Re: Starbase tactics
 

I usually send in 5 or 6 heavy carriers loaded with my best large fighters. You could also use crusiers or battle-crusiers armed mainly with your longest range missiles. If the fighters don't get them, the crusiers can stand off and shell the planet and station.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

The easy way: covert opps.

The hard way: you need to research defensive comps along with offensive ones. Then create balanced ships and build fleets. More work and time but more rewarding.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

I just attack the planet from the other side and never come within range of the battlestation. Then, as the player loses more and more of his worlds, the stations become a huge resource drain. Unless they're equipped with self-destruct devices or shipyards, he can't even scrap them, he has to waist the time of sending a ship around to choose the "fire on" option. The AI never does this, so it works quite well against them. I find stations of all sizes to be utterly useless except as early spaceyards.

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Compete in the Space Empires IV World Championship at www.twingalaxies.com.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

Nyx - is there any way that you or anyone else knows of to alter the text files in some way to allow movement of the starbases in some orbital fashion? Maybe allow the stacking of the starbases on top of the planet allowing equal firing distances all around the planet?

Re: Starbase tactics
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by WhiteHojo:
Nyx - is there any way that you or anyone else knows of to alter the text files in some way to allow movement of the starbases in some orbital fashion? Maybe allow the stacking of the starbases on top of the planet allowing equal firing distances all around the planet?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


doubtful, but you could probably make planets transparent to weaponfire like warp points and asteroids are. given that space is 3d, i dont see why it would be a big compramise. might kill some peoples tactics, but those tactics are cheesy anyhow. i know, i use them http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Re: Starbase tactics
 

Making the planet transparent would still leave the problem of attacking from the "long" side of the base, that is, w/the added space of the planet b/t you and the base.

I'm no gaming expert but might there be some way to place the base directly on top of the planet and have the computer use that location as the focal point for range calculations - maybe making the computer think a base is similiar to a WP? Maybe changing the classification of all Bases to units w/a size of 0 and the displacemnt of 0 so as to not take up space in a planet's cargo hold,instead of labeling em as ships?

Just some thoughts - anything would be better than what we have now - and while they're at it, do something w/satelites - same problem as bases as far as planet defense goes, just out manuever em.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by WhiteHojo:
1-Making the planet transparent would still leave the problem of attacking from the "long" side of the base, that is, w/the added space of the planet b/t you and the base.

2-I'm no gaming expert but might there be some way to place the base directly on top of the planet and have the computer use that location as the focal point for range calculations - maybe making the computer think a base is similiar to a WP? Maybe changing the classification of all Bases to units w/a size of 0 and the displacemnt of 0 so as to not take up space in a planet's cargo hold,instead of labeling em as ships?

Just some thoughts - anything would be better than what we have now - and while they're at it, do something w/satelites - same problem as bases as far as planet defense goes, just out manuever em. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

1, if you outrange an immobile defenseive unit, you outrange it. does not matter if a planets in the middle or not, unless the planet is giving you something to hide behind when you would otherwise be in range. in tac combat, you can manuver to wherever you want to be and plink at it. thats why they get a range bonus. in strategic combat, you cant do as many nasty manuvers so it blances fairly well (although max range/dont get hurt is really close).

2, 99.9% sure, not in this game.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

1, if you outrange an immobile defenseive unit, you outrange it. does not matter if a planets in the middle or not, unless the planet is giving you something to hide behind when you would otherwise be in range. in tac combat, you can manuver to wherever you want to be and plink at it. thats why they get a range bonus. in strategic combat, you cant do as many nasty manuvers so it blances fairly well (although max range/dont get hurt is really close).

If only I knew how to do that neat block, bold reposting of other Posts I wouldn't be so cheesy lookin as above.

However, from a pure tactical/strategic standpoint I agree w/you about the "if you outrange an immobile defenseive unit, you outrange it. does not matter if a planets in the middle or not" the fact that an "immobile defensive unit" is further from what it is there to protect when attacked from one particular side of the planet makes that unit in effect worthless in a game playing aspect. A WP is also an immobile defensive unit yet all of these can target any ship w/in range regardless of which side of the planet you attack. The limiting penalty of the star base make them worthless in a purely defensive role. Any change that would alleviate this oversight I feel should be looked into - I come from a MOO background and I loved the Battlestations and whatever the largest one was (but these were always placed inbetween the planet and the attacking force -not possible in SEIV as currently setup)

Re: Starbase tactics
 

The way you make the quote section is with UBB code. On the left navigation bar where it says "UBB code is on" click that link and you'll find all kinds of neat stuff.

