Heavy Bomber vs Ballistic Missiles

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  • Heavy Bomber vs Ballistic Missiles

    As a player who likes to use both, I have recently been evaluating my strategy and it seems to me that Ballistic missiles are superior in almost every way. They:
    • Can only be intercepted by TDS. Sure SAMs and AA guns can do a little damage, but not enough to shoot it down. Bombers are vulnerable to all of these as well as fighters
    • Cost no man power, thus if one is shot down, you sustain no casualties
    • If I'm not mistaken, Bombers are best for taking out infrastructure. Ballistic missiles do this as well without putting manpower at risk.
    The only benefit I see to bombers is that they can bomb moving targets. Can someone please tell me what other advantages heavy bombers have over BMs?
  • It all depends on the type of enemy you are going up against. On most flashpoint maps cruise missiles are the way to go but not always.
    & on Global maps relying on cruise missiles can be risky because they have a low health score.

    What I have seen is that cruise missiles are more effective when the enemy doesn't have theater defense. (that is the majority of the time thankfully). However, theater defense especially stacked with other other AA units can wreck even a multiple cruise missile attack on a stacked target like a city and even wreck fighter jets and heli's that get in it's range - they are doomed.

    If they don't have theater defense you can pretty much take out even AA's with cruise missiles and then they are most effective yes.

    However, if the enemy has theater defense you want to use ballistic missiles because they have a higher health score (also ICBM's but these are more costly to get & if you have cruise missiles you already have ballistic missiles but maybe not the launchers. So you build
    2 launchers and fire 2 ballistic missiles at the target not 1, kill all the theater defense and then you go back to using cruise missiles.
    (the enemy will usually never stack more than 1 theater defense on a city but they will stack it with other AA tanks, SAM tanks and Frigates & this will improve the stopping power against ballistic missiles). However, if you fire 2 conventional ballistic missiles at this target at the same time only 1 will get intercepted by the target and the other will do much more devastating damage than a cruise missile. While cruise missiles even a hundred won't get through until the Theater defense is down.

    So cruise missiles are best only when the enemy doesn't have theater defense. Of course you could use ground forces or navy to deal with this but you have to expect this kind of enemy will have some descent ground force to defend with. It will be even tougher if the enemy builds underground bunkers on their cities. On flashpoint maps most of the time you won't need ballistic missiles and not even cruise missiles
    but the most you'd need is cruise missiles. Striker fighters or heli's are usually good enough on most flashpoint maps but sometimes
    cruise missiles make those maps go faster. & cruise missiles can be very effective with ASF's (air superiority) as well.

    forum-missile3.png Theater Defense forum-missile1.png Ballistic missileforum-missile2.pngcruise missile
    If war is inevitable so to is peace. If all you want is war, you're probably not going to succeed at it in the long run!
    ~my own~ :thumbup:

    The post was edited 2 times, last by NoahLegend ().

  • ross222 wrote:

    as long as theater defence is below sergeant you can use ballistic missiles or icbms above that your going to lose both those

    and those can only be used on cites not moving troops
    On Flashpoint maps unless they are using lots of gold (which I wouldn't recommend -> to save that for global maps as it's need much more there),
    neither theater defense or ballistic missiles are going to be easy to get past corporal. Those are usually a beyond day 20 build and will all be nearly useless in the first 15 days. Day 30+ what you are saying could be a reality on flashpoint maps.
    If war is inevitable so to is peace. If all you want is war, you're probably not going to succeed at it in the long run!
    ~my own~ :thumbup:
  • NoahLegend wrote:

    It all depends on the type of enemy you are going up against. On most flashpoint maps cruise missiles are the way to go but not always.
    & on Global maps relying on cruise missiles can be risky because they have a low health score.

    What I have seen is that cruise missiles are more effective when the enemy doesn't have theater defense. (that is the majority of the time thankfully). However, theater defense especially stacked with other other AA units can wreck even a multiple cruise missile attack on a stacked target like a city and even wreck fighter jets and heli's that get in it's range - they are doomed.

    If they don't have theater defense you can pretty much take out even AA's with cruise missiles and then they are most effective yes.

    However, if the enemy has theater defense you want to use ballistic missiles because they have a higher health score (also ICBM's but these are more costly to get & if you have cruise missiles you already have ballistic missiles but maybe not the launchers. So you build
    2 launchers and fire 2 ballistic missiles at the target not 1, kill all the theater defense and then you go back to using cruise missiles.
    (the enemy will usually never stack more than 1 theater defense on a city but they will stack it with other AA tanks, SAM tanks and Frigates & this will improve the stopping power against ballistic missiles). However, if you fire 2 conventional ballistic missiles at this target at the same time only 1 will get intercepted by the target and the other will do much more devastating damage than a cruise missile. While cruise missiles even a hundred won't get through until the Theater defense is down.

