Thanks to 1FSTCAT for the match, and for your comments.
1FSTCAT beat the pants off me in KOTH Last time we played, and was one of the inspirations for my harping on maxed out combat stats. Being aware of that, I decided to go for the training edge very early. This was risky on my part; because if he would have had a few more minesweepers with your first fleet, you would have forced me to commit my ships to battle before training; and I would have done poorly. His research and expansion were great as always. I hate the fact he always give my pioneer colonies so much trouble, too.
1FSTCAT's early attack was somewhat risky. In the beginning, knew I can defend myself with mines and sats (got them just in time), so I forced him to displace resources with your early planet destroyers. However, his tactic of applying early pressure is great, and he does this as well as anyone I've played. I still don't know how he throws together so many ships so quickly?!? If I made a mistake, it would be very bad for me.
I took an educated guess that he did not have defense against ship capture/training when I saw his carriers with good ECM/sensors. I held my breath before that big battle on my warp point, and it happened to be a rout- but I was counting on that. I can't afford to keep 1FSTCAT in the game. When I made my move, I did so with the best chances at that stage of the game. If this would have been a long game, I would say that my chances would be slim against him.
Cheers,
The Best Darn Looking King You Got
[ May 01, 2003, 23:19: Message edited by: Stone Mill ]