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Compete in the Space Empires IV World Championship at www.twingalaxies.com.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

Thankx for the info

Re: Starbase tactics
 

SE4 is a currently a game about ships and planets. Planets provide materials for ships and ships do the rest. Bases (at least currently) are good for very few things. Check out an old post for more details. We did manage to get MM to allow bases longer ranges but that's about all. So far http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Starbase tactics
 

OK, I had my fleet of 4 carriers with a few destroyers gallanting through the serengetti empire when I ran into his homeworld. I figure, "What the heck! I've been moping the floor with every fleet I come across, I'll just wipe out his homeworld now, even if I take heavy losses.".

::sniff:: ::sniff:: That was the Last time I heard from my fleet, but before they went down in a blaze of glory, they did get a scan of the Battle Station. It had about 6 Heavy mounted Polaron (?I think?) weapons that do like 150 dmg at range 6 or so, 4-5 point defenses and about 6 Shield V's (yikes! I'm only on shield II). I don't have the temporal tree researched (I'm ging heavy crystaline weaponry, I'm at lev 7 now).

I could make a butload of fighter-seekers to take it out out of range of his guns but I was wondering what everyone else does against those pesky heavily shielded Battle Stations? Am I just in for a slug-Fest?


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Regards,
KiloOhm

Re: Starbase tactics
 

my single answer to every major tactical challenge remains the same:

blow up the sun.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

If you really want to give Bases some combat movement then I would suggest you alter the AFTERBURNERS componet, rename it... make it big... and allow it to be put onto bases.

This should work AFAIK

Re: Starbase tactics
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by General Hawkwing:
SE4 is a currently a game about ships and planets<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well, that's one way of looking at it. Maybe I want bases to be something that MM never intended them to be.

However, you've given me an idea. Is it possible, via modding, to make a new Category of ship, a "base ship", that would be available early on but would be limited to one engine? It doesn't really make sense that, early on, you can make transports that are plenty big enough to fit a spaceyard, but you MUST fill them up with cargo bays. Huh? Hello? These civilizations can make ships capable of interstellar travel, but no one is smart enough to suggest replacing cargo bays with a spaceyard?

Re: Starbase tactics
 

Has anyone ever tried Trachmyr's suggestion?

Re: Starbase tactics
 

Trachmyr's idea works... i already have those in one of my games... works with the
satellites too...

Re: Starbase tactics
 

I never believed in building bases except to build my sphere worlds. But since you got so much space on the base why not fill them up with fighter bays and have a huge fighter force? that would stop anyone from attacking your bases, with about 20 PD cannons it should also fend off most missile attacks...
why put a starbase with tons of limited range weapons? Build one with plasma missiles or capital ship missiles that has the ability to hit you from where it sits... I think about 20 plasma missiles per turn should damage alot of ships before they ever get into range.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

Defensive bases are only useful early in the game, and only then when you are just struggling to hold what you've got.

Early game advantages: Relatively long-ranged (due to their base mount bonus) and powerful considering their cost. Also big and hard to kill (with respectable shielding and point defense).

DUC-armed Space Stations supported by satellites make an excellent warp point defense. Missile-armed bases probably aren't as good as missile WPs for planetary defense.

Late game advantages: Um, none. If you put on enough shields to stop an enemy battle-line, you probably won't have enough room for weapons. Also, mid and late-game bases are EXPENSIVE, largely because of their weapons and defenses. By the time you can build big-@$$ battlestations and starbases, the enemy that has forced you onto the defensive probably has dreadnoughts, and even a few (say 6 or so) of them can smash the base that you've spent 2 years building.

Re: Starbase tactics
 

Defensive bases are great in the late game. I had 2 Battle Stations on a warppoint together with about 100 satellites (old with weak weapons and no combat sensors, had level 3 on the bases and much better guns) smash 6 Battleships and some Cruisers and Battlecruisers (don't remember how many) with comparable tech. I call that a good investment of time and resources. And those bases have 50% off their upkeep which makes me love them even more. And with them in place the fleet I had guarding that warp point was free to roam the galaxy showing my enemies the error of their ways. Which just happened to be about the rest of the galaxy.