genocide vs ground assault
 

Recently I captured a really well developed alien world with about 2000m population. I left the world a bit prematurely to hit an enemy fleet and the AI snuck in a dreadnought and glassed its former planet. It might be just me, but shouldn't the AI try to recapture one of its own planets probably. Especially one that has full facilities and a huge population?

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

Yes, it should. Does it? No. The AI almost never invades a world, even if it has troops and the ships to transport them. This is related to the AI not having any memory, so it isn't aware that the planet was once its own, or that it just glassed 2 billion people of its own race.

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

Wish they'd change that. It would make more sense for the AI to wait a few turns to gather forces for a planetary assault rather than just glass the planet and recolonize it. Should be able insert a routine into the attack targeting algorithm that looks at the size/value/population/facilities on the planet and decide to assault instead of vaporizing if the value is past a certain threshold. Add a higher weight to the population if it's the same as the AI's race.

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

I have had the AI drop troops 1 time this was on a world that I had just taken,(was a 1 sided fight) tho I have yet to have them do it again (KILL KILL)

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

The question i have is did the AI have the forces to hold that planet incase you came back, if i didn't have the power to hold that territory i would have glassed my own planet too.

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

Always glass planets - always http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif It is too much of a pain IMHO to keep other races - often makes it more confusing (although that might just be a comment on my own grey matter abilities...). By the time I'm conquering the whole galaxy I almost always have all 3 techs for colonizing... so I just send ships with transports full of my own race....


Jason2

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jason2:
Always glass planets - always http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif It is too much of a pain IMHO to keep other races - often makes it more confusing (although that might just be a comment on my own grey matter abilities...). By the time I'm conquering the whole galaxy I almost always have all 3 techs for colonizing... so I just send ships with transports full of my own race....
Jason2<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You may change your oppinion once you've played a game where you can only colonize your race and planet type. I too was one who wiped 'em out and recolonized (or slaved 'em after surrender). Now with the new settings (makes it a LOT different and longer folks) the whole ground combat issue becomes far more important. Check out some of the other threads for more...

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

Doesn't glassing a planet reduce the mineral values?
I think one of my planets got nuked and when i recolonised, it wasn't worth building mines on.
I'm sure I saw something in a data file that suggested it did.

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

The value of all resources are reduced after the complete elimination of the population and you can modify the amount of reduction (if I remember correct in the settings file).
Personally I always use troops to conquer planets if possible. But in the beginning of the game, when you don't have the troop technology yet, there is no other solution to efficiently weaken an enemy empire than to destroy their colonies.

Re: genocide vs ground assault
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Q:
But in the beginning of the game, when you don't have the troop technology yet, there is no other solution to efficiently weaken an enemy empire than to destroy their colonies.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

unless you can blocade them into surrendering. three ships will usually hold a planet against anything they can launch locally in one turn, and the rest of the fleet can move arround to insure space superiority.