How to attack Homeworld Spaceport?

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> The War Room >> How to attack Homeworld Spaceport?

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How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 10/26/2013 8:05:18 AM

ChillGuru

Posts: 19
Joined: 8/24/2013
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Hi everyone, I was hoping I could get some expert advice on how to best attack the spaceport of the enemy homeworld. Everytime I send my fleet to attack, they always warp right next to the spaceport, getting decimated completely. I tried warping them to an adjacent planet, but they always warp again right next to the spaceport. Is this really how it goes and I should just accept the "acceptable losses"? Thanks in advance for any input! :)

Post #: 1

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 10/26/2013 8:59:22 AM

AminMaalouf

Posts: 176
Joined: 1/6/2007
Status: offline

You need to think tactical and split up the operation in phases. Adequate and sufficient forces are a necessity. It is important that you do not send all your forces at the same time into combat. Approaches should be done with time gaps between.

Phase I: Fight down the defenses in space
Phase II: Fight down the defense on the surface

Phase I requires 1-2 tactical elements + 1 reserve element. Each element should consist in 12-20 heavy cruisers upwards sized ships.
Phase II requires 1-2 ground combat elements. Each element should consist in 20 or more enlarged troop transports.

Course of action:

Phase I is initiated
a) 1st tactical element approaches target system
b) 1st tactical element seeks contact with defending ships and destroys them (hit and run to reload shields); after that it engages stationary defense systems (bases, port)
c) 2nd tactical element approaches target system
d) 2nd eliminates the remaining defenses while 1st retreats for repairs.
Phase I ends shortly before or after the port is destroyed
............................................................
Phase II is initiated
e) 1st ground combat element approaches target system
f) 1st ground combat element touch down and starts to fight
g) repeat e) to f) with 2nd ground combat element; after elimination of the defenses secure your gains by the usual measures
Phase II ends and your forces can dislocate
............................................................

< Message edited by AminMaalouf -- 10/26/2013 9:06:46 AM >

(in reply to ChillGuru)

Post #: 2

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 10/26/2013 10:48:29 AM

Fenrisfil

Posts: 216
Joined: 6/2/2013
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I usually warp to a point nearby, then I tell the fleet to move to the ship of that fleet nearest the target. Once they are close enough to not warp again I tell them to attack (they may already be attacking if in range). There are usually stragglers so I make sure they are still moving to one of my own ships that are within range rather than moving to the base. It is a fair bit of micro managing, but I don't mind it for a major assault, though the fact that the ships will jump on top of an enemy base if you don't stop them does annoy me. It would be nice if there was at least an option to "Attack (no warp)".

If there are defensive bases you will want to target them first and I always try and position the fleet so they are only within range of one of these at a time. That usually requires a lot of ship herding even after you start the attack as some ships tend to wonder towards danger zones. Telling your ships to go towards each other is very useful at this stage. If for some reason you are attacking with a ship with no long range weapons (madness) don't have your fleet follow that ship!

Don't forget that you can of course send in a load of heavily protected and fast troop transports to invade directly while the main base is still over the colony (I wouldn't advise it if there are also defensive bases). Providing they can survive long enough to drop off troops and the troops are strong enough to take the planet without having a space control bonus this may be far simpler, faster and potentially result in less casualties.

You could also use carriers as they should stay away from the base and constantly rebuild the fighters/bombers to attack. May take a while though depending on numbers. I have seen an insane swarm of bombers take down a station faster than my larger ships ever would (well, baring world destroyers anyway).

< Message edited by Fenrisfil -- 10/26/2013 10:52:55 AM >

(in reply to AminMaalouf)

Post #: 3

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 10/26/2013 6:37:41 PM

btd64

Posts: 9973
Joined: 1/23/2010
From: Mass. USA. now in Lancaster, OHIO
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Good stuff above. What I would also do is take the time to destroy the enemy fleets first. Then as metioned above one base at a time.

Cheers

(in reply to Fenrisfil)

Post #: 4

RE: How to attack Homeworld and Spaceport? - 10/26/2013 7:08:55 PM

ChillGuru

Posts: 19
Joined: 8/24/2013
Status: offline

Hey everyone! So just wanted to give an update. I read the advice above and tried them. I made 2 fleets, each arpund 15 ships, a mix of capital ships that were repaired from space debris, cruisers and at least 4 carriers. Along with 2 Invasion fleets with combined total of 30 troops.

