Usefulness of Inflicting Prestige Loss with Strat Bomber

[verstaubtgesicht]

Despite considerable experience, I still cannot connect the dots on the topic above. The goal of level bombing an empty flag city is to cause a loss of prestige for the enemy, and I infer that this then reduces his ability to purchase new units (how frustrating when one is nearing a DV with one target city left defended by 1 infantry, when all of a sudden the city gets surrounded by a ring of arty, AA and AT units!). However, I don't know how much pain a loss of let's say 20 prestige inflicts on the enemy? Very often the choice is between doing this or bombing another city for reducing entrenchment and/or suppressing, and it would be good to know how much bang for the bomb one gets from prestige reduction…?

[BiteNibbleChomp]

and it would be good to know how much bang for the bomb one gets from prestige reduction…?

Very little difference to the AI, it may be more important in multiplayer though.

- BNC

[shawkhan2]

Well, if you neutralize that single remaining city, making the white flag appear, the opponent cannot place troops there no matter the amount of prestige he has.

[proline]

Level bombing doesn't really do anything to the AI as far as I can observe. I play at General difficulty right now, and it seems that the AI has basically unlimited money for repairs- i.e. any unit that escapes combat alive goes right back to full strength. Nor does the AI rely on buying units- while it may buy some, most of what it throws at you is done via scripted attacks that don't have anything to do with money. When you do observe it spending money, it's usually late in the scenario when it decides to buy 6 of the cheapest tank available. Even there, stopping it from placing at city A will just make it place said crap units at city B.

Long story short, I only level bomb when I can't find an actual unit to target.

[captainjack]

A lot of AI reinforcements are scripted, and prestige loss has no effect on these. However, the accumulated 20 or 30 prestige per turn can amount to several hundred at the time the AI decides to surround a city with cheap tanks, AT and AA. This could be the difference between completely surrounded and a handy gap in the defensive ring. The other benefit is that it can prevent the AI from reinforcing damaged units, which is probably more useful.

To me, the best uses of strategic bombers are to strip entrenchment, to cripple units by stripping ammo and fuel, suppression (especially good to help force surrender of expensive heavy tanks) and neutralising cities so that the AI can't spawn its unscripted reinforcements. Also, from recent experience, a well timed neutralisation of a strategically located airfield can kill off three or four enemy aircraft on low fuel, which is brilliant when you are struggling for air supremacy.

Compared to these, I'd view the prestige effects as a nice side effect but nothing more.