Interesting to see how other people handle things.
I would never have considered using raids as my primary offensive force. I realize your current AAR is more limiting then what you usually do Heart, but for all this talk about raids and taking out guard posts with them, I don't actually use them to do that.
The only conditions I really use raids are when there's something like an Ion Cannon under an FF I need to take out before bringing my main fleet in, or it is a high value target several systems out that the raids high speed allows them to reach without dying (although this is usually a one way trip for the raids.)
Using raids as the general attack force to take out guard posts? Not something I would have ever considered.
I think it is because of all the fleet ships that get put on to threat by this method. I don't know if it because I make a point of building heavy defenses, but that loose threat never comes through to my planet to be killed by my defenses. Rather, it waits until a wave hits and then joins in to ruin my day.
Letting threat build up to attack at the same time as a wave is one of the most common reasons I lose games actually. I've started building Riot I's just for their tractors so I can go threat hunting and drag the AI ships back to my fixed defenses to die.
Because I have to go back afterwards to clean threat up anyway, I prefer to use my main fleet if I can. That way the fleet ships at the guard posts die before they have a chance to get loose as threat.
Errr. Getting back to raid starships. I see them as raiders for taking out the occasional high-value targets, I do not see them as primary combatants. I suppose that colors what I expect them to do, and so what I argue for for balance purposes.
For instance, I'd be quite happy if Raids kept their current dps but went to a 30 second reload time. That would allow them to get in, one-shot almost anything, and run away. But from how other people use them, that would be an incredibly unpopular change (as I read the mood of the forums.)
D.
