[Gryphin]

Andy and everyone else
Please read all the way through, it has a surprise ending.
Written Thursday, April 11, 2002 3:30 pm plus or minus:
You are definitely correct. Building Ship Yard Bases and use of mines is much easier, (and on the surface cheaper) than Ship Capture and use of Satellites.
It definitely comes down to play style.
Note:
Ship Capture does not cost more in Research Points. The Return on Investment is huge, (based on my experience against the AI). I don’t know how it would play out against humans. I doubt my style will work against humans. Against the AI, (in general), I will not research shields, fighters, mines, or Ship Construction beyond Frigate. I have almost always acquired these by Ship Capture.
If your opponent responds by retro fitting his ships with Security Stations or Anti Satellite weapons, (such as Point Defense Cannons), you have cost him a great deal of time and expense to counter the Satellites and Boarding Parties. With mines, all he has to do is research mines and build a couple of mine sweepers.
Defend Warp Points With Mines and or Bases
This seems to be the favored way to go at least in the early game.
I guess the way a Human vs Human counter is to put mine sweepers with your fleet or as a component on each ship. I wonder what cost more:
Losing ships to an unexpected mine field or
Including mine sweeping with all fleets.
I suspect I am going to find out the hard way.
*********************
Written Friday morning April 12, 2002 7:30
Uh Oh, I did some sketches and ran some numbers. The flaw in my proposed method did not take into account that planets could be on opposite sides of a system and could not be defended by one fleet. As such, an unexpected hostile could Glass / Capture several planets near a warp point before your centrally positoned fleet could get there.
Mines at warp points is the only way to go. < phew > That Hurt! I hate conceding, still it is better than getting womped by GrowlTigga.
I guess I will be trying:
Mine warp points
Include Sattelites
Use Ship Capture
Don’t build bases at warp points
GrowTigga, (or anyone), what do you think?

PS: I appologies if any of my previous post came across in a negative way.