Seeking Advice on How to Bring Down This AI Home World

[Space Cowboy]

Basic AI Wars game (version 6.10), 7/7 random AI.  I've reduced the AI Home World to a Core Spire Shield Sphere Guard Post, one Mark II and one Mark III (next to the AI) fortresses, and the reinforcing AI ships (about 1000 - yes, AI alert value is high) when I go in to attack. 

My fleet consists of all the Mark IV triangle ships,  two Mark 1 Spire Starships, three Mark 1 Human Raid Starships, and four Mark IV Heavy Bombers Starships. 

The Spire Shield Sphere Guard Post is not within the range of the fortresses.  But with its super high defensive value, by the time I get my bombers there, the reinforcing AI ships are on top of me and it's the end of my fleet.  Even decoying them away doesn't give me enough time to make much of a dent before the AI ships are on top of my bombers.  Armored warheads would be a long grind and up the AI alert level even more. 

I'm holding out fairly well at all other points, just need to crack this nut!  I've tried just about everything I can think of, so now time to check in with the AI veterans! 

[Tridus]

... where's the rest of your ships? What have you got unlocked that you don't have built?

Riot Control ships sound like they might help here, because they can spam tons of engine damage and slow down the enemy fleet. You could also tractor some through the wormhole back to your fleet and thin the herd.

[Space Cowboy]

Rest of ships are keeping the AI carrier waves at bay! lol! Everything is unlocked on triangle ships. Mark 1 Riots, Bombers, Leeches too.  No resources left for anything else.  You think Mark 1 Riots would survive long enough?

[Coppermantis]

Do you have Spirecraft enabled? And if so, have you tried using the Rams to take out the guard post?

[Space Cowboy]

I am playing the basic game.  Nothing else enabled.  Old school baby!

[Kahuna]

Old Is Gold
..and..
In short: When in doubt.. beachhead it.

EDIT: OK OK..... I can't resist trying help and giving more detailed information... I was trying to be lazy but nope I can't do it. That's not me.. not but rly.. I like it when people ask questions/help and strategic tips and stuff. It helps me think about stuff and keep writing my guide to AI War.. which is the only AI War guide out there.


If you uploaded the save file I could take a look at it.

the reinforcing AI ships

I assume you're talking about Special Force and/or Core Reserve ships. I have 2 counters to those. The other one is tested and the other one is a theory.

The first (tested and works for sure) one is kiting around with Riot Starships. Preferably Mark III Riots. Group move around the planet and let Riots destroy their engines so they become sitting ducks and are scattered around the planet.

And the second one is building a Mark II Gravitational Turret beachhead to clump up the AI ships and then blow them up with a Mark I Lightning Warhead. Instead of using Warheads you can also try building Area and EMP Minefields. If you're going to use Warheads make sure they're always cloaked by Cloaker Starships. Otherwise they will blow up accidentally.

You can also combine the first and the second one: Mark III Riots + Mark II Gravitational Turrets + Minefields.

The question is how would you actually do those^^ well..
..here is an example of offensive beachheading

Gravitational Beachhead
A normal beachhead like that^^ would get destroyed by Special Forces and Core Reserves though. So you would probably have to build multiple smaller beachheads. Most likely consisting of Gravitational, Missile and Sniper Turrets. You would have to build multiple gravitational "bumpers" or "walls" and kite the AI ships so they have to go trough the Gravitational Turrets. Then they will clump up and you can blow them up with a Warhead. While the AI ships are working their way trough the Grav Turrets your Riot Starships, Missile and Sniper Turrets will do their thing. Spider Turrets would help a lot in this case. You can also combine Grav Turrets with Tractor Beam Turrets.. and the minefields of course.

In my current game I will soon attack the AI Homeworlds. Then I'll try this Gravitational Beachhead or something similar to it. If it works I will take screenshots of it.

[tmm]

If you can build heavy bomber starships and raid starships, those sound like the way to go to me.  Even with the strategic reserve, bomber starships are quite speedy and durable.  As long as you're willing to wait, a couple waves should reduce the guard post.

If you're willing to get a bit cheesy, raid starships are also very good distractions because of their speed.  You can send the raid ships in first to play ring around the gravity well, then launch your bombers when the reserves are well out of position, and by the time the reserve forces reach your bombers they should have had time to put quite a bit of fire into the guard post.

