The Plague (Subverters, Boarders, and IDs, Oh My)

[inigma]

I was noticing that in high tech games, that Cure ships would have security stations and MCs, and a few APBXIIs. In the simulator it is only these ships that manage to start countering Plague tactics.

I wonder if I should also create Flailers as escorts, they move in, temporarily disable weapons, Subvertors move in and attempt to subvert, Depleters move in and disable shields, Boarders move in and attempt to board, and Neutralizers move in and disable engines and repel the hulk out of harms way before Cure APBs come back online.

Rinse, repeat. I'll try it tonight.

After all, now that I think about it, isn't that was diseases usually do - they disable a cell's defenses and then once disabled it moves in for the takeover?

Can flailers work against ships with destroyed MCs? If so it would be nice to be able to design a standard Plauge battleship with multiple MCs, computer viruses, flailers, lots of boarding parties, and a repeller in case the first attempt fails.

[douglas]

The one per ship restriction on bridges is actually ignored if a master computer is present. Not that this really matters in stock, as there is hardly ever any benefit to having multiple bridges over having more armor or weaponry.

[NullAshton]

Really? I thought you could have only one computer, like sats.

[inigma]

Well, I wonder if an overall fleet doctrine of capturing enemy ships would work in SEIV.

I was thinking that The Plague would depend on large numbers of cheap specialized ships that would work together for the good of the boarding and subverting ships.

Has anyone ever tried boarding and subversion as an overall fleet doctrine before? Did it work well?

I ran some designs in the simulator last night, and I must say that the coordination paid off. Resource for resource, boarding/subverting was either on par or far ahead of other doctrines I tested.

Research-wise, it has its drawbacks, so a good early defense is necessary, but when boarding and subverters become available, the resource curve for boarding/subverting plateaus off versus following other doctrines around mid tech.

One thing is for sure. If I ever get The Plague perfected, they will be one annoying AI. Due to their fleet doctrine, they would practically force you to make peace with everyone else while you refit your ships valuable space with MCs and anti-boarding stations just to defend against their attack, not to mention finding a way to make best use of the remaining space for offensive operations. On top of it all, forcing you to carry lots of repair ships to fix all the engine damage when you do survive their attacks.

[Suicide Junkie]

If only you could get the AI to deconstruct and analyse those ships it captures... then the research advances would be deadly

[Zereth]

inigma said:
Has anyone ever tried boarding and subversion as an overall fleet doctrine before? Did it work well?

Thanks to the ease of getting self-destruct devices: No. I haven't played with psychic much, but it seems the only way the Plauge would work long-term is to hope that it shoots out the self-destruct devices before the boarders arrive. There's also the fact that all boarding parties on a ship are expended in an attempt to board, regardless of how many are actually needed.

[inigma]

There's also the fact that all boarding parties on a ship are expended in an attempt to board, regardless of how many are actually needed.

Are you sure? I was running the simulator multiple times and I believe my boarders were able to board several times, even after failed attempts.

Forcing self destructs on enemy ships sounds like a nice idea for The Plague. It fits right into their theme.

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Perhaps give Plague MCs/Bridges Armor Regen too, so they regenerate. Not all comps, as that would give them a massive advantage; it essentially becomes an all-or-nothing hit if you attack a ship, but perhaps some key comps and maybe a few minor weapons, like Ripper Beams and light PD. Would give the Plague ships excellent survivability, as with real diseases, but it wouldn't make them all-powerful. Just make their ships more durable this way, and reduce their construction rate. They multiply slowly; but once they have a ship, they're going to keep it.

[inigma]

SJ, I really wouldn't want to create them as a modded race, as I want them usable in stock games.

I think the Plague would only need to invest heavily in the occasional Plauger (battleship repair bay+boarding) as Plaugers would be used by the Plague to repair the gutted engines of the ships it captures, and repair the fleets of their boarders.

I was also thinking of giving a name to the leader of The Plague: Primary Host. Posted here for future reference.

Does anyone know if the AI can analyze ships?

[inigma]

The Plague

Background:

The Plague was originally a genetically engineered psychic bioweapon created by the CueCappa to be used against other races to capture entire empires intact and assimilate captured empires into docile subservient societies. The original experiment got out of control, and infected the designer of the The Plague.

Known only as the Primary Host, because those with knowledge of the project have since been infected, the Plague seem to be driven to fulfil their engineered mission to fruition: the peaceful takeover of the entire galaxy by Plague infection.

Most of the CueCappa race in the nearby system were infected rather quickly, and attempts at eradication and quarrantine have been met with devastating failure as often ships sent in to contain the threat have not been heard from again. Ships that do survive encounters with Plague ships speak of the horrors of watching entire fleets succomb to the Plague in a matter of hours, often in a chain reaction that results in total capture of fleets sent in to contain the Plague.