in which games is HC spam viable?

from Sins Forums

ok, i've been experimenting with a variety of tactics, and one of the ones i have been recently trying is the HC spam.  ive been doing it with vasari so far as they have the strongest HC's but i'll try the other races as well.  basically i build all your resource extractors and a capital ship factory right off the bat.  i then build a space whale (colony ship) which i send off to grab the closest and weakest defended asteroid or planet that my scouts have found.  i then salvage the cap ship factory and build 5 military labs which should fill all my home planet's logistical slots.  meanwhile my space whale should be capping its second system and i can star pumping out HC's.

i've experimented with this in a few games vrs AI and it works fine, they dont respond very fast usually so it gives me plenty of time to get my fleet formed.  after that it's simply a matter of taking them down while they are still trying to make lrms and other frigates.

however, how does HC spam work on multiplayer.  on small 1v1 maps i think it is a bit slow and is very vulnerable to various rushes.  on team vrs team matches i think it might do pretty well as your buddies can cover for you as you get your fleet up and running and once it is built you can cause a lot of damage.

just wondering what people's experiences is with HC in different types of games.

strategy
5,937 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
I would also note, that if you use HC spam, you already, have the tech level to build both the offensive and defensive Cruisers, which are a big part of the mid to end game fleets, no matter what ships, you have in them. Also you have the tech levels to upgrade your ships as well.

There is a problem with using HC spam. The HC have the shortest range of all assult ships. The HC range, is small, while an capital ship is mid. and an LRM has the longest range. Hold down alt and move your mouse over each type of ship to see its range.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
if you arn't next to an enemy empire, and you are in a team match of at least 3v3, then the other team will usually ignore you if you don't do anything, so building a bunch of kodiaks or dresdas is a viable option.
just make sure you tell your team first, or they will be pissed til you save their asses end game.
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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
ok, thanks, is there any particular race that benefits the most from having lots of HC's? i noticed that the vasari enforcers have to tech much higher to get their weapons fully upgraded than either the tech or advent. vasari ships as a whole become really expensive, but when built up they're the toughest things out there.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
It would be the Vasari, but it is not because of there HC, but because of there offensive Cruisers. The same level that you can get the Skarovas Enforcer, you can also get the Stilakus Subverter. Get one more military lab, and you can get the second special abilitie, Distortion Field. Distrortion Field is an area affect disable that works on all ships, but capital ships. Because most people use capital ships, as support, you can disable the main assult element of an fleet with a hand full of Stilakus Subverter. I used 8 one time and disabled 15 enemy HC, and about 30 to 45 support ships that were not capital ship class.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Do you understand what I said rasta773?
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
yea i understand, HC spamming was just another strategy i was trying, i've been going through a number of different ones so i can keep them in mind for different situations, depending on their effectiveness. as far as HC's i dont usually spam them anymore except in certain team games, not quite as effective as other strategies.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
HC spamming is most viable with TEC, because all of their other ships are very lackluster compared to their advent and vasari counterparts. LRMs are almost crappy enough to be considered cobalts for as much as they scare me in a game. Kodiaks, on the other hand, are super cheap (relatively speaking) high damage ships that beat out most other units in a 1v1 or even 1v2 fight. Their upgrades, like armor and hull (which are the most important IMO) are also low tier, so easy to get to and pay for. Properly supported with Hoshikos and now carriers, a good HC spam would be hard to top.