I tried adding you on ICO but it said "Invalid Friend Name". Are you sure "spifomie" is the name of one of your characters/players (which has a win/loss record assigned to it) and not your main login you use with your password to get into ICO?

Basically, anyone who only plays against AI, even if they've been playing heavily against AI for three years, isn't a very good player.  IMHO, the noobie who plays 20 games against human opponents and loses is more skilled than the 99.5% of all Sins players who only play against AI.

Thanks for the replies!

First things first, Yes in comparision to the online community i am probably pretty terrible. But i'm willing to brave through matches until i am decent by online standards gofan77, so long as i dont play with unfriendly players on my team. To me, playing with unfriendly and rude players ruins the game for me. Thus why i asked for good spirited players. Its even better when even the enemies have a good aditude.

However i have played plenty of RTS games before, and was quite good back in the day in a few. Dow 1 and 2, supreme commander, command and conquer generals zero hour, halo wars, and a couple of others. So i'm no stranger!

Oh! sorry bout that. Apperently i forgot to add a player account! Woops! Now try spifomie, it should work.

Once again, look forward to playing some matches online!

Most of the people are fairly friendly and "good spirited".  However, if you feel very strongly about this issue, unfortunately there are a couple rotten apples out there who will probably ruin it for you.

One way to challenge yourself without facing semi-public humiliation on ICO is to see how well you can defeat the AI on the harder settings **without using starbases or large defenses for damage soaks** (like capitals or turrets or even hangars). It's much better to be learning what ships counter what than just to build a starbase to explode everything hostile until the late game.

Of course, it's still no substitute for human players.

Agreed!!! Upload 1.31 replays please!

If not in this thread, then at least here:

https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/410809

Just curious ... everyone belittles the use of SBs in playing vs the AI (ironic since on higher difficulties the AI puts a SB on every grav well) and yet (at least Orkuli) are not uncommon in many of the recordings I have seen of DT or similar level skilled players. Heck there is one sitting in the 1.31 replay thread right now.

I fully understand the 'lemmings running to their death' chokepoints do not exist in MP but watch the recording I mentioned where a superb player (Tyr) is stuffed and frustrated by Dwish's Orkuli (course part of that is Advent have no early counter for an Orkulus).

Btw in the aforementioned game it is really impressive how well Aquia and DT Star Player work together. Aquia's scout + Akkan rush in the eco spot was nothing short of brilliant. I also liked DT STar Player's use of the forward advance frigate factories to fuel the Kanrak spam for ripping open the enemy home world. It is just to bad that SoaSE is still 'World or LRF spam' ... leaves the poor Advent in the dust.

I am not implying the Orkulus is to be built first of all things. You counter the attacker's rush with your own LRF (i.e. kanrak) spam but you break his back by dumping the Orkulus in a key well. Watch the replays in the 1.31 replay thread especially the one from DT Star Player (i.e. master1a on the forums) and Aquia and Tyr. Check out what happens to Tyr (granted as an Advent he has a disadvantage vs SB early on). Also see how DT star Player helps his teammate out by throwing Orkuli into grav wells while he snuffs Kael or used an Orkulus to siege Kael's HW.

Granted the static SBs can't be used like this. Doesn't really matter to the almighty TEC since they just spam Javelis till the cows come home. Only the Advent get screwed (which is pretty much the norm these days anyways).

While there are many elements to gameplay that are very different in MP, I see many recordings where people use at least Orkuli at key points and yet all I hear are people who say how 'demeaning' it is to use them against the AI. Yeah vs locked teams that is a piece of cake, play four cruel AIs on a random map with unlocked teams in version 1.31 where the AI gangs up on you in pairs and triple teams together in the same grav well and see how well that 'meme' works.

I guess all I am saying is that since LRF spam is still the king in MP (bomber fleets are so darn expensive), a well timed SB deployment may not be heretical. And in fact this bears out in actual recorded games, it is just the community adopts the anti-SB dogma. It's the presumed dogma I find a bit hypocritical.

Anyways sorry if I took this thread off your topic.

While I agree wholeheartedly about the threat assessment, I would point out that in the latest version the AI is much more likely to send large groups of  ogrovs or starfish along with their fleets. Don't get me wrong I prefer it that way. Earlier versions it was suicide lemmings all teh way.

The Vasari AI is still screwed but 20 starfish will light up all your repair platforms in a hurry whereas 20 ogrovs along with a 1500 point fleet sixty minutes into the game is non-trivial to stop from raping your Orkulus esepcially when you are jumping in from a couple of phase lanes away. Remember those extra 20 SB killers are no burden on their logistics since their main fleets by that time are still larger than anything you can muster on cruel or vicious at the 1 hour mark.

Personally I only deploy an SB when I have no choice while getting hit on multiple fronts. In the old days I used to deploy them all over. Now I might deploy one at a chokepoint and any others are later on to deal with medium fleets while you are off bombing an AI's homeworld with your main fleet. Offense > Defense

In 5v5 MP rarely are you ever fighting at more than one chokepoint since you are usually surrounded on all other borders by an ally. Against 2 vicious or 5 cruel depending on the map you can lit up all over your borders at the same time. The dynamics are obviously different though of course the MP is far more competitive.

And i am looking forward to playing with you! Mind telling me your ICO name?