Defending Planets

[Undertakr]

Obviously as you become spread out and massive fleets become necessary to go and whomp the bejezzus out of your enemies, it becomes increasingly difficult to defend all the planets behind you. How does everyone defend their planets without killing themselves with resources? The game I just played in no one had planet defenses at all, so I'm thinking of there is a good planet defense strategy, I'd be ahead of the game.

Obviously once you hit midgame or so mines are no longer a viable option as everyone who isn't a moron has huge sweeps. So what direction do you go?

[Suicide Junkie]

Platforms are a good answer. With the mount's longer range on direct fire weapons, and a solid Point Defense presence, you can make the enemy pay for each planet.

[Gozra]

In every game there are too many variables. Mines never go out of fashion. Space stations are real good. And you really need to go for strong points. But with stellar manipulation all bets are off.

[Fyron]

Warp Point Openers. They let your fleets be anywhere in your empire in 2 or 3 turns.

[TerranC]

Originally posted by Undertakr:
Obviously once you hit midgame or so mines are no longer a viable option as everyone who isn't a moron has huge sweeps. So what direction do you go?

Then I must be a moron or a moronic.

[Undertakr]

You don't have huge sweeps? Don't you lose a ton of ships? I always have 5-10 mines above my planets to mess with people with no sweeps and usually quite a few mines on warp points to try to catch colony ships. I always take a dread maxed out with my highest sweepers with a fleet.

With the cargo bug, you can throw a good 160 mines above your homeworld, that can stop anything and usually even stops fleets with a lot of sweeps cuz they only plan for the 100 limit.