Airlifting Armies

[Melon Head]

Is it just me, or can you not airlift armies? I find this rather irritating, though I can understand it's purpose from a balance perspective.

What's your opinion on armies-should they be airlift-able?

I vote yes, simply because it seems to me that if I can airlift an unlimited amount of modern armor, mechanized infantry, and radar artillery into a town in one turn, then a single swordsman army shouldn't present a problem.

I don't think it would unbalance the game, as armies are either sparse (it wouldn't matter) or so common that you are already UP and the airlifting is more a convenience than anything else.

[Aqualung71]

It's not just you. You can't airlift Armies.

I know it can be a pain, but that's life. Use Transports. Also note, since the AI is useless at making/using Armies, such a change would only benefit the human player more.

[vmxa1]

No I do not think they should be air lifted. You cannot move an army in real life that way, that is why it takes months to build up to the wars with Iraq. It takes many planes to get the stuff shiped.

[Mace]

I agree with vmxa1, in real life armies can't be airlifted en masse and shouldn't be in Civ3 either. In Gulf War I and II, while some army supplies and equipment were airlifted, the heavy fighting equipment of the army was shipped in by sealift ships.

In World War II, D-Day, the armies were shipped across the 100-mile English Channel, not airlifted. Paratroopers were used on a grand scale at D-Day to disrupt rear supply lines, but the primary striking force came by ship. (In Civ3 paratroopers have the same (useful, and often overlooked) role.)

[timmy84]

Paratroopers are kinda weak though. I tried using them in a world war style conflict, but they got thoughly owned. I had more luck using my marines after they were ashore.

And with armies, what I do is build several, and place them stratigicly across the map near hotspots (usually at sea, with a aircraft carrier for heavy bombardment, and a transport full of marines to take a city so the army can be used as soon as possible, instead of waiting a turn in open land.)

Thats sorta what the military does today. The Marine Corps (and the US Army is starting to do this, and may have used it in the Iraq War) has three fleets of supplies for a entire divsion to fight a war for three months. So try to preposition troops at sea.

[Jaybe]

With C3C 1.15Beta I was surprised to be given the option of loading a 2-unit Army into a helicopter!

[Last Conformist]

In the unmodded game, you can't airlift Radar Arty (nor normal Arty). I find that noticeably more strange than the inability to airlift Armies.

[vmxa1]

No arties either. I think it is a balance issue, but I don't really understand it.

[Hermann the Lombard]

re Arty: I don't think that the big guns can be carried by C-17 or C-5. They go in the ships with the Armor and other heavy equipment. Mere cannon should be airliftable, and of course trebs would be built on the spot; you're transporting the artillerists.

[vmxa1]

Well I can sort of agree, but some of the lessor pieces are no bigger than an MA.

[Hermann the Lombard]

Very true, but I don't think the smaller pieces have the devastating power we have come to know and love.

[Chemical Ollie]

Re: Airlifting Armies

Originally posted by Melon Head
then a single swordsman army shouldn't present a problem.

Sharp objects are not allowed in the cabin luggage, so they would have to leave the swords at home.

What irritates me more is that you can't airlift workers. And I don't think you can airlift cruise missiles or tactical nukes either.

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by Jaybe
With C3C 1.15Beta I was surprised to be given the option of loading a 2-unit Army into a helicopter!

Well thanks, that idea was new to me. Imagine what an TOW army could do, especially if you airlift the other 2 units with another chopper then load them.

[Last Conformist]

So we can load an Army into a 'copter, but not into transport aircraft? Makes sense, eh?

Well, at least it means you can de-facto airlift the Army by rebasing the 'copter.

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
So we can load an Army into a 'copter, but not into transport aircraft? Makes sense, eh?

Well, at least it means you can de-facto airlift the Army by rebasing the 'copter.

Yes, an unloaded army or loaded with 1-2 foot infantry then. Good idea to use after establishing a bridgehead town for intercontinental invasions.