Mine problems for TEC

I'd love to know the answer to that question too, if there is one.

LOL

basically to destroy mines you need to cuild a scout to detect them, then any ship can fire and destroy them.

Flacks are generally better against mines because they can fire from 4 banks. and fighters are good

The scout can also detect multiple mines, so you don't need to many to take out a mine feild.

Ah.  Does the scout need to stay in-system while the mines are being destroyed?

Yes, the scout has a "mine detection" ability that surrounds it.  When a scout moves close to mines, they become vulnerable as long as the scout stays in range.

My tactic for clearing mines goes like this:  First, before sending in a fleet, send one scout (or whatever is avalible) in to the enemy system, to see where they have grouped thier mines (AI usaly only builds mines on one side or or right on the phase line), this also causes the AI to move any ships it has in system to that area my ship jumped in.  Then I move my fleet (still in my system) to the oppisite side of the phase line of the mines and out side of the grav well before ordering a phase jump.  Before I jump my fleet I order all my strike craft to dock, this helps alot with keeping the ships together when they jump (even with the grouped jump, some ships dont right away, because thier fighers are still not docked and delays them from jumpping with the rest of the fleet)  Then I jump them, and they usealy (sometimes not) jump in the enemy system away from the mines.  (Dont forget to undock your strike craft). With practice, you can get pertty good at jumping them in so the formation is facing the enemy ships.  I will attack any starbases first, with all my ships and bombers (I let the fighers attack any enemy strike craft), then worry about the ships. Then after I take out the enemy planet, I send 3 or 4 scouts into the mine fields and let the fighters take 'em out, as my fleet stays in that system for any counter-attacks that might happen wile Im building my new planet up.  This is a late game tactic to use with large fleets and vast resorces. 

For Early to mid game just build 3 or 4 scouts, then 2 light carriers and send them in (dont fleet these ships, it will cause the carriers to move in to the gravity well with the scouts, and into the mine field) Keeping your carriers out of the grav field, send your scouts and strike craft to detect and distory the mines (you may have to manualy control the strike craft to attack the mines as they will try to attack other things in the system first). If there are a large amount of enemy ships and or a starbase in range, get your ships out right away, cause they probaly will be distroyed before they can clear any mines, you will have to use the above tactic to crack the system defences.

scouts can fire lasers and I believe i have seen them fire at mines.  is this confirmed?

yes, but they are not as effective as anything else.  They just plain take too long to clear them.

You gotta let them sit still and they will clear them automatically.  Dont try to do it yourself or you'll make'em get blown to bits.

Thanks guys, that helps.  I'm still getting used to the new tactics for Entrenchment.

If you jump ion a few scouts, they will eventually clear the mines.

If you want the mines cleared faster, jump in a few flak frigates with the scouts.

The fastest clearance comes from fighters though. If you have a few capships or light carriers in the system, then jumping in a few scouts should clear the system pretty quickly.

... the only thing that annoys me about scouts in mine-clearing duty is when they decide to break off and attack in incoming target (usually another scout or a seige frigate). They usually close to mines when the enemy comes in, so when they break off to attack they will usually do so by wading through a minefield, and get quickly destroyed. Poor logic if you ask me. If the pathfinding isn't there to stop any units from moving through a minefield, then scouts at least should not auto-attack other enemies when they are within detection range of mines.

If you have a large enough fleet, you can also throw ~10 scouts in it. After you jump in, select your scouts and tell them to move forward. A few seconds later (so they get to the front of the fleet formation) order your whole fleet to move through the mine field. With enough ships, you can clear the fields as you move through it because there's enough firepower and coverage to knock out all the detected mines in the path.

Thanks for the tips, guys.  I am beginning to develope a strong love-HATE relationship with mines.  love placing them in my systems, but I HATE, absolutely HATE HATE HATE HATE!!!! attacking a fully upgraded system with a few hundred mine placed at the jump point.  It takes at least 20 min just to attack the place, let alone rebuild it when I'm done.

The main issue with mine auto-clearing is that when a game goes on long enough (and the map is large enough), the AI updates don't happen as often as they do early on. Early, there's usually very little time between a mine detected and the scout auto-attacking it, but later on when every player's fleets are maxed out, a scout can sit by a detected mine for a minute until finally deciding to attack it.

That's when I just throw them in my fleet and plow through, carefully

Wow you people suggest the longest possible way to clear mines, why not just send quite a few dozen ships in and just sucicide taking the mines with you. scout ship can probably taking out 3 before dying anyways

Sure that will work, but what if the planet is a dead end?

What i ment here was that on a single phase line, from one planet to another, the AI dosnt seem to place a full array of mines protecting it, just in one spot, and you can control where you ships jump into a grav well by just moving it on the other side of the (the one) phase line and avoid the mines. you dont need move your fleet to another system to do this.