Rock and a Hard place...

[dgsoles]

Alright, here is my situation.

I started on an 80 planet map.  My starting location was in an arm of the galaxy.  I had one enemy planet behind me (relatively light, only about 200 MkII ships, normal setup, including Astrostation), and one in front of me.  That is all, my home planet only has those two planets bordering it. 

The issue:  that other enemy planet directly bordering my home planet is defended by about 600 MkIV ships, and several more MkV, including a good mix of smaller ships.  Also, 2 MkIII forcefields, and no adv. research or factory. 

Now, I very quickly took over the weaker enemy planet.  However, I just can't break through this hugely defended planet.  It has around 950 ships on it, of mostly IV and V ships. 

I've managed to raid and destroy (and clean-up the remnants of) 2 guard posts, and the wormhole entrance from my system.  But each time, I suffer horrendous losses (I send in about 750 ships, including 5 light starships and 3 flagships, and usually am able to bring about 150 back from these raids), and I have so few resources that rebuilding the fleet takes time, and I can't max out my ship numbers, as the reactors become way too inefficient (my metal and crystals can't keep up from only 2 planets, one of them being very poor in resources).

Suggestions?  Alternative strategies?

It seems like every time I attack, there are more IV and V ships on the enemy planet than there were in the last attack, despite the fact that I'm destroying a guard post each time.  The other problem is that there are still 6 regular guard posts left, with full defenses and ships, 1 special forces guard post, with FF and full defenses, another regular guard post, with FF, the main control base, with full defenses, and at least 2 wormholes (leading to places beyond, my scouts never last long enough to go through, even with the scout starship, I'll be sending a group of 5 through, in hopes that at least one of them breaks through) with full defenses and ships, too.

Now, I'm a complete noob, but I'd like to think I'm halfway-kinda-sorta-decent at this game.  I'm playing against an AI 7, random-easier type.  The total AI progress is 41, mostly went up due to time.


Any help would be nice.  I'm thinking of trying to scout beyond, see what's out there.  If I can do a deep strike and snag an advanced factory, I'd be able to crack that nut, I think.  The only issue would be getting a colony ship through those wormhole defenses.  Maybe my next raid can focus on clearing out the other wormholes, provided I find a factory somewhere out there.  Then, I could use transports, right?

Doug

[corfe83]

Here are some things you can try:

1) Sounds like you're already destroying guard posts with each raid. Good, that will lower the max number of AI ships that can be on the planet, which will help your future raids. Keep doing that.
2) Try creating tons of turrets back at home, near the enemy wormhole, and then have your raiding fleet go on a suicide run for their command center. If you destroy it, the system will stop being reinforced, and most of their ships will likely come straight for your planet, and try to destroy your command center, so be prepared. It may be a good idea to leave most of your cruisers back at home to help defend, as they're likely too slow to be useful on the suicide run anyway. However, if you survive, the planet will no longer get reinforcements, and will generally be a lot more manageable.
3) If you can't do #2, scout past the Mk. IV planet. If necessary, scout by using scouts inside of transports. Then along with the raiding fleet you send in, send in a transport which contains some military ships and a colony ship. Take it to a lightly defended system with decent resources and use the military ships to kill the defenders, and the colony ship to build a colony. That will get you another opening to start knowledge raiding and getting some decent MK level ships.
4) Are you bringing along starships on your raids? How about a raid starship (to counter the forcefields)?

By the way, what special ship did you choose at the start?

[dgsoles]

Yes, I'm bring along 5 light starships, and 3 flagships.

I chose the MLRS (my first game, it looked decent...probably not the best choice   )


I am considering hitting their command center.  It actually doesn't have a FF on it.  Now, if I just attack it, but don't kill it, is there still a chance their fleet will come to me for revenge?

Doug

[corfe83]

I think if you just attack it but don't kill it, their fleet will come after you within their planet, but won't chase you back to your own planet. However, I don't see the point of just damaging it - seems like a waste of a raid. I'd either go in and kill it completely, or don't go after it at all and use your raids on guardposts or something else productive.

[dgsoles]

Alright, I was afraid of that

Their command center (and surrounding defenses and ships) is sitting in VERY close proximity to a guard post with FF, and defenses and such.  So, a raid to destroy it would probably not be successful.....or would it?


I'll try it, wish me luck!

Doug

[dgsoles]

Well, that command center was easy to kill.


The 900+ IV/Core ships, not so much.  My poor fleet, numbering at only 350 after the raid, and about 70 turrets at the wormhole entrance to my world, lasted about 3-4 minutes.  I did manage to kill about 400 of those AI ships, though.

Now, as I type, they are finishing off my command post's defenses and FF.

It was a fun first game.

Oh, hey, down to 318 enemy ships...too bad mine are long since toast.


Thanks for the tips, guys.

I "ironman" my games.  So, if I lose, I lose, I don't come back from saves.

Doug

[x4000]

Personally, that's the sort of planet that I tend just to ignore for the duration of the game, after destroying the warp gate on there.  That can vary, but that's my normal tactic.

[corfe83]

I "Ironman" my games too 

For future note, if you're next to a Mk. IV planet early on, you can kill it quickly before it gets significant reinforcements. I've done it in once in one of my own games (make sure to build 50+ turrets to handle the after-party!). Just build up to close to your unit cap (at least 70% of it), build turrets at the wormhole entrance and near your command center (I like building 20 spider turrets in addition to a bunch of missile, laser, regular, MLRS, etc.), and then use your raiding party to assassinate their command center. Your turrets and the ships you built while the raiding party died (you DO have an infinite queue enabled, right?) should handle the ships that flood your system afterwards.

This only works if you do it very early in the game, before they've gotten many reinforcements, and it also assumes they DON'T have an Ion Cannon in the planet you're raiding, but I think they never have an Ion Cannon right next to your homeworld.