Offensive turret and beach head tips?

[TheMachineIsSentient]

This is a newbie question. Feel free to skip.

I'm going through the intermediate tutorial, and I have it on pause right now as I am trying to figure out how to properly set up a beachhead. I'm used to offensively turreting the enemy. However, it is only letting me build targets on planets that I control with command stations. How do I do this?

How do other people set up their beachheads?

The other thing I am trying to do is make sure that my reinforcements are coming from my earlier planets to planets that are hops away. How do you set a rally point to a different hop?

If I scrap a command station, do I lose all my buildings on that planet? Does the AI progress meter go down if I do?

I searched the wiki for these kinds of tips. I found some beginning wiki pages, but now I'm looking to get a little bit more in depth and see what people are doing offensively, not just defensively.

[Lancefighter]

Beachheads require a mobile builder - its a.. well, builder thats mobile. It only works one jump away from your nearest command station though; You cant set up turrets just anywhere

Often lately, I've been skipping the mobile builder part of my beachheads. But how I usually do it:
Forcefield. First thing through the wormhole; Stops hostile ships from coming back into your system, and allows you to deploy your forces. Oh, and it sets off lightning turrets.

Starships. This is the backbone of my fleet - send them through.  Position them outside of the forcefield

*support fleet*: Basically, anything that moves and shoots. Send them through, and put them them near your starships.

Once the wormhole is clear, bring through the mobile builder, research thingies, and anything else you might need.
Commence turret building.

[carlosjuero]

I tend to throw a forcefield through before any forces - this pushes away mobile ships and sets off lightning turrets (basically like Lancefighter does).

I then follow with my entire fleet though, the massed ships wipe out wormhole defenses fairly quickly and once I get them moving towards my target priority list I bring in a mobile builder, 2 science labs, 2 cleanup drones, and up to 4 engineers (to keep the ff alive). I build counter-snipers right away (though for some reason they don't seem to do anything - I never see their flares get shot out and I get hammered by sniper shots constantly - even with more counters than the # of snipers in the system). Once I have CS turrents built I build some offensive turrets - MLRS, Laser, and Snipers.

Since I tend to 'roll' with at least one leech starship, I replenish engineers 'free' and they end up following my fleet around helping keep it semi alive (took a Mk III world out recently thanks to this - highest level ships were about 100 Mk II bombers plus 2 leech star ships, 3 raid starships, and 3 starships [power boost ] - lost about 300 ships with the Mk differences but gained about 200 Mk III ships for 'free').

If the world is going to be a true beachhead (i.e. multiple wormhole connections to enemy worlds and borders a home system) I will also put in a Mobile Repair Station w/ 2 100% tugs and 1 starship tug (at least).

[TheMachineIsSentient]

why bring the science labs?

[carlosjuero]

why bring the science labs?

Cause knowledge is the only finite resource, and the longer I can have the labs in their collecting knowledge (Esp on raid only attacks) the more knowledge I have for future raid planning. If I don't plan on capturing a planet fully I still want/need the knowledge out of it.

[Echo35]

why bring the science labs?

Knowledge Raiding. It's why Tier 2 Science Labs exist.

[Lancefighter]

why bring the science labs?

Knowledge Raiding. It's why Tier 2 Science Labs exist.

oddly - I tend to not use those.
mk1 do the job under a forcefield and with a countersniper turret, and rarely will I find myself in such a position that I need the extra survivability. Oddly, though, a mk2 mobile builder would be nice.

[TheMachineIsSentient]

Great replies. I thought the labs had to be only on my planets. Cool.

The remaining questions from above:

The other thing I am trying to do is make sure that my reinforcements are coming from my earlier planets to planets that are hops away. How do you set a rally point to a different hop?

If I scrap a command station, do I lose all my buildings on that planet? Does the AI progress meter go down if I do?

[Collic]

If you right click a system (on the galaxy map) with a space dock or starship constructor selected, the units will automatically head to that system. They'll just stay by the wormhole they entered in though unless theres a rally point on the planet (you can unlock those in the defence tech section).

If you scrap a command station it won't affect ai progress to my knowledge, or alert level, since neutral planets still cause neighbouring systems to go on alert. It won't destroy any other buildings, but it does remove that source of supply, so buildings or any other unit (like engineers or reclaimers) that need supply will stop functioning unless the planet is next to another owned by you. You also need supply to knowledge raid or use mobile builders.

I think all that's correct, i'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong

[Lancefighter]

you can keep units selected when you go to the galaxy map, and right click somewhere to set a rally point. (if you had a constructor selected)

I dont even think you can scrap command stations, but I am not sure (I've only tried with home stations <.< ) but your command station has nothing to do with AI progress. The fact that you destroyed their command station and warp gate is what influenced AI progress, nothing else.

[Ruges]

You can scrap command stations (I had to destroy some of the lesser ones before so I could build the more advanced ones before). Altough you cannot destroy your starting worlds command station.

[soMe_RandoM]

you could in an high level planet without snipers can set up an full fleet of spider turrets al 170 and then it apsolute. target the engineers only at the start then it should manage it self most of the ships arnt able to get close and the rest of the defences should kill them if they are any closer

[soMe_RandoM]

I build counter-snipers right away (though for some reason they don't seem to do anything - I never see their flares get shot out and I get hammered by sniper shots constantly - even with more counters than the # of snipers in the system).

since ai war is an game 2D game using a 3D engine the ships are on 3 axis x y z. thus making any shoots that dont go near or within the radius of the snipers turrets range it safely asummed it cant shoot something that above it range in the z axis. it yust makes it that what you want protected has to be within range. this would stop people placing sniper turrets in the path of the bullet and gaining a larger protection area yust by placing them closer to the turret and keeping the angle so it intercets. that why it wont work.