[Mordante]

Some good ideas and interesting points everyone;

1)choice of battlefields/choke points – not an option I fear, I already have 3 maximum range (500ly) renewable (ie. Onboard repair) warp point constructors myself (each tied to a fleet) and I expect a similar capacity from my enemy. From my front line I can target his rear territory and I expect a similar advance from him when the time comes. Thus choke point defence (mines/satellites etc) will be irrelevant since the warp points will be newly placed. I can see able practical way to force the battle in nebulas either.

2)“attrition tactics” – although my opponent has no-maintenance advantage, my resource income is approximately twice his and my planetary shipyards outnumber his by over a hundred (we have 200 space bases each). If both fleets were annihilated I believe I could replace mine faster.

3)“wave motion gun” – I didn’t know it had +30% to hit, interesting but it does depend on the launching vessel getting out of range effectively during recharge.

4)“fighter combination attacks” – fighters to draw the big guns, yes, I could see that working – until he orders standard base ship designs to ignore them and lets the custom pdc’s engage the skirmishers! But a battle could be won that way I think.

5)“Sun-destroying” – I have several sun-destroyer craft on standby in potential target systems of mine – what worries me about their offensive capabilities is the fact that a) they need to start the turn above the target start, and b) does the detonation occur immediately in the simultaneous turn sequence or at the end of movement and combat?

6)“cloaking” – rendered impotent by high level sensor nets – all my systems have sensor satellites capable of detecting the maximum cloak available in the game. (no psychic or temporal players left alive) I expect the same of my enemy…

7)“engine-killing beam” – I think they max out at range six, I can certainly rush the base ships and burn engines on individual ships in the enemy fleet but at the cost of the engine-killer hull’s existence by massive retaliation at range six from polaron beams.

8)“enemy supply strategy” – not sure, I imagine he will add one or two quantum reactor equipped ships to the grand fleet to replenish everything. (all of my ships have quantum reactors so no supply hassles for me)

9)“Manoeuvre with 300 ships!” – not sure what will happen, even the combat simulator on strategic takes a long time to do a battle of that size … interesting to see his fleet lumber around immobile hulks though …

10) “guerrilla tactics with wolf-packs” – I was think of doing this with range eight cannon cruisers to pick off lone colonies and support craft …

kind regards all, i will certainly let people know what happens ....