Getting killed no matter my strategy!!!

I have been playing the game for some time now. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer small (local) maps. on the global maps, there are always one or two players who buy everything with gold and produce high-level units in just a few hours. sometimes I have the impression these players should animate others to spend a lot of money. I now know some who see the same. I have already spent money. I am a member of the council. But I do not spend any money to dominate the game unfairly. I also defeated gold players with coalitions. But those were the ones who stopped at some point because it was too expensive for them. but if you have players in a round that just conquer so many points that it is no longer possible to win the game without fighting with them, When these players produce "hundreds" of high-level units to turn this conflict into a VISA or AmEx battle, the game is destroyed as a strategy game. you can not even go to work reassured under such conditions. It is not my job to play this game 24/7. If you spend days struggling to get a position in this game and someone pays hundreds of Euros or Dollars to beat you in a few hours, then that's no fun anymore. The game is good, but the cash benefits are too big and unfair.

as I also answered on discord:
boarding takes 1 hour, refueling 15 min

being overstacked increases time, so does a damaged level 1 airport

well, I don't use discord so usually either ask in global chat or experiment in game.

Do invest much in Air Defence? That can be crucial, especially if you don't want to be bombed to oblivion

You kind of have to use all kinds, because every kind of air defense is a specialised countermeasure.

Speaking from personal experience, I usually focus on MAA (Mobile Anti-Air) and get that maxed. Would need to make sure a fellow coalition member is going to build SAMs if we face heavy air users. If alone, like the game I'm currently in, I've beaten back an entire coalition using nothing nothing but Mot Inf and MAA with some Attack Helis sprinkled on top.
As a general rule of thumb, I've found that MAAs will do all jobs satisfactorily enough. You're right though, that each AA unit specializes in something: MAA = choppers, SAM = fixed wing, and TDS = missiles. Seeing as how most games (that don't involve heavy golders) are resolved before end game is reached, MAAs are your first go to unit imho. Once maxed, they can be deadly to fixed wing as well. They never are not worthy enough of dealing with T2 missiles though.

You can beat heavy gold users (I definitely use the gold from game wins). If you get a good coalition then you can focus on specific strengths. My last game that I won, I was the air power, one ally was naval power, and another was armor. It takes teamwork, just like real life.

unfortunately you cant win or survive if in game is really heavy gold user ( 50 cruise missiles during 2-3 gaming hours on 25th day for example) and you arent in his coalition:-)

Good team is really best way to win, just there is too small chance find good team in random games.

The level in public games is awful indeed. The real threat to such users is when 3 mates from the same alliance make a coalition and specialise themselves as well as organise themselves "as on a challenge".

Even with that, though, you'd need to "not be too close" to the guy, and to have the opportunity to build your strength.

fighter jets definetly not but as ground troops i actually got beat a guy who had a twenty stack that had a combined total of 500 points