Capturing Planetary Structures

[Revenantus]

Currently it is possible to reap the benefits of an Advanced Research Station by quickly targeting the AI's command station and commencing the construction of your own Command Station, even if your station fails to complete construction and your forces are quickly wiped out you still gain access to the new ship type. This leads to Colony Ship suicide runs often being a viable tactic as it is not always necessary to conquer the en-route systems to reach the Research Station.

Similarly, you can often make attacking an AI planet with an Ion Cannon considerably easier by starting construction of a Command Station quickly to take control of the cannon. Only planets where the AI's Command Station is protected by a forcefield are resistant to this.

Would it be better if it were a requirement for your command station to finish construction before planetary structures are transfered under your control? Or perhaps hold the Research Station/Ion Cannon for a certain period of time before it becomes active?

[x4000]

Hi Revenantus, and welcome to the boards!

I think you have some really excellent points there, and I agree that requiring the command station to be completed is a smart change.  That's been added to my to-do list.

I had never really thought about suicide runs of this sort simply because on the higher difficulties (6 and up, I think), there around a 50% chance that the AI will abandon its posts and attack you when you destroy their command station.  So if the planet is too overpowered, it can wind up sweeping your forces and wiping out several of your planets (or ending the game by killing you entirely, that's happened before, too). On the lower difficulties the AI doesn't do that, so the raids of the sort you are describing would be ridiculously effective.  That sort of strategy had never occurred to me partly because I only regularly play on difficulty 7.

Anyway, great suggestion!

[Revenantus]

Hi x4000,

Thanks for the welcome.

Congratulations on a really fantastic RTS, I enjoyed your articles on designing the game's AI.

Looking forward to 1.007 on Impulse.

[x4000]

Thanks, Revenantus!  1.007 should be out on Impulse today, I believe.

[x4000]

Just got word from Stardock that the new version is now live on Impulse.