Decently versed in AIW1 but having trouble with 2

[DevoutHaruhiist]

Hi there! Not exactly an after action report, but guessing I can leverage the expertise of everyone here to help me out a bit. I had played quite a few games of AI War classic and enjoyed it immensely. Participated lightly in the beta for AIW2 finding just a couple bugs but never really tried to complete a whole game. Recently, especially with all the cool changes since the last time I played, I decided to really sit down and play some games. I read about all the changes in the How To Play, learned about how fleets worked, turrets, etc. (basically all the changes for old players). That said I feel like I am really having trouble with AIW2 to the point where I feel like I must be doing something wrong.

Most recent game was difficulty 6 with very few frills. I conquered the worlds around my homework, got 1 other fleet captured and hacked a new ship type. Teched up my weapons a bit but then got pretty stuck. I tried to take another world 2 hops away and, per the guidance I'd read, used a hit and run strategy (the new transports are really convenient!), whittled it down and went to build on it. But not only did this take forever as every time I left my systems with my fleet the AI sent an equivalent fleet in, but I could never hold the new world as ships just kept pouring in from adjacent worlds. Meanwhile I was completely capped on metal almost all game with nothing to do with it other than replace my losses. Just felt like I got into a stalemate. What am I missing (I'm sure it's many things)? I feel like I am starting from square 1 haha. AIP was around 80-100 at the time.

I appreciate any tips!
Thanks!

[Strategic Sage]

Good question.  A few things I might suggest:

** This would be more visible in the main AI War 2 forum and you'd probably get more response there. 

** Not enough information here to really know for sure what is going on.  What mk level was the AI world you were trying to conquer, was it guards/reserves/warden/hunter you were having problems with, what ships you had and what their levels were, etc.  One possibility would be to join the discord and send a save there for people to look at and give advice, or you could give more info here possibly w/screenshots, whatever you're more comfortable with.  The AI doesn't use fleets per se, so what exactly they were doing is still a bit nebulous here but more info would clear it up. 

** In the self-promotion category, you could try out this series, played at difficulty 7:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWPhJvJ0SSDuhMgnYMNDvlgMZblcamGIP.  I think I linked in another thread further down in this forum, but it's meant as an 'advanced tutorial' at standard-ish resistance.  I had another one lower that i started with for beginners, but it sounds to me like that probably wouldn't help you as much at this point. 

[DevoutHaruhiist]

Thanks, Strategic Sage! And sorry for any breaches of forum etiquette...I am not really that well versed in these kinds of things.
I think to start I will view the videos you linked and see if I can learn anything new from that, and barring that maybe try the discord.

[Strategic Sage]

You're welcome, no apology  needed.  It's more a best way for you to get answers thing, nobody will get too upset about what forum you post in.