Poll for you.

[Cyrien]

AI game large map around 250 systems. High TDM AI with medium bonus. I had about 500 baseships/dreads/battleships when I hit MEE. I lost in the end.

Something abit like Star Wars with the Empire. All my ships and planets kept rebelling due to 12 empires all close in score and the top 2 just under the MEE limit and me having enough intel to take on intel attacks from any 2 other empires... but not all of them. It hurts when you are losing 3 to 6 ships a turn and 1 planet every 3 or 4 turns.

Wound up grouping all the ships together and trying to charge through all the enemy empires taking em out. I had control of 4 clusters and had pretty much wiped out 3 enemy clusters and 2 of the AIs when the situation back home became unsustainable.

Note: It hurts when 2 fully developed ringworlds and a partially developed Sphereworld join the other side.

Extra Note: In this situation fighters and drones rule. Even while I was losing all these planets and ships I made sure the enemy didn't get to keep them for longer than 2 turns.

Final Note: Don't produce star destroyers when lots of your ships are switching sides. Trust me, it hurts.

[Starhawk]

So anyone have any good battle reports they'd like to give? I like hearing stories based around game fought battles.

My biggest battle was only my 18 cruisers against 23 enemy cruisers ending in my clean victory with only 6 losses so it would be boring compared to your guys huge battles.

But once I get the full game going I plan on making a full fledged story out of it so keep an eye out .

[Taera]

(er, its not a clean battle if you lost some ships)

[Starhawk]

It's not my fault my tactics were better then that of the enemy fleet .

But I'd like to hear more of these stories...

[Narratio]

Running a game at evenings after work. One of the AI's has got stuck on rail guns (Projectile Weapons). So the AI went for ship size! I've just fought 6 battles in a row. There were between 62 and 43 DN's in each fleet which came through a warp point one after the other. All with lots of Bloody Massive rail guns. My defense started with 54 Battlecruisers (I never build anything bigger because of speed drop off.) By the end of the 6th battle I was left with 8 battlecruisers. As the AI insists on using fleet formations in tactical, my faster vessels could run around him, swamping individual ships while taking minimal (!!!) losses. If I'd have left it to the strategic combat AI I'd have lost everything in the first battle. I really wanted to hand out medals after this lot. Took me all of Last night just to run a turn with all the fighting.
So, if you REALLY want to win, go tactical.
(And carry Aesyrko's Xeno Strength RAID - Suitable for carpet bombing bug infested planets everywhere!

[narf poit chez BOOM]

who's Aesyrko?

[Cyrien]

Bah. I never use tactical. With tactical on you can easily wipe out vastly superior AI forces with greatly disadvantaged force of your own. I don't like picking on the retarded AI so I give them a fighting chance and come up with my own strategies in strategic combat mode. It also makes great practice for PBW games.

And for the speed v power formula you really should go with Battleships. The single point in strategic movement that is lost is negligable while the gain you get in firepower from the next strongest level of weapon mount is great. I used to go the BC route as well but it just isn't effective late game against humans using Battleships and larger.

PS: The fact that the AI was using projectile weapons on DNs proves the point that it really isn't the sharpest knife in the lot. Where you using TDM or just standard? In my experience the better custom AIs all break formations in combat.

[Ruatha]

Originally posted by Starhawk:
Ouch....how did his fleet get so experienced do ou think?

He fought his way across the galaxy for years and years while I built my "superior" "unbeatable" fleet, just waiting for him to come, for the surprise he'd get when I wiped his fleet to dust!

[Ruatha]

Originally posted by Alneyan:
That's a good news! It means Ruatha has less than 200 dreadnoughts in the current NGC3 game where he is thinking somewhat too much to launch an offensive against my own Empire. *Winks*

As my biggest fleet is from the aforementioned game, I am afraid I cannot give any number about it, for there are spies.

Hmm, how do you come to the conclusion that I have LESS than 200 dreads in NGC3...... I was thinking that odds 8-1 is what I need beofre I lanuch an offensive... But now it seems that perhaps there won't be any offensive,
* breaks down crying *
-Why aren't I allowed to use my shining fleet, where are the enemies???

[Alneyan]

Your biggest fleet was made of 200 DN, and as such your current fleet in NGC3 has to be smaller than your biggest fleet ever by definition. Unless you are hidind some information that is.

You know very well where the enemy is, eastward, waiting for you to strike. Or don't you have any neighbour near your borders except my own Empire and my two northern neighbours? Or you might even consider to give the whole fleet to my Empire, I could think of some enemies in the area and your warships would still fight. Why, wouldn't you agree to such a generous offer? (Obviously, I couldn't maintain the fleet to begin with, and they are lacking a special thing. *Giggles*)