First game for 2 years... AI 7 Entrenched Homeworlder & Feeding Parasite

[pallenda]

So after trying Sins of a solar empire, I quickly wanted to come back to AIW instead. I'm now 12 hours in and thought I should write some down before forgetting even more

Chapter 1 - 0 hour 0 mins AIP: 10:
EasierAI7-1.sav

Setup:

Planets: 50
Map Style: Simple
Campaign Type: Conquest
Expansions: ALL
Seed: 1218575677
Available ships: Normal
Turned off Cloaking, Swallowers, Core Shield Gens.
Combat Style: Normal
Visibility: Complete Visibility

I picked this spot:



I got Laser Gatling as extra ship, read that it was good. I thought only 3 ways into my home system, and I would be at only 3 again after taking 10 planets.  As you can see only 1 planet besides my home system on those 9 planets have more than 3 resources. Hard to see on that screenshot is that under it in the left corner is a Mark 4 system. Other "nice" things in those 9 systems are:

4 x Ion III
1 x Ion I
2 x Mass Orbital Drives
1 x Fort II
1 x Fort I


Chapter 2 - 1 hour 43 mins AIP: 97:
EasierAI7-2.sav



Got 4 systems and spent some knowledge on:

Engineer  II
Basic Turret II
Advanced warp sensor
Laser Gatling II
Tractor Beam Turret II
Harvester Exo-Shield
Missile Frigate II
Bomber II
Heavy Beam Cannon
Neinzul Enclave Starship II

Wish I hadn't spent 3k knowledge on that starship, haven't found a good use for it yet as i'm still a newbie.


Chapter 3 - 2 hour 43 mins AIP: 40:
EasierAI7-3.sav



I spent and hour knocking out 3 data centers with transport + raid starship setup. Felt good to see the AIP on 40 almost 3 hours in. So I planned for getting the last datacenter and the 3 remaining CO-Processors.

Chapter 4 - 4 hour 08 mins AIP: 83:
EasierAI7-4.sav



So I tried getting the plan to work, but some good defense on the AI part my transportship didn't make it thou all the jumps. So I unlocked Transport Ship II. I also worked on getting more of those 9 system and learned the had way how to beat Ion cannons, Mass Orbital Drives and Fortresses.  At this point only missing 1x Fort II and 1x Ion III.

Chapter 5 - 6 hour 09 mins AIP: 148:
EasierAI7-5.sav

Around 4h30m and after a lot of combat I feel poor because of the of the systems all being less than 3 combined resources I guess, so I unlock Economic Orbital Command II. Also got another system. I keep on battling and end up here:



8 down 1 to go and I have completed my first plan. I really don't like that the AIP is 148, even less after I mouseover the 148 and see that Tech Level 2 is only 82 points away. That's like 4 full new system and 1 hour. Guess I only have room to neuter some systems from now on...

Hmm there were still a datacenter and 3 more co-processors.

Chapter 5b - 6 hour 31 mins AIP: 129:
EasierAI7-5b.sav



I have unlocked Standard Fighter II around 5h6m in, and Fortress I around 6h11m. Also killed the last datacenter getting the AIP down a notch.

Chapter 6 - 6 hour 52 mins AIP: 49:
EasierAI7-6.sav



Disrupt Enemy Operations.... COMPLETED!

AIP: 49 and I have two new operational Fortresses. Things feels safe.


Chapter 7 - 8 hour 27 mins AIP: 80:
EasierAI7-7.sav



Where did those 1,5 hours go?!

I unlocked Basic Turret III, Flagship and Zenith Starship.  Added tons more defenses and decided to go after this ARS close by (Varhasdor).


Chapter 8 - 9 hour 32 mins AIP: 133:
EasierAI7-8.sav



After neutering the system between my 2nd home and the ARS in Varhasdor, I finally secured the ARS around 9 hours in I got access to Neinzul Youngling I+II. I guess I now have a use for those Neinzul Regeneration Chambers that I had no idea what was for several hours ago.

I also spottet a Fabricator in Nenei that makes Exp. Translocators. I decides to go for that next, and make a 2nd wall off in the systems near Nenei. That should put me in a spot only 4 jumps from the doorstep of the Fortress Baron. I decided to go for him first as looking on the 133 AIP and knowing 100 more will put him in Tech Level 2 mode sounds scary. Its hard enough work to keep sorting to Raid Starships to take out Mass Orbital Drives, Ion cannons and Guard Posts to kill AI Eyes. This will also show me if Interplanetary Munitions Booster is difficult.

