Questions from an old player

[Draco18s]

Another one: How does the endgame work these days? It appears the AIP cost for taking out an AI homeworld command station has been severely reduced (used to be 100 AIP), does that mean synchronizing strikes is less important or are there new factors to consider? Anything else I should know, being as I haven't actually hit a homeworld since 4.x?

The core went down, but all of the guard posts went up.

[Vinraith]

Another one: How does the endgame work these days? It appears the AIP cost for taking out an AI homeworld command station has been severely reduced (used to be 100 AIP), does that mean synchronizing strikes is less important or are there new factors to consider? Anything else I should know, being as I haven't actually hit a homeworld since 4.x?

The core went down, but all of the guard posts went up.

Very little, though. On 7/7 at least, the individual posts only generate +1 AIP, it's just that they raise the floor by 10. That's a problem for super-low-AIP players, I'm sure, but I've never really been one of those so it has little impact on me.

There did seem to be a huge stream of ships that poured out of the other homeworld when I knocked over the first. Is there a strategic reserve release or something that happens there? Or was that just a coincidence?

[Chthon]

Another one: How does the endgame work these days? It appears the AIP cost for taking out an AI homeworld command station has been severely reduced (used to be 100 AIP), does that mean synchronizing strikes is less important or are there new factors to consider? Anything else I should know, being as I haven't actually hit a homeworld since 4.x?

The core went down, but all of the guard posts went up.

Very little, though. On 7/7 at least, the individual posts only generate +1 AIP, it's just that they raise the floor by 10. That's a problem for super-low-AIP players, I'm sure, but I've never really been one of those so it has little impact on me.

There did seem to be a huge stream of ships that poured out of the other homeworld when I knocked over the first. Is there a strategic reserve release or something that happens there? Or was that just a coincidence?

The AI will devote all the ships in it's strategic reserve to defending it's home.  Not just 10% or 50%.

[Vinraith]

The AI will devote all the ships in it's strategic reserve to defending it's home.  Not just 10% or 50%.

Yup, that I know. It can't move those ships off the homeworld though, right? Not even in the event of the death of the other homeworld?

I was mostly just startled that the endgame seemed to have been significantly toned down. In the old days a simultaneous homeworld pop was a near-necessity, because of that 100 AIP jump on homeworld death. It surprised me that, with one homeworld down, I could get away with moseying over to the other with no apparent time pressure.

[Chthon]

I don't know about that honestly.  Perhaps the remainder of the one AI's reserve will immediately deploy upon his death?

[Vinraith]

So, another question: Hardened force fields, or higher mark force fields, which should be my priority?

[Draco18s]

They both have their advantages.
On average, all things considered, the two lines are exactly as durable as each other.

So it's really personal preference (and mine is towards regular, although I* was partially responsible for the Hardened line).

*Warning: Ego.  I remember that it was pointed out (by either me or someone else) that regular force fields had an armor value (it was like 400, so basically none) and it was asked what that actually meant.  I vaguely recall suggesting that it should work as expected** and thus the Hardend FF was born.

**That is, regardless of what's targetted the armor value should be applied

[Kahuna]

It can't move those ships off the homeworld though, right? Not even in the event of the death of the other homeworld?

No. Both AIs only defend their own homeworlds with their own reserves. Special Forces (Which are a mix of AI1's and AI2's ships) will defend both homeworlds though.

[Kahuna]

So, another question: Hardened force fields, or higher mark force fields, which should be my priority?

Hardened Force Fields are slightly better. It takes longer from a cap of Bombers to destroy a Hardened Force Field than a normal Force Field. Also.. I like to unlock Mark I Hardened Force Fields with the first 10000 Knowledge. Additional (and better than normals) for only 1000 Knowledge. I mostly use them to protect Tractor Beam, Flak and Lightning Turrets (will use higher Marks after I've unlocked Mark II Tractor Beam Turrets (>=Mark II Force Fields "out range" Mark I Tractor Beam Turrets)).

[Bognor]

Note that only regular forcefields unlock higher mark modules on Spire capital ships, Spire Corvettes, or modular forts.

[Vinraith]

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

On another topic, I'm still a little baffled by the state of the endgame. One of my favorite things about AI War, historically, was that the difficulty didn't drop off at the end as it traditionally does in other strategy games. If anything, the threat was greatest when you attacked the homeworlds. That seems to have changed for the worst some time between when last I played and now. Was this a conscious decision, or is it an artifact of balance problems? Why was the AIP cost of destroying an AI home command station reduced? I suspect all this might be buried somewhere in the many, many pages of patch notes I missed, but I'm hoping for a little perspective from the current player base. Or am I the only one that's finding this to be so, and I just need to change something about how I'm playing or what settings I'm playing with? (Mind you I'm not saying the game itself is too easy, I know how to fix that, just that the relative difficulty of the end game compared to the rest of the game seems out of whack).

[Aklyon]

Do you have lazy AI off or on?

[Vinraith]

Do you have lazy AI off or on?

Off. To be honest, I don't exactly know what that does, but I don't want my AI lying down on the job.

I'm guessing perhaps the AI doesn't send those (very weak, in my games) retaliatory waves for posts destroyed if that's turned on?

[Bognor]

Do you have lazy AI off or on?

Off. To be honest, I don't exactly know what that does, but I don't want my AI lying down on the job.

I'm guessing perhaps the AI doesn't send those (very weak, in my games) retaliatory waves for posts destroyed if that's turned on?

Correct.  Plus the strategic reserve is weaker, and there's no deep-strike threat, and destroying core guard posts doesn't increase the AIP floor.

I forget what difficulty you're playing on, but a big contributor to end-game difficulty is the "brutal" core guard posts.  They include the Core Raid Engine, Core CPA, Teuthida, Grav Reactor, Wrath Lance, Hunter-Killer Factory, and Shredder Drone Guard Post, plus a whole range of Core Eyes.  The number per homeworld is a bit random, but increases with difficulty from 0-1 at difficulty <7 to 3 at difficulty 9+.  If you've been lucky with those, that might explain a relatively easy endgame, at least at low to moderate difficulty.

[Vinraith]

Do you have lazy AI off or on?

Off. To be honest, I don't exactly know what that does, but I don't want my AI lying down on the job.

I'm guessing perhaps the AI doesn't send those (very weak, in my games) retaliatory waves for posts destroyed if that's turned on?

Correct.  Plus the strategic reserve is weaker, and there's no deep-strike threat, and destroying core guard posts doesn't increase the AIP floor.

I forget what difficulty you're playing on, but a big contributor to end-game difficulty is the "brutal" core guard posts.  They include the Core Raid Engine, Core CPA, Teuthida, Grav Reactor, Wrath Lance, Hunter-Killer Factory, and Shredder Drone Guard Post, plus a whole range of Core Eyes.  The number per homeworld is a bit random, but increases with difficulty from 0-1 at difficulty <7 to 3 at difficulty 9+.  If you've been lucky with those, that might explain a relatively easy endgame, at least at low to moderate difficulty.

Ah, most of those I've never seen. Core CPA was a feature back in the "old days" before I stopped playing, but I've not seen one since I came back. The only one of those that has turned up is the Core Raid Engine and some eyes. Funnily enough, while i'm sure the eyes would be terrible, they never actually trigger because of the strategic reserve. When the AI is dumping 3000 ships into the system, there's no way I can ever outnumber it 2 - to - 1, and since my ships are always concentrating on killing posts, not other ships, that number doesn't get whittled down until after the eye is gone.

I play on 7/7, how many brutal picks would that give the AI?