Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

I'm new player and I haven't touched much in strategies or fleet formations (however I know arrowhead isn't good). So if I have a decent 30-40 ships fleet, armed with phased polaron beams or anti proton beams what's most effective tactic? Is there big difference in combat result between optimal, maximum, short and point blank weapons ranges? And what fleet formation is good? Or should I check everything at types that break formation?

And now the other question. Is there any point research mineral scanner or system mineral scanner when you can research robotoid factory under computers? Robotoid factory is cheaper to research, you get other useful components (master computer and computer virus) besides and it's the same facility for all the resource types.

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

Try the new formations in the latest gold patch. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Breaking formation is always good.

Mineral Scanners are indeed pointless. It takes a lot less research to get System Robotoid IIIs than it does to get System Mineral Scanner IIIs (and the org and rad ones too). Same goes for comparing the planet affecting ones too.

[ January 31, 2003, 19:39: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">What's the point then use formations if break formation is on?

It would be nice if someone tells some experiences about strategies.

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

Run some simulations to see what the strategies do.

Formations will define the starting location of the ships in the fleet. If you have a lot of ships (more than the slots in the formation), the extra ships get placed randomly around the map.

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cheaper to research and gives the other components, yes. The mineral scanner is cheaper to build, however.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You might not be building monoliths everywhere.

That said I never research them, but I'll use them if I get them from a ruin.

[ January 31, 2003, 21:48: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

Thanks for the fast answers. Further comments are of course welcome but these helped much.

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

A lot depends on what strategy is best. In my testing/learning game (I have the same questions you do), I have seen some really weird things. Some choices that I feel should work, are useless. A brief example:
the battle:
AI:
2 destroyers with three CSM2 each
Me:
7 Frigates with two CSM1 and one PDC2 each
1 PDC2 only frigate (6 guns).

All ships have the speed except for the PDC frig, which has one less engine.

the battle had to be set up using the patrol function, and at turn start the AI is over a well defended planet, but sends the ships out to attack an undefended planet I captured from it.

Using both optimal range, and maximum range choices for the fleet and default ship strategy, allowed the AI to escape every time. the extra rance of his CSM2 missles meant he could fire and back off and out run all my shots. my PDC2s worked most of the time, but I still took damage with the few that got through. namely because of stupid moves my ships made (strategic combat).

I switched to short range, and destroyed both of his, taking no damage myself. Upon watching the replay tho, they still fired at range 8 and backed up. Not sure how to get them to be a little more aggressive. the battle was still mainly my shots running out of gas, and his getting hit by pdc. but i wonder if the switch caused the two odd sets that the AI ran a full movement up before firing.

I know this don't help much, but at least I saw something different with the short range choice. All i can say is try different ones, and see what works best against different enemy weapons/ships. I am not use to having to change strategies and firing choices and such so often. (thats why I prefer tactical combat.) Maybe this example can help others here to make some more suggestions.

Edit in: the PDC only frigate did a corner run, and provided no cover for the missle ships. grrrr. I want a "brig" component for the captains of the ships that do that. lol

[ January 31, 2003, 21:38: Message edited by: couslee ]

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">To fix this problem put a single weapon on the ship. Something small will do fine. If the ship has only PDC on it it will always run to the corner. Put a weapon on there besides PDC and it will stay and defend your other ships. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

The design was intended for a dual purpose. One was fleet protection, the other was for satellite killing, and possibly doing blockades. Will it still do a corner run if the only opponent is Sats?

Re: Question about strategies and mineral scanner
 

I'm thinking it will attack, but haven't tested it for sure.

I explained the logic on another thread I think..

PHoenix-D