Spirecraft scout unit causes alert?

[chemical_art]

I have noticed that the scout-like unit from the "spirecraft" option causes alert on AI planets. This causes interesting strategic changes, as it is equipped like a scout, but I was wondering if this was intentional. I guess I should have known since it doesn't have the "scout" hull type, but I didn't consider it at first since I only read the description.

[Sunshine!]

Scouts actually do cause alert if you send more than 50 of them to a planet.  The mechanic IIRC is 50+ regular fleetships will cause alert on all nearby planets (and that planet if it isn't already alerted), or one starship-class or larger vessel.  Spirecraft are larger than starship-class, so they automatically cause alert, even if they can't actually do anything.  Scout starships may be an exception to this.

They're fast enough that I don't really care if they alert the whole galaxy on auto-scout, because they'll scout the entire galaxy pretty effectively for me without needing to resort to mk4 scouts or scout starships.

[TechSY730]

Beat you to it. 

http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/view.php?id=3009

[Sunshine!]

Techsy: Start an 8 planet start and send 80 mk1 scouts onto an enemy planet.  It'll put it, and the nearby planets, on alert.  It has nothing to do with combat/noncombat, but ship class by size.

Frankly, a spirecraft scout probably should put an AI planet on alert.  It's pretty unnerving that you know there's a cloaked ship, and you know it's big enough to be a spirecraft, but you're not entirely certain if it's a penetrator or a scout.  That and spirecraft scouts are extremely easy to get ahold of, unlike mk4 scouts/scout starships, and as such should probably have some pretty significant drawbacks.

[BobTheJanitor]

some pretty significant drawbacks.

But does it really need more of a drawback than attritioning itself to death in a matter of minutes?

[Sunshine!]

On a 120 planet galaxy, using two mk1 spirecraft scouts (so one pysite asteroid, I think it is?) I can get 80-ish additional planets scouted before they attrition themselves to death.  They don't currently have much in the way of drawbacks.

[Sir t]

Scouts actually do cause alert if you send more than 50 of them to a planet.  The mechanic IIRC is 50+ regular fleetships will cause alert on all nearby planets (and that planet if it isn't already alerted), or one starship-class or larger vessel. 

According to the wiki its 2 starships, or one Golem. I assume any of the spire ships from LOTS will do it as well.

I suppose using inviso scouts to cause alerts could be exploitable as you could cause the AI to pile reinforcement points on some faraway worlds you have no intention of going near anyway.

[chemical_art]

According to the wiki its 2 starships, or one Golem. I assume any of the spire ships from LOTS will do it as well.

I suppose using inviso scouts to cause alerts could be exploitable as you could cause the AI to pile reinforcement points on some faraway worlds you have no intention of going near anyway.

There was a reason I said they cause "interesting strategic changes" 

What is great about AI war is that so many things that at first seem negative can be twisted into a positive depending on strategy.

[Commiesalami]

Scouts actually do cause alert if you send more than 50 of them to a planet.  The mechanic IIRC is 50+ regular fleetships will cause alert on all nearby planets (and that planet if it isn't already alerted), or one starship-class or larger vessel. 

According to the wiki its 2 starships, or one Golem. I assume any of the spire ships from LOTS will do it as well.

I suppose using inviso scouts to cause alerts could be exploitable as you could cause the AI to pile reinforcement points on some faraway worlds you have no intention of going near anyway.

I'm trying that out  .  But it would make a CPA even nastier if your not careful

[Sunshine!]

I suppose using inviso scouts to cause alerts could be exploitable as you could cause the AI to pile reinforcement points on some faraway worlds you have no intention of going near anyway.

Doing this will only bring the wrath of the Carrier Gods.  Please think of the children.  Don't anger the Carrier Gods.

[chemical_art]

Doing this will only bring the wrath of the Carrier Gods.  Please think of the children.  Don't anger the Carrier Gods.

True but...

if you only anger MK II and III's, especially toward the end of the game, aren't you drawing away reinforcements that may be heading defending a MK IV you want to assault? The more planets you alert, the more spread out reinforcements come.

For me at end game, the extra 200 units that carriers send are just flakes to the exo waves I face now. If it slows down the reinforcements of even a few units away from an MK IV world it is worth is worthwhile. Only the 1k carriers pose any threat, and they only come from CPAs.

[Sunshine!]

Just because a planet is Mk2 or Mk3 does not mean the reinforcements it gets are mk2 or mk3.  For some reason, an unalerted mk3 planet was sending mk3 carriers loaded with mk5 ships at me.

If you play with devourers it only gets worse, because then the planets are going to have copious amounts of mk5 ships.

As for end game whether it's dangerous or not, I don't know!  Try it and let us know.

[chemical_art]

Just because a planet is Mk2 or Mk3 does not mean the reinforcements it gets are mk2 or mk3.  For some reason, an unalerted mk3 planet was sending mk3 carriers loaded with mk5 ships at me.

If you play with devourers it only gets worse, because then the planets are going to have copious amounts of mk5 ships.

As for end game whether it's dangerous or not, I don't know!  Try it and let us know.

You sure? The carriers fill from reinforcements of the planet, unless the AIP tech is higher, then it uses that. I have not seen a MK IV unit arrive via carrier in my 30 hour game because I have not allowed a MK IV world to fill up. I have seen MK II units, with some MK III due to CPA's, but not MK IV, ever. Maybe I just got lucky, but I I know the reinforcements themselves are of the planet's level.