How be the Blue Baron: A user's guide to Air Force
Nov 25, 2017 0:54:38 GMT
kanue, best75, and 8 more like this
Post by Leonid Govorov on Nov 25, 2017 0:54:38 GMT
Hello, in my units analysis thread, I didn't mention the air units, and for a reason. The tactics for them is very very different from how you would use your army and navy, and still, they're a crucial factor to victory. So, without further ado, let's do this!
I: The different types
There are a total of three types of air force: Attackers, Paratroopers, and Missiles.
Attackers, as I would call them, are what attacks, or "Raids" the units and does damage, including the Fighter, Bomber, the Strategic Bomber(SB), and the Super Plane.
Paratroopers are simple: they drop an infantry unit, depending on your tech level, to a tile within range, which is also determined by your tech level.
The Missiles are similar to Attackers, but you need to build a "Missle Silo", which is available after your "In-Game Tech level" reaches 7. They do not cost any gold($), only industry and technology.
II: The different units
I would like to go over all the units' stats, without commentary, just so you can better understand what I'm talking about.
Just a chart to simplify things, with credits to odm for providing neat formats with air units.
And the nukes:
III: Units analysis
Fighter: These deal +30% Damage to infantry, right? So it seems like a logical choice to use them to infantry generals outside a city. These are incredibly vulnerable to air defences, however, so if the city you wish to strike have an anti-air system higher than AA gun(i.e. AA Artillery, AA Missile), don't even dare. Your money deserves to go into a better place.
Bomber: It obviously requires you a level II airport to build those, and quite expensive. It has +30% damage to ships, but Carriers and Cruisers have an AA artillery, which makes using bombers against Carriers and Cruisers a stupid choice. However, bombers still may be used towards Submarines and Destroyers, which may be quite annoying, especially Submarines.
Strategic Bomber: One of the only two units in the Raider group that can carry nuclear weapons, it can deal +50% damage to cities, which makes throwing them on cities a decent choice. However, I would advise you to only use them before cold-war era, as there are a lot of AA missiles that makes SBs quite weak. Also, could be decent against Heavy/Super tanks.
Super Plane: These count as a "Super Unit", and only USSR(Tu-22M), France(Rafale), and USA(B2 Spirit) has those. If you're playing as the USSR, using them on Cruisers and Destroyers are the best shot at success, as they don't get any distractions from AA artillery on those ships. If you're playing as France, then use them as infantry generals inside a city. Whatever is stationed inside a city, the SSB just ignores it. Plus, it deals +30% damage to infantry, which is fantastic. If you're playing as the U.S, then congratulations, you have the best Super Plane available in the game! Use them to bomb cities, since they deal +50% damage to cities, and you won't get any retaliation! Fantastic. Overall, use them to pretty much anywhere you want, but focus on their speciality.
Paratroopers: Now they only require a level 1 airport, which seems to be a pleasant change from WC3. Try to paratroop on cities and objectives(in campaigns) only until you have a decent tech because you're getting a ripoff if your tech is poor. Do not paraspam until you can pump out at least motorized infantry either, because nobody wants to buy a $100 assault infantry with $180. What a poor deal!
SRB Missile: 12 hex range. Not bad, compared to air units. To be honest, range doesn't matter that much(in the case of missiles) as if you run out of silos to reach, you can build another one! Anyways, like all missiles, this monster costs no money($) at all, so if you have tons of industry and no money, always feel free to fire away! Target cities and units with air defence, as it can deal decent damage over pretty much every type of air defence!
MRB Missile: This one can hit Canada from Britain! Great for invading another continent. Like the SRB Missile, target cities and units with air defence. The only catch is that even though it costs 25% more than the SRB, the attack is only 20% higher. So use SRB if possible.
LRB Missile: 41.6% increase from SRB, while 61.6% cost was increased. I recommend you to use SRB missiles, but it could be useful for invading Asia. For other uses, use SRB Missiles.
