I had an incredibly long post with one critical flaw. So I'm wiping that out and coming up with a somewhat more coherent different set of suggestions that is only unreasonably long. All about second best solutions, if Mil Mark 3 isn't available. Note that I generally play on 7, and seize more territory than you would, looking at the AIP you mention. Note that the AI doesn't actually spawn these SSBs are part of the CPA, these are all pulled from existing units, possibly unlocked if your AIP hit certain thresholds.
- Neinzul Enclave Starships are fantastic counters to SSB that are not going after a particular target (i.e. you engage them outside your territory). The drones soak their fire, counter stealth (by means of being a target), and keep most of the SSBs safely out of range by matter of being a target and in a fashion that doesn't clump them as badly into overlapping fields of fire. If you have some sort of repair on hand, then your starships can nibble down the ones at the edges. They also function nicely with a military command's knockback of course.
- If you can keep them from clustering, Heavy Bomber Starships (and engineers or a Mobile Space Dock) do wonderfully at picking them off.
- Plasma Siege Starships can get within 10,000 radar dampening range while staying outside the SSB gun's 7,000 range. If you have logistics command station or zenith spacetime manipulators, you can actually kite with a group consisting only of Missile Frigates (additional firepower), Riot Starships (engine damage to keep smaller fleetships off), and Plasma Siege Starships to take down the big guys.
- Riot Starships do not FRD or auto-kite well due to the range on their main gun. They're still quite handy for a delaying and dividing the regular enemy fleets from the SSB without major casualties.
- For reduced micro's sake, I would group my siege starships, neinzul enclave starships, riots starships, and missile frigates to one control group, group move, only engaging when advantageous. But I play a high AIP game with defense in depth, generally. I'd also throw in a few transports to use if the command station went down and I needed to fall back in a hurry.
- I believe you can hit SSB with EMP warheads, but I'm confused on EMP mines.
- Stealth Tachyon Turrets are unfortunately quite limited in number, but do have a great detection range and only cost 1,500 + 250 Knowledge, compared to what you're spending on Military MK3s.
- Just a few tractor turrets can hold down SSBs, but they won't live long when you're holding down thirty or so SSBs and not 30 or so fighters. You can still use them, but it'll take a greater investment of timing, defensive cap, planning, and perhaps AIP. Consider staggering the tractor turrets into several lines (the short range of tractors will be problematic), the idea being that you'll break up the overlapping fields of fire, instead of the usual goal of locking everything into your turret killzone.
Here's an example defensive lineOutlying non-choke systems have logistic command stations set as far away from the wormholes as possible, plenty of mines, mark 1 riot starships, sniper turrets to take on raid starships, and optional spider turrets, with tractor turrets deployed scarcely. These systems are primarily a trap designed to let Stealth Battleships through while you delay regular fleetships and kill some of the faster swarmers. You'll want to deploy a spare scout because these systems will go down, but as long as they buy time that's fine. You might even consider having the setup to deploy EMP warheads in a rush if the entire armada decides to come through here, as these systems are the ultimate in expendable. If you can get there in time with your fleet, all the better, but if not, anything that draws the enemy away from the wormholes and takes out munitions boosters/raid starships/explodes mines is a good deal.
Your next ring of systems will consist of military commands if you can position them anywhere useful, logistics otherwise, while any MK2 military commands you may or may not have will be reserved for critical locations. Since the smaller ships have ideally been delayed, you'll set up with the explicit focus of tackling SSBs. Stealthed Tachyon Turrets and Tractor turrets will be key here to buying time if nothing else, but ideally you'd be able to do something with bombers or starships. You want to engage here at least with your long-ranged units and drones.
At your actual chokepoints or key systems, Military Commands (MK2+ if you got em) with their knockback and Enclave Starships Neinzul Drones just generally acting as targets (decloaking and staggering the enemy line), with a Decloaker starship or some distraction to decloak them far enough out for drones to build up in levels. Try building your less important turrets -inside- the weapon range of the SSBs so they have something to fire at other than the tractor turrets.
For just a general sacrificial system, the line place tool is generally sufficient, but it gets a little complicated when high value targets and the exit are spread out in the system unless you have a feel for the AI's targeting behavior. I personally prefer the OCD beauty of a 3-5 deep hexagon of emp mines on top of a wormhole. A hex of EMP mines will hit the initial spiral outwards of an incoming wave while also letting tractors and other turrets engage immediately. There are superior layouts, but a 'cookie-cutter' approach is nice to have on hand for systems you don't
really care about.
Balanced?In the past I've had some minor discussions about switching CPAs away from a unit counter to say, a strength counter, but it ceased to be a key issue once the AI purchasing for reinforcements/patrols was adjusted. I still wouldn't mind a change... I'm just not motivated enough to try and make it an issue.
At the time a CPA is announced, it decides exactly how many units it is going to send, but not what type. The units are selected to turn to threat at the time the CPA timer hits zero, and are pulled from the strategic reserve and system defense, but not the patrol IIRC. Since it just cares about the total count, different cap units can have a devastatingly different impact. On the other hand, the AI still has to spend it's budget on these ships in the first case, so once the AI budget had 'layaway' implemented, that improved things to a dramatic extent.
Within the game mechanics, this CPA is entirely plausible from a technical perspective, and even from an RNG perspective. I do think it is exceedingly excessive for six hours in based on my own experience facing Stealth Master AI on seven. I don't remember seeing numbers this big during the first CPA since the reinforce mechanics changed, even with my own aggressive playstyle. Just for clarity's sake, you're running version 7.0 or greater? I suspect this is an rng outlier, but I'm merely speculating.
Anecdotally speaking, that number surprises me, even coming from fighting a Stealth Master in a Fallen Spire situation. I've long wiped
those saves though. I certainly saw more, and from a dedicated stealth master, but not as many if I simply multiplied your force there at ninety AIP the six or so times to reach my AIP at the end.
