I'm amazed that still just over a year since I started played, I'm still being finding new things and being surprised.
Case in point. Recently a change was made that seeded in clumps of spider/sniper turrets. I didn't think much of it myself, just another thing to blow up every so often. Was I wrong.
I sent my 400-500ish fleet onto a fairly low level AI planet. About 100 enemy ships, a special forces post and a captive human settlement I wanted for resources. So I sent my guys in.
This is what happens when you get lazy with your scouting and just looks at the planetary summary.
What I failed to take account of was a clump of 50 spider turrets around the special forces post, which was literally right next to the human settlement. They crippled my fleet in seconds. I didn't actually lose any ships, but the majority of them couldn't move. A careful MK1 lightning warhead later, right on the edge of the human settlement, and they were dead. Cue cheer and fist in the air.
I sent in engineers, ordered my ships back into safer territory and sent in the usual 5 cleanup drones. A few minutes later and I was ready to go again, this time with riot starships. Urk, crippled again. Turns out I'd again forgotten something, this time that cleanup drones decloak when they clean, and were themselves quickly cleaned up by the special forces post. So another Mk1 lightning warhead later and I was out.
Fortunately, I actually planned my third attempt more thoroughly and it went off perfectly in a quickly executed and elegant maneuver. Main ships in first to distract the enemy. The second they draw fire a lightning warhead comes in and kills the spider turrets. This is done as quickly as possible in order to maintain as many engines as possible. Then my frigates line up the special forces post and start hitting it with missles. Bombers are brought in to speed up the process when I remember the HP of special forces outposts has been buffed (good idea that) and I see the rebuilder drones starting to get those spider turrets up and running again.
Eventually, explosions all around and I take the planet. The easy bit done, I'm getting ready to take a Mk 4 planet.
That a year on from when I first loaded up AI War I can still get stumped with something original every game and get excited when I overcome it is absolute testament to the brains behind this masterpiece. When I play a game I don't want to see the same maps or play the same strategies every time; one is only truly tested by their ability to adapt to anything that gets trown at them. Spider/sniper clumps are an example of how one small change can stump anyone.
