Disconnected empires - how do you guys do it?

[cdn]

OK, so the 'right' way to play AI war from everything I've seen and read is to keep AIP to an absolute minimum and planet-hop your way to victory.  That doesn't work for me.  I get murdered by CPAs or threat and die in a fire.

What does work really well for me is taking a nice block of 20-25 systems with preferably 1, usually 2, at the absolute most 3 points of contact with the AI (usually I play clusters or X...) and then establishing forward bases at 4 jump intervals that are usually empty but can be rebuilt quickly by a cap of Mk. III engineers and a few remains rebuilders via the SC jumpship or an assault transport.  Mk III engineers are cloaked and teleport and they can hop across neutered hostile systems no problem.  This strategy prevents deepstrike threat and allows me to operate my fleet far away from my borders for extended periods.

So my question for you all is how you defend an island empire surrounded by a sea of AI systems.  Sure you can gate raid but threatfleet will hit you anywhere they think they can win, ditto with the CPAs.

[Shrugging Khan]

One thing about disconnected empires is that, depending on your game settings, there might be times when it's preferable to connect them, and there might be times when it's necessary to abandon a forward outpost.

[Pumpkin]

OK, so the 'right' way to play AI war from everything I've seen and read is to keep AIP to an absolute minimum and planet-hop your way to victory.

First and foremost, AI War is not a game with one way to play. In fact, there is no Arcen's game I know where there is only way to play. So floored AIP and archipelago empire is one way.

That doesn't work for me.

Then find your way. If you are comfortable with 400 AIP and a big powerful fully-connected empire, it's fine. And maybe with this way you would be able to deepstrike and handle threat more easily.

But to answer more specifically to your question, how to manage a low AIP / archipelago empire? The way I do (and there could be many way to walk along a way) is to defend remote systems, this way I would spare the knowledge for MkIII engineers (I unlock them only on Fallen Spire campaign, when HabCenter's + exo scrap metal skyrocket above what I can spend with all my engineers on mercenary space dock). You use SpireCrafts? If you take the hard version, maybe a high AIP style of play would suit it best. Low AIP / archipelago stands no exo. So I take remote systems (usually the ones with A-prime CSG), defend them with full caps of MkI turrets, and move my fleet away to continue the mission. With <100 AIP (on 7/7 diff, I mean), waves are handled by MkI turrets. And with 150.000 energy per PGen, each remote planet can supply all the MkI turrets with a little extra for your fleet.

Then I use my HaP to get some more designs, use K on fleet/starships and go for the homes once all CSG are down. And that's how I handle a 7/7 vanilla low-AIP game. And as I say, this is only one way. (But it's always fun to go out of the comfort zone and challenge oneself)

Hope it helped.

[RabidDonkey]

That makes sense. The only "real" issue in low AIP game then is the CPA and threats and that does mean you're working against the clock, right? Since reinforcements will continuously mass on your multiple fronts. But I guess you can also hit the homeworlds quicker if you don't have to take everything in front of you.

Maybe I should try that. I guess I just have nightmare about a disconnected empire that the AIs can take apart piece by piece if my planets can't support each other. I also play on ultra low setting so a single leaked AI starship will one-shot my command centers.

[Toranth]

That makes sense. The only "real" issue in low AIP game then is the CPA and threats and that does mean you're working against the clock, right? Since reinforcements will continuously mass on your multiple fronts. But I guess you can also hit the homeworlds quicker if you don't have to take everything in front of you.

Maybe I should try that. I guess I just have nightmare about a disconnected empire that the AIs can take apart piece by piece if my planets can't support each other. I also play on ultra low setting so a single leaked AI starship will one-shot my command centers.

Warheads work wonders against CPAs, and Threat is best dealt with by sending your fleet after it while it's still small.  Otherwise, as Shrugging Khan suggested - sometimes just let your isolated systems die, and rebuild them later.

[Mal]

There are two types of "Disconnected Empires" in most games of AI War.

1 - The Exploration/Mission Branch Empire
This kind of empire will have temporary forward bases that you expect to die or get overwhelmed by nearly anything. You are only holding them temporarily to get Knowledge, destroy structures that unlock the AI world, or hack them for their goodies. You use them until their temporary use is gone. Then you abandon the world and let the AI kill it. You would only rebuild the base as a road-block to the charging AI forces or to gain a temporary shot of power if one of your core systems goes down.


2 - The Strategic Asset Empire
This is a system you want to hold for the rest of the game. You would want to do your best to hold adjacent systems ( via taking them or installing offensive beach-heads via kahuna style) in order to secure it better if possible. You will put a stockpile of warheads ( both armored and lightning) on it for emergencies like CPA's. Strategic Systems include your home-system, systems with a controller or factory that you cannot/do not want to hack.

[Traveller]

Assign a keybind to the "load ships into transport" button and keep a cap of assault transports lying around.  Snaffle up every single core turret generator you can; getting MkV spider turrets and something that can take down plasma siege starships will help immensely.  Make sure you have a Zenith power generator for all those turrets and for the love of God keep it safe.  Avoid gate raiding around your isolated planets; your compensation for having to put up with their garbage and rebuild stuff all the time is lower AIP.  Hunt down the threatfleet aggressively, because if a wave is repelled by your turrets, a lot of them will probably escape to join threat.

Oh yeah, and don't play with the Shark plots enabled.