Spire Gravity Rippers

[TechSY730]

In one of my games, the AI got these. I looked at their stats and behavior and saw

• Average durability (for a spire fleet ship)
• Moderate weapon power (for fleet ships in general)
• Low range
• High rate of fire
• The special effect (stopping its target) is a very short effect

After seeing that, I was wondering, is that really worth their cost? Seems like it isn't really all that great. Then I found out a great use for it. How? Like how I found out many other ways to abuse special unit attributes, the AI schooled me.  


They are great for stopping raid style ships, even those with otherwise infinite engine health (like raid starships). I learned this the hard way after I lost several raid starships by Spire gravity rippers that were guarding a worm hole. Combined with the ripper's high rate of fire, my raid starships were stopped cold in their tracks, helpless. Of course, they were then quickly taken out.

Thought I would share this for two reasons. One, a nifty use for their ability (stalling ships that would otherwise be very tough to stall) for an otherwise odd unit to use; and two, another way that the AI seems to find clever ways to abuse special abilities, something that is pretty rare for AI in most other RTSs. (Okay, I admit, the AI was not really aiming for this explicitly, it was more just lucky positioning, but still, I am impressed)

[Entrenched Homperson]

I'm playing a game with them right now, definatly hard to fight. I tend to raid less and more have large scale fleet battles that I maneuver my Bombers around in, and the Gravity Rippers are a pain. Having my force split because half of them hit the effect, or even worse having the whole unit bogged down to get hit by fast moving fighters, is a hard thing to work around. Added probably 20 min of fighting to each planet I've taken.

On the other hand, the AI currently has Spire Ram Ships. I think those need a balancing in there targeting logic. Ever since I stopped bringing Starships, they just mill around and become little factories for my Shredders. 35% of my AI 2's fleet is totaly useless  Kinda of an irritating gate raid though. They can 1 hit alot of Econ buildings.

[Red Spot]

I put the tractorbeam spire ship in the same class. You can put them on FRD for an interesting effect, but with a bit of micro they can be dead-on-a-stickbeam. The AI spamming them just hurts, it plain hurts.
I am playing 2 8.6 Assassins atm on 5.001, they have the tractorbeam thingies and when they spam them you need soooo much firepower to stop them the rest of AI-fleet can do whatever it wants (or you target the fleet and see your own fleet being dragged away). Painfull, specially when you see your starship that need to take them down .. get stopped in their tracks .. 
(I actually was glad I didn't see the starship dissassembler this game .. was ..  )

[Entrenched Homperson]

I turn off Tractor Ships for all my games. I do not want to deal with them

It's kind of cheating because I still get tractors on my Riot Control Starships ^^

[TechSY730]

I turn off Tractor Ships for all my games. I do not want to deal with them

It's kind of cheating because I still get tractors on my Riot Control Starships ^^

Shhh!

Don't point out the useful oversights, or they will be fixed. 

[Tharrick]

Grav rippers are fantastic for dealing with blade spawners. Have a few rippers with each fleet, watch the blades stop and self-attrition themselves away before they reach you!

[Entrenched Homperson]

What oversite? 

Also I don't think that should be changed, or else Riot Control Starships would be severly underpowered.