How do you beat the AI's navy?

[wilcoxchar]

MP navy combat

In multiplayer games, my AI allies usually send their navy out to destroy their docks, but I usually have to build a backup navy in case the enemy navy starts killing one of my coastal cities.

[Solver]

Well, yeah, ship combat is more rock-papers-scissors, but in real life too, it's much less tactical than land combat.

I agree though that Fireships may be need to weakened just a bit... they absolutely blow a heavy ship up. Also, Submarines destroy heavy ships immediately.

[Mahdimael]

Well, naval combat is much more about maneuvering into a better position than your enemy- something RoN can't possibly hope to do without becoming much more complex. Naval tactics are very complex, I'd say, but more on an individual ship level than any formation. Sure, it would be cool to see battle lines formed by frigates, or see triremes crash into each other, but it's all just too complex for a game like this.

What would be cool is for some ships to have a special ability- like the trireme could have a "ram" ability that would cause massive damage to both ships, or frigate could have a "board" ability to take over enemy ships, subs could have nuclear missiles, destroyers could have mines or something... just something to spice up the sea combat a little

[Hermann the Lombard]

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I'm sure some naval officer will be incensed by that, but I suppose the primary difference is the relative lack of terrain. In some ways naval combat is more like a small unit land action, with each ship the equivalent of one soldier (or one unit) on land.

However, throw in fixed-wing aircraft and helos, then add submarines and thermoclines and seamounts, and you have a complex 3D combat environment with ample scope for tactics...all of which leads up to tonight when I invade Japan on Moderate in CTW, starting Industrial Age, for my first major RoN sea battle.

I had a disappointing minor sea battle back when carracks, corvettes, and bomb ships ruled the seas. I was defending Greenland against the Aztecs, with territory strength of about 2 and no army. I put up a few towers and one castle for initial skimpy coverage of my coast, got four cities up and running, bulked up my land forces to meet the expected invasion, then toughened my Western Wall to 3 castles and 9 towers, or some such. I built one dock for recon and to catch a few fish, then sent out a couple of corvettes for the recon. Sank a couple of his small ships and outran his big ships. Added a few more corvettes...then built a second dock and two substantial fleets (two sets with 6 carracks and 6 corvettes each). Destroyed everything the AI sent at me, and cycled damaged ships through the docks for repair.

Since I got bored waiting for the AI to invade me, I decided to invade the AI. This was made easier because my Romans had a national border that included a peninsula on the Aztec mainland. So I sent 4 villies and my army across, with one fleet on each side forming a protected corridor. Built a castle, built a city, built one each of barracks, stable, and siege, then rolled up the AI.

I had never seen a bomb ship until the AI started shelling my castle. Silly AI taught me about the bomb ships, so then I built a bunch of them and destroyed every military building near the coast. I had complete naval dominance and a boringly unopposed landing.

Likely that will change tonight... -- HtL

[Solver]

Now, I've played a series of games against Tough AI on maps such as Easy Meets West, and my victories have been because of naval domination. Try to achieve naval domination, upgrading ships, in Medieval build them bomb vessels, go after his docks. Then, go with a massive landing army, while keeping the battles close to coast, if possible, to get support from ships. Also, make a "clean sweep" of certain area near the cost, destroying enemy military buildings there, so that I can land there with more safety.