newby's guide to ship and fleet strategy

[Wardad]

For unmodded SEIV, I like the Battle Cruisers. There the heaviest you can get and still have speed (six engines).

I usually use LCs. for support ships (fuel and repair). The LCs are unarmed and run for the corner during strategic combat (break formation)and are usually unharmed. The LCs are cost effective, one life support and one crew quarter. Later in the game I may use a BC with Master Computer.

I use different formations for strategic combat.
The V seems to work well for beam ships by allowing them to surround the enemy. The turbine is a good cluster strategy. I usually target: Nearest, Has weapons, Most Damaged or Fastest.
And I usually carry Engine damage and Shield depleters weapons.

I have not tried the Break Formation strategy yet. Does it only make a difference in tactical combat? To keep the game rolling and challenging I just play strategic combat.

The latest 1.49 Version seems to handle capturing planets a lot better. I think it is a coding improvement.

[Fyron]

Wardad:

Breaking formation works best in strategic combat. It eliminates the possibility for ships to fly out of firing range just to stay in formation. By breaking formation, all of your ships will get as close as possible (given thier movement strategy), giving you more shots per turn. This increases your chance to win. All else being equal, the fleet that stays in formation has a much greater chance of losing than the fleet that breaks formation.

[tesco samoa]

Ship Size:
I stay 2 hull sizes behind the AI. Experience has shown me 3 Frigates will out fight 2 AI Light Crusiers in Tactical Combat. When not needed in a fleet, they make good blockade ships and scouts.
I’ll do the cost analysis tonight. There may be diminishing returns depending on your play style.

Sounds good.

I personally like to stay even or ahead of computer ai's Since if you get used to being behind them in research and building then your chewed when it comes to pbem games

[Gryphin]

I sould modfy what I said:
I stay behind in Hull size, I always go for a lead in Reasearch.
WarDad is correct as well. When the AI gets to DN I go to Battle Crusier.

[tesco samoa]

BC's are good for scout fleets and for support ships.

Scout fleet consists of 1 scanner ship/pd ship
2 mine sweepers
1 repair/pd ship
4 pd ships
12 df ships

Built for speed and to hunt unarmed ships or damaged ships, destroy undefended planets and scout

But were talking 4th rate of the line ships

I usually have 4 of these puppies supporting a mid size fleet of 50 ships.

And 2 of the mid size fleets support a large fleet of 100 + ships

So your talking 11 fleets to take control of an area.

[Gryphin]

Frigate vs Decoy Cargo
Both Ships: Bridge, Life Support, Crew Quarters
Frigate:
SPEED - 6
DUC V - 3

Decoy Cargo (Small Size):
SPEED - 5
DUC V - 2
Cargo Holds - 8

Results:
Stratigic Combat - 70% Win for Frigate
Tatctical (on auto) - 50/50 (seemed to depend on who scored first hit)
Notes:
In all cases the "victor" was severly damaged
Ships (on auto), fought at point blank range)
The both ships set to ram if out of weapons. The setting seemed to even the odds in tactical)
My Thoughts:
I think less powerful weapons would have been to the Decoys advantage.
The Decoy is good if you want a ship to draw fire, have it available for troop or population movement.
Are willing to pay the extra $1000 mineral cost to build and the exttra maintenance per turn.
Dicey at best
Enjoy

[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: Gryphin ]

[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: Gryphin ]

[Gryphin]

Decoy Transports Revisted
I played close to 100 turns with the Decoy Transports decribed below. They proved to be useless except as troop and population transports.
There are two down sides to the armed transport:
They cost more
There is a chance at 1:00 in the morning you will move the ship up to an undefended planet and click on the planet. That will cause the Transport to fire on the planet and kill off population.
The best troop transport design for my style of play is:
Build at least two per race you are at war with
Build them on a Destroyer hull
Make them as fast as the rest of the fleet
Try to research Cargo to increase the troop capacity.
Two fully loaded "DD Troop" ships should be enough to capture and occupiy the planets of at least 3, and possilbly more solar systems.
The first chance I get, I will build a pair Speed 12 Troop ships to move troops and population from inner colonies to the front lines.
Just my style, I hope Tig is making notes.