Topics

1

After Action Reports / Vanilla Icecream

« on: April 03, 2011, 06:22:04 AM »

Playing vs 2 Vanilla AIs I had a couple of laughs you might find entertaining.

That last carrier ... it almost killed me ...

Botnet golem-defence network

Ehmm .. where did the enemies go?
(Incase you didnt spot/realise this, the last 2 screenies ... all zombies.)

2

AI War / Penetrators

« on: March 29, 2011, 11:27:33 AM »

I'd like to hear how others feel about the nerf regarding Penetrators.

Personally I dislike it, for mainly 2 reasons.
-Where I am still able to use them, raiding nearby planets, am I more succesfull (and not waste minerals) using raid-starships (which are usefull again in the role they have)
-I am still able to neuter AI homeplanets using only mk1s of them, it just takes a little micro. (Havent actually done so, but did the same on an 'long time alerted' mk4 planet without even losing a single mk1 Penetrator.)


Their normal cloaking means you have to sit on them whenever you use them, even sending them in a nextdoor planet might mean their death. They get decloaked the instance they hit the planet and just sit there amongst the build-up unless you move them, 10M health is shot to pieces in seconds when you concentrate fire
Getting them several jumps out is a big "no-go" as you cant load them onto transports and why bother using an expensive unit, build from a limited resource, when you have an equivelent that is build from unlimited resources and has much higher speed so it can actually outrun the foes (raid-starships). Neutering a planet just so I can get a Penetrator to the next seems a bit too much of requirement for them to be practical.

On the other side, when you pre-nuke a load of tachion-guardians, they are as OP as they where before, just a bit harder to get to with the requirement of Xampite.
Which brings me to the next thing, minor compared to the actual balance of the unit though. I never find any Xampite on planets surrounding me, saying that I cant use the Penetrator unless I am willing to pay a bit extra for it (taking more ground than/when I wish, or fighting a battle I otherwise wouldnt have to), again giving me some indication they should be worth that effort.

Currently my use has gone from "casual-use unit that helps out getting out of stalemate-like situation" to "have a cap next to a frontline CC just incase exo-waves send golems, so they can do an early 100+M damage to it", which doesnt say "Penetrator!" to me
I agree they where a bit OP before, but that was still your choice, now they are UP(is that actually used?).


Not sure where limitations are but I'd say rebalance them as followed:
-perma-cloaking back on (off during cooldown, as normal)
-health ok as it is now (it was way OP, perhaps UP now, but good for now)
-back to the original mineral-requirement (possibly even a step down, see last 'nerf' why so)
-(high)attrition on worlds above (and) their own level (sending a lone mk1 to nuke a planets CC a couple of jumps out will cost you a Penetrator .. period)
-Cant hit targets above their own (+1) level (just try to get a cap of mk5 penetrators(just 1 iirc), and even than, wait 6 hours before you have nuked an entire AI homeplanet?)

3

After Action Reports / Mad-Bombers & Advanced Hybrids

« on: March 14, 2011, 06:09:58 PM »

The combination of them is awesome, but .. er .. say difficult, let me illustrate 

Here is where I have 8(actually 9) planets and things start getting rather difficult:


Here is where I have 9(actually 10) planets:


Next planet taken and secured the one constantly being lost to Hybrid-waves, 11 planets total:


The planet selected was taken, totalling 12 planets, when a CPA hit me. Soon after my empire looked like this:

4 Planets lost so far.

About a minute later:

2 More planets lost.

Home .. sort of:

An other planet lost.

Well .... I'll get them next time:


I can still beat them with my last 4 planets!!:


Ah, I guess not ...:



Still not that bad a game

4

After Action Reports / My latest FS-campaign

« on: March 12, 2011, 11:00:28 AM »

Have just finished my 100 planet D-maze map by taking each and every planet, with the FS exo-attacks pounding on my frontdoor.
I think I have an iteresting game to show, for the sake of some variety in playingstyle (not that I normally play like this ).
Note that this is on v5.001, where you can expect huge swarms of Maws.

After starting the game I noticed that, playing 2 8.6 AIs, most of the planets are mk3 or mk4, only few seem to be mk2 and even planets neighbouring my homeplanet are mk3s. What this means is what the next picture illustrates .. free cap of mk3 engies, and these rule, specially if you get them free of cost in knowledge.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/MK3%20Engies%20for%20all.png

After cleaning out an initial terf I find that Hybrids are becoming a real pain, seeing as I can only expand in 1 direction at this time. They effectivly double(or more) the garrison on the planet, based on firepower they may even quadruple the power.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Hybrids%20double%20the%20force.png

Breaking through those planets meant I had to use Penetrators and nuke the CC, where the 6sec trip back to the gate was too much for the Penetrators in order to return it back home .. talk about some massive firepower raining down on you early game.  

