@Darvin3:
Yeah I kept trying to rush colonize with a progenitor in one direction and a colony ship going in the other. I think this got me overextended and then I would get in a drag down fight at one border while the other AI(s) hit me on the other. In multi-player I always go Halcyon first x2 or a Halcyon + Progenitor (unless a Kortul is pissing me off and the 2nd is a radiance). It might be better to not reach for that one extra world and hunker down sooner.
It is just frustrating since I need 3 labs for trade ports and 3 for illuminators but then the illuminators are underwhelming. I mean they aren't horrible but they are a large investment to get enough of them especially if I have simultaneous attacks I have to defend. So then it all becomes a starbase / repair bay / hangars fest which is manageable with two chokepoints and impossible with my econ early with three or more. But those defenses while amazingly efficient are not cheap and suddenly I am getting hammered by harder and harder fights with HCs showing up much to early to my liking. The attrition and expenditures to build those defenses and reinforce means I get stuck at maybe 4 planets and an asteroid or two. But when I turn around yeah I can beat the incoming fleets by abusing repair bays and guardians but then suddenly I am in a distant fourth place in fleet size.
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@GoaFan77:
Yeah I think illuminators are dragging me down. Their dps per cost doesn't measure up to the other LRM now.
Moreover as Vasari I can survive the initial assaults with single lab assailants and work smoothly on getting my econ up.
One game I tried to not over-invest in illuminators but 'rush' to destras was rough because I had basically all ice planets and my econ couldn't take the hit of giving up logistics spots meant for extra trade ports to labs, not to mention that destras eat resources. In another case I got beat like a drum since the map meant all three allies hit me within a short time and it was gg (I mean I could have kept playing but I got hamstrung).
As you say, carriers are the logical alternative till HCs, but 20 logistics points and a lot of resources isn't easy to swallow when you are getting hammered and you had to invest in defenses. Still I think you and Darvin3 are right. Halcyon(s) and carriers till destras and kite like crazy whenever I am on the offensive.
As far as star bases go, yeah against the AI, Transcencia are basically the pinnacle with mass disorientation and meteor control. It is scary how efficient they are when supported by guardians (repulse and bubbles) and some hangars with the shield buff. In multiplayer I do everything in my power to bypass a mature Transcencia star base. It is just that if I have to go down the 'security' tree too fast too soon it strains the econ big time.
As far as guardians go ... yeah they are indispensable for both bubbles and repulse. It took me some time to learn to micro them, but once I learned to ctrl key them, turn off auto attack, split them out of the main fleet (so no 'reforming fleet ' garbage) and then position them properly they became amazing.
I guess I will go with Halcyon -> Progenitor -> Halcyon and shift more to carriers and pray for destras. May try to survive longer without upgrading the starbases too much too fast and rely on more repair platforms and carriers. I think if I don't fall too far behind by the time I get destras (and enough bombers aggregated across carriers) then I can use the counter-attack trick to get some more room and then get to the high level 'goodies'. I know if I can past a certain critical mass, then my microed Advent fleet will be unstoppable.
That being said I prefer multiplayer when I can but my connection is so poor I keep dropping out way too often ((.
