missile

[d=me]

how much should conventional missiles be used?

[Barinthus]

Well it depends on your stragety. Some people find those to be useful while others think they're a waste.

[Flubber]

not a big fan here-- They have a limited usefulness against strongpoints for a short time and are useful when using the self-destruct tactic and for their extended range

BUT their single shot nature means they are no bargain .

So I will likely build a couple for specific targets but I will build far more choppers

[Frankychan]

Use them in your forward bases to help clear enemy bases of defenders OR adjacent bases to prevent them from reinforcing your target base.

I usually only build a couple of them. If I'm not using them within a couple of turns, I usually place them "on alert" so they can destroy transports coming my way or "power units" that are spearheading an enemy invasion.

But again, I'll only build a couple. Like Flubber said, I'd rather build choppa's and Sin Busters.

[Jamski]

I won my first Trancend game by massive missile barrage. It was a real messy meatgrinder game with constant war on 4 fronts on one huge continent, and I simply sent missiles against each base untill they were empty, and then landed my drop troops. My god, it was so ineffecient, but I made the error of letting the AI build interceptor and AAA units everywhere

-Jam

[Frankychan]

Yeah, when the enemy base is filled with those kind of units, ConMissiles can do wonders.

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by Frankychan
If I'm not using them within a couple of turns, I usually place them "on alert" so they can destroy transports coming my way or "power units" that are spearheading an enemy invasion.

Ah, didn't know this trick, missiles on alert

[Trithemius]

Originally posted by GeoModder
Ah, didn't know this trick, missiles on alert

What a cunning plan! This makes them quite useful against surprise fleet attacks on sea bases I would imagine...

Here comes the transport with marines... *FWOOSH*... and there it goes.

[SynthetGod8]

yeah, I only resort to missles when I'm loosing choppers or jets against AAA units and I *still* don't have a beachhead.

[d=me]

Does missiles kill everyone in the same square?
Can ground and sea units attack air units?

[Flubber]

Originally posted by d=me
Does missiles kill everyone in the same square?
Can ground and sea units attack air units?

Planet busters kill in a radius determined by reactor size. Conventional missiles kill only one unit although self-destructing a missile can cause so much damage across several tiles.

Ground and sea units may attack planes if they have the "surface-to-air missile" (SAM) special ability. The plane defends with its armour and almost always dies.

Helicopters land at the end of each turn and can be attacked without the SAM ability

[d=me]

A missile will kill a unit guaranteed?

[GeoModder]

No, an AAA unit, in a base with an Aerospace Complex, and a high armour, will survive a missile attack.

Missiles attack with 18 strength, so I gather that an 8 armour defender with AAA and Aerospace in a base can survive.

In fact, I remember in a game of mine that this happened.

[Zeiter]

Yeah, an AAA unit with neutronium (8) armor in a base with an aerospace complex could withstand a conventional missle attack. However, 8 armor defenders come somewhat late, and even if the missle doesn't completely destroy the unit, it will at least inflict some damage, so that maybe you can manage to take out a stubborn 8 armor AAA unit with 2 or 3 missles. A missle will easily take out any defender up to about a 6 armor rating with AAA.

Am I right in thinking that the weapon value for a conventional missle increases with the reactor value, so that quantum conventional missles have a weapon strength of 20, and singularity, a 22?

I find that missles are mainly good for a giant blitzkrieg attack against a number of bases. I had one game where I stockpiled about 40 or so conventional missles, and in one turn, I declared war on Zakharov, using about 20 of my missles to empty about 7 or 8 of his bases. I then pushed forward with a large force I was mustering on his border, quickly capturing his H.Q. and several other bases. I used drop pods to capture the rest of the emptied bases. I then declared war on Deidre, first using a nuke to wipe out about 3 of her cities, then using conventional missles to empty many more. At the end of 1 turn, I had captured about 15 bases, and almost crippled my opponents before they even had a chance to strike back. Basically, if you have a stubborn defender that just won't die, or if you need a weapon that you can count on to get the base cleared in advance of some drop pods, missles can be very useful.

However, I don't think there is much widespread strategic usefulness in conventional missles. The greater part of your air attack should be handled by choppers, penetrators, and interceptors.

BTW, if I've destroyed my enemy's air force and my interceptors aren't doing anything, I'll use them to take out rovers, formers, and other defensively weak units. It saves the penetrators and choppers for the stronger units.

[Santiago_Claus]

An 8r AAA defender behind an Aerospace Complex will take 2 missiles to destroy.

The missile unit is useful mostly for SMAC-X because of the relatively small tech prerequisites of 8-res armor.

Particularly if tech steal is on and the AI's are hammering each other and grabbing each other's techs -- and Planet forbid yours if you're caught up in the action as well -- there is a good chance the AI will get 8r armor before you get a weapon that will overpower it.

After the garden weasel (from Adv. Spaceflight) there is usually a pause before the next weapon advance. Missiles can help fill in this gap.

Even so I've only had one game in which the availability of 8r armor came early enough to compel use of missiles, as it's still late enough technology that the player is likely to be teching extremely quickly by that time. Stalling a few turns to reach the post-garden-weasel generation of weaponry is not impractical.