Once I cleared a bit of a path and secured a planet and made it function as frontline planet I stocked up on some Martyrs, exploit?  
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Martyrs%20are%20in%20stock.png

Now it is time to develop more of strategy, something more than just expand and growing an economie, all in order to be able to hold of the soon to be released exo-attacks.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Scouted%20the%20first%20bit.png *

Now see the below picture and compare it to the scouted picture above, that is what my initial FS-capitol-ship-fleet did in a single strike after building the galactic capitol, see the ships I used in the planetairy summery. Did not sustain a single loss
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/How%20a%20FS-fleet%20takes%20planets.png

Nearing the end, and getting towards to brutal part ...
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Objectives.png
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Stats.png

Just before the above 2 pictures where taken I cleaned out the last non-Core/home AI planets and decided to nuke a planet with 2 mk3 counterposts with my Spire fleet. Those posts will function as mk4 posts cause of the AIP, and the Spire fleet nicelly nuked both counterposts after I told them to take 1 .... I ended up nuking both planets where the counterposts hit.
Basicly I just stopped the attacks using an EMP-warhead, nuked the carriers, and 'deleted' a nuke after I pulled back my own fleet.
Could have pulled it of by nuking only 1 attack, but as I already build 2 nukes I felt a need to use them. Too bad it was a bit too hectic to remember to take some screenshots.

Oops, I didnt notice that raid-engine before ... well, whats an other 7k mk5 ships attacking me going to do ..  
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Core%20Raid-engines%20are%20weak.png

An overview of the galaxy before I trigger the last FS event.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Galaxy%20near%20the%20end.png

So I started construction of the Galactic Capitol and just over a minute later the last remaining 4 AI-planets start pooring out its "first" of the final exo-waves. More tourists .... good for business  
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/First%20-Final%20Exo%20wave-%20planet1%20of%204.png
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/First%20-Final%20Exo%20wave-%20planet2%20of%204.png
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/First%20-Final%20Exo%20wave-%20planet3%20of%204.png
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/First%20-Final%20Exo%20wave-%20planet4%20of%204.png

And the following wave, 2 minutes after the last was stopped, 8 minutes after the last wave was anounced.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Second%20-Final%20Exo%20wave-.png

And the following wave, 2 minutes after the last was stopped, 6 minutes after the last wave was anounced.
.. errr .. setting a trend here ....  
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Thirth%20-Final%20Exo%20wave-.png

And the 4th 'final exo wave' .... hey ... wait a sec ... it also called a CPA ... oo oooh  
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Fourth%20..%20no%20..%20wait%20a%20sec!!!.png

So the CPA is getting near, I boosted my defences by being "all human" in an effort to survive it ..
The transports are not cloaked, the Spire-fleet is. Several 100 mk4-5 Bombards combined with even larger numbers of Maws even hurt Spire ship, but having them target transports and than sit there for 30seconds means they sort of kill themself .. more or less.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Boosted%20defences%20a%20bit.png

Next few minutes where hectic so I actually completelly missed when the CPA was launched ... or I did see it but decided to not care ..
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Almost%20missed%20the%20massive%20CPA.png
Remember it said it would be 12k big and got me all worked up ..  

A moment later I win the game, well I could have stomped the AI before, but I sort of win the game by finishing the FS-campaign.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Pre-Victory.png

Hello, friends!
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Hello,%20friends!.png

NOOOOOO!!! The only wave I managed not to get throughout the mid- and late-game hits me when I have the least need for them to hit me ... savescum ...
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/NOOOO!!!!.png

Hello you, want a position amongst my ranks??  
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/I%20want%20..%20I%20want%20..%20I%20want!.png

An other Exo-wave is being called, but my friends are getting near one of my fronts/defences. I am starting to think about moving part of my own Spire-fleet away to support my other, more conventional, front, which has a much harder time keeping its head up .. but is fully automated.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Fifth%20-Final%20Exo%20wave-.png
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Friends%20are%20getting%20close.png

Wait. WAIT. WAIT!!!!!
This is not going to go well. The FS-fleet moves onto the AIs coreplanet just as the Exo-wave hits, taking the brunt of the attack head on while still just steaming on to the AIs coreplanet. I decided to join them at the risk of damaging my own Spire-fleet, in an effort to get them past the Exo-wave. I like to believe I did a good job, but it came at the cost of losing a few cruisers and battleships myself .. painfull.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Bad%20timing,%20my%20friend.png

But ... but .. there was a super-DN and 3 DNs .. I know they entered the planet some seconds ago ...  
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Where%20is%20the%20Super-SN.png

The first Spire-assault is over ... and it didnt end well  
An overview of the coreplanet that was just assaulted, took some damage but most is still standing.
However the next, smaller, wave is about to enter the enemy planets in order to at least keep the pressure up.
Also, if you look at the northern row of planets you can spot a larger pocket of FS-ships getting near my second front.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/After%20the%20assult.png

Finally the FS-fleet pushes through and cleans the first AI-planet with a bit of support from me.
I am ignorant enough to actually take the planet and almost send away my fleet to support the other front.
Soon after I am facing 200 massive ship, pooring out of the Exo-gate when the next Exo-wave hits.
A couple of well placed mk4 Martyrs, that I have been saving for most of the game, do wonders on the lighter ships. Followed by some DNs and BBs to finish the massive ship themselves, the Exo-wave was soon over on that front.

