Setup

This game play example represents Drengin/Human Wars XXII.  It is the first game in which the Drengin are fully utilizing the new adaptation based AI system that was developed over the past couple of months. 

The Drengin are 0-21 so far in these wars.   The last one (Game XXI) can be found here. 

Now before anyone asks: These game examples are designed to see how good the computer AI can be at the toughest setting before the AI gets any "Cheats" (i.e. free money). 

There are lots of lower levels to play at, some don't worry, the game isn't "hard" if you play it as easier levels.  My job is to make sure that the game is not only challenging but plays intelligently -- like a human player (well techinically, like a non-obnoxious human player).

This particular game will exist on a map newly created for the Bonus Pack.  It is called "Total War" and the scearnio is "Drengin Human Wars". It sets the players at permanent war and it's a 1 on 1 game on a relatively small map.  As the human player, I have a lot of advantages over the computer player, particularly in this case since I know where the worlds are and the AI does not.

..And so it begins...

Playing on a special map called Total War in a scenario called Drengin Human Wars. It's permanent war between the humans and the Drengin.  Only one will survive.  I have the advantage of knowing where the good planets are, the Drengin will have to scout them.  Poetic justice for all Galactic Civilizations I players where roles were reversed.

I am using the human style ships but making their hulls more gray than is normal.  The Terran assault in this sector will be led by General Talon.

This particular iteration of the scenario allows minor races. One of which occupies one of my planets (though it doesn't realize that yet).  Those pesky rodents -- the sentient squirrel race, the Snathi!

They have pointy teeth too!

Charming.

The United Planets still works in my favor -- barely. 

New Years Day: 2226. Exactly one year after the start of the war, the advantage is strongly to the Terran side:

Making use of my advantage in terms of knowing where the planets are on this map, I've taken 4 of the planets. The Drengin currently have 4. One world is unclaimed and one is owned by a minor race.

However, within the month, the last unclaimed world is taken by the Drengin.  Change of plans -- my colony ship is upgraded to a constructor to build star bases.

The battle lines are drawn now.  I focus on beam weapons.

The first major engagement with the Drengin fit the doctrine ideally.  3 Night Stalkers vs. 2 Drengin heavy fighters.  The Night Stalker is a "Generation 1" star fighter while the Drengin ships we encountered were first generation (mark 0). So our ships were the latest design vs. what is likely an obsolete design.

Always trust the doctrine they say.  Unfortunately, the Drengin learn their lesson quickly.  The doctrine isn't secret after all.  3 fighters vs 2 heavy fighters vs 1 frigate.  The Drengin start moving ships in that have 3 heavy fighters.  I do not yet have the logistics capability to mass more than 3 fighters together.  Time to focus on building up my logistics tech so that I can have bigger fleets.

By the start of 2227, I have researched Basic Logistics.I now can have 4 small ships in a fleet. The Drengin respond by upping their logistics so that they can have 4 heavy fighters.  This campaign is quickly turning into a competing battle of logistics rather than tactics or even weaponry (which is a strikingly unusual thing).

It's a risky gambit for the Drengin Empire (and the AI behind it) to take because humans are much better at focusing military power than computers. Computers are good at organizing resources but tend to be more clumsy when it comes to making surgical strikes of coordinated military power.  This would be an interesting thing to see if it could pull it off.

It was time to bring in a new ship..

All of the star ports were ordered to switch from the T-1 to the T-2 immediately.

My tactical situation was problematic though.  The Drengin know like anyone else that small fighters need to be turned into fleets.  So its strategy was pretty straight forward -- guard each planet with a superior force and eliminate emerging fighters as they are constructed.

So I find myself in a bit of a problem. Upon being built, I have to take my ships out of orbit and have them run away from the ships. The Drengin go in hot pursuit from both directions as I send two fighters towards each other between two planets.  The idea being that I can combine them into a fleet and hope the T-2s are enough.  The Drengin ships are still the mark 0.  My mark 2 ships should be quite lethal.  We shall see in moments..

Two bugs cannot take out 2 Drengin heavy fighters.  The 3 to 2 ratio remains despite my weapons advantage.  The problem is that the Drengin have their ability points sucked into hit points which gives them an advantage.  It's still pretty close.  But 12 hit points vs. 30 hitpoints is tough to overcome even if my weapons are 5 times better.

This is something that you don't want to see:

A Drengin transport heading towards an undefended planet with 4 - FOUR Drengin heavy fighters guarding the planet. You can imagine which direction my ships would have to come from (the one  they're facing).

I lose the planet.  Now we definitely have a problem.

The Mark 2 heavy fighter has arrived.  The Drengin are getting serious.  It's time to rethink strategy.  I'm not getting enough time to organize my small fighters into large enough groups and the Drengin have a logistical lead on me such that they can put 4 heavy fighters (12 logistics points) together.  I'm in serious trouble.

I've lost my defenses at Kwilas as well.  I need a new ship. Fast!

The first battle takes place right by our base colony. And it's sweet to see some victories finally.

What is that strange word? I have not seen it before.  Victory? I like it whatever it is.

Where the pugs failed, the Sabres pick up.

My sabres are much more survivable but they are much more expensive.  And I quickly feel the pinch financially.

Moreover, the Drengin sit there smug waiting for reinforcements:

Sander has fallen and Kwilas is the next target. The Drengin are escorting their transports aggressively. I can't touch them. Not yet.

Besides, those reinforcements come from my flank:

4 mark II Drengin heavy fighters.  Not as good as my ships but a lot cheaper.

