Drop Units

[Snowflake]

So does everybody makes anything with drop ability other than the drop infantry say 6-1-1 units? Are there any other units useful in special occasions? For example, drop rovers, drop probes and drop colony pods? After you get unlimited drop range (when is that?) does this make the drop units real powerful?

[BustaMike]

IMO, drop units are for defense. Choppers are for offense.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by BustaMike
IMO, drop units are for defense. Choppers are for offense.

Agreed-- my primary drop unit is the 1-bestAA-1 although I will occasionally use things like a drop artillery or a drop SAM.

Drop troops with offensive powers are somewhat rare for the simple reason that they attack at half power on the turn they drop-- Combine this with 20% damage if you drop them outside a base and they are pretty useless on the turn dropped.

[Blake]

My drop units are usually defensive (1-bestAA-1) but later on Best-best-3*4 hovertank deals.

Drop transports are handy little things, when you get unlimited drop range it allows you to move around units with two "useful" special abilities.

[Mr. President]

Two and a half words: Chop 'n' Drop.

[Blake]

Another of my favourite drop units is 1-1-1 DropPolice. Drop in drone control .
They only cost 2 rows and can easily be used for shell units, especially if your SE means they come out elite. I usually build them at captured bases behind the frontline, then drop them into the frontline to make captured bases immediately useful.

[timotheus4]

I like drop colony pods, drop crawlers and formers for special tasks, drop transports, etc. Chop n Drop is used more like Chop n Locust for me

[johndmuller]

When running Wealth, or otherwise morale-deprived and when running FM, and sometimes for other reasons (or lack thereof), I will build trained drop shell units, either infantry or rover chasis, depending on relative costs, intended usage, etc, and sometimes drop artie units. The units then take themselves to a base near a monolith to get upgraded and/or to new home bases (with Punishment Spheres or with only Specialists), then to whereever they will be stationed or otherwise used, where they can be upgraded to the desired ultimate configuration

I also use drop transports, for ferrying units around for much the same purposes, particularly if there is some reason that the shell units don't work (like, for example if I'm too poor to afford to upgrade a lot of shell units). They have certain limitations, however, so they are not as much help as one might imagine they could be.

Drop Probes are also quite a staple of mine as well, unless they are unnecessary for some reason.

I also use those other forms that Timotheus4 and Blake mentioned just above, particularly when the target areas are on a nearby but separate landmass. (I even use aircraft transports sometimes, but they are even more limited than drop transports and land transports.)

[Mead]

Originally posted by HongHu
So does everybody makes anything with drop ability other than the drop infantry say 6-1-1 units? Are there any other units useful in special occasions? For example, drop rovers, drop probes and drop colony pods? After you get unlimited drop range (when is that?) does this make the drop units real powerful?

Drop probes can be very useful. The only problem I have had with them is that you have to wait until the next turn to move them after they drop.

Drop artillery. I used to use them a lot beore I learned about Clean Minerals on these forums. Usually, I started making about 6 to 10 of them in the Shard era to use as a fire brigad to soften up the Mindworms that would pop around my high polluting bases. Since I don't pollute as much anymore I don't use them too much.

Mead

[Impaler[WrG]]

Aplied Gravatonics I belive gives you unlimited range. Can anyone confirm that?

[Enigma_Nova]

Gratiton Theory (Skybases) and also if you build the Space Elevator.

[Lazerus]

Drop probes can be very useful. The only problem I have had with them is that you have to wait until the next turn to move them after they drop.

this just saved me losing fusion power in a pbem managed to spot and wipe out all of them


also why build just an infantry chasis for the drop units ? when you've got fusion power 1-best-2-AAA*2 costs exactly the same doesn't it ? drop in 2 or 3 of these to an enemy territory and you can take half his empire in a go.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Lazerus


this just saved me losing fusion power in a pbem managed to spot and wipe out all of them


also why build just an infantry chasis for the drop units ? when you've got fusion power 1-best-2-AAA*2 costs exactly the same doesn't it ? drop in 2 or 3 of these to an enemy territory and you can take half his empire in a go.

