Help -- How to Conduct Planetary Invasion?

[neofit]

Coincidentally I was about to start a thread on this very issue. I am having trouble properly coordinating an attack on a planet (v1.13, Banace Mod 0.96). The dropship does make a beeline towards the planet, drops the shuttle, it reaches the planet, then it (the dropship) gets slaughtered by planetary defenses.

My fleet is composed of the following: 4x missile destroyers, 3x anti-proton DDs, 1x light carrier, 1x dropship, 3x support ships in their own TF with "don't get hurt" orders.

What happens is: if the planet is defended by ships or stations, all my ships besides the support TF charge the enemy and we win. If the planet only has fighters, satellites and planetary defenses, only the carrier and the dropship charge, we still win but with unnecessary losses. The missile ships, gunships, launched fighters just turn around and flee with the support TF and I need to do some manual targetting if I don't want to lose the dropship. I've tried different combinations.

- The missile ships in TF1, all core, max weapons range
- The gunships in TF2, all core, max weapons range
- The carrier in TF3, max weapons range
- The dropship in TF4, capture planet
The missile, APB ships and launched fighters turn around and flee. The carrier alone charges the enemy fighters. The dropship charges the planet, launches the shuttle, then explodes.

- TF1: dropship and carrier as core, missile ships and gunships as escort. Mission: capture planet
According to the manual the escort ships are supposed to protect the core ones. Same behaviour as before, everyone flees, but the dropship and the carrier.

I've tried doing some manual targetting. I order ships to break formation move them to the edge of the planet firing range, making sure that their own targetting circle encompasses the planet, give the order to attack said planet, and they just there, doing nothing.

I don't know what else to do. The description on the Capital Ship Missile and Anti-Proton Beam says that they can target a planet, but they don't.

OK, I'll let the dropship do its job, drop the shuttle, and flee. Problem is that it doesn't flee. It stays there, within range of the planetary defenses I cannot harm, until it goes boom. And I can't select it to manually order it to go away since it is inside the planet itself.

So the only way I have found so far is to manually tell the over-eager Carrier captain to back off, manually redirect the wussy fighters towards the enemy fighters and satellite as soon as they launch, select the dropship and keep it selected until the end. He goes into the planet, and as soon as he drops the landing shuttle I move it out of the planet's shooting range, and he makes it, barely.

One thing that may be a problem is that I have a treaty with another AI that has the 'no planetary bombardement' clause. First I am not bombarding a planet, I am protecting my ship. Second the treaty is with another empire. So either there is a bug there or the treaty window should explain this properly: if you use this clause you won't be able to reduce planetary defenses at all anywhere in the galaxy.


So how do I capture a defended planet? Why do all my ship run away and how do I reduce planetary defenses?

[Suicide Junkie]

Exactly. You aren't allowed to bombard planets. Dropping troops is fine. Firing weapons at the surface is not.

It may make more sense to you if you consider the similar clause for not using plague bombs.

Your treaty basically translates to "You must not be mass murdering evil space scum."

[neofit]

Suicide Junkie said:
Exactly. You aren't allowed to bombard planets. Dropping troops is fine. Firing weapons at the surface is not.

It may make more sense to you if you consider the similar clause for not using plague bombs.

It is not said anywhere that this clause does not apply to this very empire only but is galaxy-wide instead. It has to be detailed in the treaty clauses window. Same applies to plague bombs.

As IRL, one must not abide by the Geneva Convention rules against enemies who have not signed it themselves. And no, "it's easier to code it this way" does not cut it .

[Suicide Junkie]

It is really just a description issue.

I've suggested expanding the options to:
No Bombardment of:
- Our planets
- Our planets and Any planets with Our People
- Any planets

The distictions there would also make it clear when you're signing a No Nuking Anybody treaty.

[neofit]

BTW, this "No planetary bombardment" clause is also breaking combat.

I figured out why my missile and gun ships were fleeing. At first I thought it was because they had no targets against a poorly defended planet (only fighters and weapon platforms). What I finally found out is:

"No planetary bombardment" clause in effect:

- Planet with ships, fighters, stations, fighters, NO weapon platforms: missile and gunships, fighers attack the space defenders, dropships rush towards the planet.

- Planet with or without ships and stations, with fighters AND weapon platforms: missile/gun ships and fighters disengage and flee, dropships do their job.



"No planetary bombardment" clause NOT in effect:

- Planet with or without ships and stations, with fighters AND weapon platforms: missile/gun ships and fighters attack the space defenders, dropships rush towards the planet.


So, this clause makes it so your missile/gun ships and fighters won't even attack the enemy space forces (ships, stations, fighters, satellites) if there is at least one weapon platform on the planet. And this regardless of the TF orders, whether they are escorting a dropship or in their own TF with "Max Weapons Range" orders.

I believe there is a way to exploit the AI too if it fights along the same rules. Just in case it has such a clause in one of its treaties, make one tiny weapon platform. All his space forces but the dropship will be disabled during the invasion. If the AI can capture planets that is .