What do I do with a navy?

[jimmythomason@e]

I usually play on the earth18civs scenario as Frederick and have 3.17. I've won the scenario up to monarch difficulty, ad the only reason i've seen to build a navy was to conquer Britain early in the game useing galleys to send over my swordsmen after I rush France, Spain, Rome, Greece, and Russia.

I did have to build a fleet of transports to move my panzers over to Montezuma in north America on time to acheive a domintion victory because Egypt, who was my vssal, had no cities over there for me to lift them over, but he was so inferior in his teching that my transports smashed his galleons (this was on prince difficulty)

I could use the English cities of London and York to form an immense navy, but I usually use those cities to build wealth to support a 100% research rate until I get flight, and then I use them to build bombers to smash the rest of the world. I've just never found a good reason to make a navy.

On a side note... is there any way I could get an earth map with more than 18 civs on it, and the civs would start out in their respecting real-life locations? (For example, Shaka in South Africa, Mayans and Native americans start out in North America along with Monyt and America ect. ect.) such a game would be much more fun than a regular 18 civ game

 

[CCRunner]

Meh, navy really isn't that big of a deal. Most of my games are Pangaea and when they aren't my conventional navy usually amounts to a few transports and maybe two or three escorts. Privateers are another matter. I do make a good number of privateers, even on Pangaea, because it slows down tech pace a lot and the ai builds hundreds of caravels to counter them, crippling them with maintenance and giving me free GG points.

 

[Hellman109]

Starting in Europe on the earth map really reduces the need for a military.

Also, if you are dominating the AI the need for a good navy is also reduced.

It is good mainly against like strength foes. Blockaide their ports can mean no resources get to key ports so no good military unit building. It also reduces trade giving a tech edge.

I find privateers work well pre-war. Blockaide their ports like crazy and then attack. Lack of resources can really hinder an enemy.

If you seperated by water to your enemy, then a good navy can mean all fighting is in their territory, meaning you cant lose anything but units and they have allot to use.

Ive also seen people turn games where a distant enemy is too strong. Land units in random spots and pilliage like crazy.

 

[Wolfshanze]

I usually play on the earth18civs scenario as Frederick and have 3.17. I've won the scenario up to monarch difficulty, ad the only reason i've seen to build a navy was to conquer Britain early in the game useing galleys to send over my swordsmen after I rush France, Spain, Rome, Greece, and Russia.

On a side note... is there any way I could get an earth map with more than 18 civs on it, and the civs would start out in their respecting real-life locations? (For example, Shaka in South Africa, Mayans and Native americans start out in North America along with Monyt and America ect. ect.) such a game would be much more fun than a regular 18 civ game

You can always try the Wolfshanze Mod in my sig-line.

It enhances naval use, by filling-in the huge (32-strength-point) naval gap between Ships-of-the-Line and WWII Battleships... essentially, the coal-fired ships of the 19th and early 20th centuries are covered.

The mod also answers the other half of your question... you can play 36 Civs on one earth map (same earth as the one you are playing)... Germany is in Germany, China is in China, Montezuma is in Mexico, Shaka is in South Africa, etc, etc. Extra civs include Austria, Poland and Vietnam... also in their proper starting locations.

Graphics have also been improved... here's some screen shots:

German Medieval troops:

British Fleet

WWI Dreadnoughts

 

[jimmythomason@e]

Wow! thanks wolf!

Now to download a mod should I open the file and extract them to the BTS mod folder?

 

[Wolfshanze]

Wow! thanks wolf!

Now to download a mod should I open the file and extract them to the BTS mod folder?

Yep... simply unzip (with folder intact) into the BtS "Mods" directory... start BtS, go to the "advanced" option and select "load mod"... you'll see the Wolfshanze mod there... load it and have fun!

 

[lesbianondrugs]

You can skip the navy, but also you can use it to faster your victory:

1) most obvious reason- securing transports
2) softening defences of coastal cities before land attack (very very useful as soon as you have sea supremacy enemies can't stop this)
3) I am a big fan of nuclear wars, so I use to make few submarines with tactical nukes, then place them around coast lines aiming at cities with stacks of supply troops - using 'nuke supply softening method' far on enemy's back you can really speed up the end of war...
4) micro-version of point 3- attack with cruise missiles...

 

[Wolfshanze]

Force projection with carriers and strike aircraft...

Intercepting enemy convoys, transports, caravels, etc...

Pillaging/ruining other nations economies by destroying their fisheries and/or blockading the work of sea-tiles (no food for coastal cities, they'll die of starvation)...

Blockading Islands and/or coastal cities from getting overseas resources to build certain units... if you blockade a city or island properly, and it receives (as an example) its' Iron from an overseas location, it won't be able to build units that require iron.

