Uses of Airplanes-Airports!

[Grandpa Troll]

Well, my lessons learned department has certainly been very active!

I have come to, after 4+ years of playing this game, "embrace" aircraft!

I never used them but watched Sampson pick apart my civ witht hem!

I got to turn the table on him in round two..and he submitted, I was floored at the great uses!!

What is the best combo use of aircraft anyone has used here? I have heard of Paratroopers and Bombers..along with those EVIL-F G type Fascists with those loud Jackboots!!

I am so glad I started to listen and leave pride outside, my game play has improved immensley!

Please share with yours truly what ways aircraft are most efficiently and effectively used!

Thanks

Troll

[J Bytheway]

I never got the hang of using them myself, but Gav effectively ripped apart a fleet of my battlecruisers with them. That was rather annoying... And he had them wherever I tried to retaliate in kind, putting up their annoying active air defense...

[FlameFlash]

I'll have to be more careful and active with them myself then... in a game right now where they'd be useful anyway (once discovered.)

Bombers and fighters or just bombers? I know I generally use war walkers as defensive units thanks to the fact that they automatically take pot shots at enemy air units.

The only air units I ever used effectivly were the space planes and space transports.

[blackice]

Airpower completely shifts the game in your favor if you get them first. Active air defense and the attack power gives you a huge edge. I tend not to buy many fighters and save for the jets.

Long range coupled with marines can wipe out city defenses in a snap. Tanks go down like flies with a well aimed swatter. Ships are no match for them either.

Remember though in the age of nukes your ally can attack you and render your active air useless. It will not go off on any nation you are at peace with. So in the age of nukes it is best to drop all peaceful intentions for the A.A.D. to work for you.

Airbases extend the range of your jets once again so build them with that lone settler late in the game in a strategic spot.

Airports give 50% more gold but 100% more pollution. It is best to have recycle and eco transit before you build them.

Remember to always send in a lone fighter to active the A.A. them follow it up with a nuke.

On an air craft carrier with A.A.D. they are quite formitable.

Play the possum too in an area where the enemy is building forces against you keep about 2-1 odds gainst you but build jets in the cities near by when they hit 3-1 against you wipe em out with the jets and troops. Especially in an area where it takes a few turns for them to replace the troops.

You can also set A.A. with troops for defense just remember you have to rotate the air units each turn with new ones or you will lose em.

[Keygen]

Air units are the most usefull units in the game.

They can practically attack almost any unit land, sea and air, they have good attack factor and can hit from distance. They can be moved after they attack and sent into a nearby friendly city or a conquered one.

The only disadvantage is that they can't besiege cities but comulative with fast moving units like paratroopers, tanks, marines or fascists can create serious problems to any defence.

Interceptors rule during Modern Age and space fighters can hit any point in the map through space.

[blackice]

Space fighters, space planes, marines and nukes will bring any not so well defended civ to it's knees real fast.

Load up a space plane or two of machine gunners and tanks for the next wave. Drop them in the cities you already secured that turn. And just sit back and watch the chaos.

Remeber split the civ up in chunks so they waste units on your well defended cities trying to get them back.

The adverage undefended civ will fall in 4-5 turns.
The sensitorium is especially nice to have during that time.

[Frozzy]

Air Power is good as. I stuck a few airbases on the edge of my empire, on the English-Roman border line. I just went full out attack then, because I put Listening Posts with them. Airbases with Listening posts are formidible forms of defense. Just get flight first! Never forget to get to war walkers soon after though. When a 1940's monoplane gets shot by one of your jets, they won't be too happy. Wheres my angry emoticon?

That's not it.

[Swissy]

Originally posted by blackice
Space fighters, space planes, marines and nukes will bring any not so well defended civ to it's knees real fast.

Even a well defended civ is vulnerable. It takes two war walkers/space fighter to shoot down a nuke, three interceptors/SAM. Only SDI is a sure defense. I find the space shuttle/nuke combo to be the most devestating atack weapon in the game. The only relatively cheap defense I have found is sleeping space fighters above every third border square and over every city.