Hi all,
Been playing quite a bit of AI War again lately and loving it. Thought I'd step up to something more challenging than the 6/7 games I'd been playing so here is my setup (When I started this game, I only had the first two expansions):
100 planets.
diff 8/7 first random non-technological, second random all.
resistance fighters 4/10
colony rebellions 4/10
marauders 4/10
neinzul rocketry corps 4/10
neinzul preservation wardens 4/10
neinzul roaming enclaves 4/10
broken + botnet golems (moderate)
I ended up with a raid engine as the 7/10 and (i think) a vicious raider or similar as the 8/10.
Since I was increasing the AI level a lot, I figured I'd try and take as few planets as possible... This worked fine for a while but eventually, I had to take a lot of systems due to the shield networks. I also had colony rebellions to deal with. (The first one I failed to get to in time so that was 100 AIP) My AIP is waaaay higher than I wanted it to get but... that's where I am. (raid engines on a big map + shield network + colony rebellions = horrible AIP)
In total, the game is over 24 hours now but my actual playtime on this one is well over 30 hours as I've tried the end game several times and just keep failing.
I'm pretty much ready to give up on it but I was curious to see if anyone thinks it's even possible to win from this point or if it's just a lost cause.
My current situation
AIP 594 (1095-501)
I hold 17 planets, economy is pretty strong, though power is a little short for the golems.
Defences are strong in my core and okayish elsewhere.
I have 4 golems - botnet, black widow and 2 hives.
I have already hit the diff 8 AI's HW and left it totally destroyed, except for the command station.
ALL I need to do, is take out the raid engine's HW and it's a virtual certain victory. (I think this is why I keep trying, it just seems sooooo close)
The core world leading to the raid's HW is smashed.
However, if I attack it, I get the raid engine on the HW sending a wave at me AND the 30% strategic reserve showing up (I can whittle the strat reserve down a bit of course but at this level of AIP, I grows back very quick).
I CANNOT destroy the raid engine on the HW. It's under 2 core FFs with a fortress MK3 right next to the command station (and consequently, loads of ships + strategic reserve)
The HW also has 2 neinzul spawner posts which is enough to make short work of pretty much anything.
As if all that was not enough, there is still another core world with yet another raid engine, so you get hit with that on top of everything else...
Warheads and the botnet golem are almost useless because it's all core ships (except the waves from the raid engines)
The two hives releasing 1,000 wasps at once is certainly a big hit but it just does not make much impression on this place.
(Incidentally, my research choices may seem a little... odd, I was trying something different in this game so I've got almost no extra starship and fleet ship unlocks.)