Outcome: The carriers really( I cannot emphasize enough :D) helped take out the spaceport and defensive bases. I rotated the two assault fleets as mentioned above and it helped immensely. I only lost 2 cruisers. The problem, however, is that I did not anticipate that the planets population would fight back too! (Face palm) So it ended up being a loss on my part. I did, just make a new army, invaded the two colonies sharing the system, subjugated them and now earn 10% of their annual gdp(please correct me if I am wrong). Was my decision to just subjugate wrong? What if I had bombarded the planet also to soften up defenses?

Thanks to all the invaluable advice above! I'll be sure to remember the misrakes I made.

(in reply to btd64)

Post #: 5

RE: How to attack Homeworld and Spaceport? - 10/26/2013 7:32:42 PM

Aeson

Posts: 784
Joined: 8/30/2013
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quote:

Was my decision to just subjugate wrong?

Depends. Did you want to destroy the faction, cripple it, or just win the current war? If your answer is 'yes' to the first question, then yes, subjugation was the wrong choice - unless you're looking at a long-term strategy to bleed them white before finishing them. If you wanted to cripple them, the answer is that subjugation may have been the wrong choice - but it also might have been the right choice. It depends on how much developed territory they had aside from their homeworld, and whether the loss of the homeworld would have hurt them more than the 10% subjugation tax, economically. If you just wanted to win the current war, subjugation instead of conquest was fine.

Just remember that subjugated enemies will eventually want to be free of the subjugation, and that the 10% tax probably isn't going to cripple them in the long run. Also, if you and they both have colonies in the same systems, that's a major source of tension (especially if you have mines in the contested system to go along with the contested colonies), and a homeworld vs a couple of minor colonies might lead to the minor colonies rebelling, especially if the main body of the populace is not of your own species. On the other hand, taking a homeworld can be very taxing on your resources, and might cost a large number of troops which you might better employ on less developed worlds with good resources or growth prospects, or which are strategically important to the faction you're at war with due to the presence of fuel sources or a rare (in their space) strategic resource.

quote:

What if I had bombarded the planet also to soften up defenses?

You would have taken a reputation hit, but it would have reduced the defending army size, planet quality, and planet population, as well as giving a chance to kill any characters present on the planet; the damage to the army, planet quality, and planet population depend on the bombardment duration. It would have made it easier to invade the planet, but it also might have ticked off other neighbors enough to get you into another war, depending on your pre-bombardment reputation and your diplomatic standing with your neighbors. It also might not work very well if the target had the planetary shield generator facility constructed.

(in reply to ChillGuru)

Post #: 6

RE: How to attack Homeworld and Spaceport? - 10/26/2013 7:44:34 PM

Fenrisfil

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Joined: 6/2/2013
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Glad the carrier advice helped. They have a huge impact against bases. As for bombing, well it depends on how your playing. You will get a big reputation hit for bombing, you will also decrease their population and planet quality which will for a time lower the income you can get from them. Though if it is the enemies only planet it will still be higher than the subjugation cash. You could also have blockaded the defenceless planet and started building a huge army to invade. That can take quite a while though as you can bet they will keep recruiting too.

I've never been able to decide which is best, so I tend to go with the option that fits most in with my empires style. If I'm using the Way of Darkness govt. type then it's bombs away!

(in reply to ChillGuru)

Post #: 7

RE: How to attack Homeworld and Spaceport? - 10/27/2013 11:08:28 AM

ChillGuru

Posts: 19
Joined: 8/24/2013
Status: offline

The fact that my reputation may take a hit does not really concern me much. Hehe. I actually like role playing a bit to make the game more fun. Im using the Prothean Cycle mod(which is very awesome) and playing as the Prothean Race, which was known for sending the sun of another system into super nova to kill their opponent. I dont think bombarding would bother them much. :) . I think I will just raise another army to take their homeworld. Since the population is it max, the income I would get from tax would outweight the 10% from subjucation. Thanks for the input. :)

(in reply to Fenrisfil)

Post #: 8

RE: How to attack Homeworld and Spaceport? - 10/27/2013 4:10:28 PM

CyclopsSlayer

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Joined: 2/11/2012
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DO NOT attack the Home world or Starport directly. Ht other units and facilities in the system first to pull fleet units away from the Bases.
You can likely take the Base OR the Fleet, but not both together. Same thing with Pirates. Let the ships come to you, rather than break yourself upon the rocks of their combined firepower.