Yes, the second FS-fleets arrives at the second (actually first) AI homeplanet, this time I send in my 180+ Spire-frigates and 45 Spire-destroyers to support them and get a cap of mk3 engies to rebuild them at the nearest Spire-dock.
However, even with my support, the coreplanet isnt even ½ cleaned before the bulk of the FS-fleet jumps to the homeplanet.
With the following result.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Not%20you%20too.png

I ended up withdrawing because of all the enemies that came pooring out of the homeplanet, combined with the already present foes they simply overwelmed my lighter Spire-fleet.

About 10 minutes later the last coreplanet was stripped of all but 3 posts, but full of ship. So I send in some Penetrators to finish the job and bring out the last Avenger.
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Penetrators%20finish%20the%20game.png
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/Before%20mopping%20up.png

Proud owner of a 100 planets
http://members.ziggo.nl/red_spot/100%20planets.png




*How I prioritize planets:
P0: neutered and nothing on it
P1: has some goodies, but nothing that warrant the taking of
P2: distribution, high yield minerals
P3: Co-processors
P4: Used for a variaty of reasons, but doesnt have a default reason
P5: Planetairy stuff I want (Z-power mainly)
P6: Dangerous planetairy stuff (mk4-5 Ions, armor-boost/inhibitor, etc)
P7: Eye
P8: Counter post
P9: Really dangerous or really desired, either way a planet I will keep an eye on.

On my planets:
P1: Minerals
P2: Distribution
P3: Spire City
P6: Fabricator/Mk4 Fab

5

After Action Reports / Biggest attack ever

« on: February 09, 2011, 12:16:20 PM »

Just wondering what sizes attacks you may have had.
Yesterday I found the AI was under the impression that their 7+k ships, of which 6k divided over 12 carriers, would be able to dent my defences.

They where correct ... 
However my CC survived and no AI ships made it of the planet

I found it rather insane and only cause I had this planet built as a 'last line of defence' that it actually managed to hold of the wave.
And only cause I made my spider/sniper turrets take down the carriers, after which I rushed in Martyr's to mop up the fleetships.

It does make me wonder, what is the biggest size attack you have ever experianced. I pretty much hope this was somewhat the upper limit of what I can expect ... it where some tense moments 

6

AI War / Wiki

« on: February 04, 2011, 12:54:53 PM »

Not sure this should go here, or someone prefers a PM about these things...

On the wiki there are, afaik, some minor errors that might be confusing.
I'll post the one I just noticed, and if this is the correct place will just add more of me nitpicking in this topic.


From this page: http://www.arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_Why_Do_Enemy_Waves_Get_So_Large%3F

This bit of text:

Step 8:
Now the count of each type in the wave is multiplied based on difficulty:

Difficulty  Multiplier 
Difficulty < 6 1 
6 <= Difficulty < 7    2 
7 <= Difficulty < 8    3 
8 <= Difficulty 4 

Should this not be?:

Step 8:
Now the count of each type in the wave is multiplied based on difficulty:

Difficulty  Multiplier 
Difficulty < 6 1 
6 >= Difficulty < 7    2 
7 >= Difficulty < 8    3 
8 >= Difficulty 4 

7

AI War / Talkative AI?

« on: January 29, 2011, 04:04:04 PM »

The AI started asking me questions, I cant seem to think of any thing I did to trigger it ...

8

AI War / Anyone know this game?

« on: January 25, 2011, 04:13:59 PM »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_zGJXpsCiI 



Incase the first 5 minutes where not enough:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3WGeZRQ9T4
 

9

AI War / Grenade launcher shot-sound

« on: January 22, 2011, 12:56:21 PM »

Based on 4.066/4.067, so I do not want to create a Mantis report for it and also want to know how others think about the following.

Grenade launchers, when shooting, make the exact same sound as ships dying on an other planet. This so often makes me check other positions I would suggest changing this sound to something else, and keep the 'dying on other planet' a very destinct sound.

The questions:
-Does this still apply in the very last patch? (Was in a 16h campaign that just went wonkers, so havent played the last patches, yet.)
-Do you agree, disagree, find it trivial?
(Based on these I may or may not post a Mantis report.)

