Need help!

Sir Og · February 23, 2004, 10:25

I would like to know how can I defend against raids on my ships from the AI. It is extremely annoing later in the game when they have the tech to make the raid from more than 10 squares. I probably don't do things right because sometimes inferior (at least I though so) AI ships kick my butt really bad.

This happens late in the game when I have all the techs but obviously there is a major design flow in my ships (most notably death stars) because they are extremely vulnerable to raids.

I would also like to know how can I acquire tech from the Antarians.

Spelling

Garth Vader · February 23, 2004, 10:42

If you use Hard Shields on your ships they can't use transporters to raid your ships.

Sir Og · February 23, 2004, 10:54

Does this prevent any raid or only the "long distance" raids.
If it prevents only the long distance ones I would still have a problem because my crew seems to be extremely weak in close combat. And it is not due to race disadvantages.

Gilgamensch · February 23, 2004, 11:12

1.) Hard shields prevents any raid, so long it is still functional, so if it has been destroyed by weapon fire you are again subject to raids. (I am not sure about nebulas, as they prevent shields, they might not work either in there, but anyway seldom).

2.) Weak crews: You can build training facilities, which will bring up the expreience of your crew, but this takes a long time. (ship academy IIRC, it is a planetary improvment and can be build per planet, but if you have 5 planets with it, makes 5 times the training value.)

Iasius · February 23, 2004, 11:37

With hard shields shields work in nebulas and you can still board a ship that is equipped with hard shields, just not with transporters.
If they immobilize your ships with tractor beams or BHG you might want to try security stations, I prefer destroying any ships that have them first thing though.

Sir Og · February 23, 2004, 11:41

Thanks Gilgamensch.

Now I only need to find out about those Antarian techs.

Whoha · February 23, 2004, 12:17

Damper fields let only about 1/4 to 1/2 of raiders through(against teleport only,also better protection vs crew killers), other then that research those combat techs when possible.

Whoha · February 23, 2004, 12:18

and hard shields allow shields to work in nebulae so they probably block attacks as well

vmxa1 · February 23, 2004, 12:25

You have two main ways to get tech from the Anties.

1-capture Orion
2-scrap capture antaran ships

vmxa1 · February 23, 2004, 12:38

If you have researched all tech, you should not need hard shells to handle the AI ships. In fact you do not need Doom Stars or even Titans. I usually do not have those techs, unless I steal them.

First all ships should be build at systems that have the space academy built. Preferably one on each planet in that system.

Second do not let the AI have large fleets that late in the game.
After I take out Orion, I start my expansion phase. As more of the map becomes accessible I look for fleets to destroy. Preventive medicine.

Third you should have gotten Star Gates and have Warp Interdictors instaledl on each system (not planet). Now you will have time to send a fleet to defend any attack.

If your ship in a one on one cannot easily defeat the AI ship, you have done something wrong. I use battleships only most of the time and dust their doom stars.

Do not load your ships down with junk like missiles and PD late in the game, you just do not need them. Beams, I prefer Disrupters, will do the job.

You should have at least one good Leader to head the fleet. The leader should have traits like a fighter pilot. Once you have Loknar, that is good enough. Be sure to move him off his ship late in the game to stop him from getting in too close in some battles.

Sir Og · February 24, 2004, 03:52

Quote:

Originally posted by vmxa1
You have two main ways to get tech from the Anties.

1-capture Orion
2-scrap capture antaran ships

How do I capture ships? And is it possible to get tech from captured non Antaran AI ship.

Some tips on what's the best way to capture ships would also be highly appreciated.

Gilgamensch · February 24, 2004, 04:20

Quote:

How do I capture ships? And is it possible to get tech from captured non Antaran AI ship.

Some tips on what's the best way to capture ships would also be highly appreciated.

To capture ships:

There is a button called board, with this it will ask you to determine the amount of soldiers to be send over.

BUT: if you do not have teleportes (IIRC) you need to be next to the desired ship. You can only board, if the shields are down on the side you are trying to board. Be aware that most of the Antaren ships will selfdestruct (can't remember the name of the device behind). So you have to try with different ships.

Another thing: There is one weapon, which will kill Marines (again loss of memory

) Use this to decrease the # of enemy Marines before boarding.

Also don't forget to train your crew to a better level

they will do a better job

Admiral Sparky · February 24, 2004, 05:04

You're thinking of Quantum Detonators and Neutron Blasters/Death Rays.

Sir Og · February 24, 2004, 05:04

Quote:

Originally posted by vmxa1
If you have researched all tech, you should not need hard shells to handle the AI ships. In fact you do not need Doom Stars or even Titans. I usually do not have those techs, unless I steal them.

First all ships should be build at systems that have the space academy built. Preferably one on each planet in that system.

Second do not let the AI have large fleets that late in the game.
After I take out Orion, I start my expansion phase. As more of the map becomes accessible I look for fleets to destroy. Preventive medicine.

Third you should have gotten Star Gates and have Warp Interdictors instaledl on each system (not planet). Now you will have time to send a fleet to defend any attack.