[Kahuna]

The way Space Cowboy said it^^ it sounds like Guard Posts are not the problem. Special Forces and Core Reserves are.
I'm not surprised. Doesn't matter what the difficulty is.. 3 or 10. Special Forces + Reserves are harder than Guard Posts.

[Space Cowboy]

Here's the screenshot minus the reserves (about 1,000) that show up when I enter.   Okay veterans, what to do?

[Kahuna]

Okay veterans, what to do?

*stuff*

EDIT: You can easily destroy the Fortresses with Mark >= II Needler Turrets.

[Shrugging Khan]

You have resources. Spam it to death!

Use everything that isn't a bomber to distract the various ships, then send in the bombers to chip away at the fortresses. Maker liberal use of transports if applicable. Repeat as needed.

[Coppermantis]

You can bolster your forces with mercenary ships since you have the resources. They're just like mk. IV ships, and you can get a lot more of them. As Shrugging Khan said, transports will help you close the distance unharmed, and warheads, despite the AIP cost, can still be very useful in some situations and should not be ignored.

Beachheading is good too. I can't think of better strategies that don't use expansions.

[LordSloth]

A few thoughts, untested under these circumstances.

Spam fighters or your cheapest swarmer hull on an endless build loop. Goal? Draw special forces to the wormhole you enter the system by.
Instead of sending armored warheads against the guard post, send (lightning/armored) warheads against the fleet that gathers around the wormhole.
Send in all your fighters at once, camp the wormhole. Once they absorb the alpha strike, send in the Riot Starships (shield+tractor) waiting just on the other side with your fleet. Then duck out with whatever you've grabbed to where the rest of your forces are waiting.
(Assault) Transports. You cannot take advantage of cloaking, but you can take advantage of their speed to get your bombers to their target much faster.
Riot Starship kiting as suggested. May or may not work depending on AI ship types unlocked.
Knowledge Hacking in some out of the way system. You haven't done any hacking yet, so you should be able to gather enough knowledge to experiment with another starship line, fleetship line, or some mix of mk2s or assault transports, or a few missing mk3/iv unlocks. It won't increase AIP for you any.
Have you spotted a SuperTerminal anywhere? I believe there is a 50/50 chance of showing up, but it could reduce your AIP.

I was deliberating whether to suggest building Merc Bombers (triple cap mkivs), but they cost 10x as much not counting the cap. It's much better to carefully assign engineers to the merc dock in some system where they won't be automatically assisted by free roaming engineers so you have a manageable plummet to your reserves.

I can't load the save at this moment, so are there any other systems where you can bleed off a portion of the strategic reserve before the HW assault? If yes, these systems won't let you drain the entire reserve, but you won't have to face the entire thing now or later.

For that matter, do the regular patrol forces bleed in as well? You could set up a beach head somewhere else if there is anything else the AI feels compelled to defend and wear those down to a nub.

[Space Cowboy]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

@Kahuna - I'm playing the basic old school game - I have no needler turrets.

@Shrugging Khan -  I've tried that, including use of transports for decoys.  My Mark IV triangle ships got plastered, then the AI went after the Mark IV Starship Bombers.  It wasn't pretty.  lol 

@Coppermantis - hmmm, I did forget about the mercs and I do have the resources.  I have tried warheads, but need to get those AI ships clustered around my entry point. 

@LordSloth - yes, I do use the lightning warheads at wormholes, so as you say, I just need to get the AI ships gathered around there and keep them there for a bit.  I like your attack plan.  I have used transports to get the bombers to the Spire Shield Sphere Guard Post and used the Human Raid Starships to kite.  No Superterminals in my game - this is the old but gold version.   My other systems are fending off carriers, which I have just brought under control as you can see by my low threat level (until the new wave joins in).  I'm not seeing the strategic reserve going after me anywhere else, but now and then I do see part of it transiting between AI systems.

So, it appears the key is to get those AI ships around my entry point and hit them with lightning warheads.  And keep grinding them down at the entry point until I have the upper hand.   

Anymore advice from the veterans before I proceed?   

 

[Histidine]

@Kahuna - I'm playing the basic old school game - I have no needler turrets.

Needler Turret = Basic Turret (renamed in one of the later post 6.0 beta releases)