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Against a human it won't work as well but you might win the first battles until his designs change sufficently to counter you. I Usually put at least 3 PD in any light cruiser and above when I fight seeker and fighter races and I don't think you could surround many of my fleeted ships with light fighters. My solo scouts however would die easily to that tactic.
In general, I agree with you. But because fighters don't pay maintenance, I wonder if it might not be a worthwhile sacrifice to lose tons and tons of fighters against point defence cannons rather than pay the maintenance on a fleet of ships.
For example, let's say you build a light cruiser equipped with PD V cannons and some shielding. In the simulator, this 7000 point ship can be overcome by 23,000 worth (about 75) small fighters. Is this trade worth it?
On the face of it, this trade looks pretty one-sided against the empire using fighters. But what happens to the balance if you consider the resources spent maintaining that ship. Over a period of 12 turns, the maintenance on that ship bumps its cost up above the cost of the fighters.
Of course, the next question would be: Can the fighter empire build enough fighters quickly enough--especially when he must spend three to four times as many minerals to equal one ship. It all depends on how long the other player has been maintaining his ships. I wonder if there might not be a point in time when it makes more sense to invest in fighters *even though* you are going to lose them in such large numbers against the enemy's PD cannons.
Makes you think, doesn't it?