the silent war, and probe team useage.

icevic · May 13, 2001, 19:05

Hi there!

In my current game as the peace keepers, I became more proficient with my probe team useage with more practice. Against chairman yang, the teams (I only had three back then, too busy with base improvement) disabled their perimeter defense before each of my base assualts. Against Mirmam, their energy droped to 50 and all production halted. After eliminating Yang, Mirmam, and Zak who stolen my Industrial Automatum, I secured the land mass by myself (in huge map, north eastern main land). Then I went probe team heavy against the Gaians across the ocean. With two fusion destroyers and 14 probe teams, I ferry them across the ocean each turn to harrass our lady friend.

Then I tried some thing new:

With all the elite squards, I drop 12 probe teams near one of the most populated Gaian base (with 14 pop) and began their random (without objective) sabortage. After all the probe teams are through with the city, it had all of its facilities destroyed (most important, rec common, holo theater, recy tank and tree farm). Then the effect is quite funny, that base had -5 nutrient shortfall, massive drone riot (7 drones vs 1 talent). I then repeacted the process to the rest of their major cities... they never did recover from that. 5 turns later (now) I now want to mind control their bases and found that I would have to pick up the mess (resource shortfall, drone riot, populated base with no facility)... now I am anxious to wait for them to build up their facilities before mind controling it... however the drone riots caused their production to stop... guess I shouldn't hit them so hard.

Now comes a poll: what is your favorite probe team action against a hostile faction? Sometimes I drain energy, or stop production. However the most effective city buster would be a 12 probe team massive sabrotage.

Also, what is the difference between total thought control and the plain mc? Is it that the city's owning faction won't go hostile against the city's new owner?

Ned · May 14, 2001, 01:32

Favorite: Resue Faction Leader
Assasinate Prominant Researchers
Steal Technology - Blame someone else
Infiltrate Datalinks
Disable Perimeter Defense or Children's Cache

Ned

Cybergod · May 14, 2001, 13:54

I might seem a little unethical but doing a nanovirus attrocity with several probes on a non-hospital packed size 20+ city is my kid of probe fun *evil laught*.

I also love to steal ALL of someone's energy credits (especially of money-bloated factions, such as Morgan) with a many-probes-at-once attack at their HQ (or high-energy-producing base) !!!

who-ha-ha-ha!!

Earwicker · May 17, 2001, 10:16

I love 'em all!

Knocking off researchers can be a great way of keeping annoying factions like Yang back in the dark ages. Stealing techs and picking pockets of energy are my favorite and most frequent actions (blaming another when I'm at war with a few folks). When the well is dry, I'll go after perimeter defenses or engage in indiscriminate sabotage if I plan on giving the base away to a submmissive.

I will always go for rescue missions when one faction has eliminated another.

Wiglaf · May 19, 2001, 21:24

Rescue missions are kinda risky. I mean they start out so weak they really are kinda just extra council votes (and not many at that). I usually don't bother using more than one probe on that specific assignment. Oh, sometimes they crash your game too

(bad experiance)

Earwicker · May 21, 2001, 10:04

Rescue missions start weak and vulnerable but with the proper care and feeding can be valuable commerce partners. Give them your far-away captured bases and watch that commerce income come rolling in! Their beauty is that they act like crushed subservients gained without the time and expense of a prolonged vendetta.

The Commodore · May 21, 2001, 11:10

Ok...I've posted here enough...as you all know, or should, I love stealing tech! Sadly, I'm generally to tech up, and they have nothing to give me.

Daniel Senz · May 22, 2001, 02:23

i love most to infiltrate the datalinks.
worth more than *any* tech, believe me

btw - they should cut this option or make it less efficient, cause that way you will know *everything* about your oppnent for *any* time of furtue with cost of only one successful probe team (if there are no defenses it will be successful in any case)

cbn · May 22, 2001, 08:16

Infiltrate datalinks is by far the most useful probe activity but it only gives information that you can get if you can become governor etc . I sometime wish that you could do something to end infiltration. As it stands you can work your butt off on probe defense then have a bunch of factions together align themselves with someone else and then the gov has infiltration on you.

Daniel Senz · May 22, 2001, 08:25

maybe somthing like a "new cryptography base" - same as hq @ 400-600 cost which will determine and destroy enemy data-stealing algorithms *g*

Longtooth · May 22, 2001, 16:31

...fusion probe cruisers...

my favorite.

I hardly ever use probes unless i'm playing as the believers at a high level then i like to park across the water from coastal bases and send a probe cruiser across again and again and again.