Combined arms (Full Version)

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currierm -> Combined arms (12/19/2010 10:30:05 PM)

The weapon types in the expansion make for some more interesting combat options. What are folks doing with this?

I don't have a lot of combat experience yet. But one strategy I'm trying is:

  • Front line ships with blasters, heavy shields and both ion attack and defense.
  • Carriers with some missiles and stand-off orders.
  • Dedicated missile ships.


Still working on the right mix. I worry a bit that a horde of blaster based ships can overrun the front line. Maybe a pure carrier/missile strategy is better- with fast ships?



Okim -> RE: Combined arms (12/24/2010 10:48:32 AM)

I tend to build mainly destroyer (230 size) fleets early own with some deeply specialised frigates and very rare cruisers (mainly carriers).

A basic invasion force consists of:

1-2 carriers (cruisers 280 size)
2 troopships (3 troops and bombs)
4-6 Ironclads (destroyers much like your front line ships, but with lots of armor and shields rather than weapons)
4-6 brawlers with more blasters than armor/shields
4-6 missile destroyers (specialists)

All this is backed up with various specialised frigates (size 150-200) depending on the foe:
- ion cannon frigates to make it easier for brawlers/ironclads to get into position
- fast frigates to hunt carriers/stand-off ships
- pd frigates with lots of pd cannons and a single blaster

Later when you can build capitals (400 and higher) ships fleets tend to transform into groups of several universal designs (mixed ironclads+brawlers, missile+carriers etc.), however even after that i still use specialised frigates with the fleets.



PaulP -> RE: Combined arms (12/24/2010 6:03:27 PM)

I've just been using fleets of fast missile ships. They actually seem a bit overpowered compared to the other weapons. They jump in in a circle around a target and due to the long range every ship immediately has range on the target, decimating them before they have a chance approach any of the ships.

Early in my latest game the AI had recovered a badass abandoned capital ship with high powered lasers, and it totally decimated my entire fleet of early generation destroyers with nothing but blasters. They barely dented the shields, as it was cutting them down as they got into range. I quickly rallied my newly built missile frigates (which were on various patrol missions). After I gathered them up I sent them in, and they popped out of hyper speed in a circle around the big ship and immediately started firing and flying away from it. I only lost one ship that happened to jump in too close, the rest avoided fire and just pelted it with missiles. It jumped out when its shields dropped and I sent them after it, and as soon as it stopped they popped back in all around it and finished it off.



adecoy95 -> RE: Combined arms (12/24/2010 7:46:05 PM)

i tend not to use combined arms, instead i have found that spreading out the stuff in the fleet is useful... 1 fighter bay on a ship x 15 is alot of fighters. also torpedoes, lots of torpedoes



currierm -> RE: Combined arms (1/3/2011 4:25:47 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PaulP
I've just been using fleets of fast missile ships. They actually seem a bit overpowered compared to the other weapons. They jump in in a circle around a target and due to the long range every ship immediately has range on the target, decimating them before they have a chance approach any of the ships.


I definitely like missiles. But the higher techs don't improve their damage potential that much and it doesn't seem like they stack up well to late game beams or torps. Still, a very useful part of the arsenal and missile based ships can be cheap and fast.




currierm -> RE: Combined arms (1/3/2011 4:33:09 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: adecoy95

i tend not to use combined arms, instead i have found that spreading out the stuff in the fleet is useful... 1 fighter bay on a ship x 15 is alot of fighters. also torpedoes, lots of torpedoes



Torps seem like one of the best weapons.

Do you build lots of small ships? I've tended towards destroyers and cruisers for the heart of my fleet. There's a bunch of standard stuff I like to put on my ships: targeting, ECM, solar panels, 3 fuel cells. Once you add in engines/thrusters/hyperdrive and the like you're up to a fairly high base cost before you start throwing in weapons. So, my full time fleets are mostly 200+ sized ships. Do you use ships smaller than that?



sbach2o -> RE: Combined arms (1/3/2011 9:59:44 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: currierm

quote:

ORIGINAL: PaulP
I've just been using fleets of fast missile ships. They actually seem a bit overpowered compared to the other weapons. They jump in in a circle around a target and due to the long range every ship immediately has range on the target, decimating them before they have a chance approach any of the ships.


I definitely like missiles. But the higher techs don't improve their damage potential that much and it doesn't seem like they stack up well to late game beams or torps. Still, a very useful part of the arsenal and missile based ships can be cheap and fast.


Even worse seems the late game balance of missiles against armor. Or am I missing something?

Top tier missiles do 11 damage, regardless of distance. The reactive armor rating of the top armor is... I don't have the game right before me... 10? (in the worst case it is 8). If I understand it correctly, the reactive armor rating is deducted from the strength of every hit before calculating what gets through to disable armor, meaning there would only be one point of damage left.

What I am unclear about is, what happens when all armor is gone? Does the reactive armor rating still apply to the hits going through to equipment? If not, missiles wouldn't appear that bad. And what about hits that have still some armor between them and the innards of a ship? If every such hit could disable only one piece of armor, anyway, there wouldn't be any difference between one point of damage after armor rating from a missile to fourty points from a Shaktur Firestorm.

I guess I should still do some reading in Galactopedia. Hopefully, these questions are addresses there. [8|]



BigWolfChris -> RE: Combined arms (1/3/2011 11:54:19 AM)

I believe missiles are supposed to be good early game weapons but bad late game ones
Sort of makes sense considering their energy requirements don't keep up with any of the other weapons either (meaning if their damage did, they would become extremely overpowering)



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