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AI War / Re: Poll: Aim the Nerfbat of Damocles: Player-side (III)
« on: March 16, 2013, 10:13:39 AM »
I voted for scouts and manufactories. Maybe reduce the number of scouts per asteroid to 1, or increase their attrition on enemy planets.
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17
AI War / Re: Poll: Worst Unit Of The (time interval) Award (VII)
« on: July 23, 2012, 08:07:43 PM »
Shouldn't all starships be immune to Botnet fire? They can't be reclaimed, right?
18
Off Topic / Re: And so...the Steam sale begins.
« on: July 22, 2012, 03:58:42 PM »
World of Goo is awesome. I just bought SPAZ and look forward to playing it. I'm thinking of getting Galactic Civilizations II.
Bastion is a steal at 75% off. I got it at the last Humble Indie Bundle and wasn't disappointed.
Bastion is a steal at 75% off. I got it at the last Humble Indie Bundle and wasn't disappointed.
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AI War Strategy Discussion / Re: Neinzul Enclave Starships are very interesting now
« on: July 22, 2012, 03:48:10 PM »
At Mk I and II, they made a great force multiplier. At Mk III they started to dictate my strategy.
Keith, I suspect that not too many players have played around with them. You have to spend a lot of knowledge on turrets to make them really effective but once you do you can constantly attack at very little noticeable cost, while building up a respectable fixed defense on several worlds. I think they are pretty well balanced for now with the knowledge requirements to fully exploit them. You have to basically plan your long-term strategy around them.
I do like them, for now. In future games, if I unlock more than one basic Mk II turret, I'll almost certainly unlock the Mk II Enclave for a trivial 2k more knowledge.
Diazo, I'm playing at 7.3/7.3 and I use them to break and conquer worlds very quickly. I've also been able to afford quite a few mercenary fighters and beam frigates because the drones are so cheap. I agree that you could get the same result from spending the knowledge on ships. I also agree that they are tricky to use effectively, but they've worked very well as a primary attack for me. Your mileage may vary.
Keith, I suspect that not too many players have played around with them. You have to spend a lot of knowledge on turrets to make them really effective but once you do you can constantly attack at very little noticeable cost, while building up a respectable fixed defense on several worlds. I think they are pretty well balanced for now with the knowledge requirements to fully exploit them. You have to basically plan your long-term strategy around them.
I do like them, for now. In future games, if I unlock more than one basic Mk II turret, I'll almost certainly unlock the Mk II Enclave for a trivial 2k more knowledge.
Diazo, I'm playing at 7.3/7.3 and I use them to break and conquer worlds very quickly. I've also been able to afford quite a few mercenary fighters and beam frigates because the drones are so cheap. I agree that you could get the same result from spending the knowledge on ships. I also agree that they are tricky to use effectively, but they've worked very well as a primary attack for me. Your mileage may vary.
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AI War Strategy Discussion / Neinzul Enclave Starships are very interesting now
« on: July 22, 2012, 09:29:10 AM »
I have not played around with Neinzul Enclaves since the most recent changes, so I started a game in order to find out just what they could do. I was particularly interested in their new drones, so I unlocked all the Mk II turret tech I could and the Mk II Enclave and put them to work. A few hours in and several planets conquered, here is what I learned:
1. Two Mk I and two Mk II Enclaves, put on free-roaming defender mode and constantly producing drones, can overwhelm most Mk I or II worlds pretty easily. If you want to clear Mk III and IV worlds, you'll need to micromanage a bit more. Set the Enclaves to Attack-Move and use shift to set a course to the various guard posts.
2. Mk I and II Drones can destroy fortresses in just a few minutes. I was surprised, too.
3. When I added Mk III Enclaves and Drones, I was able to take Mk IV planets with 200+ defenders, using FRD.
4. Drones work very well for wave defense, especially since I have so many turrets to support them.
5. I can defend a lot of planets, quite heavily, when I have mk I-III turrets. It lets me focus on attacking without much fear of counterattack. Yet.
6. I'm not going to have much more knowledge to spend, and I'm considering getting Mk IV Enclaves because I'm having so much fun with them. I don't know if that will doom me on the Core and Home worlds, though.
I'm interested in other people's experiences with Enclaves. What have you used them for?
1. Two Mk I and two Mk II Enclaves, put on free-roaming defender mode and constantly producing drones, can overwhelm most Mk I or II worlds pretty easily. If you want to clear Mk III and IV worlds, you'll need to micromanage a bit more. Set the Enclaves to Attack-Move and use shift to set a course to the various guard posts.
