What is your favorite map and play style?

for me, I always play in 100 planets and a 1 star map (multiple star systems seem inorganic, and they dont appear to generate fairly. additionally it softens gameplay, making it too easy to turtle. you sissy kosc )

I usually play by initially making small groups of scout frigs which wipe out pirates, capture as many planets as initially possible, and stage light defensive structures at dead asteroids (which are almost always at strategic loci) or big junctures/choke points.

usually upon first encounter with an enemy I lose a planet or two, but the initially "boom" phase allows me to quickly create a retalitary force which can survive and woop butt.

my military strategy includes the creation of numerous initially small fleets, of which I later consolidate and place at strategic loci after the initial boom phase subsides. smaller fleets are used to expand. any money not going into infrastructure, replacement of destroyed ships and light fleet enhancement goes into research, my tree is usually maxed out within the first 30-60 minutes of the game, after which focus falls on maintaining an economy and creating new ships to amplify my fleets.

strategically most offensive/defensive weaponry is placed on outskirting planets, preferably dead asteroids where little collateral damage is likely. the result is that I'm usually able to rebuff any attack my enemy sends at me.

weaknesses in my strategy include: fleets are usually too far away from one another to assist each other, initial military strength is weak, forces are widespread. high risk of losing KOL early on.

strengths in my strategy include: fleets are usually capable of holding their own post-initial, I have access to powerful units faster than most people, economy is almost always able to outcompete my enemy, I have a deathgrip over key defensive points, enemy has not been able to penetrate my forces as of yet. I essentially get first dibbs on essential key locations and planets, and many times this is the difference between surviving, and kicking [colloquialism for anus]
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Reply #1 Top
24 planets, 4 systems, flagships off, 6 players in locked teams of two.

Flagships off makes for a much more involved early game--you can't just rush the battleship in and hope for the best, you need to balance your infrastructure and military spending so that you can keep up with the AI's expansion and still have a competitive technology level and manufacturing capability.

The small number of planets per system means that you're engaged with enemies almost immediately. Locked teams means that you're not alone against everybody, and the number of systems and the way that it seems like players are placed means that generally you won't start somewhere that gives you the ability to turtle.

It also means that you have few resources and little money to play with, which forces you to think hard about where your research should go. So far I've found long-range jumping imperative--both times, my colony frigate and escorts have found an empty one ripe for the taking. Having a small number of planets--in the 0.62 savegame I had, I only had one terran, one desert, and one ice, and that only because I found an empty system--means that your tax income is very much concentrated, and it's very important to protect your Terran worlds until you get trade ports going.

Plus, I've had some fantastic battles, too. There was one where I saw an invasion force headed at the second Terran world I had before. I sent my fleet to the invasion force's homeworld, which I'd attacked before and almost lost--I had to blow up the phase inhibitor and run to avoid losing all of my capital ships. They got there to find it almost completely undefended, but there was no way I could capture it and defend it against what would be left of the attack force. So, I went around the system and blew up the frigate factories, research stations, trade ports, and capital ship factories, and fled back to my defensive asteroid just before their allies attacked. I moved my fleet in next to the thirteen Gauss platforms, told them to defend, and beat off an attack by at least twice as many enemies as I was facing, thanks to my higher-level capitals (though I did lose two) and constant stream of Kodiak frigates rolling off the line. That's when I got the 0.65 update. I would've liked to see what happened next--at that point, I was the weaker of the two powers in my system, since the guys who invaded my planet didn't attack my fortress planet, and my ally was busy with a war of his own.

I'd like to note that it would have been nice if I could have ordered my fleet to 'attack siege-capable ships' instead of having to knock out the capitals and Krosovs one by one (and one-by-stack).

Schem, I'm curious as to what one of your 1/100 maps looks like. Could you zoom out some and post a screenshot?
Reply #2 Top

Cool descriptions guys.

Leger, can you describe what you meant by this so we can account for it in improving targeting and AI stuff:

"I'd like to note that it would have been nice if I could have ordered my fleet to 'attack siege-capable ships' instead of having to knock out the capitals and Krosovs one by one (and one-by-stack)."

Thx

Reply #3 Top
I have yet to see the AI group jump in a large strike force. Most of the time they send in ships 1 at a time, and if my fleet is camping the jump exit it becomes a slaughter (the AI's slaughter). With the fleets the AI can muster up in such a short time a group jump could be devastating (this would be a good thing).

Most of the time i work up my economy, and infrastructure to the point to where i can easily replace losses before i go out comp stomping though the system. You can do that with 4, or 5 colony's easily no matter the AI difficulty. I usually play against 3 AI's in a single 20, or 30 planet system, because any more then my poor old obsolete puter starts hiccuping. Ive only been overrun once this way. Most of the time at least 1 of the 3 AI's puts up a fight.
Reply #4 Top

We'll be making sure the AI strikes are more effetively for next beta. Do you play against them with all 3 on same team or are they fighting each other as well?

