Blockade strategy?

SpaceBadger · #1 November 19th, 2003, 06:40 AM

Suppose you have some warships in an enemy system, you have troopships but they are busy conquering the enemy homeworld, and you want to blockade another enemy world to try to force surrender or at least prevent new enemy ships from being built there. What strategy can you use to keep your warships from just glassing the place?

I tried making a new strategy called Blockade, with the box checked for Don't Fire at Planets. It didn't work - they glassed it anyways. I thought of using Don't Get Hurt as the movement strategy - would probably work OK if no enemy ships moved into that sector or were built there during the blockade, but would likely get the blockaders killed if any enemy ships were present.

Any more ideas? Is there a way to blockade on purpose, or does it just happen when your ships lack the muscle to glass the place within 30 combat rounds? Or do you just have to leave the place alone until your troops are ready to move in?

SpaceBadger

Fyron · #2 November 19th, 2003, 06:52 AM

Set them to not fire on planets.

Check out the Ultimate Strategies Mod for lots of cool ideas on strategies (compiled from various mods and user submissions).

SpaceBadger · #3 November 19th, 2003, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SpaceBadger:
I tried making a new strategy called Blockade, with the box checked for Don't Fire at Planets. It didn't work - they glassed it anyways.

Quote:

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
Set them to not fire on planets.

Isn't that what I just said did not work? Is there a different way of doing this than checking that box in the strategy window?

Quote:

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
Check out the Ultimate Strategies Mod for lots of cool ideas on strategies (compiled from various mods and user submissions).

OK, will have a look. Thanks.

SpaceBadger

Fyron · #4 November 19th, 2003, 07:25 AM

Is your fleet's strategy set to break formation? If so, the ships default to the strategy used by their design. Set that strategy to have Don't Fire On Planets enabled. Or, keep the ships in formation.

[ November 19, 2003, 05:26: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

SpaceBadger · #5 November 19th, 2003, 07:50 AM

I think you have pegged it. I usually go through and set all strategies to have everyone break formation, so probably did that with this one, too. I'll try it again without breaking formations.

Except... hmmm, my Capture Planet fleet strategy has everyone break formation, too, yet it seems to keep on working anyway, so that the gunships bLast the defenses and then quit firing to let the troopships make their assault - even though gunship individual strategies are set to Optimal, they seem to remember that the fleet was set to Capture Planet...

The DefaultStrategies.txt in USM looks very good. I think I will start using it regularly.

You know, what I'd really like is a strategy to let the troopships go ahead and begin their landing while the gunships are still working on the defenses, rather than waiting for the shooting to end. I like to build tough troopships that can land under fire, since that is the way I use them in solo games where I can use tactical combat. Recently I have been trying to work out better ways of using strategic combat, since I won't be able to use tactical on PBW. USM doesn't seem to have a strategy for that, either, so maybe it just doesn't work.

SpaceBadger

SpaceBadger · #6 November 19th, 2003, 07:59 AM

Puzzlement.

The two blockade strategies in USM both have all ships set to break formation - yet, presumably, they have been tested and work properly.

Is it possible this will work if set up ahead of time with DefaultStrategies.txt (as in USM), but not work if you try to make a new strategy in-game, as I did?

Hmm, must experiment with this some more...

SpaceBadger

Fyron · #7 November 19th, 2003, 08:12 AM

I didn't really test USM...

It is possible that some of the strategies are not quite working as they should. Suggestions for improvement are always welcome.

Puke · #8 November 19th, 2003, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SpaceBadger:
You know, what I'd really like is a strategy to let the troopships go ahead and begin their landing while the gunships are still working on the defenses, rather than waiting for the shooting to end.

Yeah, you and me both. SOL on that one.

Quote:

The two blockade strategies in USM both have all ships set to break formation - yet, presumably, they have been tested and work properly.

Some of the stratagies in USM were written before the Last patch (or maybe a few patches ago) when ships that broke formation still followed the fleet stratagy. I think that I prefered it that way, because ships are often most effective when they are not locked in a formation, and you probably want to determine stratagies for a FLEET rather than an entire class of ships.

Quote:

The DefaultStrategies.txt in USM looks very good. I think I will start using it regularly.

and then you'll wish that you had your OWN parade of victory formation...

oleg · #9 November 19th, 2003, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SpaceBadger:
Puzzlement.

The two blockade strategies in USM both have all ships set to break formation - yet, presumably, they have been tested and work properly.

Is it possible this will work if set up ahead of time with DefaultStrategies.txt (as in USM), but not work if you try to make a new strategy in-game, as I did?

Hmm, must experiment with this some more...

SpaceBadger

Did you set the "blockade" strategy to all ship designs in the fleet ? I have no problems blockading planet if all ships have individual "don't fire on planet" strategy.

geoschmo · #10 November 19th, 2003, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SpaceBadger:
Except... hmmm, my Capture Planet fleet strategy has everyone break formation, too, yet it seems to keep on working anyway, so that the gunships bLast the defenses and then quit firing to let the troopships make their assault - even though gunship individual strategies are set to Optimal, they seem to remember that the fleet was set to Capture Planet...

Capture planet is the exception to the rule that ships that break formation follow their own strategies. Actually it's more complicated then that. Because the ships really do follow their design strategies as far as movement, that's why they mill about the planet aimlessly, or sit motionless rather then go to the corners. They just won't fire on the planet once the weapons platforms are gone if the fleet has capture planet orders and there is a transport with troops in the fleet. You will find that if you attack a planet with the fleet having capture planet orders, but set to break formation, and you do NOT include a transport with troops in the fleet, your ships will quite happily go about glassing the planet. It's a hard coded exception to the normal game logic to make planet capture work right.

Geoschmo