AI War Beta 7.043-7.044 "Beltsander of Worlds MkI" Released!

[tadrinth]

Well, the Core Photon Lance turrets wouldn't necessarily need to have the usual cap.  You could just get one per planet or something. Or just one, period.  I was imagining a new Core Turret Controller for each civlization.  Acid Jets for the Zenith (short range, but 75% damage under forcefields).  Doom Accelerators for the Neinzul (or Insanity Inducers, but that would just be crazy).  And for the humans, well, the most interesting human turret is the Heavy Beam Cannon, and who wouldn't want a Mark V HBC?  =P

Huh, so you can theoretically block a Wrath Lance beam using a sufficiently large, sufficiently high health target?  That's... interesting, but probably not actually useful to know.

Also the new forum background is GORGEOUS. 

[Tridus]

After getting myself an ASC, I teched up my Neinzul starships.

Park full caps of mk I-IV enclave starships and combat carriers on the same planet, and the AI really can't do anything. I'm using my fleetball to clear the place initially, then starting hacking. The drones are handling the hacking response on their own. It was a Factory IV Hack with 400 AIP and 120 HaP left before that hack.

I've been doing an awful lot of hacking.

[Tridus]

Well, the Core Photon Lance turrets wouldn't necessarily need to have the usual cap.  You could just get one per planet or something. Or just one, period.  I was imagining a new Core Turret Controller for each civlization.  Acid Jets for the Zenith (short range, but 75% damage under forcefields).  Doom Accelerators for the Neinzul (or Insanity Inducers, but that would just be crazy).  And for the humans, well, the most interesting human turret is the Heavy Beam Cannon, and who wouldn't want a Mark V HBC?  =P

Huh, so you can theoretically block a Wrath Lance beam using a sufficiently large, sufficiently high health target?  That's... interesting, but probably not actually useful to know.

Also the new forum background is GORGEOUS.

Neinzul Drone Turret. You know you want it.

And considering the HBC IV is already a one per galaxy ship disintegration ray, I can only imagine what a core version would do.

[Draco18s]

Park full caps of mk I-IV enclave starships and combat carriers on the same planet, and the AI really can't do anything. I'm using my fleetball to clear the place initially, then starting hacking. The drones are handling the hacking response on their own. It was a Factory IV Hack with 400 AIP and 120 HaP left before that hack.

And...now you know why I don't research Mk2 fleetships any more.
They're purely defensive now. XD

Neinzul drones are...

• Immune to instant kill (ion cannons)
• Immune to reclamation (eyes)
• Don't give a shit about translocation (command stations, eyes)
• Spawn fast enough to not care about plasma eyes
• Fast
• Deadly

[ZaneWolfe]

Huh, so you can theoretically block a Wrath Lance beam using a sufficiently large, sufficiently high health target?  That's... interesting, but probably not actually useful to know.

Actually its fairly useful. If you're using Golems and/or Spirecraft, like I do, Armored Golems make for rather nice shields against Wrath Lances, as more obviously, do Spirecraft Shields.

Neinzul drones are...

• Spawn fast enough to not care about plasma eyes

I've found this to not be entirely accurate, even when combining both Enclaves and NCCs. While the Plasma Eye wont target the Enclaves/NCCs directly, due to their radar dampening, the splash damage can hit them and, depending on which drones get targeted, will kill the Enclaves/NCCs eventually. It usually runs into a race to see if the drones get all the guardposts first or if the splash damage takes out too many Enclaves/NCCs first.

[orzelek]

Is it only me or repairing of the Exodian Blade is insanely costly?
One Mk I engie will use 5k metal/s while reparing it. And thats a hefty sum even for 17 planet empire with harvesters at Mk III and econ stations II. And single Mk I engie will take ages to actually repair it.

[tadrinth]

Ah, I figured even Armored Golems would melt almost instantly vs a Wrath Lance.  That's *very* good to know, then! I was just going to Jumpship some Rams over, or use Teleport Raiders, but that sounds like another good approach, especially with SC Shields. 

