What happens to a Cross Planet Attack if you preemptively destroy all ships?

[Lokarin]

Let's say the enemy wants to launch a CPA of 2000 ships, but you were just about to do a massive sweep in preparation for attacking the homeworlds (or Nukes *cough*).

What happens if you lower the ship count of the galaxy below 2000?  Will it just free up every available ship or will the game create new ships just for this event?

[Nodor]

Create New Ships.

[keith.lamothe]

No, it doesn't create new ships.  I've thought of having it do so, but it doesn't.

If there's literally not enough guarding ships it just releases what it has.  Though if it hasn't announced the CPA yet and the guard population is really low it won't CPA at all.

[Hearteater]

The important point, however, is say it is early in the game and you are at 50 AIP (so Mark I enemy ships).  The first CPA is announced for 200 ships.  But you've killed all the Mark I ships in the galaxy.  The CPA will contain 200 Mark IIs.  But what if somehow you've killed all the Mark IIs?  It'll contain 200 Mark IIIs.  What if you've killed all the Mark IIIs and IVs too!  That's right, 200 Mark Vs.

So the moral is, be careful about clearing out low mark ships unless you don't mind CPAs pulling higher Marks.

[Nodor]

No, it doesn't create new ships.  I've thought of having it do so, but it doesn't.

If there's literally not enough guarding ships it just releases what it has.  Though if it hasn't announced the CPA yet and the guard population is really low it won't CPA at all.

Wow.    I mean I saw the denuded planets in my 110 planet game, but I didn't realize that putting a bigger dent in those numbers could have prevented the CPA entirely.

[TechSY730]

The important point, however, is say it is early in the game and you are at 50 AIP (so Mark I enemy ships).  The first CPA is announced for 200 ships.  But you've killed all the Mark I ships in the galaxy.  The CPA will contain 200 Mark IIs.  But what if somehow you've killed all the Mark IIs?  It'll contain 200 Mark IIIs.  What if you've killed all the Mark IIIs and IVs too!  That's right, 200 Mark Vs.

So the moral is, be careful about clearing out low mark ships unless you don't mind CPAs pulling higher Marks.

Keep in mind though that it will scan DOWN first. For example if it is announcing 1000 Mk. III ships, but there aren't 1000 Mk. III ships to free, it will first search for Mk. II ships, and then if there still not enough, Mk. I ships. Only if even then it doesn't have enough ships to meet 1000, will it start going up to Mk. IV (and if needed Mk. V)

As mentioned earlier, if there are not enough fleet ships in the galaxy to meet this figure, then the AI will "cut its losses" and just free everything it can. It will NOT spawn new ships to meet the CPA count (though it may dig through AI barracks to see if there is stuff it can pull out)

[KDR_11k]

Hm, do CPAs draw from the new special forces? Those should provide enough ships.

[keith.lamothe]

Hm, do CPAs draw from the new special forces? Those should provide enough ships.

No; but the barracks sitting around do a pretty good job of providing bulk.

[Faulty Logic]

Unless you have a champion following the cookie moster around all game, popping barracks.

Is there a "nomination for greatest cheesemaster" thread? I think I might qualify.

[Martyn van Buren]

That is pretty clever.  Kudos.

[orzelek]

Unless you have a champion following the cookie moster around all game, popping barracks.

Is there a "nomination for greatest cheesemaster" thread? I think I might qualify.

I'm not sure we need nominations... we may give the title as well

[Lilli]

The important point, however, is say it is early in the game and you are at 50 AIP (so Mark I enemy ships).  The first CPA is announced for 200 ships.  But you've killed all the Mark I ships in the galaxy.  The CPA will contain 200 Mark IIs.  But what if somehow you've killed all the Mark IIs?  It'll contain 200 Mark IIIs.  What if you've killed all the Mark IIIs and IVs too!  That's right, 200 Mark Vs.

So the moral is, be careful about clearing out low mark ships unless you don't mind CPAs pulling higher Marks.

I don't actually think this is correct.  I was playing a game with the Fortress King AI when it was still bugged.  I conquered every planet in the galaxy except for the AI home worlds.  I got a CPA warning for ~1500 ships or something and the only ships left were mark 5 ships (due to them being from the home worlds).  I was still at MK1 AIP levels due to the bugged nature of the fortress king, so it was set to send mark 1 ships.  However, when it actually launched the CPA it only released something like ~50 ships from the AI home worlds.  So either theres some scaling down to accomodate using higher mark ships, or I had a bugged CPA wave.

[Wanderer]

Shielded ships (powered down under a ff) won't engage to a CPA.  Or at least, they wouldn't a few version ago.