Home » Primary Racial Traits » PP » NAS
| NAS |
Mon, 27 October 2003 20:24  |
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 zoid |
 | Ensign |
Messages: 348
Registered: December 2002
Location: Murray, KY - USA | |
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| Coyote wrote on Sun, 26 October 2003 03:58 |
PP is stronger than people tend to give it credit for. Not much of an econ race, but can give some very nasty surprises in close quarters. Having just gotten packet-mauled by a freakin' IT, I am one to speak...
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I was just experimenting with a PP race last night, and having some fun I'll admit. I think the PP could be competetive as an economy-race IF the points for NAS were there, and I don't understand why they're not. The meager points gained for selecting NAS pretty much invalidate that as an LRT when you're playing PP, IMO. That leaves you with an expensive PRT choice and one less way of getting some points back.
I believe NAS was the first LRT I selected (then unselected) and it only yielded 22 points. I know the PP has pen-scan packets, but that provides a passing scan only - it can't stop. Furthermore, everyone can see the packet and it's point of origin when it's launched and it costs 70kt of minerals each time, and then someone can intercept it with a freighter to prevent scanning. That particular PRT trait is not so powerful that it should negate all the points from NAS, IMO.
The JOAT and the SS PRT get more points than that for NAS, and their exclusive ship scanners are a more powerful trait for defeating the handicap, because they can have stationary scanners for ongoing monitoring of planetary orbits - with adequate cloaking, the enemy won't even know he's being watched. The ship has a one-time cost and can be maneuvered around, and nobody has to know where it came from. When naming the most powerful PRT's, one invariably names CA first, and while I daresay PP is rarely if ever named second, JOAT probably is named often. Why is not the SS, and particularly, the JOAT penalized in the same fashion?
I think no other PRT is played less than PP. I bet even the HE races you'll encounter outnumber the PP on a pretty big scale. I know AR does. I know there will be some people who say "I play PP's sometimes" or even "I play PP a lot - I LOVE PP&
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I'M NOT AN EXPERT AND I'M OFTEN PROVEN WRONG. TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN YOU READ MY POSTS.
Math?  Ummm, sure!  I do FREESTYLE math.Report message to a moderator
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| Re: NAS |
Tue, 28 October 2003 01:45  |
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JoaT comes second for its 20% extra population..altho its the free penscanners I always miss when playing other races...but thats another forum...
I believe the big problem with PP is the masses of minerals it takes to get anything done with its special abilities. All three are in short supply at some stage...much moreso for PP.
The one article I've read on playing PP said to pretty much play it like AR...remote miners through the roof and wait for w13 drivers.
I agree tho...it does cost more than it should.
Now someone build a monster PP and prove us wrong.
Could make a very interesting 4th for a team game(CA+IT+AR+??)
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| Re: NAS |
Tue, 28 October 2003 11:18 |
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| EDog |
 | Lt. Junior Grade |
Messages: 417
Registered: November 2002
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA | |
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I play PP a lot. I LOVE PP!
A -f PP has minerals to burn for scanning and terraforming packets. I've experimented with hiding my PRT (as PP) until I can launch packets faster than W10 as well as launching packets as early as I can and have had success both ways. Opponents will have to burn lots of extra minerals to build freighters to intercept your mineral packets and/or lift population clear (will also need extra colonizers). You can put a tremendous amount of pressure on the development of opponent colonies early in the game. If you fling three or four different packets at a colony, your opponent has to decide to intercept them all or risk losing the colony, and nothing is more annoying than flinging 70 kt packet after 70 kt packet after 70 kt packet, forcing your opponents to wade through all the in-game messages (they don't dare ignore them for fear of missing the 1200 kt packet!). In the meantime, you can packet small reds and yellows to make them more habitable. I think a PP race is second only to SS for being a pain-in-the-ass neighbor.