2. Mk I and II Drones can destroy fortresses in just a few minutes. I was surprised, too.
3. When I added Mk III Enclaves and Drones, I was able to take Mk IV planets with 200+ defenders, using FRD.
4. Drones work very well for wave defense, especially since I have so many turrets to support them.
5. I can defend a lot of planets, quite heavily, when I have mk I-III turrets. It lets me focus on attacking without much fear of counterattack. Yet.
6. I'm not going to have much more knowledge to spend, and I'm considering getting Mk IV Enclaves because I'm having so much fun with them. I don't know if that will doom me on the Core and Home worlds, though.
I'm interested in other people's experiences with Enclaves. What have you used them for?
21
AI War Strategy Discussion / Re: Where should I start?
« on: July 22, 2012, 08:40:02 AM »
I know it's been covered already, but don't be afraid to ask any questions you have. People are pretty friendly here.
In the beginning, I didn't start to learn very well until I chose Vanilla AIs as opponents for a few games. The AI doesn't get any specific bonuses or penalties, making it as fair as it's going to be. You'll also see most of the basic stuff the AI will throw at you.
Read the description of everything you meet for the first time before you attack it. It will save you a whole lot of trouble later on.
If all else fails, nuke the planet from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
In the beginning, I didn't start to learn very well until I chose Vanilla AIs as opponents for a few games. The AI doesn't get any specific bonuses or penalties, making it as fair as it's going to be. You'll also see most of the basic stuff the AI will throw at you.
Read the description of everything you meet for the first time before you attack it. It will save you a whole lot of trouble later on.
If all else fails, nuke the planet from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
22
AI War / Re: AI eyes.
« on: July 19, 2012, 02:53:39 PM »
You can destroy the AI command station and build your own command station without destroying the AI Eye. Once your command station is built, the stealth guard post will self-destruct and take the Eye with it. I've used this strategy many times when I can't quickly find the Stealth post.
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AI War / Re: Nominations for Worst Ship Ever (VII)
« on: July 19, 2012, 10:21:41 AM »
I'd like the knowledge costs of Mark III starships to come into line with what a Mark III fleet ship costs.
Splitting the Alien starships into its own line and reducing their knowledge costs seems like a good idea.
Experimental fleet ships ships need a look, too. The decoy has such a low cap that I've found it to be pretty much worthless.
Splitting the Alien starships into its own line and reducing their knowledge costs seems like a good idea.
Experimental fleet ships ships need a look, too. The decoy has such a low cap that I've found it to be pretty much worthless.
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AI War / Re: AI War Beta 5.042 Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain
« on: July 18, 2012, 07:54:17 AM »
It works fine for my Mac running 10.7.4.
ETA actual OS. Forgot I had upgraded recently.
ETA actual OS. Forgot I had upgraded recently.
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After Action Reports / Re: To Fight Until The Stars Go Out
« on: June 28, 2012, 01:46:50 PM »Transports are not immune to either BHGs nor Gravity. They're going to get stalled out in either AI type.
MK Is 3 worlds out is rare for me unless I've got all 10 available and they're lucky. MK IIs 4 worlds out, same issue. Wonder if I'm just doing it wrong but they can rarely reach that far for me without some serious Tachyon Guardpost removals.
That's strange, because it's about the only thing I can count on being the same from game to game. It does take all the scouts of each mark to reach that far out, but what else are you going to use them for?
SenorPez, I'm glad that hacking was able to give you a ship that counters the AI's main strength. That will certainly make the rest of your job easier! I can't remember if Raptors have auto-kiting, but if they do that's going to make clearing those gravity drill worlds a piece of cake.
I've really enjoyed the hacking mechanic since it was introduced. It makes for some tense, exciting battles, as you've already found out. You might be able to get away with it a second time, but it's going to be messy. I've never tried it a third time, but I imagine the response would be, um, problematic.
But the worst was the Mark II Raid Starship. Emerging from the chaos, it made a beeline to the homeworld, killing other command stations along its path. Only through the luck that a significant fleet was on station, as the continued replenishment took place, saved our Home Command Station. Fires and sparks and smoke filled the command deck, and my science officer would never see the fruits of our dangerous labor, killed by an exploding power conduit. Why no one in the future has heard of a circuit breaker, I'll never know.
