Taking down an SD |
Fri, 09 May 2003 22:04 |
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What's the best way?
Do you use armored DDs (carb/organic armor) instead of frigates to take the exploding minefield hits?
How about CCs, would they last better?
How do you ensure your fleets get there?
And how do you deal with heavy minefields?
Hmm.. assistance in this would be most grateful...
they made me do itReport message to a moderator
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Re: Taking down an SD |
Sat, 10 May 2003 03:03 |
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CC's are probably the better idea, but DD's will do the job.
Frigates just don't use at all... unless you're IS and you use croby sharmour.
What you want is a beamer ship that can take a minefield hit. Split the fleet and run them at high speed around the minefield - they'll hit something and take a hit, sweep the minefield back... oh and then if set to detonate they will... but your ships wont be hit.
Ensure your fleet gets there - travel at the maximum speed with a zero risk of hitting the mines, or pre-sweep the minefield
Heavy minefields - pre-sweep. Heavies do so much damage it's not worth risking sending in a big fleet at high warp... you'll get ur ass whooped.
The real problems are speed traps. You HAVE to sweep those in advance - there's next to bugger all chance of heading through at high speed.
Best way to get round an SD minefield is to be an SD yourself. The 2+ warp speed in minefields is a huge advantage - you double the speed you can travel at compared to normal races.
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Re: Taking down an SD |
Tue, 13 May 2003 02:45 |
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It's expensive but I've seen it done...
an opponent in one game used mini mine layers with cargo pods for shifting population and even put coloniser pods on some.
Since SD can lay mines at each point without having to wait a year he just transported his people from A to B while laying mines all the way along. He kept every minefield detonating all the time (once all the early freighters had been replaced by mini mine transports)
It seemed like a bad diea at the time... but he did go 85 years without having to build a single warship!!! - and got away with it!!! (only lost the game because he didn't aggressively expand or invade anyone - which was a shame)
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Re: Taking down an SD |
Sat, 16 October 2004 13:29 |
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Robert | | Lt. Junior Grade | Messages: 393
Registered: November 2002 Location: Dortmund, Germany | |
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I am tempted to give away some of my tricks here....
(mostly taken from JC's articles - thanks!)
Early:
build MML with a mizer and one layer, move them to the planet you like to keep and blow up the field every turn. It is really hard to get a ship there and you are likely to get the planet.
These ships are really cheap! (and can be used as booster due to the fuel they carry!)
Early:
To sweep minefields the enemy will most likely build DDs with a shield and bazookas. Frigates dont work and before the bazooka sweeping is hopeless. These early sweepers are easy to counter:
Frigates are cheaper, ligher (you need one less range), better shield stacking and better damage as you got only one token and the DD has 2! (dont move into your detonating fields!)
You will always have a better skirmishing fleet early
Middle:
Lay normal fields around your own worlds and detonate them each turn. If they attack (and maybe crashsweep) they will get a hit, even if they crashsweep the whole field (really!).
This way if you got a missle loaded base and they cant use chaff you are hard to take down - bases are only weak because of chaff, without chaff they are nasty... at least in mid-game.
The only way to avoid it is to sweep the field down to 1ly before they attack - you are warned and can gate in your fleet, also you have more time to prepare.
Bonus: the ships you build the same turn you detonate the field are not damaged, cause you detonate first, then build! So you can keep the fields detonating and still build ships without damage! (just dont forget to gate them to a better place
Middle:
Use a warp10 engine and the minilayer hull and heavies, the ship move 2.5 cause the heavies are so light. Yuo can build a lot of them very cheaply and send them into enemy space warp10. They are not only vey hard to intercept (warp10, heavies all around doing a _lot_ of damage etc.), they will also need to build either fast beamers or missles. missles cant sweep so they build fast beamers. CCs are difficult (take only one
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2b v !2b -> ?Report message to a moderator
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Re: Taking down an SD |
Mon, 18 October 2004 02:42 |
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Robert | | Lt. Junior Grade | Messages: 393
Registered: November 2002 Location: Dortmund, Germany | |
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iztok wrote on Sun, 17 October 2004 21:43 | Hi!
Robert wrote on Sun, 17 October 2004 10:42 | (best sweeper)
The best is an IS frigate with mizer and the minigun.
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I also considered that design, but it lacks the fuel, needed to follow minelayers for more turns. It is also hard to use on attack, because it has low armor (only 3 minehits). I ended with the DD with crobby, 2 miniguns and a FM. I even excluded fuel tank to be cheaper. Without docks I don't recommend repeating this.
BR, Iztok
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Yes, a much better allrounder ship, but for the purpose of "being there and sweep _directly_ after the minefield has been layed" you need _lots_ of them cheaply. To be honest I never played against a SD who forced me to do things like this, so what I write here is just "theory"...
But there is another problem with SD:
IMO SD has more problems with design slots than other PRTS.
Not only he need several designs for minelayers, also some more for succesful skirmishing... Also he will have a lot of old designs around - or more than other PRTs....
Maybe SD is the only PRT that can make use of the UR LRT???
It is not _that_ expensice. Also he can scrap the 2 minelayers from start on and get a nice boost in very early resources...
Ah... of topic...
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Re: Taking down an SD |
Mon, 23 October 2006 19:38 |
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knightpraetor | | Chief Warrant Officer 1 | Messages: 154
Registered: October 2006 | |
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Early:
To sweep minefields the enemy will most likely build DDs with a shield and bazookas. Frigates dont work and before the bazooka sweeping is hopeless. These early sweepers are easy to counter:
Frigates are cheaper, ligher (you need one less range), better shield stacking and better damage as you got only one token and the DD has 2! (dont move into your detonating fields!)
You will always have a better skirmishing fleet early
n00b question: why does the DD have 2?
n00b question 2: i assume Any/Any disengage orders just fights while disengaging? but doesn't disengaging require so amny turns of no combat?
and also, is there any way to make ships stay in the cover of the starbase instead of charing out there? even on max-defense, they seem to go out to fight and let the starbase get wasted; and then if they lose the enemy takes on the starbase by itself
[Updated on: Mon, 23 October 2006 19:40] Report message to a moderator
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Re: Taking down an SD |
Tue, 24 October 2006 12:58 |
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Marduk | | Ensign | Messages: 345
Registered: January 2003 Location: Dayton, OH | |
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knightpraetor wrote on Mon, 23 October 2006 19:38 | and also, is there any way to make ships stay in the cover of the starbase instead of charing out there? even on max-defense, they seem to go out to fight and let the starbase get wasted; and then if they lose the enemy takes on the starbase by itself
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You can give your ships QJ5 engines so that their 'rush' towards the enemy is more of a crawl. Not something I'd recommend if you plan on doing any fighting away from your starbases, though.
Edit (since this is an SD thread): The Energy Dampener also helps keep ships closer to the orbital.
[Updated on: Tue, 24 October 2006 12:59] Report message to a moderator
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