Weapons Platforms Usage?

[jars_u]

Mhhh... if in combat sat's are placed randomly around a planet and ships can go around them, how are space stations handled? If you but a battle station in orbit around a planet do attackers first have to destory that and then combat aganist weapons platforms occurs? So weapons platforms can be used both aganist space ships and ground forces? Have not really had the chance to use them yet myself.

[Fionn]

I can see your point now that I see the stats. I've never researched WPs beyond the first level, where that size difference really widens, and while I've been using shields and armor, I haven't gotten around to experimenting with the ECM or sensors yet. I've just been playing the demo for a week or so, and obviously there's still a lot of depth left to explore!

I haven't had an enemy invade a planet equipped with platforms yet. Aside from their obvious ability to shoot down incoming transports, do they also directly battle ground troops as well?

[Richard]

Actually the true strength in weapon platforms is to prevent the fleet from getting close enough to invade in the first place.



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Sarge is coming...

Richard Arnesen
Director of Covert Ops
Shrapnel Games
http://www.shrapnelgames.com

[Baron Munchausen]

I had the impression from some Posts I have seen that weapons platforms DO participate in ground combat if you manage to land troops before they have been destroyed. But I have never seen this happen either as attacker or defender. If it's true, then this is the ultimate ground defense. A weapons platform is many times tougher than any troop.

[Taqwus]

jars_u >>

The [space|battle]station gets placed randomly near the planet, not on it. If you can get a transport to the planet intact, you can still invade, although that seems a) unlikely (because the station probably can destroy/cripple your transports), and b) unwise (the station can probably just bLast the heck out of the planet even if you DO capture the planet, so take out the station first).

Note that the station is NOT on the planet, while a WP stack is. So an attacker can play attack-from-the-other-side games with a station (e.g. if both have range-8 weapons and enough pd to shoot down missiles, then the attacker positions himself range 7-8 from the planet, and 9+ from the station on the other side), but that doesn't hold with a WP stack (here, you have to micro-manage in tactical combat by dancing in and out of range if you're going to shoot without being shot.)

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Noble713]

quote:

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Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
I had the impression from some Posts I have seen that weapons platforms DO participate in ground combat if you manage to land troops before they have been destroyed. But I have never seen this happen either as attacker or defender. If it's true, then this is the ultimate ground defense. A weapons platform is many times tougher than any troop.

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Which makes since. It should take more than a few troops to storm and take the future equivalent of a coastal weapons battery.

From the vehicle sizes file:

"Serve only as a container for weapons which fire from a planet into space (or for ground combat)."

I'd really like to see this happen, but the computer never invades my planets. Can you put platforms in the combat simulator?

[Taqwus]

Noble713>>

Sure. Add a planet to one side, then hit the 'change cargo' (IIRC) option. Then load it up with whatever units you like. The largest planetary cargo space I remember seeing might have been something like 16000kt, which should hold up to 80 small weapons platforms (ouch).

I haven't yet set it up such that friendly ships/stations start near the planet, however. Maybe a fleet is *actually* stationed there, they'll be considered as defending the planet and not start near the edge as an attacker.

If you want to see the AI invade, hrrrrmmmm. Maybe it'll try if you provide it (in the simulator) with several loaded troop transports and a small escort, against a planet with a few wps and some troops?

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night