Naval Warfare - how important in Civ3?

[Taylost]

I suppose the real iportance of naval superiority rest on wheather you got an arcapalego, continent, or pangea world. The percentage of the surface covered by water wouldn't matter so much.

A strong navy wouldn't be very powerful on a pangea world. All your enemys and resources are on the same continent, so you may reach them by roads. Naval force would only be useful for raids and attacks on rear areas.

In an arcapalego, a strong navy would be critical. You need it not only to defend agianst and conduct invasions, but also to protect your own supply routes. If an enemy manages to cut off your supply of coal or oil in either the industrial or modern ages, then your dead. Your enemy (if the AI is smart enough) can divide and conquer you at his or her will.

[UKScud]

Quote from Andrew1999

To blockade a city, you have to completely block off all routes to other Harbors they want to conect with. The best way to do this will often be to occupy every water tile next to the city with a unit. Although in a large civilization it would be pretty hard to cut off every single coastal city.

I find this a little disappointing! To keep occupying a set of squares off of a city will be difficult. I would have thought that this would be a perfect case for zone of control (which isn't in Civ3), where a naval unit controls the surrounding squares.

You are going to need a massive navy to blockade every coastal city of a continental Civ.

It seems that rather than blockading a harbour, the simpler option is just to blow the hell out of it. Destroy it using specific naval bombardment. Possible with the new bombarment rules, and a lot safer. You wouldn't have to stay within range of coastal fortresses, and bombardment units on the ground.

Any thoughts?

[Mongoloid Cow]

If you wanted to conquer that civ and you had a better culture than them, the harbour would come in handy to connect that city with your coal, oil, iron, saltpeter, etc.

But if you wanted to weaken that city substantially, bombarding it might work.