How to have fun with Bombers.

[FreeChina]

If you are far enough advanced over an adversary that you have Advanced Flight, and they don't even have Flight, there is a thing you can do with your Bombers that can really kill off enemy cities without the risk of losing a plane (except to bribery, although Democracy can solve that problem.)

The idea here is to hover bomber planes on the squares around a particular enemy city that has 2 or more food production. Do this to enough squares and presto, the city is faced with a very severe food shortage and easily falls into a downward population spiral once its food box empties.

This strategy can also be used to take control of resource squares that are within the city radius of both one of your cities and an enemy city.

In CivI this could be extremely abusive. How does it work in CivII?

[Steve Clark]

I thought Bombers have to return to a city, airport or a carrier on the next turn?

[crowatbitemedotcom]

Well, if you have enough bombers, you can rotate them in and out on every turn. But then if you had enough bombers to do this, why wouldn't you just bomb the city? I guess if the city has city walls, the population won't decrease if you attack it, but that's the only reason I can see to do this.

[Theben]

x2 post
[This message has been edited by Theben (edited January 02, 2000).]

[Theben]

The more effective tactic is to cover every single square your opponents has that produces "shields", especially if the target is republic/democracy. They do get to keep the one from the city square, but that's it. The city will lose it's units before they get to attack, so don't worry about any fighters stationed inside (assuming they're supported by that city!). The next turn kill the one remaining defender and walk in. Less effective vs. monarchy/ communism, and doesn't work against fundy at all.

[crowatbitemedotcom]

That's a good idea. Unfortunately when I get to that stage of the game, the AI is almost always in a Fundamentalist government, so they don't need to worry about support.

[Aurelius]

Hey Theban,
The AI actually does this trick to some extent...and that is what prompted me to do as you do, wholesale shield-starve a cities units in a republic/democracy.

I'd add to your comment only that it is a great tactic against an cease-fire'd AI. You know your going to war when they break the truce so I call it peace time agression--gives meaning to the Evil Romans.

Steve,
I'm not sure if you know about the fortified bomber? Bombers don't have to go back. If they can find land, they can fortify. I guess it is based on refeuling in the air. So they can just sit on your enemies resource squares if you don't fear fighters. Out of this reality comes the concept (cheat) of stacking--though I like the interdiction concept of bombers and find legitimacy in the idea.

Aurelius.
[This message has been edited by Aurelius (edited December 30, 1999).]

[poppawoppa]

What do you mean they don't have to return if they find land? They can fortify??? Can you give a better example? I have the impression that I have had bombers over a land area, not river, lake or ocean, and if I forget to move them back to a city, they crash. I don't think I have ever tried to fortify the bomber when it's out of a city. What do you do?

[Aurelius]

Yeah Poppa,

Me too, a friend told me about this trick after a month or too of warlord Civ. It never occurred to me to try this trick on my own. I assume you know how to fortify a ground unit. Do the same thing on land with a bomber. It won't crash. It will sit there until it is shot down or unfortified and moved either back to a base/city/carrier or to another piece of land and refortified. You can explore indefinately this way. But don't attack another unit until you return home for more bombs! You will crash if you don't resupply with presumably more bombs. So you can move without a second attack with no penalty.

You can also try fortifying at sea. You just get a message that you can't do this. Land better be nearby! River's are not problem. Lakes are.

Experiment!

[poppawoppa]

Thanks Aurelius. I dont often use bombers, mostly the Howitzer, Tank and Spy overland conquest. However, sometimes, after knocking off a few cities, I can get the AI to change government from Democracy, and then my spy gets to bribe a few cities, so I get some bombers that way.
So, just get the bomber to a fortress area and tell it to fortify. Or...get a couple of engineers to quick built a fortress under a bomber with almost no movement points left, and then have the bomber fortify. Nice move.

[Aurelius]

Poppa,

There's a distinction between the words 'fortressed' and 'fortified'. You actually don't need to build a 'fortress' or an airbase for a bomber! You can just use the 'f' command and 'fortify' over UNIMPROVED land. But for stacking purposes, it is a great defensive set-up to have a bomber 'fortified' with a 'fortress' and some strong defensive units. The combination of bombers on a square with other units is called stacking with or without the 'fortress'. The concept of stacking is based on the restriction that only a fighter (stealth or reg) can attack a bomber. In the event that a fighter is attacking the stack, the strongest defender defends (this I assume true from experience. though partisans go for engineers as an exception!) If you have a 'fortress', you can only lose one unit per attack. Without a 'fortress' your at risk of losing an entire stack, bomber and all.

But I'm getting too wordy, experiment. I too, love howitzers and spies--not much for tanks.
Oh, can't help myself, build a mountain 'fortress', and put a tank or strong defensive unit in the 'fortress' and 'fortify' and you have a powerful unit. Put a bomber in the stack and 'fortify' and Vet stealth won't budge the combo and howitzers will be useless. Just imagine how many stealth vet fighters will bite the dust with a vet mech fortified in the mountain 'fortress'. It's a cheat in some ways. But everyone does it I'd venture.

Howitzer only is a good concept. Still think a couple fortress buildin' engineers should accompany the howitzer brigade along a railroad with spy Can destroy a civ fast! One turn!

Aurelius the Cruel.

[Steve Clark]

Aurelius:

Thanks for the tip about Bombers, didn't know that. Your posts on this thread and others are very good. Glad to see experienced newcomers to this forum. You'll make Warlord in no time

BTW, you mentioned about coming from the cold netherregion of NY - what part specifically?

[Aurelius]

Hey Steve,

I like the little titles, settler/cheiftain/warlord..., but I want to be choo choo charlie--an engineer. During a game, I'm most excited when explosives is developed or available for research--even more than espionage and robotics and especially so with Leo's thing.

With a settler or chieftain title, I can be excused for my ignorance here and in the games. I think multiplayer will be a big come uppance too :-)

If I didn't have such a nice view of SF facing east, I wouldn't be typing so much at the computer--not true, but it leads to your question-- As far as my orgin is concerned, a simple riddle: East of Buffalo, West of The City, South of Syracuse and North of Elmira is a smallish town with three seasons and three hills and a long lake--oh, and it's 'gorgeous!'

How bout choo?

Aurelius--Ignores ZOC.

[Hodad]

To bully weak enemies you might as well "search and destroy".
Rather like the Russians in Chechnia! HA!

[Steve Clark]

Aurelius:

From my office, I'm looking directly at a 14000 footer (Pikes Peak). Know the view across the bay at your end, very nice. As far as NY, how about Ithaca or Watkins Glen. I'm originally from Syracuse (Go Orange) and my ancestors have been in Central NY for 200 years.

Happy New Years all.