Invasion Inoculation
 

I don't want to sound like a coyote, but.... I have an odd little idea.

As I understand it, you cannot drops troops on a planet that already has two parties of troops on it. My petty-little-newbie idea is, then, to inoculate your friends (they ought to reciprocate) by starting a little fight on their planets.

The invader would have to have troops with enough shields to keep the regenerating-militia from wiping them out. Maybe they really need enough firepower to keep the militia in check, but not so much that they ever do damage to the home-troops, which would really only be carrying shields. Both the vaccine and the native immune system would heavily emphasize shields.

It may take some serious number-crunching to find the exact balance that would keep the militia in check without wearing down the immunity shield-baring troops. That's if it's even mathematically possible, given the mechanics of the game.

This brings me to the question of what happens if you are at war with someone (or none), drop troops on a world of theirs, then make peace before the ground combat is completely resolved...?

If this idea is already in the ACME catalog, please do let me know.

[ 26 April 2002: Message edited by: Loser ]</p>

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

The problem with that is your population won't like it. Chances are they'll start rioting if you leave those troops there long enough.

Phoenix-D

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

Good point. But if both were emotionless....

Additionally, what does happen to unresolved ground combat when a treaty goes into effect?

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

Dunno. Ussually by the time ground combat is going on I'm past the "Hi!" stage and onto the "DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE" stage http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Phoenix-D

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

While I'm asking questions...
What is MEE?
Massive Evil Empire?
My Edwardian England?
Mike's Educational Esquire?

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

MEGA Evil Empire. When you reach x% of the 2nd place player, and are in first place, ALL of the AIs will declare war on you within a turn or two.

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

They can shoot the troops form orbit?

dang....

What's the use of defensive troops under any circumstances, then?

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

Well, troop landings are a shield-skipping effect, so if you have planetary shields up, they can save you from an embarrasing loss (the enemy could capture your shield generators intact!)

They make your people happy! (Happy or else! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif )

They provide hitpoints for your planet. Troop-sized shield generators provide 15 hp/kt, which is the best in the game.

So, a pile of heavy shield troops will not only provide an effective planetary armor, they will keep your citizens in line, and will provide cover for your militia when ground combat does occur.

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

So the best defensive troops would be all-shield?

Outght we to just let the militia do the shooting?

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

Not if you want to resist enemy troops with weapons. In the default game set though, all-shield troops are probably good to protect your planet with - I expect the'll work well as sand bags to protect your weapon platforms from bombardment from space, too... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

PvK

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Loser:
They can shoot the troops form orbit?

dang....

What's the use of defensive troops under any circumstances, then?<hr></blockquote>

Yes, this is a problem in my mind. Troops never get to fight troops because defending troops are always destroyed from space. I wish MM would either store troops differently from other cargo or at least allow an option to change their status from 'cargo' to something else' -- call it 'dug in' or 'dispersed' or something like that. When in this special state they should not be damaged like cargo but like population. As a 'balancing' factor I guess they should not be easily removable from the planet when in this state. Maybe you need a turn to move them from 'dug in' back to cargo so they can be loaded up for transport.

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

How much damage does militia do?

How much militia do you get for how much population?

If a certain amount of militia is destroyed, but the planet is not lost, how long does it take to get that militia back?

When a planet is taken, does the invader get the whole population's worth of militia if he is attacked the very next turn?

Are the numerical answers to these questions modable?

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

Not to mention the fact that militia DONT regenerate.

If you dropped weaponless troops, with enough shields that the militia couldn't even kill one per turn, then you'd be able to get the perpetual combat you desire.

Of course, the enemy ships would likely shoot the planet to kill those troops, and then send their own in.

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

The exact damage and hitpoints, and number per x million people are all found in settings.txt

Militia are fully restored to the amount in settings.txt the instant there are no foreign troops on the surface.
This could be as often as between troop transport drops in the same combat turn, or only after a year of fighting a stalemate.
The instant a ceasefire happens, the militia are restored.

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> Troops never get to fight troops because defending troops are always destroyed from space. <hr></blockquote>Only if the attacker is patient. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif With a "heavily-enough" armored/shielded/PDC'd transport, one can get troops dirtside without completely suppressing the defenses.

I know I've seen ground combats with defending troops and militia, and I've even captured at least one planet that still had functional weapons platforms on it.

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

Great, so my AMCE Troop Inoculation will innoculate against the most patient troop-landing player (already more patient than the glass-happy masses).

Oh well.... I still want to see what happens to ground comabt when a treaty is made...

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

Do you know how to get your troop transports to do this in strategic combat? My transports always run to the corner until my other ships have destroyed all the planetary defenses. I'd actually like it if they would zoom in and take the planet without waiting for this sometimes...

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by capnq:
Only if the attacker is patient. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif With a "heavily-enough" armored/shielded/PDC'd transport, one can get troops dirtside without completely suppressing the defenses.

I know I've seen ground combats with defending troops and militia, and I've even captured at least one planet that still had functional weapons platforms on it.<hr></blockquote>

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

send the transports in alone and hope.

Phoenix-D

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
send the transports in alone and hope.

Phoenix-D<hr></blockquote>

No, the 'capture planet' strategy will not work unless the planet has had its weapons removed by other forces. The transport will just run away. I suppose you could build a very heavily armored/shielded transport and put ONE weapon in it to make it attack the planet with the other ships. Would it drop the troops before the planet's weapons were gone even if it were close enough? Dunno... better give it a short range weapon. But if you give it a planetary weapon I think it will be a priority target for the defenses.

If this does work, then a whole new method of attacking planets might open up. Build whole fleets of planet capturing ships that are a mix of weapons and cargo bays and send them all in. If even one survives then some troops get dropped on the planet. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif If the numbers dropped by a single ship are enough to survive the 10 rounds of ground combat then they can build up as other ships get close enough to drop theirs.

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

Well, BM, I kinda use that strategy all the time http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif At least in AI games.

What I do is get a large transport, fill the cargo with only necessary space, At least 4 crystaline/organic armor and 4 shiled generators, One EMC, Solar Sail, and one or two point defense for those missle worlds.

And scream Geronimo.

The Solar Sails are a big help as with it's bonus combat speed, it can speed down to the planet fast with taking about two shots from the weapons platforms.

Although this usually succeeds, not all the time; I found out in simulations that Wave motion guns and Graviton Hellbores do a good job of killing my Heavy Armoured transports before they get in.

Also, the transports failed two times after I let the strategic combat let it run into the homeworld http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Guess what happened. The second time, I commandered the ship, but didn't see the massive drones coming in and died.

But still effective. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Edit: sorry, can't spell.

Another Edit: Don't be fooled that that kind of transport can survive Homeworlds or Heavy Defended Military worlds: for those worlds, I have sent 4-5 Warship escorts with the transport to take down or capture bases and ships and also to distract the Weapon platforms.

[ 30 April 2002: Message edited by: TerranC ]

[ 30 April 2002: Message edited by: TerranC ]</p>

Re: Invasion Inoculation
 

What I have found is that if the planet has weapons my transport will hide in the corner, until all my offensive ships are destroyed and then it will rush the planet, usually to disasterous results. So I don't see why a single transport with no weapons or escort wouldn't go stratight for the planet. But it would have to be really fast and really tough to survive, unless it's a small colony.

Two other thigs to remember if you try this tactic. 1. Mines, 2. Sattelites. If the planet has sattelites, even if you succed in capturing it the sats will then turn on it and fire. I have lost a lot of captured worlds this way.

Geo