Of course I will build on the rover chassis when it is the same cost as the infantry one ( except if I see a use for the against base bonus) .. .However, with upgrading, I find I am still using a lot of infantry chassis since IIRC often the infantry shells are cheaper than corresponding rover ones . Also I often can upgrade some unneeded police scoutsor other units whose usefulness in their current form is ended

Oh and I also use drop probes, drop colonies and even drop formers as others have indicated but these uses are more infrequent. The most frequent use is a defender for bases I am capturing

[Snowflake]

Originally posted by Lazerus
when you've got fusion power 1-best-2-AAA*2 costs exactly the same doesn't it ? drop in 2 or 3 of these to an enemy territory and you can take half his empire in a go.

So you use choppers to wipe out base defense and then drop in your 1-best-2-AAA*2 units to occupy it right? Why do you only need 2 or 3 of these? Are you assuming the enemy empire has only 6 bases or did I not understand the right way to use them?

[CEO Aaron]

Since drop troops typically come after fusion in my tech-path (I honestly forget whether fusion is a pre-requisite), my drop troops are usually fairly well-balanced, so as to take advantage of the discounts the Fusion reactor offers. 4-3-1 clean drop infantry are cranked out in comparable numbers to my chopper fleet when I'm on offense.

As BustaMike points out, their purpose is to capture and garrison bases, not to attack, my choppers. For air-defense, I typically supplement my forces with a modest number of best-weapon interceptors, and a handful of SAM rovers.

The other unit I occasionally put drop capability on is the probe team, since toward the time drop becomes available, my probes are all elite (I run Fundy/Green/Wealth on attack). Being able to drop my probe into enemy territory, then have it move up to 8 roaded/fungus squares is sometimes terribly convenient.

[Sarxis]

I sometimes would make a one move (infantry chassis) drop unit w/transport pod. You can load up an infantry unit with 2 other special abilities, drop, then unload the infantry unharmed. You can also move the infantry unit around in this transport unit, leaving the infantry's attack moves unused.

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by timotheus4
I like drop colony pods, drop crawlers and formers for special tasks, drop transports, etc. Chop n Drop is used more like Chop n Locust for me

Yep, exactly -- great for building instant advance bases, or when you just found out where the Manifold Nexus has been hiding all this time...or when you just found the Uranium Flats or the Jungle, in which case the drop formers are followed by drop supply...

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Anun Ik Oba
I sometimes would make a one move (infantry chassis) drop unit w/transport pod. You can load up an infantry unit with 2 other special abilities, drop, then unload the infantry unharmed. You can also move the infantry unit around in this transport unit, leaving the infantry's attack moves unused.

I call those Drop N' Pops -- and I think you can load up anything up to a hovertank.

[Blake]

...(I run Fundy/Green/Wealth on attack)...

Thats one classy SE, without question the best Morganite war setting.

[Lazerus]

Originally posted by HongHu


So you use choppers to wipe out base defense and then drop in your 1-best-2-AAA*2 units to occupy it right? Why do you only need 2 or 3 of these? Are you assuming the enemy empire has only 6 bases or did I not understand the right way to use them?

well normally when im fighting a builder dropping in 3 of these, using his roads will net me his 6 core bases which really knocks the stuffing out of him, after which just a turn or two mopping up will do the trick, but this is talking about a really early strike and maybe abit rushed (past few wars have been made against me thus i haven't had time to build many. If i planned it then i'd have a drop unit for every base within range and then a couple more ready to push forward next turn.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Lazerus


well normally when im fighting a builder dropping in 3 of these, using his roads will net me his 6 core bases which really knocks the stuffing out of him, after which just a turn or two mopping up will do the trick, but this is talking about a really early strike and maybe abit rushed (past few wars have been made against me thus i haven't had time to build many. If i planned it then i'd have a drop unit for every base within range and then a couple more ready to push forward next turn.

An excellent attack method but it is often difficult to get at an opponents core. Either it is ringed by lesser bases meaning you have to conquer the outer ring first or there are ACs meaning that dropping in is much harder. Lastly a strong opponent will consider the accumulation of forces necessary to do this, to be an unacceptable threat. Personaly, I am not hesitant to advise opponents that a buildup of choppers and drop troops off my coast or right at my border is considered a threat that I will strike against.

