New Strategy "Hit and run"

[Londo]

Here's an idea that might be easier than attempting to teach the AI how to fly in circles, why doesn't MM make the tactical combat area bigger, large enough so you can't reach a corner or an edge, or even eliminate all edges, that way, if you want to outrun an opponent you can. This would make for the option to retreat from combat and puts an emphasis on tactical ship speed.

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Vir! You have made a mess of this post once again, now give me a large cup of brivari so that I may begin to forget the bad times and remember the glory of the great Centauri Republic.

[Taqwus]

Agreed on the Max Range / Don't Get Hurt combo.

On Optimal Firing Range, a BB of mine (speed 6, effective fighting range 8) regularly gets thrashed by planets defended w/ Incinerator Beams (range 4-6, IIRC) because it gets too close and then crisped.

On MR/DGH, so far it behaves roughly as I would in the same situation, well, except for being more fidgety (there are turns in which my ships just *sit there* waiting when I'm controlling them; the computer seems a touch twitchy). Bye-bye planet.

Primarily use is exploiting speed+range combo; right now, OFR too often degenerates into "get into point-blank and let them shoot me even when I'm outnumbered, but faster".

On the value of speed -- for the heck of it, I sent one of my 11/6-speed BB-sized bombers against a small AI planet guarded by 18 DNs, all speed 6/3. I nailed the planet, plus one of the DNs, and escaped with my shields still up. Couldn't do that without the speed advantage, or, for that matter, probably with any of the strategic options. Crazy.

(And yes, I've suggested to Malfador that fleets defending planets should be more reluctant to stray far from them in combat just to avoid this very situation; it shouldn't have happened.)

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Commander G]

Maybe they should add 'Guard Planet' somewhere to the strategy to order ships to stay within closer range of the planet.

Also, how about breaking up Satelite Groups into individual Satelites and having half of theim in spread out orbits around the planet and half of them in spread out geo-synchronus orbits just to make it trickier for the attackers.