(RESOLVED) Homeworld: A Tactical Problem

[Histidine]

So, I decided to try out 8/8 for the first time. Turns out I might need a little help from smarter people with it!

50 planet Concentric, all expansions and ship types. Rolled a Vicious Raider and a Feeding Parasite for Random AIs.
Minor factions: Resistance Fighters 5/10 (they've never shown up once!), Zenith Traders, Roaming Enclaves 5/10, Dyson Sphere 5/10, Dark Spire 5/10, Spirecraft (Moderate)
AI Plots: Avenger, Beachheads (both)

I've punched out all CSGs, readied my staging areas and am ready to go for the killing blow. There's just one problem.



Coming in from the Hel wormhole, I need some way to deal with the Wrath Lance (red) and the Squid (green), else they'll likely eat any blob I send in. Given that I'm on 1 AIP/15 minutes, the sooner the better.

I've already tried using a pair of Mk V Spire Jumpcraft to insert a group of starships next to the Wrath Lance. They did about 3% damage to it before dying (which has already been repaired), and I lost one of the jumpcraft to unknown causes in the process. I can't afford that kind of exchange.

The Core Plasma Eye (blue) means I can't use my prefered tactic for dealing with troublesome Core Guard Posts, which is to trade asteroids for guard posts (i.e. SC Penetrator). Thanks for that, Keith!

I've solved problems in AI War that I'd thought were intractable before (and boy, does it feel good), but I think this one has me stumped. So, anyone have any ideas that doesn't involve brute forcing the homeworld?

And yes, that's the last nebula wormhole in that screenshot. There is no God.

[Histidine]

Well, that was annoying.

Started out by sending my champion + nebula ships in three waves to clear opportunity targets near the wormhole. First wave took out two guard posts, second removed the Orbital Mass Driver. On the third, I used the nebula ships to distract the enemy while my champion made a break for the nebula. Won the scenario, got a Spire Shadow BB with 5 plasma cannons, and used it + expanded nebula fleet as needed to keep hitting the Wrath Lance until it died. Not particularly clever, but hey, it worked.

Now I'll see if I can't do the same thing to the Teutihda and the Mk III fort.

EDIT: And that's done. Guess I just overestimated the AI defenses based on past experience with homeworld assaults with >400 AIP, heh.

[zoutzakje]

heh normally I'd say use golems, but you didn't had them turned on. I still haven't experienced any of those new nasty core guard posts on the homeworlds. Are they really that nasty? If you didn't had champions enabled in your game, how would you have tried to deal with it?
I would have suggested to lure all regular ships on the homeworld with a spirecraft attritioner to attack you and destroy them with some martyrs and your fleet (maybe placing a warp jammer command station on the coreworld to prevent more reinforcements). And when that's done, charge in your fleet and go for the kill perhaps. Or make use of a lot of rams and penetrators.

[Histidine]

If you didn't had champions enabled in your game, how would you have tried to deal with it?

My first try would probably have been to blob with Spirecraft Shield Bearers and Siege Towers/Implosion Artillery and punch out the brutal guard posts that way, with my standard fleet being able to deal with the remaining posts the usual way once that was done. Though thinking about it, Rams and shielded Penetrators might also have worked.

If that failed, I'd probably have abandoned the game. Then reflected a bit on the fact that I play almost exclusively with golems and/or FS for a reason.

I think I'm developing a superweapon dependency.

[zoutzakje]

hehe yeah I know what that's like. Martyrs and Golems are always a part of my asset. I could win 7/7 without them, but I just enjoy using them to much. Imagine how proud I was of myself when I somehow managed to beat that 9/9 without using the Botnet or Dyson Sphere at all, and without using any golems for more than 16 hours (I used martyrs though...) 3 hours later I had won though Superweapons like golems, FS, spirecraft and champions make the game a lot easier, yet also a lot more fun to play.