There's a lot you can do with a navy, if you know what you're doing!

 

[IronCrown]

I find that I can always skip building my own navy. The AI will put half its hammers into building ships. I put all my hammers into land units, then go take their cities and their ships will just disappear.

All they do is pillage fishing boats and reduce coastal city defences - without ever troops showing up to actually attack the cities

 

[PibbZ]

All they do is pillage fishing boats and reduce coastal city defences - without ever troops showing up to actually attack the cities

On what difficulty?

I seem to be experiencing frequent amphibious assaults, especially from Ragnar and Stalin. On Emperor that is.

 

[purplerat]

Especially when playing tougher AIs a stong navy can be very useful. If you're dominating the AI anyways as the OP describes then no it probably isn't that important. One thing I've found is that if your continental borders are secure and your threats are all from over seas a stong navy, especially if you have superior techs, can make up for a lackluster military. A handful of powerful ships can do the job of a couple dozen land troops if utilized correctly.

 

[Supr49er]

Whenever I feel like playing a great naval scenario, I do play Wolfschanze's terrific mod. Thanks and Congratulations.

 

[IronCrown]

On what difficulty?

I seem to be experiencing frequent amphibious assaults, especially from Ragnar and Stalin. On Emperor that is.

Any difficulty. I also experience amphibious assaults, but when you attack the AI, and they had not planned to invade you, then their ships will reduce your city defences even though there won't be any transports to actually invade your land, so it's really pointless. They should blockade your cities instead, that would really hurt.

Of course having also the better navy makes things easier. But you can often just amass your stack of fully-loaded transports, declare war, take a city and then move all your ships into the city where they can't be attacked.

If your initial invasion force proves too small, you may be in trouble because you can't bring reinforcements over the sea. But often even that is possible by city-hopping. Always end the movement of your transports in own/allied city.

 

[purplerat]

I've had AI effectively blockade me when it was more beneficial to them than bombarding. I was on the same continent as Japan and was kicking there a$$ trying to get capitulation. But the way the map was laid out they were on a curled type of penisula off my main continent and thus had an area of ocean where I had a couple of cities but had not built up a navy. They blockaded a couple of my cities that relied on seafood and they ended up starving quite a bit. Even though I was beating them pretty good and wanted to capture another city or two before capitulation I was forced to accept it earlier do to the damage being done to my cities that were blockaded.

 

[jimmythomason@e]

Hey wolfshnaze I downloaded you mod but when i try to start it my game crashes.

What i did was I opened the flies and then hit "Extract all files" then extracted them to the BTS mods folder. What did I do wrong?

 

[DroopyTofu]

I hate that you can't bombard city defencesuntil frigates.
Also, I Never see the AI build Privateers. I've only seen it twice.

 

[agentsmith952]

Also, I Never see the AI build Privateers. I've only seen it twice.

I saw it for the first time the other day, to quite hilarious effect.

A privateer was grouped with a bunch of Japanese ships moving along the coast. VERY inconspicuous.

Anyway, I had open borders with them and a destroyer parked along my shore. The group of ships tried to move through my tile, but the Privateer had to attack me while doing it. Sunk it. Fleet of ships continued on their merry way.

Quite funny.

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

I'll also vouch for Wolf's mod, it does add a lot of depth to a lacking area of the game. I think the Navy in Civ4 needs work. Considering how vital navies have been in the real world they are pretty lack luster in game. Even something as simple as the Naval Support action in CivRev would do wonders.

 

[GatlingGun]

My favorite naval warfare tactic is to get astronomy or combustion and build a invasion stack with 10 or so galleons/transports + support from destroyers... then use them to invade and hop between your target's coastal cities without penetrating so much on land... the AI is good at predicting how many defensive forces to pile up when they see your stack approaching on land... but navies move so quickly (especially transports), they have a hard time compensating. I can get capitulations quickly like this on prince.

The other thing I usually do is use caravels as spies... the AI will normally pile all their transports in one city and launch invasions from that point... I find the naval yard and camp a caravel next to it... when someone annoyed or furious with me moves my direction, I declare and sink them before they can get close.

 

[Wolfshanze]

Hey wolfshnaze I downloaded you mod but when i try to start it my game crashes.

What i did was I opened the flies and then hit "Extract all files" then extracted them to the BTS mods folder. What did I do wrong?

Are you up to date in BtS? The Wolfshanze Mod requires you have BtS v3.17 up and running... if you're on an older version of BtS it won't work.

Also, I might not always catch this thread... if you have a Wolfshanze Mod question/problem, might be best to go to the Wolfshanze Thread (in my sig-line).