Sensor ships -- a perceived threat?

from GalCiv2 Forums
I know that at higher AI levels the AI will respond in force if it thinks you are building up forces on your borders. Does anyone know what it uses as a measure of "force"? If I throw just a ton of sensors on a ship and park it on the border, am I increasing my threat? And are military hulls, even with no attack, considered military vessels?

Oh and am I the only one who finds it odd that Mark III sensors are as effective and the same size as Mark IV but cost less? Same as IV and V. I think the sensor tech line needs to be thinned down a bit.
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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I noticed that the dreadlords did NOT like my sensor ships either.

Whenever they noticed one, they would make a beeline for it, completely ignoring the 12+ battleships I had nearby, also ignoring the planetary defenses that were keeping it's transports out (which I assume is the reason the Dreadlords sent the combat ships in the first place).

On one hand, it makes a lot of sense. Destroying an enemy's recon/espionage capabilities is very important in a war. Perhaps the threat rating for sensors is a little too high, though, since the AI chooses to completely ignore hostile fleets that it could probably slaughter if it attacked first instead of going after the non-combat sensor ships.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Mark IV sensors give you 2 parsecs of view, where Mark III give you 1.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If you go to Sensor Mark IV you can build the Eyes of the Universe. Once built it will clear up any fog around your planets. The need for sensor ships will become moot. You can get it early if you have enough research labs because the turns are not that great for researching it. When you research Sensor Mark III you will also get the galactic guide book which means that you can explore anomalies with any ship that you build provided that you put on the correct module.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
So it does Martimus...my bad. I was looking at someone's spreadsheet for improvements. Sadly I'm stuck at work and not playing.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If you go to Sensor Mark IV you can build the Eyes of the Universe. Once built it will clear up any fog around your planets. The need for sensor ships will become moot. You can get it early if you have enough research labs because the turns are not that great for researching it.


It's the way to go on a gigantic map
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Just curious. What types of sensor ships have you guys made? And how do you deploy them? Ive only played a handful of games and the types of sensor platforms I have made werent that great, they had a 7 parsec sensor range. I deployed them to cover any defense holes I had around my borders and to cover any approaches to my main planets and Earth. The sensor ships where not armed either. I was lucky enough that the enemy ignored them, but thats maybe because I was playing at the begginer difficulty
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sensor ships are a critical part in playing guerrilla. More often then not, destroying the enemy's capabilitiy to see you is more important then your battleships. This way you can't sneak transports and privateers around trying to blow up undefended targets. The AI -knows- what you are doing, and is taking the steps to prevent that. Goods to know the Dreadlords could smash your battlefleet to pieces, what it's worried about it you sneaking a task force in around it. Killing the sensor ships stops this from happening. (You need those to effectively 'guerrila')
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The game judges your miltary (I think) based on:

(Hitpoints/10)+attack+defence for ALL your ships.

So an unarmed sensor ship will add HP/10 to your military score. If you use cargo hulls then the AI probably won't consider them as a build up to war. I say probably, because I think the AI can detect lots of constructors/transports around it's planets and treats them as a cassus belli for war.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I learned quickly to make sure every one of my fleets have a LRS (Long Range Sensor) ship in them. Generally, they have minimal offensive or defensive capability with offensive being the last priority.

I also create some LRS Cruisers with enough offensive/defensive capability to avoid being an easy target though I generally avoid leaving these valuable assets unprotected.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I usually create sensor ships on cargo hulls, no engines and as many sensors as I can fit. I'll then park them overlapping between myself and a hostile race. They are usually the first thing killed at the start of a war if I can't get them to retreat fast enough.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Personally, my sensors ships come in 2 varieties:
1- The AWAC. These are usually tiny or small hulls. They will be part of fleets and musn't take up too much space. good engines to keep up with the rest, no weapons or armor, only lots of sensor. Their sight range is usually less than a full-blown dedicated sensor ship but they give my fleets a great view range.

2- The intelligence ship. Those usually are cargo hulls filled with sensors, engines and life support. Move fast, move far, see lots. Cargo hulls take up 5 points so I usually don'T put them in my fleets early on and later on, cheap sensors are small enough to add them to my regular warships. They usually operate by themselves or with a small escort of accordingly as-fast ships to take out targets of opportunity (constructors, weakly-deffended starbases, freighters, etc.)
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The problem with #1 is that your logistical space could be used as a ship with a weapon. Basically you are needlessly adding risk to your fleet. I do your idea in #2 and make sure they have just enough engines to outrun the enemy ships and keep up with my fleets. You get the same effect, but with that one extra ship in your fleet for offense, and it sometimes makes all the difference in a close fight.