What do you think of Gravships?

[CrackedCrystal]

I was just curious of how other people feel about gravships. I find that they are not very useful. Yes, they don't have to return to base, but unlike choppers, they can only attack once. And I tend to keep my choppers out for 2 or 3 turns anyway and just repair them later.

Add it to the fact they come so late in the game, I rarely build them. I will occasionally build one to capture a far away base where my choppers have killed all defenders. That is about it.

 

[Crimson Sunrise]

I build them just 'cause they're cool.

 

[Terje]

I love them. Yes, they can only take out one unit per turn, but that isn't a problem if you have about 30 of them, supported by needlejets and ie. Hovertanks.

Also, they can, unlike needlejets and choppers, capture cities, so you can use them to invade far away factions on other continents, even without the Space Elevator.

In a way, they're actually improved needlejets.

If anyone thinks it's unrealistic to have 30 gravships, well, too bad. I had about 45-50 yesterday, all with clean reactor (God, I can't praise this special ability enough, it's brilliant), and it only took me ca. 5 turns to build them.
Here's another reason they're great: They are cheap.

Since I first posted this, I've found out that they're not cheaper than the other air units. But they still rock.

 

[Jack the Ripper]

Hey, who doesn't think they're great? Not only can they go so far in a given turn, you (obviously) dont have to refuel. One of the best things i have found them good for is colony pods. Build onna these babys and you can have a base in almost any hard to reach area within 5 turns!

 

[DilithiumDad]

In the SMAC mod I am working on I have moved gravships much earlier. They come in with Nanominiturization, the tech that normally gives you Hovertanks. I moved hovertanks to Superconductor tanks. Getting hovertanks and gravships early in the game is lots more fun. Plus I added transport ability to both of them. Gravships I gave a capacity of 4*reactor so you can move a whole army with one gravship transport once you get quantum.

Plus my infantry tells me they enjoy the smooth ride of a gravship over those old fashioned sea cruisers.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

Unlike choppers and needlejets, gravships can occupy enemy bases.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

I always finish the game long before they become available to me, but I have made it that far on a few occasions. They're not that special, I used them mainly to take out those pesky sea bases that the ai builds all over the freaking planet.

 

[earthguido]

I used to use gravship formers, gravship supply crawlers, gravship defenders, etc. They are not good only for attacking, where the chopper makes the best unit.

 

[DilithiumDad]

Shifting gravships to Nanominiturization takes changing just one line in alpha.txt.
Original line (found under "#CHASSIS"):
Gravship,M1, Skybase,M1, Antigrav,M1, Skyfort,M1, 8, 2, 0, 0, 1, 8, Gravity, Deathsphere,M1, Doomwall,M1,
My line:
Gravship,M1, Skybase,M1, Antigrav,M1, Skyfort,M1, 12, 2, 0, 0, 4, 6, NanoMin, Deathsphere,M1, Doomwall,M1,

Comment line:
INCREASED RANGE FROM 8 TO 12, ADDED MEGATRANSPORT CAPACITY 4*REACTOR, REDUCED COST FROM 8 TO 6. COMES MUCH EARLIER: NANOMINITURIZATION

 

[Eli the Lich]

I just discover recently that they may capture base. like I discovered by mistake that locust of chiron can also captured base .

 

[monidique]

I like Gravships. As a matter of fact, i recently started to play AC again because I read this thread. Gravships, well, they... rock. Now I'm playing an interesting game, which I'm going to win, and my X Graviton Skybase's are now waiting to destroy the Hive. The Believers are alreay... pacified and so are the Gaians, but now I'm bored, to say, and I think a war with the least friendly tribe is the best and because the Peacekeepers are in a Pact with me, or were, I'm gonna focus on the Hive.

 

[Gelion]

I build gravformers to reach small lakes and other inaccesable areas. I also love building grav fortress D12/A24/clean and some ability. Those really rock!

 

[Terje]

Give them Blink displacers

I used to make them like that too, but they've become so damned expensive to armour, now that I've installed the XP/2000 compatibility patch...

 

[sir_schwick]

I also usually have most of the planet under my thumb or severance pact by then. usually I have enough specialist units and use them in conjunction with my imagination. Althogh if I am playing a Green Economy I tend to build a lot fo mind-worms and locusts.

 

[The Person]

Always when I try to capture a base with a gravship I get the message that I can't do it. But Locusts of Chiron can, oddly. But I'll try again to capture a base with a gravship. Maybe it was because I hadn't installed the 4.0 patch. If they can after all, they don't just rock; then they are perfect.

 

[Terje]

It worked out for me perfectly when I was playing the original non-patched game...

 

[The Person]

Or maybe it was because i had installed the 4.0 patch. But probably not. I never really use gravships (except Locust of Chiron). I use land power and sea power put together, but that doesn't really matter, since I usually win by transcendence.

BTW, my views on gravships stated in my earlier post still count. It's just that I don't use them much. But thanks for the ideas. I had never thought of Gravformers or Grav Colony pods before I read this thread.

 

[Terje]

Me neither

That's one of the things I love the most about this game; the way you have control over most areas of it. It just feels so good

 

[The Person]

That's right, I'm still stuck in the Civ2 way of thinking. I almost never use the units editor. Maybe I should try some really freaky stuff. Can you give your units custom names?

 

[sir_schwick]

Of course, but disable the computer 'auto-design'. it clutters up your design screen. I started naming my unit types with series names, you know, strong attack infantry would be Hercules or Culverin.