The bomber always gets through ??

[wools2]

.... or how to be really frustrated !!

Having now managed to get a game through to modern warfare I find that I have hit a new learning curve - not suprisingly, I suppose.

I find the AI uses bombers a lot - a real lot !! Getting nowhere I searched these wonderful forums for advice and as usual got plenty. It seems that in order to combat the bomber threat you have to stack up your flak and fighters to about 4+ before they become effective against the bombing runs.

I duly gathered my fighters/flak together and then rebased them into the cities taking a big pounding. Over came the waves of bombers and pounded the fighters to pulp !!

Next turn the odd fighter or two which managed to surive the beating were put on air superiority missions and, being in poor shape, got blasted out of the sky.

So onto the next tactic. I bulit the radar towers next to the striken cities. A few turns later with fresh fighters and a 25% defense bonus from the towers ............. only slightly better - 2 bombers shot down.

But wait. Along comes the mobile SAM. 'Formidable air defense'. 3 Mobile SAM's into position after one turn ready to shoot the bombers down. Next turn all gone - bombed to pulp before they could come into action.

I must be doing something wrong guys ???!!!

Wools

 

[Aegis]

You're the unfortunate victim of the RNG Gods. Some turns, every bomber gets taken out. The next turn, not a single bomber is intercepted.

 

[rysingsun]

3 Mobile SAM's - bombed to pulp before they could come into action.

This should not happen. If the SAM's are vets then they cannot be taken down with a single bomber run. They should be protected by veteran troops which also cannot be taken down in a single shot. The stack must be big enough to handle a full turn's bombing. They will heal after the bombing run right before your turn. The ai will tend to bomb the same city again and again and the stacked SAM's will take their toll in a few turns.

 

[psweetman1590]

Also, the fighters don't have to be stationed in the city that's being bombed - feel free to put them in a nearby city instead. Fighters intercept all enemy bombers in their defensive radius (half their bombing range, so I think fighters have a defensive radius of 3). If there are no cities close enough, consider building an airbase - planes inside an airbase cannot be killed by enemy bombers, unlike in cities. BUT they can be killed if the airbase improvement is destroyed by bombing, so have some SAMs and defenders there to nullify such a threat.

 

[vmxa]

If this is C3C, make an airfield in a location, where the fighters can be based. A spot that lets them be close to the towns it is to defend. Ideally out of the range of the bombers, if possible. If not put 4 flaks on the airfield.

Do not out fighters in towns that are going to be bombed. They will just die or not be able to be used on defense for the damage.

 

[TheOverseer714]

Fighters are targeted first, so they will be damaged or destroyed if stationed in a town being bombed. I would say put a SAM missile battery in that city and watch the enemy bombers burn. The city improvement SAM missile battery is the most effective bomber defense, as I've learned from bombing AI cities with them. Losing about 75% of theirr bombers in one turn will prove a pretty good deterrent. I've found that other forms of bomber interception are hit or miss, with the majority being miss.

 

[wools2]

I think I see where I have gone wrong. If I am not mistaken then an airfield can be built on a mine square and no penalty is taken (if it is an irrigated square than u lose the improvement ??). Just feeding the fighters into a city is, well just that !!!

The SAM's werent Vets. Just a quick build to get some form of defense going (I guess they are vets if produced in a city with an airfield ??).

Thanks guys. I will give it a go. I sure am getting fed up with this !!

 

[vmxa]

If you mean Mobile Sam, you need a barracks. Flaks also will be vets with a barracks, but I tend not to sweat that. They are fine as regulars.

Yes some improvements are lost if you plant an airfield, but just use slaves to put them back in that case.

SAM's are town structures and are too expensive to put in most cases. I mean, you are going to be facing bombers far from the core and those are 1 shield towns. You could rush them, but it is expensive. Just depends on if you can afford them.

Don't forget they can be destroyed by bombers. If the place deserves a SAM, it should get 4 flaks or mobile sams as well.

I find that if I stick 4 or 5 flaks in a town, it will eventually put a stop to the bombers. I may have to send in a replacement flak from time to time. If they are sending 15-20 bombers, just get everything away from the town and let them be.

 

[Ringo Kid]

Another option is to bomb heck out of the AI city the enemy bombers are based in. Dead bombers cant hurt you anymore.

 

[Boss Tweed]

Another option is to bomb heck out of the AI city the enemy bombers are based in. Dead bombers cant hurt you anymore.

I'd imagine if the AI built that many bombers, they'd do something to protect them. I like to draw the bombers to the edge cities by moving troops deeper in my territory, then sending a quick invasion force to capture the city (even if I can't keep it) to destroy the bombers that way.

 

[capnvonbaron]

On the lines of Ringo Kid's note, you can also try and figure out which AI city has a crap-ton of bombers based there and just go take it over by good-ol-fashion ground-pounding brute force. Chances are that its going to be one of the closer ones to your borders, and the AI just loves massing bombers in one place.

I love taking over a city and watching twenty bombers blow up Even if you just raze the town or pull your troops out, thats twenty bombers you don't have to worry about anymore. Also, if you're actually sending troops into their countryside, they are more likely IMO to start building ground troops and largely abandon their bomber program.

 

[Argetnyx]

My long standing, highly effective tradition: BOMB THEM BACK TO HELL AND GONE!!

 

[bender19]

There's a few options is depends what you have available.

How many bombers are they hitting you with?

It will take 2 or 3 bomber to destroy a unit on average, so keep that in mind. So if you only stick 4 or 5 flaks or SAMs in a town that being bombed by 20 bombers you probably won't have those units next turn. I'd try to have at least half as many ground units as they have bombers in the city taking a pounding and obviously have them fortified. Make sure you stick a few quality defensive units in the city, also chuck any obsolete units in their to soak up the punishment. If you have 4 or 5 flaks you should begin to start whittling them away.

Fighters on airfields is another solution. Make sure you don't stick fighters in a city already being bombed, fighters have weak defence, thus a veteran will usually be knocked out by 2 bombing runs and a regular by a single bombing run.

Keep in mind naval units when they bombard hit aerial units first. This is an efficient way to knock out aerial units. If the enemy has 3 or 4 fighters put a dent in them with the navy then send your own airforce to bomb. Though ships make a nice target for enemy bombers so try to end the turn with your ships in a city with adequate protection and include cruisers.