Why the Zenith and Spire shouldn't team up

[Kraiz]

So, I got bored and decided to play a little thematic game against a Spireling and Zenith Descendant on 7/7.

Normally I can play on a 7/7 no problem, unless something drastically goes wrong and I mess something upbig-time.  However, the Zenith and Spire ships compliment each other so well, it's unreal.  Spire tractor platforms drag your ships apart while the Bombards hammer them, or Beam Frigates and Grenade Launchers take advantage of the close proximity of the tracored ships for mx damage.  Stealth Battleships with Tractor Platforms nearby make for a very difficult target to safely attack, and Blade Spawners and Bombards with Gravity Drains and Rippers make for unpursuable sniper-like craft.  I'm telling you, that's one nasty combination.

I'm going to turn off tractor units and see if it helps. I think I lose tractor beams, but with the use of spider turrets and grav turrets, I can mitigate that a ittle bit if it means that the tractor platforms can't divide and conquer my units.  If that doesn't help, I'll turn the tractors back on and try some different starting units to see if they make a difference much.  It may be that sniper ships could be useful to wear down the blade spawners and bombards at range, as well as picking off those tractor platforms before they get in range of my blob.

[keith.lamothe]

Grav Drains + Tractor Platforms + Blade Spawners alone is getting into "unspeakably nasty".  Tossing in Bombards and Beam Frigates (Grenade Launchers are not a Z Descendant free-type, fyi) does really rub it in

Turning off tractors... that would definitely be a different defensive game

[Kraiz]

...Tractors should definely stay enabled, especially with polarizers... Blade Spawners are still nasty as they pass FF's, but I'm wondering if a battery of MLRS turrets could successfully target and dispatch the blades quick enough... MLRS for the multiple shots.

Hmm.. Now that I've tried this, I can't really back out of it can I?

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

[keith.lamothe]

One rule to keep in mind: while a unit is protected by a friendly forcefield/shield, it cannot be targeted by a tractor beam.

[Kraiz]

I've found the Raider to be pretty useful.  Good speed to intercept bombards and blade spawners, and it's immune to tractor beams.

[zoutzakje]

use gravity turrets to defend yourself against attacking balde spawners. Really helps.
off topic, but I was wondering... If you disable tractor units, does that mean that the Black widow Golem will never appear in your galaxy? Or does it not matter since golems are a completely different option?

[keith.lamothe]

(Grenade Launchers are not a Z Descendant free-type, fyi)

Turns out I was wrong, they are a ZD free-type, I had just looked it up the wrong way   Gah, I think it's laughing at me.  I had read it right the first time, then it confused me!  Not my fault at all, naturally.

[Kraiz]

I'm making some progress against them.  It's hard to make any real headway because each system has to be able to provide support against such a wide variety of targets, not all of them can have the "IDeal" setup of Gravity, Tractor, MLRS and Beams, Lasers, blah blah blah.

I've found that Gravity turrets + Tractors keep units VERY closely clumped together when they enter through wormholes.  Normally I just use the Tractors and Gravity turrets a bit closer to my comm station to slow ships down that are charging at it to give me some time to think and make the right decisions.....

But It would seem that the gravity turrets take effect before the tractors do.  Tractors allone don't instantly lock onto ships when they exit a wormhole, so they have more chance to spread out slightly before they  are locked onto by the tractor turrets.  This sets them up perfectly for beam cannons, which I have Beam Frigates from an ARS (Turning the Zenith's own tech against them... pretty nice), so this makes it quite nice.

Still pretty difficult when making assaults on systems, though.