Waves without warp gates

[Diazo]

That's what the counter missile turrets are for, in combination with grenade launchers that's the core of my warp point defence.

Grenade launchers out range most ships except for frigates and the counter missile turrets negate those.

The only ship that worries me at all now are electric shuttles. They have the same range as my grenade launchers and a wave as small as 30 shuttles destroys all my grenade launchers in a single salvo.

Grenade launchers have extreamly low health.

The problem with forts is they are useless against bombers. I did try going the fort route for my defences, but if the first wave of the game included bombers, it was game over. Because I had rushed to build the fortress I had no other defences and the wave of bombers didn't even notice the fortress on the way to my command station.

Really, the tactics you use on diff 7 or 8 simply don't work on diff 10. Well, at least mine didn't. I lost something like 10 or 15 games in a row before I started figuring out stuff that worked.


As an example, I started a new game on diff 10. The first AI hit me with a 51 ship wave that arrived at the 3:30 gametime mark. (Arrived, not the wave warning appearing.) It's actually unusual to see a wave that early. Thankfully it is nice and small because it arrived so early though.

At the 31:30 gametime mark, the second AI decided to send it's first wave. 977 ships!, including 200 bombers. (bye-bye fortress)

Now the second AI's wave is more typical of what you see on diff 10. And it shows why diff 10 is called 'Doom'. And this game is lost, at least for me at my current skill level. I think it's possible in theory to fend off a wave that big when you are at the 31 minute mark, but I don't think I could do it. (yet anyway)

As for the lighting warhead, it's not an option. You don't have the resources for it in the early game and if you make it past the early game, your warp point defence is strong enough you don't need the lighting missile.

Anyways, enough of me ranting about diff 10 stuff.

D.

[pierre dupon]

On fortresses: I've been using them in offense to good effect recently. I get a moble builder and 5 engineers and a ball of gatlings. The fortress goes up, bombers are useless due to the gatlings and within 20 mins the planet is empty. It only works if you have supply though and I generally clear the command station etc with a warhead. It's simple and I can use the 20 mins to further some other goal while the fortress is doing it's thing.
Dazio: I think shuttles are still way OP cos nothing should be able to destroy 200 ships in one round. Still the ones I've captured in my current game have made 13k kills on wh defence so it goes both ways. Best cure I've found so far is flagships.

[Diazo]

My cure for electric shuttles is Missile Turrets because they outrange the shuttles.

I give them electric shuttles as a priority target, back my grenade launchers out until all the shuttles are dead and accept the extra losses because the wave stays alive longer.

I suppose missile frigates would also work, but mine are off with my fleet conquering stuff.

Neat idea on the fortresses. Not something I'm going to try this game as I've got a golem I'm using in that capacity at the moment.

D.