Strategic Help required! - Page 6

Suicide Junkie · #51 April 24th, 2001, 09:18 PM

My production is going up 3% per year, and I have most of my colonies producing research & intel. I've only got 2 moons producing, 1 mineral & 1 radioactive. Ive got a planet producing 3 organic & two homeworlds with lots of minerals & research.

All that research is going to get me Rel.Talisman in 1.5 years, then Atmosphere Converters I, in 2 more years.

So, Yes, I could increase production, but at the expence of research.

Right now, I've laid a trap 2-mine field just in front of my 500-mine defence, and hoping to catch a lone DN, two could be handled. I'll then pounce with my entire Space Force (about 16 ships) all retrofitted for disabling & capture & repair.

In the systems touching mine, he's got small colonies with piles of (prob: cystal tech) satellites. Probably got large platforms on all the planets too. I wouldn't stand a chance attacking the colonies.
I could hit them with a suicide Plague bomber, but they've probly got med tech.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 24 April 2001).]

Nitram Draw · #52 April 24th, 2001, 10:04 PM

That's 65 turns before your first converted atmosphere planet comes on line and more before they have any effect. If you can survive that long with the weapons you have you shouldn't be worrying to much.
If you can't hold that long I would delay the Converters and get to shields V. That is a lot more protection that shields II, which is what I think you have. Or begin researching some of the lower levels of the techs they have to get greater advances when you analyize the DN's you are going to capture.

Suicide Junkie · #53 April 24th, 2001, 10:34 PM

I'm not as poor in shielding as I sound. My mod alterantes normal & phased, so I'm really at level 4. Plus I've got level 3 in armor, wich gives me an 10kT armored shield gen. 25/30 : S/A. Still doing bad relatively, though.

Nitram Draw · #54 April 25th, 2001, 01:12 AM

Aren't you getting any help from your mines? I usually see the AI send in minesweepers and combat ships to the same spot in the same turn but rarely in the same group? Maybe you will get lucky and a mine or two will take down some shields/crew quarters.
BTW are you fighting tactical or strategic? If you are fighting strategic, have you tried setting your tachyon ships to "point blank range"?

Suicide Junkie · #55 April 25th, 2001, 02:16 AM

The first Capture attempt on a DN!

See: Game Stories

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 25 April 2001).]

Marty Ward · #56 April 25th, 2001, 03:57 AM

Sounds like it was a hell of a fight! Hope you get a breather to regroup.
Maybe you should think of researching shield depleters, from your narrative it sounds like just knocking down the shields cost a fair number of ships.

Suicide Junkie · #57 April 25th, 2001, 05:14 AM

Hehe. Yeah. I've just researched shield tech high enough to open the area.

Thing was, my plan called for the ES&DS to strip an unarmed Drednaught of shields, then take out the SDD & crew. Didn't work out quite that way

.

I didn't actually lose any ships, the ones that spun off burning all had 92% damage and were ignored by the DN in favour of the livelier ships. Something like 50 hitpoints remaining on 4 LCs.

Quite a display as the ships struggled to get home on 1 movement. The Jreanar sent in 1000 kT carriers, and the Phong had 7-stacked DNs, The Jreanar countered with 9-stack DN & wreckage was everywhere

I just layed down mines as I went and hoped that they would be able to disable any ships that decided to attack me. Nobody did, but man was there ever a lot of fighting going on

.

BTW, after that battle, I took a detour on the way home and capped me a Gas giant colonizer with some sweet engine tech

.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 25 April 2001).]

Will · #58 April 25th, 2001, 06:19 AM

Congrats on the victory! Looks like you'll get four tech levels (Propulsion, CombatSupport, ShipConstruction, Cargo). I think you'll be able to make it.

And you didn't say you had fighters! They can be a valuable attack resource. Once you get your fleet home, retrofit the ES/FG to be a corvette-type ship, with Fighter Bays. If you can, have your planets building fighters while the fleet returns. Ferry the fighters to a staging area (best place would probably be a storm that blocks sensors). Make 'em into one big group (it seems to help with accuracy). Then use the fighters as your main disabling force, and re-retrofitted ES/FGs can close and capture. With a repair ship handy, you can repair the ES/FGs, and the fighters should Last several battles (depends on total number). Best part: no maintainance.

dogscoff · #59 April 25th, 2001, 10:31 AM

Sounds like you're doing OK now but if things get dificult again you might want to try the "run for help" tactic. I've done this in SEIII plenty of times:

Equip a small fast ship (FG, ES) with emergency movement and loads of supplies. Train it up to full experience to make it even harder to hit.
Cloaking and solar harnessing tech are also useful if available. Don't bother with weapons, your tactic is to avoid combat and dodge the bullets if you do get into a fight.(maybe fit PDCs, if you have room)

Send it out into the unknown to make first contact with distant races. Hopefully you can pick up a few nice treaties to boost your resource / research / intel output.
If your enemies are as huge as you say then other small empires will be glad of the opportunity to make friends.
Remember - "My enemy's enemy is my friend."

The trick is to avoid combat by careful navigation. Avoid enemy space as far as possible and use storms and nebulae to hide from enemy fleets. Try flying through disputed territories - your enemies will be too busy killing each other to worry about your little ship.

You can help your heroic adventurer when it gets into trouble by using quick, cheap intel ops like "fake orders" and "ship bomb".

If you keep your distance from hostile ships and move quickly enough you might be able to get to the other side of their space, where you should have potential allies waiting for you.

Even if it doesn't work it's a great laugh frantically steering a lone frigate through enemy space with a 20 battlecruiser fleet on your tail...

BTW... has anyone else ever used this strategy? If not, can I name it after myself? "The Dogscoff Dash"

...catchy

------------------
There is an exception to every rule. Including this one.

[This message has been edited by dogscoff (edited 25 April 2001).]

Suicide Junkie · #60 April 25th, 2001, 05:23 PM

quote:
Congrats on the victory! Looks like you'll get four tech levels (Propulsion, CombatSupport, ShipConstruction, Cargo).

It was only a Cargo I, so I only get 3 techs out of the deal.

The fleet is already home, after what turned into a year long journey, covering each step with an ever-smaller supply of mines

The DN is limping in on its own (within the Empires defences) and will take another 1/2 year.

That DN kicked my ecomomy into a -1,000 mineral tailspin, but I mothballed my forces at Starfleet Academy, when I had 7k left, so now I make 7k per turn

It'll be a while before I can get the funds to unmothball. By then, I should have the DN analysed, and will scrap some of the ships for BCs.

BTW, I've got the Talisman, and stole Gas Colonies (spaced the stupid crystal "plants", I'm gonna convert atmospheres!), so I'll be expanding while my fleet sleeps. In two years, I'll get atmosphere converters, and the empire will return to the blissful days of old

quote:
BTW... has anyone else ever used this strategy? If not, can I name it after myself? "The Dogscoff Dash"

Actually, I did that sometimes in SE3, usually to get to my brother or dad, living on the other side of the map. A guaranteed pot of gold at the end of the road really helps.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 25 April 2001).]