Diary of a game

[chemical_art]

Well, I don't know if this is the place for it, but I was looking for a place to keep notes, etc. as I play through a game. I finally found one that gave me enough things in my favor that I shall now play it to the very end. But to actually have a shot, I'll need to keep a LOT of notes to ensure I come out on top.

"Notes" is a broad term for actually everything I think of during the game. What strategies work, what strategies don't, what planets to take, what are the various objectives. Also included would be observations, and the occasional question that I think would be too simple to make a new thread for.

Normally I would just scribble these things on some paper, but for a game with such a responsive community (and in a forum that is fairly slow) I thought there would at least be no harm in typing it up. It would make my game better, and would help give insight at a time when I see so few game reports. Reports at most would come every few hours.

Is this OK? Is this the right place to do this?

[keith.lamothe]

AARs are just stories of games, so this is very much the right place

Sometimes they're just scattered notes, sometimes a play-by-play, sometimes a dramatization, etc.

[chemical_art]

Very good. It looks I'll have to grab some scrap paper anyway to take a few notes of my game settings, but I always feel like I waste knowledge when I abandon a game 20 hours in and I toss my notes of that game. At least here the notes have some long term use.

[chemical_art]

http://s1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa460/Chemical53/?action=view&current=AIWar2011-01-2013-48-06-10edit.jpg



Settings:
8.3 Grav Driller
7.7 Support Corp
Seed: 503692878
Ships: Normal (swallowers included)
Extras: Colony Rebellions, Resistance fighters, golems (hard), spireships, dyson sphere, miners, fallen spire, Civilian Spires, spire ships (hard)
Starter ship: Parasite
AI timer: 1 every 30 minutes
Speed, ship caps: normal

Objectives:
Take point A for resources/defense (mostly done)
Assassinate Raid engine on point B with a bomber carried by transport blitz (full cap of mk 1 and 2) (in progress)
Take planet 1 (or is it the planet under it?) for factory IV
Take planet B for civ spire
Take planet 3 for civ spire
...
Take point 4 for civ spire

Goals:
Use frequent border raids with parasites to weaken AI while boosting own forces
Take all planets within dashed lines as my "core" planets to form economy with MK IV forces
Keep momentium on my side; do not get bogged down until at least core planets are taken
Avoid using MK III research stations within dashed lines due to they being captured anyway


Edit:
Lessons from previous games:
Use fighters as damage absorbers (they are cheap yet tough)
Time is money: If something cannot be taken, find another target
Fortresses causes unbearable border aggression; use them for wave defense only (should be helped from last update, but have not tested this)

[chemical_art]

Working on the update, but want to quickly pass this note off here:


Is there something special about Zombie Guardians in terms of spawning?

They seem to be the most powerful guardian at tech 3 with:
Attack: (640,000 x 4 raw damage) per 2 seconds
Range: 12,000
Armor: 15,000
Health: 800k

This alone makes them very, very fearsome. Rivaling the best. But then they also get zombie ships as a bonus. Stomps any 200 unit fleet not immune to reclamation.



Extra ps:

How how much more efficient is MK IV parasite compared to the MK III in reclamation? It does not reclaim ships any different because it cannot take MK V ships. I can guess why a MK V ship should be immune to reclamation but shouldn't the ship at least take ships better in some other way? The MK IV *seems* anemic with its ship cap compared to other MK IV ships.

[chemical_art]

Took third planet by blitzing isolated fort with half cap I, II bombers. Then I constructed FF over homeplanet wormhole. then poped AI command base and built my own within shield generator. This aggrevated garrison, making them easy prey for mk 1, 2 fighters. Bombers cleaned up enemy FF + post underneath now that they were completely isolated.

Raelin, as shown, now neutralized, allowing quick raids into the next two planets now exposed and lightly defended.

[chemical_art]

Erasuz, as shown, neutralized wth an AI eye in 20 minutes using mk 3 fighters. Not captured due to no current pressing need for mk IV factory due to lack of research. Will strike Cike next due to a raid engine located there. Home planet Deishar heavily fortified to deal with counterattack.

EDIT: Both Cike and the planet below it contain those zombie guardians. These guardians have decimated my fleets, and that is why I ask if there is something special about them. I see AI warp guardians are unique due to their 50 million HP but they are at least warned about upon spawning so I assume they are created separately.

[Red Spot]

Erasuz, as shown, neutralized wth an AI eye in 20 minutes using mk 3 fighters. Not captured due to no current pressing need for mk IV factory due to lack of research. Will strike Cike next due to a raid engine located there. Home planet Deishar heavily fortified to deal with counterattack.

Not sure if you know this, but when you have unlocked mk3 fleet ship you effectivly also unlocked the same mark4 version. All you need is a mk4 factory, which you now can get (With mk3 fighters unlocked it allows you to create mk4 fighters .. and you will like those .. cheap, expendable, but reasonably mean at the same time.)

[chemical_art]

Very, very true. And probably before the 2 hour mark I'll unlock it. But at this very moment I don't need the firepower, and holding a MK IV factory so early will hinder me because I would be forced to spread my defenses to cover two key points (homeworld + factory world) against the impending Raid engine wave. After that wave passes and I have access to warp jammers I'll  take over the factory.


EDIT: Locking this thread since I got a whole new game going.