If your ship in a one on one cannot easily defeat the AI ship, you have done something wrong. I use battleships only most of the time and dust their doom stars.

Do not load your ships down with junk like missiles and PD late in the game, you just do not need them. Beams, I prefer Disrupters, will do the job.

You should have at least one good Leader to head the fleet. The leader should have traits like a fighter pilot. Once you have Loknar, that is good enough. Be sure to move him off his ship late in the game to stop him from getting in too close in some battles.

I don't have problems defeating the AI. The games I play usualy don't get to the point where I have to battle huge AI fleets.
I was doing some experiments yesterday and I tried to make a tough ship that would be able to take out the Antares homeworld by himself. I decided to make it a doomstar class, and I tried to make a strong defensive ship that would by virtualy undefeatable. (I already had the Orion techs and quite a few future techs but I didn't have Loknar on board) I made several versions of these doomstars but all of them were raided with ease by the Antaran battleship.
In the end I made a ship that damadged the Antaran battleship bad enough with the first strike so that it was unable to raid me.

bakalov · February 24, 2004, 05:10

Quantum Detonator is the device that self destructs, and Neutron Blaster and Death Ray are the weapons that kill marines.

It is possible to get a tech from the ship if you don't have it, no matter if antaran or not.

(Hehe, Sparky was faster

)

Iasius · February 24, 2004, 05:21

Quote:

Originally posted by Gilgamensch
You can only board, if the shields are down on the side you are trying to board.

Shields only block transporters, assault shuttles and boarding immobile targets works regardless of shields.
Also, IIRC even hard shields don't block regular boarding, they just prevent transporting even against downed shields.

Gilgamensch · February 24, 2004, 05:42

Can't remember, but does the ship not also needs to be immobile?

Iasius · February 24, 2004, 06:16

For boarding using transporters the enemy ships needs to have its shields down in the direction toward you. They also may not have hard shields.
For boarding using assault shuttles the enemy may not shoot your shuttles down.

For other (standard) boarding the enemy ship needs to be 1-3 squares away and immobile, either through battle damage, black hole generator, tractor beam, or it's a star base/battle station/star fortress which are naturally immobile.
I think that about covers it.

bakalov · February 24, 2004, 08:46

If you want to immobilize more ships you should spread your weapons accross all the possible slots and this way be able to fire only a few weapons at once. This gives youa better chance to damage the target's engine rather than destroy it entirely.

Garth Vader · February 24, 2004, 11:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Gilgamensch

Another thing: There is one weapon, which will kill Marines (again loss of memory

) Use this to decrease the # of enemy Marines before boarding.

Also don't forget to train your crew to a better level

they will do a better job

Neutron blaster and death ray will kill marines, but the antaren damper field blocks those effects. But that works against other ships.

Traing your crew does nothing for marine combat. It uses your ground combat values.

Admiral Sparky · February 24, 2004, 23:37

Quote:

Originally posted by Garth Vader Neutron blaster and death ray will kill marines, but the antaren damper field blocks those effects.

No, it doesn't. A ship with a Damper Field will still lose marines to radiation weapons.

bakalov · February 25, 2004, 05:45

Sure, I have killed antaran marines with neutron blasters. The best way I've found to capture them is by sending a large amount of assault shuttles, though.

Garth Vader · February 25, 2004, 12:24

Quote:

Originally posted by Admiral Sparky

No, it doesn't. A ship with a Damper Field will still lose marines to radiation weapons.

But it blocks some of the effect right? Because I have used death rays and didn't notice an effect.

Main_Brain · February 25, 2004, 13:22

I recall the No of Marines killed is related to the Damage and as Damper Shield takes some Damage away you can indeed say it "blocks some of the effect"

Iasius · February 25, 2004, 13:37

Quote:

Originally posted by Garth Vader

But it blocks some of the effect right? Because I have used death rays and didn't notice an effect.

Same here, even shooting them down to almost zero structural didn't seem to kill any antaran marines.

bakalov · February 26, 2004, 06:28

May be you must have some damage increasing specials (like high energy focus)? I can't remember how exactly I did it but I'm sure I did. It is related to the damage per hit.
Again it is easier to capture them with assault shuttles.

Brutalisk · February 27, 2004, 15:40

Well youa re both right. It USED TO BE, that neutron beams and the death ray would kill antaran troops, but in later versions they changed it so that you couldn't anymore. They made it so that the damper field negates the effects of neutron beams and death rays

Sir Og · March 1, 2004, 06:11

The description of the quantum detonator says that there is 50% chance that it would detonate when the ship is captured. Unfortunately my obsrvations so far are that it detonates 100%.
What are your experiances with the QD.

Gilgamensch · March 1, 2004, 07:33

50% sounds like my experience. It is just that it seems to be higher as it is most of the times the last ship surviving which you try to border and you can't manage it, because it explodes

But when you have a stack of 4, around 2 survive.

bakalov · March 1, 2004, 12:03

If 100% of the captured ships exploded then you just was unlucky :-)