Part of the reason I often like polar starting positions is the ability to develop a core that is safer and which can be protected with growth in fewer directions

[Mead]

Originally posted by Lazerus


this just saved me losing fusion power in a pbem managed to spot and wipe out all of them

***

When I do use the drop probes I will usually use them to provide probe defense in a just captured base.

If I do use them for offensive probing into hostile terrain, I will try to drop them into a fungus square, away from sensors, that is near a road leading to my target base to allow my probe to probe that base in the following turn, if it is not detected and destroyed in the fungus.


Mead

[Enigma_Nova]

Don't interceptors (Sam noodles) prevent drops within the base radius? I don't see how you'd drop the core easily.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I actually prefer chopper transports loaded with probes rather than drop probes. Allows unload of probes and movement in same turn and eliminates that possibility of airbase or interceptors disallowing insertion.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Enigma_Nova
Don't interceptors (Sam noodles) prevent drops within the base radius? I don't see how you'd drop the core easily.

You don't even need interceptors at the base - an aerospace center prevents drops within a base radius

[Lazerus]

Originally posted by Mead


When I do use the drop probes I will usually use them to provide probe defense in a just captured base.

If I do use them for offensive probing into hostile terrain, I will try to drop them into a fungus square, away from sensors, that is near a road leading to my target base to allow my probe to probe that base in the following turn, if it is not detected and destroyed in the fungus.


Mead

He did exactly as you said you would, but i spotted them by scouting with choppers, i knew they were there from the fact that they were built the previous turn and were no longer in his basesand the fact he doesn't have fusion is the reason hes going to lose this war.

[gwillybj]

Originally posted by Blake
Another of my favourite drop units is 1-1-1 DropPolice. Drop in drone control .

Me, too!

Important? Yes! Critical? Absolutely.

[Mead]

Originally posted by Lazerus


He did exactly as you said you would, but i spotted them by scouting with choppers, i knew they were there from the fact that they were built the previous turn and were no longer in his basesand the fact he doesn't have fusion is the reason hes going to lose this war.

Good Work with the scouting and keeping track of your opponent's units.

I have considered, but have not tried two following strategies:

1. Dropping some defensive AAA infantry units with the probes, to defend them if detected.

2. Dropping my probes from an airbase or an aircraft carrier so their position would not be noticed if I was infiltrated. Can you do that? If you could, it would drive those who have infiltration on your bases (and like you, are paying attention to the production and garrison) nuts.

Has anyone else?

Please note that the last time I tried dropping (a long time ago, at least 4 months) some 8-10 armored AAA units into a rocky square (I thought the rocky terrain would help in their defense) it did not work out well. They were decimated by Morgan (can you believe Morgan, of all people) Choppers crossfire. Since then, I have usually shied away from dropping units into anyplace else than a base (or within the same move to a base).


Mead

[Lazerus]

what i've always thought might be useful would be having your drop units in a base quite far away, using a ship to move them to a closer base, transferring them to another ship, again moving even closer and then using this close base to drop all over the enemies territory.
Is that possible ? would the units count as having moved since you will be telling them to board a ship ?
it would enable you to build up a large force and launch the first strike without your enemy being able to complain about the border buildup.
If they do count as moved then i suppose already having them on a ship would still enable you to move 8 or 9 squares closer to your target before dropping, quite good for a sneak attack from random directions especially if you don't mind losing a few noodles and choppers on kamikaze missions to remove the defenses.

[Illuminatus]

Originally posted by Lazerus
what i've always thought might be useful would be having your drop units in a base quite far away, using a ship to move them to a closer base, transferring them to another ship, again moving even closer and then using this close base to drop all over the enemies territory.
Is that possible ? would the units count as having moved since you will be telling them to board a ship ?
it would enable you to build up a large force and launch the first strike without your enemy being able to complain about the border buildup.

It is quite possible. Loading units on transports isn`t considered moving units therefore it is therotically possible to move units across the whole map in a single turn, without "spending" unit moves.

If someone hasn`t already noticed, units can be loaded into transports even if they have already been moved.