AI War Beta 6.006 "The Pain Train" Released!

[Minotaar]

Hello,

played now 4 games (8/8) with one astro train plot level 10 and lost all the games very soon cause:

in the first 3 games the AI cargo trains constructed 2 golems and 1 hunter-killer and they very fast destroy my home command station cause I never had effective weapons against them in this early game state.
Now I though I am very clever and played a game with zenith mirrors, maybe they can kill golems and huinter killer quick (want to check this). But I never can test it cause:

A nuke train destroyed my home system (without the command station but the rest) without warning.
But in the list of enemy ships (right side of the screen) there only was a destroyed tachion train, not a nuke train.
Maybe its a bug that no warning appears and no destroyed nuke train was there?

It is really hard to play with the new train plot, cause they move so quick and are so hard to kill.
But I like that. But I hate the 2 golems and the 1 hunter-killer. Thats to hard.
Why the AI dont build up Ion cannons ore some other structure. Why it build up ships and golems?

Wishes,
DC

Don't put it at 10 if you don't want to die. 
7 intensity is the max where you don't get the 2 golems+HK, only 1 golem. Also no nuke/emp trains.

[Don Carsto]

Yes, I know, but I wanted to test the 10 train plot particular with the nuke train.
It s okay, when the AI nuke me, but without warning thats really really malicious, cause in the beta-notes they told, that there will be a warning before a nuke train appears.
So I must anounce it, maybe its a bug.

And the 2 golems and 1 hunter-killer is a different problem, that I must learn to solve after testing some new strategies.

[KDR_11k]

Did you have scouts on their approach route? Once they hit your planet it's too late.

[Don Carsto]

Yes, there was a scout route 3 hops long on their route.

And on the ship-panel right of the screen there wasnt a nuke-train. Only a self-destroyed tachyon-train.
And thats why I think maybe a bug.

[Don Carsto]

Ohh, loaded an older auto-save to replay and, yes, there was a warning.
Sorry.. No bug. The AI nuked my system lawful..
Ahh, I dont saw the warning, cause the tachyion train decloaked my scouts and the AI killed them.


No I must find a way, to kill this train.. Oh.. I hate nuke trains...

[KDR_11k]

I guess the nuke train didn't show up in your HW's intel summary because it exploded during the wormhole transit and may not have counted as being fully on your planet yet.

[Don Carsto]

Yes, that makes sense.
Now I am playing two train plots level 7. But its really hard to play, too. But it makes much of fun.

[Mánagarmr]

It is really hard to play with the new train plot, cause they move so quick and are so hard to kill.

Well if you play with trains on 10, expect to have a REALLY difficult time. It's intended to be "balanced" around 4-6. Also, you only get a warning about Nuke/EMP trains if they are on a planet adjacent to one of yours AND you have scouts on that planet. Nuke trains also explode after...well, exploding, that's likely why it didn't show up in the overview.

[keith.lamothe]

Also, you only get a warning about Nuke/EMP trains if they are on a planet adjacent to one of yours AND you have scouts on that planet.

It should give you a warning just from having scout coverage; I used the logic from the neinzul-rockety-silo-warhead alerts.  Unless those don't give warnings if not adjacent to your planets?

[orzelek]

Tachyon train - no scouts from what I understand.
And micro required to replace them from time to time since you need them. For me this means that trains are a bit of no go currently - I like my scouts after I place them and need to monitor their state and resend them is not adding anything to game enjoyment.

[TechSY730]

I wonder if that "cloaking levels" idea from a while back would be helpful. It would allow some tachyon emitters to decloak some things, but not those of a higher "cloaking level"

For example, tachyon trains (with tachyon emission level 2) could uncloak everything but scout level cloaking, (say, cloak level 3 or something) or perma cloaked (say, cloak level 4).

[Lancefighter]

Also, you only get a warning about Nuke/EMP trains if they are on a planet adjacent to one of yours AND you have scouts on that planet.

It should give you a warning just from having scout coverage; I used the logic from the neinzul-rockety-silo-warhead alerts.  Unless those don't give warnings if not adjacent to your planets?

neinzul rocketry things give alerts whenever a warhead is scouted, so that should work fine

[Don Carsto]

Uhh, played 2 more games with train plot on level 7. Its hard hard hard.
So I lost quickly...
Many work to do when the scouts were killed again and again. Sending scouts, trains comes scouts were killed. Sending scouts again and so on..
And turrets dont like to auto-fire on the trains. So I must give them the fire order again and again everytime as a new train-convoi arrives.
Better here a tool-type to allow turetts to auto fire on trains.
Then the tractor turret trains catch all not-immune-to-tractor ships and so I cant attack the trains with this ships. This is very hard too.
Lost a whole fleet only by one of this evil tractor trains. So after that experience I only attack with tractor-immune ships.
Killing the train-stations is effective that they no longer cross my system but never to protect my scouts..
I Think now I will play only on level 4.

But after all its lot of fun to play with the new train plot. Its mostly dangerous now to be in war with the AI.

[Mánagarmr]

And turrets dont like to auto-fire on the trains. So I must give them the fire order again and again everytime as a new train-convoi arrives.
Better here a tool-type to allow turetts to auto fire on trains.

Hmm, since Trains are pretty much indestructible (save for the EMP and Nuke Trains) I don't really see the point of turrets even bothering with trains.

[zoutzakje]

HBC's might put a dent in them.

Anyway, I'm forcing myself to play a game with train intensity 10 for both very soon. Keeping the AI difficulties low (and no trainmasters), but still, how do I survive this?