ICB Missile: 66.6% increase from SRB(in damage), while 100% in cost was increased. Like I said, SRB is the most cost-effective. Might be useful when attacking remote locations. For other uses, try to use the SRB Missile.
IV: Nukes
Nukes are extremely powerful, and are the key to success, especially after the Cold War (1950) era. If you use them smartly, then they can be deadly. But if you use them with enemy light infantry, then they're worse than nothing. You can load them into Super Planes, Strategic Bombers, and every type of Missiles.
Atomic Bomb: This one, in my opinion, is the one that you're going to make the most use out of. It has no radius damage, which, in some situations can be a great thing, and doesn't cost that much too! They deal 320 damage, so that means if you load them in an SRB Missile, the total damage will be 320.
Hydrogen Bomb: It does radius damage, which means your own units can die from it. So, unless you got a horde of enemies near a key objective, I do not recommend you use it. If used effectively, the total damage will be 350+20*6=470. That's a lot, but probably, you won't make that much anyways.
Tri-Phase Bomb: To be honest, I would choose an atomic bomb over a tri-phase any day. think about it: you're probably raiding a city with your tank general, and struggling to capture Moscow. You send a Tri-Phase bomb, and your tank general takes damage! That...Seems a bit (Correction: very) terrible. Total damage: 380+25*6+12*10=650. Good to know, right?
Like I kept mentioning, the radius damage, to me, is more harm then good.
V: Tips&Tricks
-Try to prioritize the places/units to attack. Usually, my priority is Normal units<Generals<Cities, but experiment and find out what works for you!
-Observe closely which AA is situated in the city you want to raid and find the most effective weapon.
-Depending on situations, build AA gun in order to destroy the AA Missile in a city, if you think the enemy is going to take back the city anyways.
-Nukes are extremely powerful. Like best75 says, try to deliver them in SSBs if they are available.
-Watch out for radius damage! I didn't and lost my general. Do not situate your key troops near an enemy city you want to nuke.
-Try to find the most cost-effective way to raid. For example, if you have loads of industry but have a low money budget, use missiles.
Any questions? Let me know-My tag is @ govorov(without the space)!
I: The different types
There are a total of three types of air force: Attackers, Paratroopers, and Missiles.
Attackers, as I would call them, are what attacks, or "Raids" the units and does damage, including the Fighter, Bomber, the Strategic Bomber(SB), and the Super Plane.
Paratroopers are simple: they drop an infantry unit, depending on your tech level, to a tile within range, which is also determined by your tech level.
The Missiles are similar to Attackers, but you need to build a "Missle Silo", which is available after your "In-Game Tech level" reaches 7. They do not cost any gold($), only industry and technology.
II: The different units
I would like to go over all the units' stats, without commentary, just so you can better understand what I'm talking about.
Just a chart to simplify things, with credits to odm for providing neat formats with air units.
And the nukes:
III: Units analysis
Fighter: These deal +30% Damage to infantry, right? So it seems like a logical choice to use them to infantry generals outside a city. These are incredibly vulnerable to air defences, however, so if the city you wish to strike have an anti-air system higher than AA gun(i.e. AA Artillery, AA Missile), don't even dare. Your money deserves to go into a better place.
Bomber: It obviously requires you a level II airport to build those, and quite expensive. It has +30% damage to ships, but Carriers and Cruisers have an AA artillery, which makes using bombers against Carriers and Cruisers a stupid choice. However, bombers still may be used towards Submarines and Destroyers, which may be quite annoying, especially Submarines.
Strategic Bomber: One of the only two units in the Raider group that can carry nuclear weapons, it can deal +50% damage to cities, which makes throwing them on cities a decent choice. However, I would advise you to only use them before cold-war era, as there are a lot of AA missiles that makes SBs quite weak. Also, could be decent against Heavy/Super tanks.
