The Face of the Enemy (Destroy this Ship!)

[Vger]

Hi,

I find your dilemma fascinating. I'm just glad I'm not in your shoes. I know I'm an SE4 neophyte, but looking at weapon mounts, if you use Extended Range or Dreadnought mounts your engine killing weapons will outrange his PPBs by 2. (Unless he's using D mounts also, which I take it he's not.)

You can put ER mounts on anything Destroyer sized or larger, so you could put cheap shield depleater/engine killers against his big guys and leave them sitting ducks for your main fleet, assuming your main fleet was using ER or D mounts also.

Forgive me if I'm suggesting an unworkable option, but this just jumped out at me. You have one big advantage and that is tactical and strategic maneuverablility. Those Monitors are slow. Even if they can form any warp point they like, it still takes them time to move around to kill/take your planets. If you build SDs and smaller you can move c50% faster around systems. You can also collect replacements faster, which should allow you at least a local, temporary superiority.

Hope some of this has helped.


Vaya con nukes,
V'ger gone

[Mordante]

"dreadnaught and extended range mounts" - what are these? do they exist in the standard game ... I know that starbase weapons get range bonuses but do any basic ship mounts?

"mines for planet defence" - well, one problem is the units in space limit (4000) - I have 270 odd planets to defend (about 14 mines a planet!) another is the limit of mines per sector 100 + deployment load ... say 175 as a maximum with an abusive mine layer strat - it's childs play to design a large mine-sweeper that can clear 100 mines a turn - 2 of these babies with every fleet and the mines are worthless.

......

Dilemma aside, it is a damned amusing game and the closest thing to a competitive space opera I've ever played ...

[PvK]

quote:

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Originally posted by Nitram Draw:
One of the biggest problems I see is if you have 150 ships and he has 150 ships how can anyone maneuver? If you could disable the engines of the first rank of ships then all his other ships would be sitting ducks!

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If your opponent has 150 ships, and puts them all in one sector... he can attack one of your planets and win, while you attack 150 of his planets...

I don't think he meant all in one single engagement, although that would be a sight.

PvK

[PvK]

quote:

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Originally posted by Mordante:
...
4)“fighter combination attacks” – fighters to draw the big guns, yes, I could see that working – until he orders standard base ship designs to ignore them and lets the custom pdc’s engage the skirmishers! But a battle could be won that way I think.
....

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After using this tactic with cheap-o fighters, you can switch to sending in fighters that can hurt ships (e.g. rocket pods). If he's told his PPB's to ignore them, they might be able to get through the PDC's. You can also send in cannon-fodder fighters and other seekers to absorb PDC fire from the bombers.

PvK

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

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1)choice of battlefields/choke points – not an option I fear, I already have 3 maximum range (500ly) renewable (ie. Onboard repair) warp point constructors myself (each tied to a fleet) and I expect a similar capacity from my enemy. From my front line I can target his rear territory and I expect a similar advance from him when the time comes. Thus choke point defence (mines/satellites etc) will be irrelevant since the warp points will be newly placed. I can see able practical way to force the battle in nebulas either

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Uhmm. Don't you know about the 10 WP limit?
Just like the "can't create stars if more than zero" thing, you can't add new WPs if theres already 10 in a system.

So activate those WP openers, and shield your systems by interconnecting them till no more WPs can be added.

Then, WPs cannot be opened into your territory, and you can force the enemy to travel through chokepoints.

[Mordante]

re warp point limit - no, i didn't know that - very interesting and useful piece of knowledge - thanks ...

[Phoenix-D]

Note on missiles and WMGs:

When I've been fighting the AI recently, I noticed them doing the infamous "missile dance" to my planet- i.e. they were FLEEING from the enemy while waiting for a recharge, then coming back to fire again.

Something to think on.

Oh, and bomb his main contstruction worlds, steal resources via intel.. etc. Remember that with plague bombs and smart bombs you don't have to hit more than once- and knocking out a spaceport in a system HURTS, if only until it can be rebuilt.

EDIT: BTW, if at all possible use Black Hole or Nebula bLasts on his stars. While the standard SD can't be blocked, it leaves behind remenats of planets that can be rebuilt. The black hole, when disappated.. leaves a blank space. They have to reignite the star, and no planets at all!

Phoenix-D

[This message has been edited by Phoenix-D (edited 06 June 2001).]