Recon Satellites

[inigma]

What's the best method for researching and placing recon satellites?

Currently in my game with the AI it took me forever and a day to research tachyon sensors III and long range sensors III AND the medium satellite it took to put them both on a single sat plus steath armor.

I was just thinking I could have saved myself the trouble and just put tacy3 on small sat, lr3 on another small sat, and stealth on another small sat, then launch them into my border systems and beyond using a simple stealth sat layer. I understand they stack, including the cloaking. Is this true? Is this the better tactic rather than pushing for an all-in one recon sat?

I was also wondering about sat placement. Currently I try to place them in 6,6 - usually the star of the system, 'cause at LRIII you can see everything up to 5 spaces away which only leaves the sectors on the edges of the system in fog.

Also, I was wondering in PBW games if empires make mutual neutral zones and allow the others to establish monitoring satellites there - does this happen often?

[inigma]

what have been the traditional uses for satellites in PBW? do ppl ever put up recon sats?

[Fyron]

A stealth armored satellite with cloak scanners at the highest slevel in every system is most useful. Long range scanners are not so useful with scattering armor being used on most ships.

[Atrocities]

Satellite launched from a planet, with hyper-optic III is best for detecting hidden ships within your systems and to keep an eye open.

What you have to watch out for are cloaked mine layers. They are nasty little buggers.

[douglas]

Tachyon Sensors are worthless. For less research cost than level 1 Tachyon Sensors - just that tech level, lower levels and prereqs not included - , you can get level 3 Hyper Optics - including all lower levels and prereqs - that do the same thing and cost less to build. You also get training facilities from the same line of research.

[Arkcon]

inigma said: "I was also wondering about sat placement. Currently I try to place them in 6,6 - usually the star of the system, 'cause at LRIII you can see everything up to 5 spaces away which only leaves the sectors on the edges of the system in fog."

The anti-cloak sensor works for the whole system, no matter where its placed. As for the long range scanner, assuming your opponents don't use scatter armor, you'll want to place in intelligent spots between lanes of travel between warp points.

"Also, I was wondering in PBW games if empires make mutual neutral zones and allow the others to establish monitoring satellites there - does this happen often?"

Depends. If people are friendly, I'm more likely to give them a tiny breatheable planet, in exchange for one in their space. Sort of an embassy, for mutual security.

what have been the traditional uses for satellites in PBW? do ppl ever put up recon sats?

One problem with SE4 is that cloaking is that advanced cloaking technology is much more expensive than the needed anti-cloak sensor. Cloaking is so easy to defeat that there's almost no point.

Now maybe in the various Star Trek mods, something more like Star Trek happens -- the Romulans get cheap cloaking, the Federation get no cloaking and has to spend lots of research to penetrate cloaking. But then you hit the other shortcoming of cloaking in SE4 -- its all or nothing. We all wait, ever so patiently, for SE5, where sensors will have a range within a system

As for recon sats in PBW, I've seen people drop an uncloaked sat in some out of the way spot of an enemy system. Yes, he knows its there, but will he divert a ship, just to shoot it down? And when he does, does that mean to real assault fleet is finally on its way?

'Course, you can always drop a sat in a cloaking storm, and see out of it just fine.

[Intimidator]

At least it's a cheap an easy way to watch your adjactent systems in a early game, by just dropping sats with only an computer core (drop them in storms when available or otherwise drop them in the left-top corner, maybe your opponent will not notice your sat at that spot through the system name )

[Intimidator]

Atrocities said:
Satellite launched from a planet, with hyper-optic III is best for detecting hidden ships within your systems and to keep an eye open.

What you have to watch out for are cloaked mine layers. They are nasty little buggers.

Oh yes, I still remember our first oneonone game ......muahahahaha

[Fyron]

The system icon on the galaxy map changes to a triangle though.

[Intimidator]

I know, but it is easily overlooked (if you are lucky).....

Inti,