds of ships vary in speed so the slowest ships will reduce the mobility of the entire armada.

Also, I find carriers are not that useful. They are slow, expensive, and carry a limited amount of aircraft. Its easier just to bring a transport with a settler on it, pop a city on the enemy coast and use that city as a base for aerial missions.

My navies usually consist of transports, destroyers and some battleships (I don't build that many because they are expensive). Transports carry marines to raze enemy coastal cities, settlers to build bases, workers to rapidly build infrastructure around my bases and military units to attack and defend. The destroyers defend my transports and soften up coastal defenders for my marines.

Building a navy of just two types of ships is easier than building armada-like units since there is less micromanagement involved. Besides, you can split and combine stacks of destroyers in more versatile ways than you can with armadas.

 

[kulade]

I usually have a good ten carriers and four or five battle ships in one space; it'll only be a few turns until there is not a road or town size settlement in my enemy's land. The bombers are also good for taking out oncoming naval ships.

 

[Argetnyx]

I usually have a good ten carriers and four or five battle ships in one space; it'll only be a few turns until there is not a road or town size settlement in my enemy's land. The bombers are also good for taking out oncoming naval ships.

what you need to do is spread them out so that you can cover more area with your bombers

 

[Hasdrubal Barca]

I never use this tactic. Different kinds of ships vary in speed so the slowest ships will reduce the mobility of the entire armada.

Also, I find carriers are not that useful. They are slow, expensive, and carry a limited amount of aircraft. Its easier just to bring a transport with a settler on it, pop a city on the enemy coast and use that city as a base for aerial missions.

My navies usually consist of transports, destroyers and some battleships (I don't build that many because they are expensive). Transports carry marines to raze enemy coastal cities, settlers to build bases, workers to rapidly build infrastructure around my bases and military units to attack and defend. The destroyers defend my transports and soften up coastal defenders for my marines.

Building a navy of just two types of ships is easier than building armada-like units since there is less micromanagement involved. Besides, you can split and combine stacks of destroyers in more versatile ways than you can with armadas.

If you´r playing on an large or huge epic 540 turn game against human players that tactic will not work, the enemy "armadas" will spot your fleet faster then you with recon flights and sink your transports with minimal losses.

The armada tactic is actually a preety good strategy in a earth large/huge scenario maps, try playing the HOF WWII scenario designed by Eric A and the sheer size of the pacific, atlantic and indian ocean will make you reconsider.

 

[Argetnyx]

The WWII in The Pacific game that comes with Civ3Q shows that carriers are the best naval unit to have. Even though the whole 'Pearl Harbor Bombing' thing doesnt work correctly, but hey, its still a good game

 

[Globex]

If you´r playing on an large or huge epic 540 turn game against human players that tactic will not work, the enemy "armadas" will spot your fleet faster then you with recon flights and sink your transports with minimal losses.

The armada tactic is actually a preety good strategy in a earth large/huge scenario maps, try playing the HOF WWII scenario designed by Eric A and the sheer size of the pacific, atlantic and indian ocean will make you reconsider.

I've never really played games where I needed to use the armada tactic but I will probably experiment with armadas on harder level games when I reach emperor or diety.

I've seen plenty of games where the player has to defend against a huge AI navy. In that situation, the armada would probably be more useful.

 

[Argetnyx]

i wish the AIs would actually make an actual navy

 

[Globex]

i wish the AIs would actually make an actual navy

Me too. On lower levels the AI just make a few ships here and there and send them on suicide missions to pointlessly bombard your coast or drop measly bands of units on your coastline. The game would be more fun if the AI built an actual navy that you could battle.

 

[Argetnyx]

i have just had an idea, just now, i dont know if it will work, but i will try it.

In the editor, you can change what AIs often/never build in the 'civilizations' section...
...i will set all of them to build naval units 'often'. lets see if that makes any difference...

 

[CarthageFTW]

i have just had an idea, just now, i dont know if it will work, but i will try it.

In the editor, you can change what AIs often/never build in the 'civilizations' section...
...i will set all of them to build naval units 'often'. lets see if that makes any difference...

It does, but it's causes them to build them idiotically. (like frigates in the modern age etc.) and the English will constantly produce Man-O-War, well after AGEIS Crusiers are discovered lol.
As a heavy seafaring player, and i mean HEAVY, like I fail with all other civ types now(as high levels of course), as most of my strategies center around sea power, I ususally build navies equal to that of my ground forces. While that may seem overkill or unnessary, I can sometimes get away with overproducing destroyers, bombarding a city with about 40 of them and taking it with one infantry ^^. My navies usually are put in different catergoies as I build them:
1. Defense-Always stationed around my islands/territroy to prevent landing on the landmass, period.
2. Offense-Bombardment, usually destroyers and then AGEIS Cruisers
3. Transportaiton-usually battleships with destroyer 1 block ahead
4. Air Force-composed to protect Carriers

Defense, depending on stage in the game, and type of map, ususally ranges form 80-150 cruisers, offense is a constant force of 40 destoyers, transportation is composed of 5 battleships per 3 transports and 1 destoyer one square ahead, air force is 5 carriers, 3 battleships, 2 destoyers, and 1 sub per deployment.

 

[Argetnyx]

what government type do you use? all those units must cost a lot

 

[CarthageFTW]

Usually Republic. But by this point, I control most luxeries and resources so i trade them out. I think my highest navy count was 343 ships and transports at one point 0.o

 

[Argetnyx]

no, i meant gold support cost

 

[Sashie VII]

As much as I love having a huge navy, nowadays it doesn't feel worth it anymore. I used to delay victory until the last tech is researched just so I can build the latest and most powerful. But a huge navy is no fun when all you get to beat is a few ships every few turns. Imagine 40 carriers filled with Stealth Bombers and Stealth Fighters, each escorted by a battleship and 3 AEGIS, led by nuke subs to scout the way and destroy all opposition. Unfortunately AI don't build much ships

I still sometimes go on a privateer craze, just for kicks. And I keep the enslaved privateers (free support) safely in port as trophies.

 

[CarthageFTW]

no, i meant gold support cost

Oh, yea It cost a lot. But to make up for it I have a smaller ground force. Usually don't need a large one becuase the cities are bombarded into submission.