Ok, with so many people moaning and complaining about carriers (and even Agent of Karma's lame-o test https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/340117), I need to point out that there are great ways to counter carriers. Here they are:
1) USE CAPITAL SHIPS AND THEIR AWESOME ABILITIES. Capital ships are cheap, take very little fleet supply, can be retreated before dieing, and can counter 100's of fleet supply while only costing 50 fleet supply.
- The Kol, with level 2 flak burst will take out all Advent strike craft (SC) with 1 use. Level 3 will take out TEC SC with 1 use. For use against Vasari, you need 2 uses or 2 Kols; how many are up to you.
- For the Advent, same leveling applies to the Hylecon (sp?) with tele-push as the Kol with flak burst.
- For the Vasari, you have a more difficult time. You need 1 Kortul with Jam weapons and flak and fighters all grouped together. This combo is especially deadly with a Cap Carrier with Repair cloud. My anti-SC fleet usually consists of 1 Kortul, 2 Skirantas, 6 flak, and whatever else you have at the time (either LFs or HCs).
2) FLAK
- Advent and TEC SC are especially suceptible to flak frigates. With proper positioning, they will quickly wither the opponent.
- If you are playing against Vasari, flak aren't going to help much, but they will a little. Build a few just for the sake of saying you built them.
3) BUILD PHASE JUMP INHIBITORS (PJI). Come on people, think up. If your opponent jumps in and out, do the research, spend a few hundred on a PJI and you're ok. When coupled with ION bolt or grav bomb, this combo is deadly: I call it the meat grinder. In all seriousness people, man up, grow some balls, and think strategy here.
4) YOU NEED TO BUILD FIGHTERS. If the opponent has 20 fighters and you have zero, you are going to lose. Build a few fighters just so the opponent can't just fly around without a challenge. Countering LRFs sometimes requires LRFs, and countering carriers sometimes requires carriers. Use your brain.
Ok, so now that the SC are dead, the carrier can start rebuilding it's SC. BUT WAIT! Carriers need antimatter (AM) to build SC and it takes time. Every jump the player makes costs 100 AM and if you are smart, your light frigates (LFs) will have the AM counter abilites teched. If you see a player continually jumping his carriers around, just laugh at him and follow him with the LFs. LFs counter carriers like no-ones business. Also, if you are going against a pure carrier spammer, DO NOT build long range frigates (LRFs). LRFs suck against carriers; DO NOT have them unless your opponent has LFs.
So there you go. Stop complaining everyone, and learn to use cap ships and/or counters.
BTW, I was the original guy that said carriers would be spammed in v1.1, so you can see how time can change things. https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/317041