stretched thin

stretched like a rubber band

from Sins Forums

so im playing a FFA 4 player game on a 4 player map. i forgot what its called, but all i know there are a LOT of wormholes (and about 64 planets), which are so annoying, and is a discussion for a different time. i dont have entrenchment yet, but because of this problem im going to get it.

but what irks me most is that i started my conquest with one fleet of one Kol battleship and about 20-25 frigates, and i conquered a good number of planets, but as the game went on, i found that my expansion ground to a halt, because there would be more and more enemy incursions into my previosuly held areas and id have to travel through multiple wormholes to help my planet, which was most likely lost by the time i got there, which is annoying. gun platforms dont do much in termsof defense, and nor do the hangars. (by the way, what those defense hangars really need are more slots. two squardrons arent enough for defense.)

the first incursion i found two enemy capital ships as well as a host of other vasari ships which destroyed my planet before i could get there. i sent about 15 frigates from my main assault on a Advent planet to aid my planet, which was really vaulable because i had built it up and had a major trading port there. after a harsh fight i finally beat them off, only to find another enemy fleet knocking at the door of another planet, another whole wormhole away. i sdivered the rest of my fleet to defeat it, thus ending any momentum i had in capturing enemy planets.

this experience has convinced me to buy Entrenchment, but until i do, any ideas on how i can protect my planets?

strategy
7,502 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

You need to colonize faster and build a stronger fleet. Instead of a Kol Battleship, build an Akkan Battlecruiser; it's Colonize ability is faster than Colony Frigates and boosts your economy considerably. Try to just aggressively conquer planets before your enemies can get to them.

The best way to defend a planet is with a fleet, and repair bays. They're both ultimately the cheaper and more effective way of defending a planet instead of turrets/hanger defenses.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

20-25 frigates is a relatively small fleet, I'm guessing your computer opponents if they are on normal or above have double your fleet by the time you run out of expansion room.  Again, I'm guessing here, but you shouldn't spend so much money on upgrades for ships or planet upgrades, and I personally wait until I have enough resources to upgrade the planet pop 2 times (unless its an asteroid) before I colonize it.  So instead of expanding so fast, try to expand slightly slower but add more ships to your main fleet, or leave a good number of ships behind to play defense, because most likely you will have 2 fronts in a 4 player FFA.

Also, overlap repair bays (2-4) such that they can heal each other and group all buildings but an occasional turret outside the heal range; send the fighters and bombers at the siege frigates.  This helps huge in keeping things alive.  When I mentioned having a defense fleet, try and keep it posted on the opposite side of your expansion fleet, and when fighting opponents, be sure to keep those ships inside of the repair bays' range.

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

20-25 frigates is a relatively small fleet,
End of quote

Very small, that's what you should have within the first ten minutes of the game.

You can't count on defenses to hold back entire enemy fleets.  What that means is that you may need multiple fleets for different fronts.  Knowing where your enemies are who is threatening you is important.  Against the AI it's all about taking a little more ground every time you have some slack, then have a solid defense to prevent the AI from pushing you back.  You'll eventually wipe them out since the AI is a very poor attacker and needs you to slip-up in your fleet placement to win any real battles.

 

I actually don't know why beginners seem to all pick the Kol.  It's always been a rather mediocre capital ship, its only redeeming qualities being that it's hard to kill and it slaughters strike craft with flak burst.  If you want a tough damage-dealing monster, pick a Marza or Sova.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

well i had 20-25 in the first 10 minutes, then i never bothered to expand it because i had such momentum i didnt have time to build up. i was already across the galaxy in about a half-hour. yea, those wormholes will do that.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Darvin3, reply 3


 

I actually don't know why beginners seem to all pick the Kol.  It's always been a rather mediocre capital ship, its only redeeming qualities being that it's hard to kill and it slaughters strike craft with flak burst.  If you want a tough damage-dealing monster, pick a Marza or Sova.
End of Darvin3's quote

 

The gauss can put out some serious damage when level'd. Early game, if you can get two, you have serious fire power.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

The gauss can put out some serious damage when level'd.
End of quote

Problem is that the damage is mitigated.  It ends up actually doing less damage than radiation bomb because the DoT of the latter is unmitigated.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

If possible, do your fighting on one front.  If not possible, you have to try to create chokepoints on your fronts and defend those chokes with well-placed static defenses and phase jump inhibitors backed by repair bays.  Yes, if you had entrenchment you could put starbases in the zone of your repair bays and defenses, which would certainly hold off 4 AIs provided you did it right.  Since you don't have entrenchment, you'll have to use what static defenses you have, and ships as well (always bugged me that ships had to sit at a planet using up fleet supply instead of fighting on my enemy's planets, thus entrenchment for me).

You might also try playing with vasari, and using their phase stabilizers.  Then all the jumping to and fro putting out fires in your empire is made relatively painless, as you can get from any planet to any other planet in one jump (provided of course you have installed phase stabilizers there).

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

alright, i got entrenchment. now lets see what these starbases and mines can do. *insert evil laugh here*

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

 

If he's playing against AI and not human opponents he could build multiple Marzas, get them up to Level 6, and then just let the AI suicide itself on the missile barrages.

<Edit> It's even easier with Entrenchment because now you can upgrade the starbases and back them up with some hangers and repair bays and just let the AI suicide on the starbases.  (This works even better if you're Vasari and you build starbases with phase jump inhibitors.)