New to the game, what I'm doing wrong?

[zebramatt]

Scouting is crucial!

[arcee]

I do think it'd be a good idea to put one mini core shield generator network into the tutorial though.

[x4000]

If you don't scout planets and read what is on there, expect to keep getting smashed -- the game rewards scouting and foresight, and showing up at a planet without scouting -- especially a homeworld -- is something that can be easily avoided. Hope that helps!

[Hearteater]

Invulnerable things indicate they are invulnerable next to their name, and show you how many "things" are granting the invulnerability.

[Echo35]

Scouting is crucial!

I throw scouts at a planet until I get at least one there safely and leave it there for constant updates and info.

[zebramatt]

I do think it'd be a good idea to put one mini core shield generator network into the tutorial though.

Part of me wants to say throwing a couple more things in the tutorial, or making a new tutorial with a few different things going on, would be an immensely good idea.

The other part of me wonders if this wouldn't just serve to lull newcomers into an even further sense of world-knowledge security, only for them to be as brutally blindsided by something missed by inadequate scouting - and at the cost of development on an aspect of the game only used once or twice by each player when they first start out.

A better tutorial might be to throw the player into a scenario where scouting is essential and inform them that something is afoot, the particulars of which they must discern for themselves.

But then, that's just the main game, isn't it.

I think we're good!

[Elok]

Sry guy, but I cannot acknowledge the "You didn't took the time to read every description of everything in the game? Well, too bad".

The command center and warp got shield around them when invulnerable, but the AI Core Raid Engine didn't. The game should make such crucial thing obvious. I also think the "invulnerability shield" should also look different from a simple shield from a Force field generator. It's kinda annoying to look the whole sector every time a command center got one of them to know if I can send my Raider starship.

[x4000]

Sry guy, but I cannot acknowledge the "You didn't took the time to read every description of everything in the game? Well, too bad".

I never said that.  However, when you're attacking any planet, if you don't look at what the large structures are on that planet (and, frankly, adjacent planets when it comes to raid engines, interplanetary munitions boosters, etc), then you're not scouting properly.  Expect to be surprised... a lot.  This game is about looking at the strategic landscape, making decisions, and executing those decisions -- not about blindly rushing your best ships around.  I'm not saying you're rushing around completely blindly, but if you're not reading about what it is you're about to attack, then you're possibly going to get a nasty surprise when you do go attack that thing.

Also, just FYI: if you really dislike core shield generators (some people do, though most like them it seems), there's a lobby option to turn those off in future games.  But even before you ran into the CSG, the raid engine was getting you because you didn't have the foreward scout intel to avoid it.

[Hearteater]

I also think the "invulnerability shield" should also look different from a simple shield from a Force field generator.

You might want to make that suggestion using the suggestion and bug reporting system.

[Elok]

You got to be f***ing kidding me....

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7057/2011071800004.jpg
http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/4632/2011071800003.jpg

Is this allowed?? O_o
The biggest Cross-planet attack I had before that one was like 1000 ship, how did it jump to over 6000?

[Orelius]

Well, you do have over 1000 AIP, and that's bound to have a severe effect upon the amount of ships that get sent in to kill you.

In my games I normally don't go anywhere near the AIP that trigglers Mark III waves, and I think I play a rather expansionist style =\.

[Elok]

I've been stuck on the defensive with an AI over 1000 for like three Cross-planet attack because of that &*?%$/" AI Core Raid Engine. And now that c*nt decided to send me 6 thousand ship?

So, I start the OP question over again, what I've done wrong (this time)? I must have done something to trigger this... (Just killed the second command center of one of the border-planet of core-world).

I guess I'll have to start over again...Damn this is seriously starting to piss me off.


EDIT : Oh yeah, about this :

Also, just FYI: if you really dislike core shield generators (some people do, though most like them it seems), there's a lobby option to turn those off in future games.  But even before you ran into the CSG, the raid engine was getting you because you didn't have the foreward scout intel to avoid it.

Nah, I like the idea, it make taking the core world a "lot" more challenging (and I like challenging). I would have just preferred to learn all this "before" I spend a few hours defending without knowing why...

You might want to make that suggestion using the suggestion and bug reporting system.

Done!

Btw, anyone got an idea about how I can deal with those +6000 ships? Or I'm just really screwed and have to start over?

[Elok]

Omg....

16. Do "Gate Raids" to protect yourself.

To prevent waves from coming into your planets all over the place, you can go into adjacent planets and destroy the warp gates there. A planet you control with no adjacent enemy warp-gate-bearing planets will not be subjected to the periodic waves. However, cross-planet attacks and the smaller batches of wandering ships can still arrive anywhere.

I completly missed this O_o. I was wondering the use of "warp rush" in the tutorial too...

[Regdren]

You may indeed need to start over. AI progress of 1000+ is pretty substantial, and one of the things about AI War is that pretty much everyone simply loses games once in a while. It's all part of learning how the game works.

It's tough for me to say exactly what went wrong since I didn't see the game unfold, but I'll do a little math. 1000 AIP/20 progress minimum per planet=50 planets taken. This isn't counting things like special forces guard posts, warheads, or on the other side of things data processors or similar things. That seems pretty close to what you've got on the map.

I think that a lot of those conquests could have been avoided by better scouting. It helps to remember that in most cases, taking planets helps the AI build things rather than hindering it. So for your expansions to be a net gain for you, they should be directed towards things absolutely required or at least extremely helpful, such as advanced research, an advanced factory, core shields and so on. It's not that hard to skip territory with transports, especially early on.

That having been said, you might be able to survive this cross-planet attack with the right tools. CPAs tend to bunch up outside your wormhole before going in, so a lightning warhead or two might help reduce their numbers a bit. Since you have a huge amount of territory, you might be able to rebuild some of your fleet as they charge towards your home world, especially if you can slow them down enough with turrets and such. Good luck, let us know how it went.

[Hearteater]

Just a few friendly warning about killing warp gates Elok:

1) Don't kill every single warp gate or you'll be sorry.  Leave at least one for incoming waves to use.

2) More things than warp gates allow raids to warp in.  AI Eyes in particular.  Check out the tooltips, they indicate which things count as "warp gates."  Also, the message in the top left corner when you click on an enemy system tells you how many source of warp gates are present in a given system so you'll know how many things you need to destroy if you want them gone.  Please see this post for some other interesting details.

3) If you don't destroy enemy waves entirely, they may flee.  This is very common when you super fortify your one "victim" system (they warp in, see your defenses and go "hell no!" and go right back out).  If they flee, they will come back.  Let this happen to 3-4 1000 ship waves and that's 3-4k ships just waiting to crush you.  This could be what you are seeing here.  That CPA could have been only 2000 ships, but 4k worth of previously fleeing ships (called threat) might have been waiting for the right moment.  And it looks like they are about to pick "right now."