Super Plane: These count as a "Super Unit", and only USSR(Tu-22M), France(Rafale), and USA(B2 Spirit) has those. If you're playing as the USSR, using them on Cruisers and Destroyers are the best shot at success, as they don't get any distractions from AA artillery on those ships. If you're playing as France, then use them as infantry generals inside a city. Whatever is stationed inside a city, the SSB just ignores it. Plus, it deals +30% damage to infantry, which is fantastic. If you're playing as the U.S, then congratulations, you have the best Super Plane available in the game! Use them to bomb cities, since they deal +50% damage to cities, and you won't get any retaliation! Fantastic. Overall, use them to pretty much anywhere you want, but focus on their speciality.
Paratroopers: Now they only require a level 1 airport, which seems to be a pleasant change from WC3. Try to paratroop on cities and objectives(in campaigns) only until you have a decent tech because you're getting a ripoff if your tech is poor. Do not paraspam until you can pump out at least motorized infantry either, because nobody wants to buy a $100 assault infantry with $180. What a poor deal!
SRB Missile: 12 hex range. Not bad, compared to air units. To be honest, range doesn't matter that much(in the case of missiles) as if you run out of silos to reach, you can build another one! Anyways, like all missiles, this monster costs no money($) at all, so if you have tons of industry and no money, always feel free to fire away! Target cities and units with air defence, as it can deal decent damage over pretty much every type of air defence!
MRB Missile: This one can hit Canada from Britain! Great for invading another continent. Like the SRB Missile, target cities and units with air defence. The only catch is that even though it costs 25% more than the SRB, the attack is only 20% higher. So use SRB if possible.
LRB Missile: 41.6% increase from SRB, while 61.6% cost was increased. I recommend you to use SRB missiles, but it could be useful for invading Asia. For other uses, use SRB Missiles.
ICB Missile: 66.6% increase from SRB(in damage), while 100% in cost was increased. Like I said, SRB is the most cost-effective. Might be useful when attacking remote locations. For other uses, try to use the SRB Missile.
IV: Nukes
Nukes are extremely powerful, and are the key to success, especially after the Cold War (1950) era. If you use them smartly, then they can be deadly. But if you use them with enemy light infantry, then they're worse than nothing. You can load them into Super Planes, Strategic Bombers, and every type of Missiles.
Atomic Bomb: This one, in my opinion, is the one that you're going to make the most use out of. It has no radius damage, which, in some situations can be a great thing, and doesn't cost that much too! They deal 320 damage, so that means if you load them in an SRB Missile, the total damage will be 320.
Hydrogen Bomb: It does radius damage, which means your own units can die from it. So, unless you got a horde of enemies near a key objective, I do not recommend you use it. If used effectively, the total damage will be 350+20*6=470. That's a lot, but probably, you won't make that much anyways.
Tri-Phase Bomb: To be honest, I would choose an atomic bomb over a tri-phase any day. think about it: you're probably raiding a city with your tank general, and struggling to capture Moscow. You send a Tri-Phase bomb, and your tank general takes damage! That...Seems a bit (Correction: very) terrible. Total damage: 380+25*6+12*10=650. Good to know, right?
Like I kept mentioning, the radius damage, to me, is more harm then good.
V: Tips&Tricks
-Try to prioritize the places/units to attack. Usually, my priority is Normal units<Generals<Cities, but experiment and find out what works for you!
-Observe closely which AA is situated in the city you want to raid and find the most effective weapon.
-Depending on situations, build AA gun in order to destroy the AA Missile in a city, if you think the enemy is going to take back the city anyways.
-Nukes are extremely powerful. Like best75 says, try to deliver them in SSBs if they are available.
-Watch out for radius damage! I didn't and lost my general. Do not situate your key troops near an enemy city you want to nuke.
-Try to find the most cost-effective way to raid. For example, if you have loads of industry but have a low money budget, use missiles.
Any questions? Let me know-My tag is @ govorov(without the space)!
)
. Note that for the other country specific units you still need Level IV airport and those are the units' stats without any upgrades.
