Core CPA Fun

[barryvm]

I had a run-in with a Core CPA yesterday and since I'd never encountered them before and their description mentiones "brutal galaxy wide attacks" I build defensive strongpoints everywhere and prepare for impending doom.
When I attacked the homeworld I cleared it in about 2 minutes and then rushed back to my home command station, arriving there just before about 3000 mk III ships and 500 mk IV/V ships are released and start attacking my outher planets.
I survived only because I managed to lure the main attack right across a devourer golem's path, after which I only had to deal with the Mk V's and by using two black widow golems to pick apart the other attack group but I still lost most of my planets.
Are there ways to lessen the amount of released ships (can you weaken the attack by thread hunting before attacking the homeworld) or is it best to invest in insane defences?

[Kahuna]

The higher is the AIP the more ships Core CPA (and anything else) will send.
I recommend creating a choke point so 1 or 2 (max 3) take all the attacks and protect all other planets. Also consider unlocking MarkII Missile Turrets and/or Laser Turrets. MarkI Gravitational Turrets are a must and MarkII Tractors and Gravitational Turrets are optional but very good. If you have Ancient Shadows expansion unlock the Mod Fort. Also try to get >=MarkII Spirecraft Ion Blasters.

EDIT: Depending on difficulty with defenses like this most of the time you wouldn't need to use your fleet to defend. If you have 2 Black Widow Golems the other one could make sure the defenses don't get overrun.

[Minotaar]

I had a run-in with a Core CPA yesterday and since I'd never encountered them before and their description mentiones "brutal galaxy wide attacks" I build defensive strongpoints everywhere and prepare for impending doom.
When I attacked the homeworld I cleared it in about 2 minutes and then rushed back to my home command station, arriving there just before about 3000 mk III ships and 500 mk IV/V ships are released and start attacking my outher planets.
I survived only because I managed to lure the main attack right across a devourer golem's path, after which I only had to deal with the Mk V's and by using two black widow golems to pick apart the other attack group but I still lost most of my planets.
Are there ways to lessen the amount of released ships (can you weaken the attack by thread hunting before attacking the homeworld) or is it best to invest in insane defences?

It is only AIP-dependant. If you have a lot of floating threat already it would be nice to clear it, but don't just go killing ships everywhere. If there aren't enough lower marks, the higher will get sent instead.

[Varone]

EDIT: Depending on difficulty with defenses like this most of the time you wouldn't need to use your fleet to defend. If you have 2 Black Widow Golems the other one could make sure the defenses don't get overrun.

Another method you can use is to shield off a wormhole so ships can enter the planet but can't escape until the shields are destroyed first. Place the shields in a circle around the wormhole and then place the turrets on the outside so they only just cover the wormhole. A nice pile of heavy beam turrets works very well hear, vaporising masses of units trapped in chokepoint. See the screenshot for a better idea.

[Kahuna]

EDIT: Depending on difficulty with defenses like this most of the time you wouldn't need to use your fleet to defend. If you have 2 Black Widow Golems the other one could make sure the defenses don't get overrun.

Another method you can use is to shield off a wormhole so ships can enter the planet but can't escape until the shields are destroyed first. Place the shields in a circle around the wormhole and then place the turrets on the outside so they only just cover the wormhole. A nice pile of heavy beam turrets works very well hear, vaporising masses of units trapped in chokepoint. See the screenshot for a better idea.

Yep. Though that needs a lot of Force Fields so there wont be as many protecting the Command Center if something gets trough and this only works if there's 1 hostile wormhole. Also on high difficulty levels Carriers loaded with 1k ships (the more ships they contain the more damage they do), ~1k Bombers and Hunter/Killers would probably drill trough the Force Fields too fast. Haven't tried this for a while though. Gonna have to try this on 10 diff at some point.

[barryvm]

Thanks for the tips.
It seems like I brought it on to myself by attacking the homeworld with the CPA post first  , upping the AIP to 400 in the process.
I hadn't unlocked any Mk II turrets either because I needed the research to boost my numbers (had been given only swarmer type ships by ARS's) so my defences were on the weak side.
I usually wait untill a medium group of CPA attack's one of my planets and the destroy them one group at a time but this time that was quit impossible due to the large numbers, an exo strike and the number of high mark tractor platforms pulling my fleet apart.

Does the core CPA affect normal CPA's and vice versa ?
Just after the core CPA hit I got the normal CPA warning telling me there were another 3000 ships waiting in line to crush me so I wondered if the amount would be affected by the recent AI losses during the CPA and my thread hunting afterwards.
I didn't wait untill the CPA hit but broke through  though and killed the second homeworld so I wouldn't know.
The black widow golems and the spire ion ships saved the day in the end.

My next game will be my first Fallen spire game so I image I'll be able to test all the defence layouts propsed here.

[Kahuna]

If possible. Try to keep the AIP below 200.

[barryvm]

If possible. Try to keep the AIP below 200.

I usually do but with all the golems and swarm ships I got a bit carried away  .