There's only one thing I can do.  Visit the talking Squirrel.

I'm negotiating with a rodent.  How far have I fallen?

Too late for Kwilas. I've lot another planet.

New Years, 2228 the quadrant looks a lot different now.

I have two planets left. My economy is on the ropes, my industry is straining and I'm falling behind technologically.  I've never been in this situation before in a duel with the AI. 

The Sabers are doing a good job holding the Drengin back.  But I'm also having to defend the Snathi who are at war with the Drengin.  I need their money. 

Also, unlike in previous games, the Drengin are taking out my distant starbases (a change in the AI) which affects my economy.  The Snathi eventually fall as well.

The force that took out the Snathi included a Mark III frigate with deflectors (which take away some of the punch from my weapons).

A Sabre is no match for a frigate.

Given that this squadron of Sabres was to secure the area for my transports, this defeat means that my transports need to return home.

But I have a new destination for those ships:

Snathi!  I liberate the Snathi and they become a Terran Alliance protectorate. 

So what am I dealing with? 

Combined with..

To counter this, the Terran Alliance had constructed the Hyperion class Battle Cruiser.

And as fate would have it, they would get the opportunity to battle it out very soon.

Ironically, neither frigate sized ship survived but a single Sabre was left standing.  There were several other similar battles and essentially it's pretty evenly matched.

Unfortunately, the first wave of Mark IV Drengin ships were arriving and they were no longer using missiles.

Advanced Logistics arrives. Now I can create larger fleets than the Drengin can.  Could this turn the tide of war?

Twists of Fate

An odd event also came up...

Research rates doubled!  The Hyperions, meanwhile, have been holding back the Drengin hordes.  The Mark 4 frigates were problematic though.  With 9 laser canons and a shield array, they were more than a match for a Hyperion.  But they Drengin didn't have many yet.  Moving from missiles to lasers bought me time -- the Drengin had to go all the way up the beam weapon tree which takes time since techs get slightly more expensive for each subsequent one you get.

I used this time to take Xasica.  Xasica was a planet that the Drengin beat me to early on.  Now it was mine.  It as also my first opportunity to look at a Drengin planet.

Xasic was impressive. It had structures that I couldn't even begin to build yet.

Xasico has research academies, a manufacturing capital (yeeha!), enhanced factories, an orbital fleet manager, and a galactic achievement -- the restaurant of eternity.  It was a huge victory for the Terran Alliance!

It also demonstrated how far behind I was technologically.  I needed to get moving or the Drengin would outnumber me and outfight me.  The Mark V frigate, for instance, had 8 beam weapon attack (Plasma weapons) and 2 defense. Compared to 6 attack and 1 defense for a Hyperion.

I miss the early Drengin/Terran wars.  I used to be able to count on the Drengin only having a ship or two in orbit.  Now, not only does it have 7 ships in orbit, but it has an orbital fleet manager. This would be a tough egg to crack. 

I was now putting all my energy into upgrading my weapons and miniaturization technology. And with this...a new ship.

To support it, General Talon requested a new small fighter which he got.

At this stage, our existing ships of the line were simply outclassed.

So the real question was, could our Mark IV units get out there in time?

Since my ships were more defense oriented, they were more expensive. In this battle, I had more, better ships.

The problem is, while the Novas are good, the Hyperions are practically useless at this point.  And I don't have enough Novas.  The few I've had have done really well, even against the newer mark V Drengin frigates.

Snathi is conquered!

And the Mark V Drengin heavy fighters are really tough!

The Drengin create combined arms fleets of their new Mark V fighters with Mark V Frigates. It's a lethal combo.  Xasica is now undefended!

The Drengin are definitely in the driver's seat.  The situation is starting to look pretty grim.  We're down to 3 planets.  The Drengin have the rest (7?).

Thindor survives an invasion attempt.

The Sapper's defenses (rated at 4) are impressive until it's battling ships with an attack rating of 8 or more, at which point, its 6 hitpoints become a real issue.

The fat lady begins to warm up.

That defeat marks the end of the Terran Alliance as an effective combat force in this quadrant.

Xasica is still under my control but it's become a backwater in most respects.  But it is key in one way: It is the quadrant's leading research area.

And in 7 weeks, the Drengin will have expert logistics, so their fleets will be huge. 

This is my only chance now.  I have too few planets to do small ship strategies.  I now have to hope I can build a couple of tough capital ships.

The Last Stand

At nearly two football fields in length, the Liberator was a big ship. And there's much bigger ships available beyond this.

Even the Drengin Mark V's look puny.

Unfortunately, it's too little too late.

When the ships escorting a transport have 20 beam attack you know it's all over.

And that's when a Mark VI battleship arrives on the scene.

My entire fleet of liberators...destroyed easily.

Xasica is gone.

My last planet.

Disgusting.

Maybe I can get peace and find a way to get back at them later?

Or not.

Sigh.

So where did I go wrong?

I think the most obvious answer is that I shouldn't have tried to do the small ship thing with so few planets to build large fleets together.  I still managed to kill more of him than he got of me, not that that helped.

One might argue that my doom was sealed early on when I horsed around on getting the key planets.  I thought I could beat them to some of their key planets and then settle the ones close to me at my leisure.  I was wrong on that and it cost me. 

Now for those who are worrying that the game is too hard, bear in mind I'm playing at a very high difficulty level.  At the cakewalk levels it's much easier to deal with and the AI not nearly as aggressive.  At this level, the AI is trying its best to do whatever it takes to win.