Personally I do not see it as very important to have it changed, but I sure would like to see it changed at some point.

10

After Action Reports / Best startinglocation ever.

« on: January 09, 2011, 11:45:30 AM »

Title says it all 

11

After Action Reports / Mines rule!

« on: January 04, 2011, 01:43:16 PM »

Yesterday I had a day off and dedicated it mostly to AI-War .. had a blast

I had found a fabricator which was behind a hub-planet wich had a total of 6 planets surrounding it, the planet I would launch my campaign from, and 5 lvl3 planets (1 with the Fab.).
So I cleared out the hub-planet, and took all gates on the surrounding lvl3 planets. Where the one I intended to take cause of its Fab. also had a lvl3 counterattack-post, which would be taken out with the gate in 1 sweep.

All went well, my fleet took a bit of a beating but I didnt lose 1/3, I guess.
Right after I had succeeded in my plans, except for actually taking the planets, the AI launched attacks from all lvl3 planets I just hit.
Still rebuilding my fleet I managed to stand my ground with fairly few losses, but the clock on the counter-attack still kept ticking and would happen at the extreme other end of my part of space.

Just when I decided I would start making preperations for the counterattack I was surprised by the warning for the next wave, which at this stage in my game are big enough to have a sizeable fleet ready to fight it of.
So I kept my entire fleet there to fight of the wave with minimal losses. Rushed my fleet over to the other end of known space to realise I had never saved in between ...... corrected that mistake about 1½minute before the counterattack would hit.

I tried to fight it of 2 times to only realise I would never be able to fight them off without losing my entire fleet and most likelly soon after my homeplanet. Time didnt really allow for much construction of turrets, also resources where still fairly lacking and building a field of turrets costs quite a bit.

Seeing the build time of mines I unlocked EMP-mines and build ½ the cap of both regular as well as EMP-mines in a path roughly where the AI would start towards the 2 gates I most desperatly wanted to keep them away from.
Didnt even lose ½ my fleet that run ..... conclusion, mines rule

12

AI War / Wave to ???

« on: December 27, 2010, 12:31:10 PM »

I dont know if this has been part of the update.
It basicly is what happens if you normally have no warpgates adjacent to your planets that waves may appear as "x [shiptype] attacking [] in ...".
The same seems to be rather commen in my current game, though I have several warpgates adjacent to my planets. The thing that seems to be consitent is that they always appear at very very very short notice (30-50sec) and seems to always come from a gate(normal gate) that in a planet that is adjacent to me, so far always the one I am attacking when the wave gets called.

These attackers are a bit smarter though, as long as I have any force in the adjacent planet they do not attack, when I remove my fleet they attack the second after(so dont keep you fleet waiting for them ).

Feature, bug ?

13

AI War Technical Support / Balance bug or not

« on: December 16, 2010, 03:40:23 PM »

Hi,

Sorry to make my first post on this forum one concerning the following. Just to have it said, this is an awesome game, the first one that I know that has an AI that does "own" you without the "blatant in your face cheating while giving the impression of equal sides"


Anyway, I'm at the start of my first game using the 2 DLC's that are available through Steam.
See the screenshot, I have started from the selected planet and secured the 6 dead-end planets and placed econ-command stations there. Moving on the the planet that leads to the rest of the universe. I first cleaned it out without destroying any hardware, not even the gate.
After that I realised that if I where to take the planet the lvl3 planet next to it would become a mayor pain clearing out, so I first destroyed that sectors gate, special forces post, command-center shield-post(the one preventing your from destroying the C-center) and last but certainly not least the counterattack post.
After that I took the planet next to my home-planet. It took the AI a couple of minutes on the lvl3-planet to beaf up the planets defences to about 600-800 lvl3 ships. However, every wave that is spawned gives no destination and ends up waiting at the entry gate to my part of space. I now have a wave of 1734 anti-armors coming in, which likelly will just increase the number of units on the problem planet.

This by itself isnt that big a deal, sniper/guerilla warfare here we come
However, whatever I do my ships never actually fire when on this planet. Wether I get ships in and rush them to their target, cloak them under a starship cloaker, load them into transports, or even load them into transports and cloak the transports .. the ships only fire at their targets 1 out of maybe 6 assaults and just get shot to pieces the other 5.
On 1 succesfull run, where there where about 1600 units camping in the planet, I managed to take down the C-center to about 500points of health, 0%, but the next quickly set up assault failed so misserably it is starting to suck the fun out of this campaign.

I hope this is something that can be looked into, not even the total the number of ships, but more that waves will end up in your terf(intended?) and your ships will still fire even on a crowded planet.



Thanks

Edit: Also, is there a way to get the wave/threat numbers to reflect no of ship again, I like it that way a bit more.