Author Topic: AI ship I am most afraid of  (Read 6342 times)

Offline Bognor

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Re: AI ship I am most afraid of
« Reply #30 on: September 03, 2013, 08:13:35 am »
Really? Never seem that. Did the AI put any modules on it?
Yep, and nope, the couple I've checked have been nude (no modules).

At least the AI doesn't get Riot & Protector Starships?  >D
That reminds me.  In my current game the AI has Protector Starships.  Bug?
What version did your game start as?  AI Protector Starships snuck in there for a few versions during beta.  Otherwise, I suspect (hope) it is a bug.
Started in the current version, 7.009.  Protector Starships are one of my starting bonus ships, if that might make any difference.

Are protector starships allowed in exo-waves similar to how riot starships are?
Dunno, but I'm pretty sure there shouldn't have been any exo's in my game so far.  It's ~40 mins in, no Botnet, Spirecraft medium, Golems medium.  2x Shark A and B but I haven't lost any command stations.  Not Exotic or Vicious Exotic AI.  Haven't popped any Core Guard Posts or Counterattack Guard Posts, nor triggered any Raid Engines (afaik).  Anyway they've just been cruising around AI planets like ordinary AI starships.
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Offline Tridus

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Re: AI ship I am most afraid of
« Reply #31 on: September 03, 2013, 08:40:12 am »
Really? Never seem that. Did the AI put any modules on it?
Yep, and nope, the couple I've checked have been nude (no modules).

Yeah, that sounds like a bug then. The AI probably shouldn't try to use them at all if it can't put modules on them to make them really useful.

Offline Ragnarok

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Re: AI ship I am most afraid of
« Reply #32 on: September 03, 2013, 01:18:37 pm »
Is there a good way to counter Zenith Frigates ? Like sniper ships but w/ energy wave ammo ?

Offline Kahuna

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Re: AI ship I am most afraid of
« Reply #33 on: September 03, 2013, 02:09:06 pm »
Is there a good way to counter Zenith Frigates ?
I assume you mean Zenith Beam Frigates. Well.. they have Composite hull so pretty much anything that has damage multiplier vs Composite. Missile Frigates for example. Acid Sprayers are beasts so they would melt ZBFs in no time.

Like sniper ships but w/ energy wave ammo ?
Snipers.. no way. But Sentinel Frigates (sniper with energy ammo) should be ok. Although they don't really counter anything.. they're just good and that's it. They have good base DPS but no damage multipliers.
« Last Edit: September 03, 2013, 02:13:10 pm by Kahuna »
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Offline Zair

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Re: AI ship I am most afraid of
« Reply #34 on: September 03, 2013, 03:10:46 pm »
Is there a good way to counter Zenith Frigates ? Like sniper ships but w/ energy wave ammo ?

I'm assuming you mean the Sentinel Frigates. Sniper range, energy wave shots... AFAIK, packing a scout starship or a few into your fleetball will help with that, they counter incoming sniper shots, whether they're actually railsnipers or simply pseudo-snipers like the Sentinels.

It would be useful to check the Brave Scout Starships option in the controls window so that you can keep them with your fleet more easily.

Offline Ragnarok

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Re: AI ship I am most afraid of
« Reply #35 on: September 03, 2013, 03:11:22 pm »
Thats what i meant. Like, how would i counter Sentils Frigates (sorry).

Offline LordSloth

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Re: AI ship I am most afraid of
« Reply #36 on: September 03, 2013, 09:55:02 pm »
I personally recommend Heavy Bomber Starships, they're quite durable and have good speed. They'll survive detachment from your blob quite nicely. Riot Starships with lasers and occasionally tractor modules and shields are helpful in reducing the chase time. You might not take them down to 25% or 40% speed, but even 10% off will greatly reduce the time your Fighters have to spend in chase. Sometimes if your ships just mosey on over in the direction of the sentinel frigates with out actually targeting them directly, you'll get a lot closer before spooking them...

If you get into bonus ships, Raiders, Vampire Claws (despite the short range tachyon emissions on sentinels), and Vorticular Cutlasses are nice. Spire Teleporting leeches don't do especially fantastic, but are immune to sniping and wouldn't you rather have some sentinels for your own? Sadly, the Leech Starship is too limited in speed to help, but it shares the immunity to sniper shots.

If you're facing a huge number of Sentinel Frigates, particularly in a patrol, setting up a beach-head in the right location is quite helpful.  A mk1 fortress will counter zenith bombards, provide repair, general firepower, and is just barely affordable for a rush job and unintended rebuild... Cover it with Missile Turrets, a counter-sniper turret, and occasional fleet support. If you like them as much as I do, a Zenith Spacetime Manipulator or two also makes a big difference.

If all else fails, you could combine plain old Fighters with a MK2 Transport (cloaking and instant unload), or assist Zenith Starships, Maws or other equally slow ships with a Cloaker starship or two.

Offline Bognor

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Re: AI ship I am most afraid of
« Reply #37 on: September 03, 2013, 10:43:02 pm »
Thats what i meant. Like, how would i counter Sentils Frigates (sorry).
If there aren't too many other ships around, Transports + Leech Starships. Transports are to get the Leeches there, but also to load the Frigates into for protection after you reclaim them.  They're awesome reclaimed ships because their range makes them so easy to keep alive.  The combination works because Leeches have a short reload time so can shoot almost immediately after unloading.

Due to the way reclamation works, it's much more effective with higher mark Leech Starships.  Mark II's are an absolute steal at 1000 knowledge.
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