Reply #5 Top
I recall putting target priority in my 'Thoughts so far' thread, but for your convenience I'll reiterate here.

What I'd like is a system wherein certain behaviors can be prioritized for certain individual ships. Here are a few I've come up with, and I don't really have much of an idea for how to make the interface work with it.

'Attack' - The ship will target and engage in much the same way it does now. The two following settings can be used to define behavior more specifically.

'Long/Medium/Short Range' - Short range would be move in as close as possible and attack. Medium range would be somewhere between that and the next one, and long range would be carrier/dreadnought range. Ships should move to keep their ordered range.

'Attack Capitals/Frigates/Squadrons/Civilians/Production Modules/Defense Modules/Planets' - If the ordered target is available, attack it first at the ordered range.

'Defend' - The ship will stay close to friendly planets/modules first and ships second, and attack things that attack the defensive target.

'Defend
Reply #6 Top
Only once did i put all the AI's on the same team. That was the one game i was overrun With 3 teamed AI's attacking at once i couldnt build fast enough to keep up.

The AI's if not teamed up will attack each other almost immediately that i noticed from watching replays.

The AI still tends to attack the "closest" targets 1st instead of the most dangerous ones. When i control a fleet myself i concentrate fire to pick of battleships, planetary defenses, and other cap ships 1st. While the AI scatters, and starts fighting the weakest frigates while my battleships are pounding them. When an AI fleet jumps in they go for your jump inhibiter's 1st then start bombing your planet (if you have a shield up, or not).
Reply #7 Top
As of the new update, I started a game with four teams of 2 AIs, plus myself. I started off only two jumps from one of the AI's homeworlds. It eventually brought its fleet to my homeworld, and was trapped and destroyed by my defences, and I counter-attacked and wiped it out.

Major Stress, I have seen plenty of full AI offensives, although I once took a planet, and fended off one concentrated attack from an AI. After that, it seemed to just overlook the fact that I controlled the planet; it just kept sending forces through, completely ignoring me.
Reply #8 Top
60 planets, 2 stars, no artifacts, flagships on, pirates on.
me and 2 AI on team 1, 5 AI's on team two.

My first wave of colonisation is usually destroyed on first contact with the enemy, but they'll have taken at least a couple of worlds, which provide me with plenty of resources for a bigger fleet. Then I usually fortify several strongpoints, while my fleet focusses on wiping the enemies of another piece of solar system.

I've noticed however, that when AI's who are hostile to each other are in the same galaxy, the never anihilate each other.
I've played one game where my expeditionary force jumped to the other star, and started "neutralising" one piece of system with only weak AI opponenets, when the Blue ai (for lack of a better team, i'll refer to teamcolor) jumped in this massive fleet, kicked my expeditionary fleets ass all the way back to the sun, where they barely escaped with their hides intact (I had the visions of dunkirk)

It still escapes me why the blue AI never claimed that whole system, the other two ai's there never managed to put up any defense, but held ove rhalf of the planets there.

after that, I tripled my fleet and kicked their asses. Nobody opposes me!
Reply #9 Top
20 or 100 Planets, 4 Stars, 9 Artifacts, Flagships Off, Pirates On
Max # A.I.s, No teams, Unlocked

Build 10 scout frigates and take the asteroid planet that usually is connected to my Terran planet. Expand the other direction till I find a planet that controls access to my other planets and has more than two phase space lanes. Fortify it and level up all the planets I hold. Grab another planet or two if possible. Once I've built every trade-port I can then I start looking to expand again.

To fortify a planet I ring it at the minimum distance with hangars. For Desert, Ice and Terran planets this usually means 59-60 hangars. 59 Fighter Squads, 59 Bomber Squads. After that not many forces can take that planet no matter what they do. I prefer hangars to gauss platforms because they can defend anywhere in the gravity well, and in the numbers I use no AI built fleet is able to defeat them. Add an inhibitor and watch the fireworks.

For a fleet I build one of each capital ship and level it up whenever excess funds are available. By the time I have one of every capital ship, whatever scout ships are left and the fortified planet my upkeep is usually about 53%. At this point I'm behind technologically so now I begin researching and launching attacks of opportunity with my small fleet.

Occasionally after an ally breaks with me some of their ships will be beyond my fortress planet, they usually do little damage before my fleet mops them up.

I'm not really playing to knock others out unless they really tick me off. I push them back to one planet and lock them up. As you might guess my games last a long time. It lasts even longer if I chose 100 planets instead of 20.