Beef #1: Ramming

General Hawkwing · #1 September 21st, 2000, 04:18 PM

I use tactical combat in all cases, except when I'm bLasting/bombing a low pop. planet that I know doesn't have platforms. Ramming is useful against the AI because it is lacking in tactical combat. I'll use colony ships to ram the enemy because there is no retreat option and you can not avoid the enemy for 30 turns. I head straight for the enemy and ram before he has a chance to do much damage. The AI always comes toward the ship, it does not appear to try to stay out of range.
Has far as boarding forces: Not sure how boarding works in space but one of the best things about this game is the way it lets you imagine how things happen.

[This message has been edited by General Hawkwing (edited 21 September 2000).]

dmm · #2 September 11th, 2001, 12:38 AM

Resurrecting my very first topic. Sniff [wipes away tear]...ah, the memories.

Anyone tried the "total kamikaze" strategy lately?

Rollo · #3 September 11th, 2001, 09:23 AM

I have never tried the ramming/Kamikaze strategy myself, but I will make an AI of religious fanatics that will use this strategy excessively. If I can get a nice shipset for them, I will start on the AI soon. I am surprised to hear that this strategy could actually be effective. When this idea formed in my head I didn't think they would be successful, but just being a big PITA. Now I am intrigued and will probably start earlier on this project than planned

.

Rollo

Saxon · #4 September 11th, 2001, 10:45 AM

Ramming is powerful, but there are some costs. One is that ships are not cheap and a ramming race will be perpetually bleeding off their strength, whereas conventional ships that win can fight another day and probably get experience from it.

Another is that you don�t have any ships left after the fight to project your power. Ok, you kicked my homeworld fleet�s butt, but you don�t have any ships left to glass my planets. This raises another point, but one I am not so sure about. Can you ram a satellite or a planet. I suspect you can not. Even if reasonable number of your rammers survive, you can not get past my static defenses.

Mixing in a few rammers for special occasions is a pretty neat idea, but you need to keep a lot of regular ships around. Otherwise, all your victories will be Pyrithic ones.

#5 September 11th, 2001, 11:06 AM

Before I purged SEIV off the computer I use, I had a design for a Kamikazi which was almost entirely organic armor. If you go organic, it would be very effective as a rammer.

Lonnie Courtney Clay

Suicide Junkie · #6 September 12th, 2001, 02:41 AM

quote:
This raises another point, but one I am not so sure about. Can you ram a satellite or a planet. I suspect you can not. Even if reasonable number of your rammers survive, you can not get past my static defenses.

You CAN ram sats, fighters, planets, & bases. The problem is that your ship gets vaped without doing a whole lotta damage when you lose a ram.

You can even ram warppoints, in case you don't want to avoid being captured.

quote:
It'd be much more difficult to intercept 12 individual targets (or however many marines make up a boarding party) than it would be to down a single assualt craft, which helps explain why there's no chance modelled for interdicting the boarding party before it reaches its target.

How about 200 Marines, with 100 tons of boarding/combat/control equipment EACH.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 12 September 2001).]

dmm · #7 September 12th, 2001, 05:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Saxon:
Ramming is powerful, but there are some costs. One is that ships are not cheap and a ramming race will be perpetually bleeding off their strength, whereas conventional ships that win can fight another day and probably get experience from it.

The term "kamikaze" is probably not appropriate. A ship with all armor, even if not organic, is able to destroy other ships (even much larger ones) without completely destroying itself. So you definitely need some repair ships in your fleet, but your fleet will not disappear after each battle. The victories are real, not Pyrrhic. (At least they used to be. Like I said, I haven't tried this strategy lately. Armor's been revamped, ramming's been revamped, and AIs have been improved.) Experience is irrelevant to a rammer. (Actually it is best to keep using fresh crews!

)