Yeah, Neinzul Enclave Turret Controller would be... I don't even know what that would be.  A bit like having a pile of friendly Roaming Enclaves camped out, I would imagine.  IE, crazy awesome.  Might be a little too good at beachheading, actually.  This might be worse for performance than the Photon Lance turrets, though. 

I was imaging that the proposed new Core Turret controllers would not always be present, to reduce the silliness. Well, and so that when the RNG blesses you with a Core HBC Turret Controller you can be properly thankful.  Although, now that the regular turrets are per-planet, the original reason for seeding all 8 CTCs is gone. 

I bet the Exodian Blade needs to be updated to cost half as much to repair, like happened to other golems in 7.023. 

[Draco18s]

Neinzul drones are...

• Spawn fast enough to not care about plasma eyes

I've found this to not be entirely accurate, even when combining both Enclaves and NCCs. While the Plasma Eye wont target the Enclaves/NCCs directly, due to their radar dampening, the splash damage can hit them and, depending on which drones get targeted, will kill the Enclaves/NCCs eventually. It usually runs into a race to see if the drones get all the guardposts first or if the splash damage takes out too many Enclaves/NCCs first.

Only if you're silly and let the Enclaves and/or NCCs end up inside the range. :P
Rather, keep the starships out of range and let the drone's natural behavior blow up the guard posts.

[Mad Rubicant]

Possible bug, but I'm not sure: When you capture a planet that you've done any hacking on, it seems to give you the exile distance from that planet, even without an exile hack.

I'm not quite sure if this is a bug, but it feels like it, since I've done an ARS hack on one planet and got the distance, but none of my other planets give it to me.

[ZaneWolfe]

Ah, I figured even Armored Golems would melt almost instantly vs a Wrath Lance.  That's *very* good to know, then! I was just going to Jumpship some Rams over, or use Teleport Raiders, but that sounds like another good approach, especially with SC Shields. 

They do get torn up fairly quickly, but those two are the so far the longest lasting things I've seen if you want to use a sacrificial shield. I've done it a few times, allowing my FS fleet to get into range of the Wrath Lance and take it out.

[Tridus]

Yeah, Neinzul Enclave Turret Controller would be... I don't even know what that would be.  A bit like having a pile of friendly Roaming Enclaves camped out, I would imagine.  IE, crazy awesome.  Might be a little too good at beachheading, actually.  This might be worse for performance than the Photon Lance turrets, though. 

I was imaging that the proposed new Core Turret controllers would not always be present, to reduce the silliness. Well, and so that when the RNG blesses you with a Core HBC Turret Controller you can be properly thankful.  Although, now that the regular turrets are per-planet, the original reason for seeding all 8 CTCs is gone. 

If you added more core turret controllers (and I'm a fan of the idea), then it'd be like fabricators: a pool of them to draw from and some are seeded. So you'll get some but not all of them in any given game.

[keith.lamothe]

Possible bug, but I'm not sure: When you capture a planet that you've done any hacking on, it seems to give you the exile distance from that planet, even without an exile hack.

I'm not quite sure if this is a bug, but it feels like it, since I've done an ARS hack on one planet and got the distance, but none of my other planets give it to me.

There's a random chance that simply capturing a planet will give you the distance, and that chance is higher the closer you are to the exile itself (it's 100% if it's the exile itself, so you can't capture the planet without knowing it).  Beyond a few hops it's pretty unreliable.

Hacking is just a much more reliable way to get the info, and doesn't directly cost AIP

[amethyst]

Are there any more significant balance changes incoming? I'm trying to find a relatively quiet point in time to start a new game from, without reprisals or turrets or reclamation getting turned upside down yet again a few days from now...

[keith.lamothe]

Are there any more significant balance changes incoming? I'm trying to find a relatively quiet point in time to start a new game from, without reprisals or turrets or reclamation getting turned upside down yet again a few days from now...

We're not out of the balance-upheaval stage yet, sorry   But at least we're out of the part where the upheaval is due to big new things getting added.  Just a matter of settling out what's there.

[amethyst]

Alright, good to know, at least.

I might just be patient and wait for the upcoming expansion to be released... more easier and medium AI types to check off my list instead of banging my head against the existing unbeaten ones!