Novalith Cannon

Diplomacy gave the AIs the ability to build and use superweapons (something I hated but the community called for it). In Rebellion due to the massive changes to the game the AI got a bit buggy. Somethings did get changed like there is now a limit of 4 you can build but I prefer the AI just use them less or none at all. I don't (unless I feel like ending the game super fast).

Yes, so sad they nerf superweapon to set limited number, this hurt TEC most, I had no problem with TEC superweapon in past 4 year, I never think them overpower till strange a.i mess up and now start useing superweapon like turtle player, then some rage and called superweapon nerf, but it's not problem with superweapon but a.i itself.

not really a problem with the AI - a human plauyer could and would do the same in a long game and it had over a a hundred thousand credits

Yeah, with the AI shooting off novaliths like theres nothing else to do, makes me feel I have to rush the game to destroy them, or else let my planets get chewed up indefinetly.  Its okay to give AI superweapons, but there should be a restriction on range, like no planet more than 3 jumps away, so at least you have a chance to try and combat it in a reasonable amount of time.  I hate playing TEC now, its not about big fleet battles, its all about the novalith.  The pathetic deliverance engine can shoot me all day.  Maybe my allegiance drops 1% after a few hits, so what, I build another  media hub or something.

You can get a a starbase and give it auxiliary government (or non-tec equivalent), and then you can't loose the planet through bombardment -> all the novalith does is wipe out the population, but you keep the planet.

if limited to system or 3 jump away, that make super weapon useless and sitting duck, waste resource and space unless superweapon can move and jump system, that is.

I disagree, with a limited range, it now makes those Novaliths something that needs to be protected.  Now you will need to build defenses and protect them if your wanting to sit back and just blast away at a user or AI.  I personally hate the Novaliths, In my mod in converted them to inner planetary defensive Ion Cannons.  All I'm saying is that to me it makes more sense to limit their range. if you want to use them, then you damn well better be ready to vigorously defend them.

the limit alrdy made them like useless a range limit would make them even more useless and a waste cuz u would have to scuttle them to move them to the front line to use them

I've still never heard a good explanation for why four Novalith's are useless but fifteen are good.

Seems the novaliths make it very hard to play the game the way some of the factions are set up.  Some factions are more defense oriented.  Whats the purpose of 2 starbases in a system when the enemy never even has to attack you with a fleet?  4 novaliths can do an insane amount of damage.  If 2 are targetted at the same planet, the planet is lost, even your capitol.  They can wipe out planets far faster than you can restore them.  I had a colony ship stationed at each planet for the asteroids and dwarf planets, they were toast with one shot.  larger planets I can use the starbase to retain control, but its expensive to stick a starbase at every planet.  The TEC shield generator helps, but otherwise, I think it goes against good game dynamics to be able to sit far back from the front and snipe whole planets. 

Of course, the vasari superweapon is also pretty uber, being able to create a phase stabilizer at the targetted planet, you can just send a fleet in to wipe out that novalith, or just go wipe out the capitol.  Whats the point of starbases and chokepoints anymore, except to keep advent at bay?

The only thing novas do is hurt ur econ and a sb with aux gov means u cant ever lose the planet unless someone attacks ur planet and kill the sb. the engine, even though it sucks, with ur own culture can overthrow a planet and the Kostura can open up a phase node for ur fleets to rush behind ur enemies lines and would cause them to lose that planet. U cant lose control of a world by novas and to me losing a world does far more damage than the econ debuff. Super weapons dont come out much in MP games its much more likely u would have sb on all world for aux gov tr, advent would have the culture and allegiance upgrades and vas with colony pods.

Novalith is the strongest superweapon in the game, period, because it can instantly cost you a planet if it hits a dwarf or an asteroid. There's no way to save a dwarf if it's hit because the Novalith just wipes it out. The Vasari weapon while it does create phase nodes, it doesn't cost you a planet every time it hits. You don't want 4, you want more then 4, and the current way the AI is set up it will TRY to build a novalith at every planet it owns. At this moment this FORCES me to rush across a system just to wipe out a TEC first because as has been said, 2 novalith can and will nuke your capitol if they both point at it and say, go away.... and you want more then 4 of these things? Please....

/facepalm the nova aint the strongest super IT IS COUNTERED BY A STARBASE WITH AUX GOV!!!!!!

with that u cant ever lose a planet or a moon or a roid by the nova EVER

in order to lose u have to be attacked by a fleet to take down the SB

Ok martox, so what you're saying is in every single gravity well I own I am going to have to build a starbase. And in every one of those starbases I have to build aux gov? And this is to counter a PC / NPC building two (minimum) novaliths? Forgive me if I don't laugh about that.

Yes, your counter to a weapon that the AI rushs to, is to blow all your money on starbases in every gravity well you own and mandatory one point for one passive ability on each of them. Try doing this on a 5 star (Huge) map, and see just how lovely that sounds.

there is more than one reason to build a sb other than for aux gov

u can add trade routes=increase econ

tec can use there sb for shipyard=more ships and more log slots for trade centers and media centers

advent can use there sb to spread culture= more log slots for trade centers and they can increase their planets allegiance for more econ

vasari can add colony pods to their sb for increase cred income

they can be helpful against vas invading force with the kostura and against the rebels force that like to show up

and i only play on huge maps and i do build sb on every planet

I didnt realize they now allowed AI to spam Novaliths. Was playing a long game and i suddenly realize im losing $, took a look around, friggin lost a couple of asteroid planets LOL. But its all good, i kinda like the extra effort needed to keep recolonizing and wiping out Novalith harbouring planets, keeps me on the move constantly...

I do not recall ever losing a planet to a nova except for the great Nova rush of early 2012 since then things have gone back to normal.

A Novalith might not make you lose a planet with auxiliary gov, but you will lose tax income until your population recovers and you'll take a large dent in trade income for a long time. So the Novalith might not necessarily be good for planet killing, but is is good for economic warfare.

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Are you building starbases for the single purpose of extra goodies or are you not upgrading them in DPS / defense worth a crap because the only way I can make border colonies as defensive as you're talking about is to either sacrifice SC squadrons or to give up weapons / armor which defeats the one strength of an orky which is that it's a beast of a SB to deal with.

If you put all those economic upgrades on a Starbase, the thing is going to be cannon fodder for a fleet or an Orkulus. So hey, go ahead. I'll forget about the Novaliths entirely and just curb stomp you the old fashioned way.

And you're also ignoring that this thing has it's non-econ effects countered by Starbases. The Deliverance Engine is more effectively countered by *broadcast centers*. Sorry, but weakest superweapon in the game has been a lock for the Advent since the game came out.

no i dont put all of them on a sb my point is there r more than 1 reason y u build a sb on all ur planets other than just for aux gov

i never said the engine wasnt the weakest super weapon just that it can help ur centers spread ur culture to near by worlds and could help overthrow them. either way its the weakest and the nova aint the strongest