Preemption

[Kahuna]

How does Preemption work exactly? Where does the Threat spawn? Does it only spawn on the planets the AI would reinforce if it was disabled.. aka on planets that are on alert.
Is there anything to it that's not specified in it's description? Does it also affect Special Forces reinforcements? Does it affect the timing of CPAs and/or Exos?

Anyway I like it. Preemption on 10/10 surprised me a couple of time.. some Mark III Threat Starships (Flag+Plasma+Spire (The attack damage the boost.. the tankyness.. the pain.. )) destroyed my Home Command Station a couple of times.

[keith.lamothe]

Its only impact happens when the AI is spawning new reinforcement ships:

1) First, it computes the % of ships from that reinforcement that should be pre-emptive. 
- Intensity 1 gives 5%, Intensity 10 gives 100%, the others are somewhere inbetween (not linearly, but you get the idea).

2) Then, for that % of the ships it spawns during that reinforcement event, it simply marks those ships as threat rather than telling them to guard the things they spawned at.  They do still spawn where they normally would have, but they won't stay there long.

Simple.  Effective.  Murderous


I think folks who like ongoing low-grade chaos (or high-grade chaos, on the higher intensities) would find it fun as it will create pressure from any planet the AI can still reinforce (if the AI is normally reinforcing them).  As a small benefit it also reduces the AI's defensive accumulation over time (because a certain % of those ships are just coming at you instead).


Edit: to clarify, this doesn't impact special forces.  It would have, back when special forces guard posts actually got guards here, which then went onto the SF fleet, but I don't think they do that anymore.

[Qatu]

 I have to agree that preemption is one of the best changes of this new version, along ability to disable counter-attacks posts and that warp threat thing. I also didn't notice swallowers in my last game with swallowers disabled, finally!!! If there can be a toggle to have my ships auto shoot mass drivers and ion cannons and wormhole guard posts I'd be the happiest ai war player.

[Kahuna]

Does Preemption affect Hybrids' drones/minions/fleets

Also..
Preemption and EMP Guardians..
..just saying
..

EDIT:

With Preemption on 10/10 this is completely normal and it's just 11 minutes into the game. I mean sure this is not a big attack.. but you get the idea. In addition to what you see in the screenshot.. I had to intercept Mark II and III EMP Guardians before they got to my homeworld. It would have been game over.

EDIT2:
Ok this has nothing to do with Preemption..
..but what the hell is with the wave sizes?? Over a thousand ships at 30 AIP? Should I thank the Quadratic AI type?


I did stop the wave (Thanks to Munitions Boosters) but still.

[Wingflier]

Preemption is indeed awesome, and definitely one of the best features of the new expansion. In fact it's my personal favorite.

[keith.lamothe]

Does Preemption affect Hybrids' drones/minions/fleets

It shouldn't, as those aren't spawned via "Reinforcement" logic, which is a very specific mechanic responsible for any post-mapgen guards on guard posts and command stations.  Preemption only impacts those Reinforcement-spawned units.

Also..
Preemption and EMP Guardians..
..just saying

Yea, it'll bring the pain

Ok this has nothing to do with Preemption..
..but what the hell is with the wave sizes?? Over a thousand ships at 30 AIP? Should I thank the Quadratic AI type?

Probably Quadratic, yes.  If AIP stays constant then each wave the time between waves will double, and so will the size.  Eventually it'll throw something too big to stop, the idea is to kill it first.

[Alex Heartnet]

Eventually it'll throw something too big to stop, the idea is to kill it first.

I kinda wonder if you can utterly crush the Quadratic just by tossing warheads at each wave instead of ships.  Start with Lightnings, then progress to EMPs, then eventually nuke each and every wave...

The AIP increase at 10/10 would be too much, but this seems like a great stalling tactic for 7/7

[keith.lamothe]

Immediately lobbing warheads at any objective (defensive or offensive) too big for your normal forces is actually a pretty effective way to play in general, but very risky.

You can shut down the wave mechanic pretty hard with it (quadratic or no quadratic) but it can drive up the power of CPAs to a point where you're going to be hard-pressed.  So it becomes a win-fast-or-dies sort of thing.

That said, it is fun to play with the attitude "I don't care what the AIP is; I can make fleets disappear"