From an economic standpoint, they can hold their own in most games. A PP benefits greatly from allies (especially WM), and are useful to have on your side. For a WM, the PP packet provides a devastating world-killing punch after the WM battle fleet knocks down the starbase and LBU bombs the target world. For annoying neighbors, an SS/PP combination is scary to behold. Imagine your freighters constantly disappearing and failing to intercept incoming packets or losing entire holdfuls of rescued colonists! A PP/AR combination provides a frightening amount of minerals for packeting, and the AR gets free terraforming with no risk to colonists! Other races can ally with PP and do similarly, although these three combinations specifically are exceptional.
I've had some success (and some failure) duelling using a PP race as well. Played properly, they are as competitive as any other PRT.
Packet-happy EDog
http://ianthealy.com
Born, grew up, became an adventurer
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| Re: NAS |
Tue, 28 October 2003 16:47 |
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on the SS+PP note...
an idea I just had: SS 98% cloaked warfleet travelled at warp 5 for 2 turns away from the PP launcher and another fleet at warp 5 the turn before that one launched and then at warp 10 (i.e. 1 turn at warp 10 infront of the warp 10 PP packet) towards the target world and then the PP launched a packet at warp 10 to the target world.
defender tries to intercept packet and they get nailed by the perfectly placed SS fleet, SS 2nd fleet arrives just after the packet slams home and drops colonists, first fleet took out the SB. Fleet number one has LBU bombers, fleet 2 has transports.
Sounds like a plan to me. Only downside would be minefields.
Which begs the question: is a super mining PP race the ultimate enemy to an SD? Those minefields can't do anything about those warp 15/16 packets.
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| Re: NAS |
Tue, 28 October 2003 17:13 |
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| EDog |
| Lt. Junior Grade |
Messages: 417
Registered: November 2002
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA | |
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| freakyboy wrote on Tue, 28 October 2003 14:47 |
on the SS+PP note...
Which begs the question: is a super mining PP race the ultimate enemy to an SD? Those minefields can't do anything about those warp 15/16 packets.
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Not really. The problem with most players who try PP is that they try to make the mineral packets their primary form of offense. Unfortunately that just doesn't work. To kill a world with 100% defenses, you need a tremendous packet traveling really, really fast. Or several packets. Either way, it's an inefficient way to dispose of a heavily defended world. Sooner or later a PP race has to get its feet dirty and go muck about with an opponent's battle group. You can't fling packets full of colonists (although the mind boggles at the idea - a W16 invasion from the comfort of your own homeworld!). You still have to go to the world you attack, destroy the defending fleet and starbase, protect your own colonists, and defend the world from others once you take it. Packets are best used in conjunction with a battle group consisting of starbase killers and LBU bombers. Timing is essential. The battle group arrives, knocks down the starbase (and pops any other foolhardy vessels in orbit), then the LBUs do their stuff and knock down the defenses. Right on their heels arrives the packet, cutting a vicious swath across the planetary population as it sheds huge pieces of mineral to impact across the surface of the planet (I get all excited about packets...can you tell). Right after the packet your invasion fleet arrives. If your packet didn't completely eliminate planetary population, your colonists will. And there's lots and lots of minerals lying conveniently on the surface for your colonists to pick up and use. Now your battle fleet has become a defending fleet until your captured world can defend itself.
Against an SD, you still have to sweep the fields before you attack. If the SD is using freighters to move population or intercept packets, it can't detonate minefields without losing th
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http://ianthealy.com
Born, grew up, became an adventurer
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| Re: NAS |
Fri, 17 December 2004 10:55 |
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| vonKreedon |
 | Lieutenant |
Messages: 610
Registered: March 2003
Location: Seattle, WA USA | |
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| Steve1 wrote on Fri, 17 December 2004 05:29 |
From an economic standpoint, they can hold As a WM, my first target would likely be PP. WM wants and is designed for a quick early victory against some hapless neighbour.
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If playing WM I would also target rather than ally with a PP neighbor, but not because of the early game weakness. WM are particularly vulnerable to packets in the mid to late game since they can't build decent planetary defenses, so a WM MUST take out PP as a matter of some urgency.
[Mod edit: fixed quote]
[Updated on: Sat, 18 December 2004 16:25] by Moderator
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