3 more systems and already at AIP 133. Getting within 4 jumps from the first AI will put me around 200. :S


Chapter 8b - 10 hour 7 mins AIP: 175:
EasierAI7-8b.sav



I neutered Rapixu and secured the backdoor of my new wall off section in Jotoxi. Disver will be the new front door, and its a nice R7 system with 3 Metal and 4 Crystal. 42 extra AIP from only killing 2 warpgates and 1 Orbital Command. Guess there was more guard posts and a few missiles that I forgot about in the heat of the battle.

While talking about forgetting things, this would be as good a time as ever to talk about that I turning off Cloaking might have been sounding easy to me first, but I learned the hardway that its a two way street. I had issues with taking out some Ion / OMD / Fort / Guard Post earlier in the game. A trick was mentioned to me about getting some cloaked ship to help with it. So that why the Raid Starship has been a thing I used so many times now, with or without Transport.

I'm not really feeling that the Neinzul Youngling are helping me much, AIP is going up fast and not really close in getting ready to fight Core ships let alone the beefed up defenses of the Fortress Baron.

Things are looking grim. Lets hope the Exp.Translocator will help.


Chapter 8c - 12 hour 11 mins AIP: 295:
EasierAI7-8c.sav



So much stuff can happen in 2 hours of in game time. I took 3 more systems and now have a wall off right next to the Fortress Baron home system. It has cost me 120 AIP though, so now have to deal with Tech Level 2. To get where I am I had to deal with a Special Forces Alarm, not really sure if I did good or bad at it. Around 10h20m I got Vampire Claw ship.

The system next to it had an AI Eye that was protected by 6 guard posts. Taking the Hasao mark 4 system next to the AI's home system took a while, as it had Ion, Warhead Intercept, Orbital Mass Drive and 300+ Mark V ships.

I did collect my 2 nd Zenith Reserve I think, can't remember when I got the first but that one alone saved my behind so many times as it kept my old two front doors save while being far away from home. Getting control of the Hasao mark 4 system also meant getting access to my first ever Spire Archive! I was so happy as that meant 6000 more knowledge than I expected. Should put me around 15-16k to spent on upgraded tools.


Finally up to date.

[keith.lamothe]

Looking forward to seeing how it turns out

[pallenda]

Chapter 9 - 12 hour 25 mins AIP: 344:
Easier AI7-9-death1.sav

So I found out the hard way that making a wall off / outpost on a system next to the AI home world is... BAD.

Things had settled down, I thought. I killed off two attacks to on that hold, all good I thought even though I was worried about the 1000 Mark V ships on his home system. Then came some attack at my home system, which I thought was all save because I just spend some time moving some turrets and defenses to that system.

Then it happens.

600 ships in system. I think that its just a bigger normal mark 1+2 ships, I check to be sure and see 3 carries going past my defenses. Its all good I think, just more mark 1+2 in them. I kill one, two three......

And out pops 600x mark 3+4  ships.



So reading up I learned some things about how neutering most warp gates but not all is good.

I'm now thinking about going back to save 8, 3 hours earlier, or maybe even save 7 where I had AIP 80. Pushing up to the AI home system with only taken 2x Zenith Reserve Ships, and two ARS that only included some mark 2 ships, is bad when you are only on mark 2 ships yourself.

At least the AI didn't let me fight on with no way to win for hour and hours.

[keith.lamothe]

Ah yes, long-term-alerting an AI Homeworld or even one of the planets adjacent to an AI homeworld = Bad Idea

[zoutzakje]

darn, after reading your first post I was gonna warn you for alerting the homeworld. When I read further I noticed you already found out lol
ah well, I remember losing a dif 7 game because of this too. Put any of the homeworlds on alert for too long and clearing the game will become almost impossible. Not even golems and spirecraft could save my butt back then.

[pallenda]

Chapter 10b - 11 hour 56 mins AIP: 212:
Easier AI7-10b.sav

So I decided to go back to Save 8, and get some more gear.




I neutered 4-5 systems and took two more system on the eastern side of the galaxy. I have gained another ARS and my first mark 4 factory. Took way longer than I hoped as each time I tryed to get a transport thou with a colony ship the transport was gunned down. Happened 5 times. :s

I think my next goal is getting the P9 with a Beam Starship. Still not sure how many more system I should take, and if I should hit Entrenched Homewolder or the Feeding Parasite home system first.

[Hearteater]

When I'm doing stuff like that with transports, I've found sending 3 works wonders.  Put an empty one in front and back.  They'll take almost all the fire.

[pallenda]

When I'm doing stuff like that with transports, I've found sending 3 works wonders.  Put an empty one in front and back.  They'll take almost all the fire.

I thought I would be fine with one transport, as I had recently cleared the way with a 600+ ship fleet. Guess the AI is quick to restock.