Combat Engineers

[theDragon]

I was thinking about making a new Unit available with paratroopers called Combat Engineers. CEs would be able to paradrop into neutral or enemy territory and build airstrips, forts, outposts and radar towers; it would cost two population points and higher shield cost.

Now I have two questions for you all:

1) If you build things like radar towers airstrips and forts in enemy territory, can you use them? if you have armed troops on them?

2) Does this sound like anywhere NEAR a good idea? LOL

Feedback would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

[joncnunn]

Unfortunately the Civ III AI would never use it in the way you envision.
AI ignores terraforming possibilites unless the unit is allowed to do every single terraform command.
(This is why certain Conquests have Coal as a dummy resource to disallow certain actions)

[theDragon]

Would it work at all though? (Excluding the AI's obvious lack of fluid intelligence) If it was for a Player vs Player Mod or something? I am asking would the engineers be able to build these things at all dispite them being built in enemy culture?

If a player paradropped in say three paratroops and two combat engineers would they be able to build an airstrip and rebase bombers there and airlift some reinforcements into the LZ?

If the AI wont do this.. that hardly matters to me as the AI doesnt do ALOT of intelligent things that it could easily do.

But I appreciate the post... i was unaware of that particular limitation of ALL OR NOTHING Terraform commands. THANX!

[joncnunn]

Radar Towers: Can't be built in enemy territory, auto-destroyed if within enemy territory / in netural or friendly if enemy unit walks into it.

Airfields: Not sure if they can be built in enemy territory or if your planes can use such airfields, they can be captured intact. (Planes that happen to be there blown up)

Forts: Not sure if they can be built in enemy territory. Your troops can take advantage of empty ones in enemy territory though.

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This AI restriction results in the AI Rome playing a very inferor game. (Not using their Legions to build road connect luxaries to trade network when not busy.) Athough many a human tends to forget that as well.

[theDragon]

Currently conducting a Test.
I will post results of said test upon completion.

[Sarxis]

I remember doing this when civ3 first arrived. It is great, but the AI is too dumb to take advantage of it (AFAIK).