Is it me, or is it completely useless as anything other than as a poor man's destroyer?
I suppose if you had no iron OR oil it would be the best thing you could hope for, but otherwise it's nothing more than a non-upgradeable dead-end that's only slightly stronger than a Frigate and much less useful, and only one tech away from destroyers at that.
Here's how I would have it:
Frigate/Caravel ->[upgrades to:] Ironclad (+2 movement, can enter oceans, +~20% cost) -> Battleship
[Destroyer moved to Telegraph]
Come to think of it, this whole mid-Industrial period seems way too fast. It seems by the time I've built my first tile of railroad I'm already 5 turns away from tanks.
I suppose if you had no iron OR oil it would be the best thing you could hope for, but otherwise it's nothing more than a non-upgradeable dead-end that's only slightly stronger than a Frigate and much less useful, and only one tech away from destroyers at that.
Here's how I would have it:
Frigate/Caravel ->[upgrades to:] Ironclad (+2 movement, can enter oceans, +~20% cost) -> Battleship
[Destroyer moved to Telegraph]
Come to think of it, this whole mid-Industrial period seems way too fast. It seems by the time I've built my first tile of railroad I'm already 5 turns away from tanks.