Yang's Needlejet Debacle

[Morganstern]

I'm playing a game on the fifth level (Thinker?) as UoP last night, and am in mid-game. Yang is my closest rival, and has just announced our return to war. He uses roughly 20 needlejets to hover over a borehole close to my University Base, in an apparent effort to block my Secret Project construction (guess they aren't so secret!). I don't know why he needed 20 planes to do this, I guess the AI doesn't have that kind of nuance.

On my turn, I attack Yang's base from which the needlejets departed. When he returns those aircraft on his next turn, my attacking plane is blocking the intended trajectory of his return. Unbeknownst to me, he had stretched his needlejets to the max distance-wise. So all 20 planes, one at a time, divert off the path and disintegrate before they reach the base. I've never had anything like this happen before, and was pretty amused watching each of his needlejets blow up. Rather than being bored to tears watching all these aircraft return sequentially, I got fireworks. Needless to say, this event marks quite a shift in the balance of military power in this game.

I'd like to take credit for this marvelous tactic, but it happened quite by accident. I'd like to hear any comments on this. Otherwise, I'm noting this as another potential tactic for use against the "ever-oppressive" AI, particularly the despicable Yang.

[mark13]

Morganstern,

I doubt this had anything to do with SP production - the AI isn't that bright, unfortunately. More likely was that the AIs indicator said the base was just within range to attack, and he had to divert from his path (enemy unit, or whatever) so he ended up just short. This tends to confuse the AI no end - I have had several instances in which one needlejet after the other has blown up - sometimes a couple dozen of them.
[This message has been edited by mark13 (edited January 19, 2001).]

[big_canuk]

A very valid stratagy agaist the AI, or even agaist a human opponent without interceptors, is to build a wall of units between a large attacking force of penetrators, and their home. The best units for this wall would be of course units the penetrators can not attack, ie air units. Their only option is to ditch, or suicide attack whatever is in range.

[Chowlett]

I'm fairly certain (although it might have been pre-patch) that I once saw Yang's jets, hovering over my land blocked by my troops, stay up for 4 turns before they found a route out. I was most annoyed.

[Garth Vader]

This could also have to do with a horrible unit goto routine. One time I was lazy and let the computer fly a plane back to it's base after flying a mission. I watched helplessly as the computer took a zig-zag path and crashed on my coast outside my base. I will never use the goto base feature on a jet again when it's near its max range.