    So cruise missiles are best only when the enemy doesn't have theater defense. Of course you could use ground forces or navy to deal with this but you have to expect this kind of enemy will have some descent ground force to defend with. It will be even tougher if the enemy builds underground bunkers on their cities. On flashpoint maps most of the time you won't need ballistic missiles and not even cruise missiles
    but the most you'd need is cruise missiles. Striker fighters or heli's are usually good enough on most flashpoint maps but sometimes
    cruise missiles make those maps go faster. & cruise missiles can be very effective with ASF's (air superiority) as well.

    forum-missile3.png Theater Defense forum-missile1.png Ballistic missileforum-missile2.pngcruise missile
    I commend the effort in your answer, but what I am concerned about is destroying enemy INFRASTRUCTURE, not mobile units. I use Helicopters to take out enemy units on the move. It seems to me that Ballistic missiles beat Heavy Bombers and I am wondering if Heavy Bombers are even worth mobilizing
  • You should research Theatre Defense around day 20 and exactly when you see someone near you made a nuke or ICBM on the news, start making it in your homeland cities, or in cities which you put large amounts of troops oftenly.
    War: "Sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the gun down."- Malcolm X

    Peace: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein
  • War and Peace wrote:

    You should research Theatre Defense around day 20 and exactly when you see someone near you made a nuke or ICBM on the news, start making it in your homeland cities, or in cities which you put large amounts of troops oftenly.
    Sorry, that's not what this thread is about

    The post was edited 2 times, last by JeremyKJ ().

  • It may be because i'm not learned enough about the game, but what is the comparative role assignated for you guys to try to compare Heavy Bombers and ballistic missiles ?

    I tend to study them for so different roles that the budget i allocate for the two are "separated"
    Running an online alliance is pretty much like running a small company, except you need to find other way than money to keep your employees productive. May they play or work, they are humans.
  • ross222 wrote:

    anymore only very few people mobilize them , i might see one every 6 months or longer

    JeremyKJ wrote:

    War and Peace wrote:

    You should research Theatre Defense around day 20 and exactly when you see someone near you made a nuke or ICBM on the news, start making it in your homeland cities, or in cities which you put large amounts of troops oftenly.
    Sorry, that's not what this thread is about
    I thought that ross222 was talking about Theater Defense
    War: "Sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the gun down."- Malcolm X

    Peace: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein
  • Was nuked by 2 ICBM 2 towns on day 6 . Day 6 on 128map . Had build 1 TDefence lv1 but the ICBM killed everything . Been smashed by poison missles and destroyed by Heavy bombers . All those 3 are very scary . I personaly will chose heavy bombers or ICBM from subs . Cruise missles are weak ,but they help . Now have build some TDefence highest lv and will see how they will protect me from this mad man who nuked me on day 6 . Very good game ,congratulations to developers .
  • Telerik wrote:

    Was nuked by 2 ICBM 2 towns on day 6 . Day 6 on 128map . Had build 1 TDefence lv1 but the ICBM killed everything . Been smashed by poison missles and destroyed by Heavy bombers . All those 3 are very scary . I personaly will chose heavy bombers or ICBM from subs . Cruise missles are weak ,but they help . Now have build some TDefence highest lv and will see how they will protect me from this mad man who nuked me on day 6 . Very good game ,congratulations to developers .
    Its x4 time so your 6th day = 24th normal day. Till this day is normally to have 2 TDS in each important core city (at least in capital and in couple of more important cities).
    In normal time games I usually start building SAM in day 10-11, start building TDS in day 15-16. Till 20th day I have maximally developed SAM and highly developed TDS. Also as I wrote 1 TDS isnt enough for defense so I try have 1 directly in city (for point defense) and more 1-2 within their defense area + couple of SAM + at least 1 fighters wing near core cities.

    Same type I usually defend my attacking main base (airbase), 2 TDS + 3-4 SAM
  • Raf wrote:

    Telerik wrote:

    Was nuked by 2 ICBM 2 towns on day 6 . Day 6 on 128map . Had build 1 TDefence lv1 but the ICBM killed everything . Been smashed by poison missles and destroyed by Heavy bombers . All those 3 are very scary . I personaly will chose heavy bombers or ICBM from subs . Cruise missles are weak ,but they help . Now have build some TDefence highest lv and will see how they will protect me from this mad man who nuked me on day 6 . Very good game ,congratulations to developers .
    Its x4 time so your 6th day = 24th normal day. Till this day is normally to have 2 TDS in each important core city (at least in capital and in couple of more important cities).In normal time games I usually start building SAM in day 10-11, start building TDS in day 15-16. Till 20th day I have maximally developed SAM and highly developed TDS. Also as I wrote 1 TDS isnt enough for defense so I try have 1 directly in city (for point defense) and more 1-2 within their defense area + couple of SAM + at least 1 fighters wing near core cities.

    Same type I usually defend my attacking main base (airbase), 2 TDS + 3-4 SAM
    Do you think i am stupid ? Day 6 on the newspaper is day 6 . Game 2778267 day 6 i was hit by 2 ICBM. In 24 normal days i solo win my 128maps ,see game 2758948 . It is funny to hear some ,,experts,, here .

    The post was edited 1 time, last by CandyCzar ().