(in reply to ChillGuru)

Post #: 9

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 10/29/2013 12:36:10 PM

Jeeves

Posts: 940
Joined: 9/28/2010
From: Arlington TN U.S.A
Status: offline

I took out the Guardian homeworld in the ninth game year last week, sent 4 size 1500 caps, 8 cruisers size 1100 and 6 carriers size 2250. They wiped out the carriers, but my troop ships also size 1500 landed and conquered them in less than a week. When you go to war with the Guardians, tell your fleet to move to a spot very near their homeworld, not the homeworld itself, then once all your ships are inside the warp denial zone, attack their homeworld. It's better to let them declare war on you for your attack than to take a 128 point reputation hit from declaring war on the Guardians...

Lonnie Courtney Clay

_____________________________

Live long and prosper!

Lonnie Courtney Clay

(in reply to ChillGuru)

Post #: 10

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 10/31/2013 4:55:21 PM

Shark7

Posts: 7937
Joined: 7/24/2007
From: The Big Nowhere
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The 'Brute Force' method also works. That is simply send as much firepower as possible and over-whelm it.

For me this isn't a problem since I also tend to send 80+ troop units for the ground combat anyway. To take an empires home world, I probably commit over 100 ships to the endeavor.

And if brute force doesn't get the job done...you aren't using enough.

_____________________________

Distant Worlds Fan

'When in doubt...attack!'

(in reply to Jeeves)

Post #: 11

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 10/31/2013 9:10:20 PM

CyclopsSlayer

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Joined: 2/11/2012
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Shark7
And if brute force doesn't get the job done...you aren't using enough.

AHH! The "If at first you don't succeed. Try a Bigger Hammer" method.

Honestly, I am not sure I have EVER had 80 mobile Ground units all at once. LOL. Usually if a world is that heavily defended, I just bomb it into the stone age, and colonize the ashes.

(in reply to Shark7)

Post #: 12

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 11/1/2013 2:26:26 PM

Jeeves

Posts: 940
Joined: 9/28/2010
From: Arlington TN U.S.A
Status: offline

To get an immediate surrender from 20x troop strength you need lots of troops. Since I have over 3500 troops in my empire in year 11 of my current game, I don't mind using ten size 1500 capacity 64 troops ships in my homeworld conquest fleet. Be sure to include special forces to take out the bunkers, planetary defense to shoot down landing troops, and armor to round out the combined arms forces. Speaking of armor, once you have a Boskara population fortress of Torak world, you can build a really astounding tank if you get the armored factory facility built...

Lonnie Courtney Clay

_____________________________

Live long and prosper!

Lonnie Courtney Clay

(in reply to CyclopsSlayer)

Post #: 13

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 11/1/2013 2:41:51 PM

Shark7

Posts: 7937
Joined: 7/24/2007
From: The Big Nowhere
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: CyclopsSlayer

quote:

ORIGINAL: Shark7
And if brute force doesn't get the job done...you aren't using enough.

AHH! The "If at first you don't succeed. Try a Bigger Hammer" method.

Honestly, I am not sure I have EVER had 80 mobile Ground units all at once. LOL. Usually if a world is that heavily defended, I just bomb it into the stone age, and colonize the ashes.

Yes, but you can't tax them into oblivion if you exterminate them.

I like to take homeworlds with populations in tact for the income boost...with the options I play with, money isn't always in the positive.

_____________________________

Distant Worlds Fan

'When in doubt...attack!'

(in reply to CyclopsSlayer)

Post #: 14

RE: How to attack Homeworld Spaceport? - 11/10/2013 10:28:21 PM

Hyena Grin

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Joined: 9/3/2013
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The easiest way to take down a spaceport is to have longer range weapons than the station, and then dedicate a design to simply putting as much of that weapon on the spaceport as possible. You can handle early pirate spaceports really easily with 6-8 ships with nothing but 5-8 concussion missile launchers, told to stand off from their targets. It stays true for bigger homeworld spaceports, you just need to increase the scale of the assault.

Simply building a ton of ships dedicated to long range missiles and set to 'stand off' is a great way to avoid the worst of the station's weaponry. You will of course need to defend those ships with shorter range ships and possibly point defenses/interceptors if their spaceport has fighters.

Of course this only works if your missiles are more advanced than theirs, but even if that's not the case, it just means you need more shields. Even if you're taking missile fire from the spaceport it beats getting close and taking missile fire PLUS whatever other armaments the station has, and gives your ships a better chance of warping out with minimal damage.

It works well, unless the enemy drops a fleet on you, but then you'd be in trouble no matter what your fleet composition.

< Message edited by Hyena Grin -- 11/10/2013 11:28:59 PM >

(in reply to ChillGuru)

Post #: 15