need help, fleet tacktics

You'll find some interesting dynamics here.

First, understand that each ship can only damage one ship per turn. So, if you have a huge hulled ship that does 200 damage vs. 4 tiny hulls with 14 hit points each, the huge hulled ship will only be able to inflict a maximum of 14 out of 200 points of damage per turn.

However, if a tiny and huge hulled ships have the same components, you'll have them both costing around the same, but the huge hulls will have several times more hit points. The large hull still has a disadvantage in that it takes up more logistic points though. I personally like to create cheaper huge hulled ships, especially because they can be upgraded to a heavy duty design later on. I put them in packs of whatever my logistics can handle, and they can be quite deadly.

The other huge advantage of bigger hulls is better defense. If you can pack enough (of the right kind of) defense onto a larger hull you can make it so that it's almost impenetrable to weaker ships.

However, loading huge hulled ships with tons of offense and little defense makes no sense at all. They can't use all of their offense, and they'll get blown out of the sky. It's just a huge waste of money.

That's about what i have thought is going on. Thanks for the info, most helpful.

At the moment i am fighting 2 very powerful AI's. They tend to send large powerful fleets.

From what you say, i am much better off sticking with tiny ships. Yea i picked up on the trick of using large hulled ships with the same weapons outfit as used on tiny ships. However there aint a large enough hulled ship available to make any difference in that regard against these guys. Their firepower is just too high. Pluss i would still get the logistics penalty.

Yea, tiny ships rule supreme!

I use a combo late game. I try to put enough tiny/small (weapons only) ships to absorb 2-3 rounds to help protect my large ones. Usually the smaller ships take each other out and then it's head to head. With appropriate defensives and weapons, the AI uber ships can be taken out.

This is my current strategy too. It is a little frustrating in the sense that every little piece of crap lone ship that attacks my fleet, takes one of my tiny ships down with it. It is quite a drag on my recourses going one for one against the Ai like that. It is actually better for me that i am attacked by fleets rather than lone ships.... quite a bizzare fact??

I usually am the one doing the attacking so those single run-ins are not that common. I do like to move my ships in two fleets. One has the fodder, the other has the majors. Then, before engaging an enemy fleet/planet I combine what is necessary. Sometimes I have to pull a big ship out of the fleet because of the minor attacks, but not often.

I only have 3 fleets. Just enough to defend my starbases.

I am only just able to build enough ships to keep them going, although that will change since my production is too high and money is looking yelow.

I have well over 30 trade starbases along my trade route but it seems to be inadequate.

Money is probably going to force me to loose in the end since i won't be able to build an offensive fleet let alone maintain the ones i have.

Aside from money being stupid, it is a great game, nicely ballanced. I am allied with the Alterians who are allied with my two enemies, the thalans and the arcaens. The Drath are the only other race still standing but are very weak.

You know, I told my student loan officer the exact same thing!

But really, try setting up more trade routes along the path of all of your economy star bases. Thats a personal favorite tactic of mine... It can lead to some very serious cash very, very quickly. You have the foundation to do it.

To guard against smaller lone ships, try just making a fleet of several ships. These ships can be a bit more economical (less engines, range, sensors, everything) and fleet the together. Then just make that small fleet you intercept fleet and keep your heavy hitters protected! Good luck!

Also, in order to use the quote function first highlight the text you want to quote, and then press quote. At first it seems confusing, but it's really the best way of doing quotes that I've seen.

The other huge advantage of bigger hulls is better defense. If you can pack enough (of the right kind of) defense onto a larger hull you can make it so that it's almost impenetrable to weaker ships.

This is the advantage that tips the scale in favor of the player's huge ships. If you can't hit me, you can't hurt me. This applies to any size and strength of ship the AI can throw at you. Swarms of tiny hulls, or a few dreadnoughts, the outcome is the same; the only difference being the length of time it will take to destroy them all.

This is the advantage that tips the scale in favor of the player's huge ships. If you can't hit me, you can't hurt me. This applies to any size and strength of ship the AI can throw at you. Swarms of tiny hulls, or a few dreadnoughts, the outcome is the same; the only difference being the length of time it will take to destroy them all.

(Thanks Geff Graw for tip on quoting! hehehe i thought it was doing it automatically all this time... silly me).

Interesting theory, how would you defend against all 3 weapon categories at once? Since the AI is most happy to change it's weapons, creating an invunerable fleet seems impossible?

Interesting theory, how would you defend against all 3 weapon categories at once? Since the AI is most happy to change it's weapons, creating an invunerable fleet seems impossible?

