newby's guide to ship and fleet strategy

[GUTB]

UPDATE:

It seems I have overlooked a major flaw in my Great Armada fleet model. That is, I forgot about Crystaline Armor.

Malfor's Holy Chain Mail of Invunerablity, also sometimes known as Crystaline Armor, or CA for short, demands some changes in the design take place.

10 destroyers with x4 DUCs and x4 CAs show in simulation to ALWAYS beat 20 escorts with x3 DUCs, despite the fact that the escort fleet out-guns the destroyer fleet on a ratio of 1.5-to-1 for the same amount of tonnage.

I then made a more balanced destroyer design with x3 DUCs, x3 CAs, and put in a aux. bridge and a Capital Ship Missile to give that long-range punch, and matched them up in a fair 10-against-10 match -- the balanced design LOSSES EVERY TIME.

I then made a destroyer with x8 DUCs, and pitted them up with my original destoryer configuration. THEY PROCEED TO BE ANNHILIATED, despite having TWICE the firepower.

And then finally, I pitted the x8 DUC destroyer against my original escort design of x3 DUCs with a 2-to-1 favor for the escorts so tonnage in completely equal. THE ESCORTS HAVE A FEILD DAY WITH THE DESTROYERS despite costing a little bit more in total and having less less total firepower.

So what gives? Simple: CA is unbeatable early-game. Let's examine it; sure it weighs x3 times as much as standard Walmart armor, but the very first level gives you 100kt damage. So with four of these CAs, you have 400kt damage absorbtion. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT EARLY GAME. So in a fleet of 10 Crystal Assault destroyers, you must poor 4000kt woth of damage into them before they start taking damage. So, in one comabt turn, my fleet can take 4000kt before EVEN BEING DMANAGED. SO take your "balanced" approach and chuck a few capital missiles and try to fight "smart". Unless you have CAs like me, you are DEAD. And if I go really all-out, figure I can have a fleet of 15 CA Destroyers + support ships in twenty turns. This si made possible by canibalizing everything for 150% research and 150% construction aptitude.

And once I get shieilds -- FEAR.

So, supreme firepower is still supreme -- it's jsut that you have to take into account the WONDERFUL MAGICAL POWER OF CA.