Paratroopers - do you use them (and how) ?

[Ming]

So you marines crossed the sea and captured a city... what now? You could leave those marines to defend it, or... Airlift is only 1 unit per turn, no good for holding that shiney new city against counter attack. Paradrops can be done countless times.

I didn't know that... I might start building a few after all

[slnz]

Airlift is only 1 unit per turn, no good for holding that shiney new city against counter attack. Paradrops can be done countless times. Remeber troopers can launch out of forts, so use forts to extend the range.

If you manage to hold on to the city until it gets out of revolt (for example with those paras ), you can rushbuy an Airport there after which you can airlift unlimited units per turn to that city. A useful undocumented (I think; at least I didn't find out about this until quite recently ) feature that's sometimes useful when establishing a beachhead on a faraway continent. Too bad Airports are always destroyed upon capture in BtS

[Ming]

It's documented... One strategy strategy when establishing a beachhead on another continent envolves bringing a great artist and great engineer along. When you take the city, you culture bomb it, rush the airport, and then airlift tons of units the next turn. It works real well

[Theben]

It's documented... One strategy strategy when establishing a beachhead on another continent envolves bringing a great artist and great engineer along. When you take the city, you culture bomb it, rush the airport, and then airlift tons of units the next turn. It works real well

Ouch... that's just evil.

[Ming]

It works like a charm... but you need the Great People to do it. That's why I kind of like the para's alternative. It's easier to execute and doesn't take two great people. It's a good way to hold the city without tying up your naval forces and marines, so that they can go wipe out or take another costal city. When you finally finish rushing the airport, you can then move in the hordes, and use the para's to hold another city.

[Blaupanzer]

Actually, with their short range, the paras would only be be useful for the 2nd city of the marine invasion. I usually don't have anyplace to launch them from for that first invasion which is within 5 of that city. If I could get to within 5, why stage a sea invasion at all? The 'rescue your wounded' trick does work like a charm. Include paratroops in your defensive reserves in pairs as soon as they are available.

[rah]

You can rush the airport to eliminate the need of a GE but you have to hold it a turn for that to work. If you can pillage every road up to the city, it helps. But to do that you almost have to wait for gunships, and I hate waiting that long.

[Hauptman]

Also again, map dependant, I often use them to close choke points to cut off or slow down reinforcements to the front. Tectonics maps are chock full of choke points. Drop para's on em, either from forts or vassalized cities, and pillage away the roads then hold out as long as possible. Can buy you precious time by keeping enemy units pinned or forced to march the long way. They are often a much cheaper alternative to transports full of marines and infantry.

Combined arms, learn it live it love it.

[SpencerH]

I made a couple in one game to see what it looked like. It was cool but the chutes were too big. I never used em in any other civ either.

[Blaupanzer]

The chutes were too big? You make a joke, yes/no?

[wodan11]

The chutes were too big?

An illusion of perspective resulting from the 3D engine. Look top-down on anything and it looks bigger.

/at least that's what I tell myself when I change clothes

//did I say that out loud?

[SpencerH]

It may be the effects of age but they look more like cargo chutes than those we jumped with.

[Blaupanzer]

Check out some of the movies on WW II both the D-Day and the Market garden operations and you'll see the old chutes really are big compared to the dangling soldier. However, the modern chutes permit lower jumps in more different types of atmospheric conditions. With those massive parachutes, WW II guys wouldn't even dream of jumping at night near any forest or orchard.

[sorinache]

Check out some of the movies on WW II both the D-Day and the Market garden operations and you'll see the old chutes really are big compared to the dangling soldier. However, the modern chutes permit lower jumps in more different types of atmospheric conditions. With those massive parachutes, WW II guys wouldn't even dream of jumping at night near any forest or orchard.

I still have in front of my eyes the scene from this old war movie where there is this guy dropped on Sainte-Mère Eglise whose chute is caught by the church steeple and he's hung up there unable to do anything and the germans machine gun him ... yet it must have been 25 years since I've last watched this movie on my old b&w TV set ...

[rah]

Hmmm, "The Longest Day". Which had almost every big named actor in it. Red Buttons get's snagged by a church steeple and goes literally deaf from the bells. Others got snagged and gunned down.