HeliCopters Ultimate Unit? Why not Gravs?

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Author Topic:   HeliCopters Ultimate Unit? Why not Gravs?

DarkFaery posted 02-14-99 11:11 PM ET
I can't help but wonder whether this is deliberate, accidental or a unique problem. Having just successfully completed my first full game via Military Conquest, toward the end of the game all I built was Helicopters. For some reason, they could attack as many times as they liked, and no other unit could. I would fly a 24/12 Heli up to an enemy base and attack once, twice, three times or ten times (movement remaining) wiping out a defender with each attack. The Helicopter seemed to be the only unit that could do this, and it gave it an incredible advantage over the other units in the game, including the supposedly superior Grav based Units.
Why?
I can understand Heli's doing it. Unlike planes, I can easily picture helicopters just holding position lobbing continuous fire into a city so I found it relatively justified. But if they could do it, why couldn't the "never-land grav stations" as well?
So, what does everyone think? Should Heli's be able to? If they can, should Grav's? Is it too powerful? Is it just me?
Andrew Kasantsev posted 02-15-99 12:59 AM ET
Yes, I already mentioned it. Firaxis (it seems) didn't mind. But pay attention - AAA/SAM option is good agains copter, and it is standard situation in the end of the games, when 2-5 heli crashed on single 1-6-1 SAM/ECM defender... But I think grav HAD to have minimum moves/3 attack (8 for 24 moves). Hovertank also can attack 4 times...
Krikkit One posted 02-15-99 12:10 PM ET
I think this is because they wanted all of the chassis types to be balanced for example on land
Infantry are significantly cheaper than Rovers (and they have different combat bonuses)
Rovers are reasonably cheaper than hovertanks which are only different in that they are faster.
A similar situation exists with foils and cruisers.(except for the transport bonus)
But 'copters, gravships, and needlejets all cost the same amount. Each has an advantage and disadvantage
needlejet-needs air superiority to be attacked, but
needs to be refueled
'copter-attacks as many times as it wants, but
takes damage each turn
gravship-actually this could be taken as the base air unit (no need to refuel and 1 attack per turn)
'Copters have the advantage when you're fighting a war with someone nearby, but not land connected. Gravships would have the advantage when they're an ocean away. Needlejets would probably have the advantage when you're fighting a land war as support units.
(because if gravships could attack multiple times, there would be no reason to build 'copters)
Isle posted 02-15-99 05:22 PM ET
My experience is that rovers and hovercraft cost exactly the same, hovercrafts therby rendering rovers obsolete. But I am not sure of it for by the time you can build hovercraft all land units other than infantry is useless because of ECM, except for an occational hover scout.
As for the air units, it also takes air superiority to attack coptors and grav's. So the only advantage of needlejets over copters, is that they dont take the 20% damage when ending outside a city(the first round).
Utrecht posted 02-15-99 05:32 PM ET
Grav ships can occupy a base. Copters and needlejets cannot.
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Author	Topic: HeliCopters Ultimate Unit? Why not Gravs?
DarkFaery	posted 02-14-99 11:11 PM ET I can't help but wonder whether this is deliberate, accidental or a unique problem. Having just successfully completed my first full game via Military Conquest, toward the end of the game all I built was Helicopters. For some reason, they could attack as many times as they liked, and no other unit could. I would fly a 24/12 Heli up to an enemy base and attack once, twice, three times or ten times (movement remaining) wiping out a defender with each attack. The Helicopter seemed to be the only unit that could do this, and it gave it an incredible advantage over the other units in the game, including the supposedly superior Grav based Units. Why? I can understand Heli's doing it. Unlike planes, I can easily picture helicopters just holding position lobbing continuous fire into a city so I found it relatively justified. But if they could do it, why couldn't the "never-land grav stations" as well? So, what does everyone think? Should Heli's be able to? If they can, should Grav's? Is it too powerful? Is it just me?
Andrew Kasantsev	posted 02-15-99 12:59 AM ET Yes, I already mentioned it. Firaxis (it seems) didn't mind. But pay attention - AAA/SAM option is good agains copter, and it is standard situation in the end of the games, when 2-5 heli crashed on single 1-6-1 SAM/ECM defender... But I think grav HAD to have minimum moves/3 attack (8 for 24 moves). Hovertank also can attack 4 times...
Krikkit One	posted 02-15-99 12:10 PM ET I think this is because they wanted all of the chassis types to be balanced for example on land Infantry are significantly cheaper than Rovers (and they have different combat bonuses) Rovers are reasonably cheaper than hovertanks which are only different in that they are faster. A similar situation exists with foils and cruisers.(except for the transport bonus) But 'copters, gravships, and needlejets all cost the same amount. Each has an advantage and disadvantage needlejet-needs air superiority to be attacked, but needs to be refueled 'copter-attacks as many times as it wants, but takes damage each turn gravship-actually this could be taken as the base air unit (no need to refuel and 1 attack per turn) 'Copters have the advantage when you're fighting a war with someone nearby, but not land connected. Gravships would have the advantage when they're an ocean away. Needlejets would probably have the advantage when you're fighting a land war as support units. (because if gravships could attack multiple times, there would be no reason to build 'copters)
Isle	posted 02-15-99 05:22 PM ET My experience is that rovers and hovercraft cost exactly the same, hovercrafts therby rendering rovers obsolete. But I am not sure of it for by the time you can build hovercraft all land units other than infantry is useless because of ECM, except for an occational hover scout. As for the air units, it also takes air superiority to attack coptors and grav's. So the only advantage of needlejets over copters, is that they dont take the 20% damage when ending outside a city(the first round).
Utrecht	posted 02-15-99 05:32 PM ET Grav ships can occupy a base. Copters and needlejets cannot.