Kemco Games

[Brashin]

Can someone help me with how to best use these troops. I mean usually at the start of a mission I will build 2 Osprey and then load them with either Infantry or Special Forces and I fly out to a spot land and unload the troops to take 2 nearby cities. Im just not sure why bother using paratroopers or the Spec For's to drop as once they drop they can't move and I might be wrong but I dont think you can drop on a city with either Paratroopers or Spec For and capture that turn. At least if you land you can deploy 2 units and typically I dont drop in the middle of enemy forces anyway. Maybe I am jsut not using them correcly but I see no use in Paratroppers or dropping units either as you can only deploy one at a time and they cant move. I think the max might be 2 units to drop if you end your turn and when you start drop one unit then move the Osprey then drop another but again if you land and unload you can do it all in one turn. Please help...Thanks

[SemperFi2382]

Ah, that's a good question and I have an answer.

Special Forces are a little more resilient than regular infantry and paratroopers. In addition, they can be dropped from Medium Altitude, which in certain cases will save you headaches from AtA attacks from helos coming in for an approach. Obviously, you'd either need an Osprey or Transport Plane to reach that altitude.

Now, the purpose of dropping them vs say landing and disembarking is 2 reasons. If you're going to use helos, regular infantry is "usually" the way to go. They aren't the fastest way to transport them, but 2 cities in one move is well worth it for closer territories. You may have noticed this, but helos cannot go "over" mountains (the peaks at least) and blazing to canyons can be tedious and time consuming. In the early rush to grab as much production income as possible this can make or break a strategy.

So, the solution? Airborne drops. (And actually, China has to transport helo and this is the only method they can use for paradrops) The planes can clear the mountains and while you have to wait after you drop, you're still better off than if you flew a helo through the mess. (4 Kingdoms is a good example for the Green Army) Another example is that Transport planes and the Osprey are faster than a helo, so for long distance drops (say, securing a forward airfield for your aircraft that are in tow or some other location of strategic value.) this makes them a good option when speed vs available firepower is required.

True, you can only drop 1 at a time, (which is one of my gripes, but hey I make do), but if both are heading to the same area, 1 drops, the other secures (having been dropped the turn before). Or, I drop and the next turn move on.

Paradrops take time (for real) to drop in the LZ, form up and then start moving in a combat effective unit. So the drop and then they're done is fairly true to life. However, in situations that do not require the speed and manueverability of a transport plane or the Osprey, a helo is the better choice.

NOTE: I mention the Osprey separately because it's classified as a helo, but is the only helo that can travel at Medium Altitude, the required height to clear mountain peaks.
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"The Object is not to die for your country, but to make the other poor bastard die for his." - General Patton

[irashunal]

It also seems that special forces are less hampered by terrain. Between regular infantry and special forces moving in the same mixed terrain, it seems that my spec force can gain a lead on the regular infantry in just a few short turns.

Also: the partatroopers with the all rockets are great to drop in the middle of the enemy backfield or at key choke points on the enemy supply route. Sure they will probably get slaughtered shortly after their first contact but any damage they do causes the enemy funds and resources.

I like to drop the special forces all SAM pack in the places that the enemy heli always seem to travel. If you drop a humvee with them then they get an even better advantage.

[SemperFi2382]

[irashunal]

Actually, i think that the developers got the two units backwards - paratroopers should be medium level drops and special forces should be from low air. Just because you have some HALO missions for special forces in the movies doesn't mean that they drop from 6 miles high all the time- they are generally air assault more than airborne.

[SemperFi2382]

[irashunal]

I guess you're right - since common airborne do jump in to establish a zone of control they do bring alot of mech with them and do have to clear the zone first.

Spec groups should get to hit the ground running, so to speak, since that is what they are trained to do. And that would also make them that much more dangerous in the game - which they should be.

It would also be nice if the submarines could deliver special forces to the shallows with stealth like they sometimes do in real life.

And contrary to the setup of this game a transport chopper with special forces inside should be able to drop multiple times along its movement path because the spec groups drop and go in seconds in real life. But i guess that would be a heckuvalot harder to program, wouldn't it?

[ElricJC]

Another air drop tactic is the one of "seeding", or dropping lines of infantry in unoccupied terrain, capturing the surrounding facilities, and either sticking to them (in the case of cities) or moving to defendable terrain (a mountain, forest, or hills, if superior in defensive value to the facility they captured). For this purpose I almost always use Spec Forces, but in situations where I want more ground support, I use paratroops since they carry more AT weapons.

Also, they're cheaper, and seeding will be most useful near the start when funds are lowest. This works well with the Chinese since they are forced to use cargo planes rather than trans helos, and their cargo plane is cheap (around 800).

Light vehicle drops can be fun, as SemperFi mentioned with the Germans, but the Russians also have a nice well-armed light recon vehicle capable of destroying lighter capture and recon units. They will also give your deployed infantry eyes to the surrounding terrain, with a slightly better detection range.

[SemperFi2382]