You try to change with the AI, kind of like rock paper scissors. Other times, the AI doesn't have any good technology for a different kind of weapon so you don't need to worry about it.

What I usually do for an 'invulnerability ship' is have a kind of 60/20/20 split in defense, with the 60 being the weapon the AI is currently relying on. Other splits would work too, but make sure you at least have some defense points in each category.

With good racial bonuses coupled with military resource star bases you can augment the base defense of your ships, sometimes to more than double their original value. This augmentation is more beneficial to ships with high defense than low defense due to the 'if you can't hit me, you can't beat me' syndrome.

I try to not rely on trade routes for income. At best, they are only a means to an end, as you eventually will lose ALL your trade routes. Instead, I focus on tax income and morale, and have no problem having idle planets. If your facing a large expence, shut down those constructor pumps for a number of turns.

I know for your current game it's like closing the barn door after the horses got out, but I try to plan my wars a little bit, in that I not only want to design and build/upgrade ships to match/counter theirs, but I also try and bankrupt them first, so that they can't counter-upgrade without totally killing their economy. Selling them a bunch of useless techs is a good way to do that.

Try using off-world population before hand also. Before I attack, my transports are already in space and full, with the planets full as well. The loss of tax income trying to fill up transports during wartime can be a killer....or so I have heard   

Stringing trade SBs along the entire trade route is an expensive endeavor. Watch you route income per ship. I will set up several trade bases near my economy planet and reaching out 2-3 sectors. Once the trade ship is no longer in range of those SBs, destroy it and re-create the route. This maximizes your trade income, and keeps those trade ships in your sphere of influence and protection.

Stringing trade SBs along the entire trade route is an expensive endeavor. Watch you route income per ship. I will set up several trade bases near my economy planet and reaching out 2-3 sectors. Once the trade ship is no longer in range of those SBs, destroy it and re-create the route. This maximizes your trade income, and keeps those trade ships in your sphere of influence and protection.

I have the galactic privateer to protect my trade route plus it is not passing through any dangerous sectors. I always trade with a planet that is near to me, then when i run out of room for starbases, i start trading with a new planet further out. This way i never really have mini freighters that are not boosted at any point in their journey.

I have decided to convert another planet over to stock markets and see if that gets me out of trouble.

Thanks for advice

I have decided to convert another planet over to stock markets and see if that gets me out of trouble.

Remember that farms are at least as important as stock markets, as they increase your taxable population. Also, with higher populations you need moral buildings to keep your people happy.

What I usually do for an 'invulnerability ship' is have a kind of 60/20/20 split in defense, with the 60 being the weapon the AI is currently relying on. Other splits would work too, but make sure you at least have some defense points in each category.

Very wise. not sure it would work in my case tho because i am under attack from 2 enemies. one is using lasers and mass drivers, the other is using lasers and missiles!

Very wise. not sure it would work in my case tho because i am under attack from 2 enemies. one is using lasers and mass drivers, the other is using lasers and missiles!

Ouch! 60/20/20 might work with shields being 60, or you may just be better off with smaller ships. The best way to find out is to experiment and use your findings in a later game.

Remember that farms are at least as important as stock markets, as they increase your taxable population

it seems as though two farms is the maximum (from an efficiency point of view), any more and the moral factor starts getting pretty horrific.

One farm is probably the best efficiency - but i use two farms just incase i stuff up somehow and get invaded. 20' population usually repels most AI invasions.

it seems as though two farms is the maximum (from an efficiency point of view), any more and the moral factor starts getting pretty horrific.

Also, with higher populations you need moral buildings to keep your people happy.

When you are putting defenses on a ship try to maximize their efficiency, too. For example when defending against beams with shields, put 1 (or 4, or 9) units on the ship. Then they will give you 1 (or 2, or 3) units of defense against guns & missles (according to the manual pg. 46). I've seen the AI ships do this.

Also, with higher populations you need moral buildings to keep your people happy.

Seems as though a second or third moral building has much less effect (as a percentage of population) as the first one. Meaning more than one moral building reduces efficient use of your planet squares?

When you are putting defenses on a ship try to maximize their efficiency, too. For example when defending against beams with shields, put 1 (or 4, or 9) units on the ship. Then they will give you 1 (or 2, or 3) units of defense against guns & missles (according to the manual pg. 46). I've seen the AI ships do this.

Do you mean that beam weapon shielding also gives some defence against mass drivers and missiles?