LMAO at "no one in the future has heard of a circuit breaker."
I find that 5-10 sniper turrets can handle most Raid Starships.
Good luck with the rest of the fight!
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After Action Reports / Re: To Fight Until The Stars Go Out
« on: June 27, 2012, 04:04:10 PM »
That's a brutal combination you're facing right there, and I don't envy you your fight. It's not impossible, but it will take some time. Scouting in a game where the AI has the tachyon micro fighters or sentinel frigates can be difficult.
You should be able to get mark I scouts three planets out. Mark II scouts will usually be able to reach four planets out. You can extend your scouting range by 1-2 planets if you destroy the tachyon guardians on the hostile planets bordering the ones you control. You can also micromanage them to get an additional planet out in some circumstances. Spirecraft Scouts are great at scouting large swathes of the galaxy, but it looks like you don't have them in this game.
You can capture the planets with gravity drills, and then destroy them with no AIP penalty.
Edit: How could I forget transports!?
You should be able to get mark I scouts three planets out. Mark II scouts will usually be able to reach four planets out. You can extend your scouting range by 1-2 planets if you destroy the tachyon guardians on the hostile planets bordering the ones you control. You can also micromanage them to get an additional planet out in some circumstances. Spirecraft Scouts are great at scouting large swathes of the galaxy, but it looks like you don't have them in this game.
You can capture the planets with gravity drills, and then destroy them with no AIP penalty.
Edit: How could I forget transports!?
27
AI War / Re: Questions after my first full game (Fallen Spire *Spoilers*)
« on: June 24, 2012, 11:15:04 AM »
In the few games I have played with them, there have usually been two or three leaders on planets I wanted to take anyway. They were mildly useful but I would have rather had three data centers to destroy. I agree with BobTheJanitor: they're not really meant to make things easier. They do add an interesting story element and could be used to construct some fun scenarios. Turn on Fallen Spire, Civilian Leaders, Spirecraft, and play against a Spireling AI. Make it a personal goal to free all the Civilian Leaders to improve your relationship with the Spire.
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AI War / Re: Questions after my first full game (Fallen Spire *Spoilers*)
« on: June 23, 2012, 09:11:50 AM »Spire Civilian Leaders:
This might just be me mis-interpreting their description... but I assumed I would have to capture these for them to lower the AIP. This is not the case. Simply destroying the AI command station causes them to switch from raising to lowering the AIP (although it does not immediately reset their hour timer, like capturing them does). After some deep strikes, my AIP was going down slightly but periodically through the rest of the game, and there was nothing the AI could do about it since they still 'owned' the CLs.
O_o Sounds like a bug/exploit.
I'm not too sure it's that great of an exploit, if it is one. You still have to take the 20 AIP hit from destroying the command station so you're not going to break even on that for 7 hours after you free the Civilian Leader. In most games, that's not going to be worth doing. 73 hour games...different story.
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AI War / Re: Questions after my first full game (Fallen Spire *Spoilers*)
« on: June 21, 2012, 11:21:37 AM »
Welcome to the forums, and congratulations on your first win! It's pretty impressive considering all the sources of exo-waves you had.
I can't speak to some of your fallen spire questions because I haven't ever pursued it very far. From what I know of exo-waves (and I'm sure someone will step in to correct me if I'm wrong) the AI gets a "budget" to spend on ships to spend how it sees fit. Hunter Killers cost quite a lot, so it's not inconceivable that several spire craft would take their place. The wave composition is pretty variable.
I can't speak to some of your fallen spire questions because I haven't ever pursued it very far. From what I know of exo-waves (and I'm sure someone will step in to correct me if I'm wrong) the AI gets a "budget" to spend on ships to spend how it sees fit. Hunter Killers cost quite a lot, so it's not inconceivable that several spire craft would take their place. The wave composition is pretty variable.
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AI War Strategy Discussion / Re: Neinzul Viral Enthusiast homeworlds or Dear God Make The Pain Stop Please.
« on: April 02, 2012, 01:05:02 PM »but you go to war with the RNGFixed that for youyou have, not the RNG you wish you had.
Nothing the AI does can compare to the kind of pants-kick mapgen can deliver
I just looked and I made a mistake in my original post. The first AI Homeworld was 5 hops away. Check out the screenshot attached at the end of this post. The second was eight. They're five hops away from each other on the same side of the galaxy.
It didn't take me long to find the first Core world, and I think I did a literal double-take. Mark V what? 4 hops away?