Choppers and Needlejets

[Archaic]

Originally posted by Crimson Sunrise
Helicopters cannot attack needlejets in flight unless they possess the Air Superiority ability.

Not quite. Try it when the Chopper is sitting in a base (It need not start its turn there). I've only experienced this once, and haven't had a chance to replicate it yet (Simply because I haven't been attacked with Noodles since), but I'm fairly confident it's not a bug that was limited to that single PBEM game.

[Blake]

I generally like to use SAM rovers, there are two reasons to like ground based SAM units:
A) They dont fly out and die by intercepting a penetrator with better weapons.
B) They can be upgraded to SAM from normal, and vice-verca.

So usually I upgrade an old impact rover or two to a SAM Impact rover just to mop up enemy needlejets over my territory.

I like missiles quite a lot, they are particullary good when fighting enemies with superier technology, sometimes it's even worth it (but very expensive) to use fision missiles to destroy fusion units. Note: Self destruct usually does far more damage than attacking, this is true of missiles and all units with a weapon strength of 10+.

[Barinthus]

Originally posted by Blake
I like missiles quite a lot, they are particullary good when fighting enemies with superier technology, sometimes it's even worth it (but very expensive) to use fision missiles to destroy fusion units. Note: Self destruct usually does far more damage than attacking, this is true of missiles and all units with a weapon strength of 10+.

If I was to send a missile against an enemy base, it automatically blow up so I assume this self-destruct tactic would be effective only against units out in the open?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Yes units inside a base are protected from self destructing units.

OTOH, units inside a base make it (the base) a fair target for 50% popuation reduction via nerve gas attack.

[Barinthus]

*gasp* you would blatantly gas innocent civilans?

I've never used nerve gas although I did build some X-units to be used against the aliens. But in the end I never got around to using them.

You know, sometimes after few hours of playing and under influence of whatever, I'd start wonder what if this is like that book Ender's Game and that while to me I'm playing a game, there are people dying somewhere else on a Chiron-like planet.

[Flubber]

Mead has it right

AAA is to defend and an AA troop in a base can be tough to kill-- If in the open, the AA troop is usually killed more easily by ground forces

SAM is for killing planes and blakes point about SAM rovers is a good one. O also like SAM rovers since a very cheap one can take out pretty much any plane ( unless the opponent goes to the added expense of armour on planes but thats a losing proposition since a SAM rover that can easily kill it will still be much cheaper)

Always remember that it is pretty tough to have a unit with even " good" chances of survival outside its own territory/sensors against a tech equivalent opponent when you consider to possibilities of air, land, native , artillery, probe control and self-destruct tactics.

Thats why so many players focus on attacking and eliminating the opponents forces rather than trying to build units that can survive in the open-- The gap between attack values and defense values makes defense outside a base pretty difficult. You can build stacks of units with aircover or try to give units things like ECM AND AA but then it become more and more cost effective for an opponent to self-destruct a unit or two and then easily kill the rest.

[johndmuller]

Originally posted by DataAeolus
You know, sometimes after few hours of playing and under influence of whatever, I'd start wonder what if this is like that book Ender's Game and that while to me I'm playing a game, there are people dying somewhere else on a Chiron-like planet.

Is that 'whatever' a psi drug, or is there a set of loose lips somewhere around here?

It's bad enough that we have a 'Hive' faction in SMAC (at least Yang doesn't look like a Queen anyway), but now we may have people talking outside of battle school. How are we going to keep getting enough new recruits if we blow our cover story?

[Mr. Harley]

Two items to add. You can use a needle-jet as a police unit, though by that time you are usually producing units with the "non-lethal" special ability for that. I've used needle-jets, especially during rapid conquest/expansion phases, as emergency garrisons until I get a trance scout built.

If you have an aeronautical complex, it works as a perimeter defense against air attacks. Add AA units to a base with aeronautical complexes and you can have a unit that requires multiple attacks to kill.