My latest FS-campaign

[Red Spot]

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 didn't 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 didn't 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

[keith.lamothe]

I think you made the AI cry

The changes in 5.003 will make the minor faction fleets do considerably better.  And make assaulting the AI homeworld after getting your first city significantly harder (though not really significantly until later in the "city era").

[keith.lamothe]

Oh wow, just saw the "Spire Dreadnought: 3" in one of those screenshots.  That's an awful lot of cities  The final AI homeworld assault response would probably have been very intense (in 5.003).

[Red Spot]

One of the reasons I didn't upgrade in between. Fear of getting beaten

Edit: Btw, look at the time at which I finished ... darn Penetrators cant time