-=DREADLORD=-
BATTLE MANUAL
Ramutis Giliauskas
Dec. 18, 1994
edited--Tim Vanderhoek
This was written to help players survive, be more effective, and more
innovative when playing VGA PLANETS.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Beginner (one game) to Intermediate (five/six)
This can also be a good reference text for experienced
players.
If you print this out, it makes about 55 pages of great bathroom reading
material; it is also easier to read.
You'll notice that the WP51 version of this has margins set for easy
printing, whereas the .TXT version has margins set for easy viewing on your
moniter.
CONTENTS
I. Preamble
II. Aggressive decision making
III. Battle and Convoy Groups
IV. Weapons
VI. Basic Strategy
VII. Individual Race Examples
VIII. Strategy for Privateer and Crystalline
IX. Team play
X. Fleet planning and guide to playing for the new player
XI. Hyper-drive
XII. Documents and utilities
XIII. Credits
XIV. Terminator utility
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I. Preamble
Contrary to popular belief, there is only one way way to win VGA
PLANETS. The strategy and tactics were written 2500 years ago by Sun Tsu in
"The Art of War", translated and rewritten by Samuel B. Griffith.
Though the first part is quite dry, the latter third of the book has
all the principals of warfare that apply directly to VGA PLANETS. During
the last 12000 years, the only thing that has changed is technology.
Successful strategic and tactical ideas have never changed. They were the
same in 500bc China, 400bc Greece, 100bc Rome, 1200ad Mongolia and during
Napoleonic times. The rules for winning a war are simple but seldom
followed.
Victories against forces larger and more powerful are usually due to
skillful application of these two principals of war --- surprise and
concentration of forces.
In the history of warfare speed and daring has always won the prize.
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II. Aggressive decision making
When to attack or not?
A bold operation is one that has no more than a chance of success but
which, in case of failure, leaves one with sufficient forces in hand to be
able to cope with any situation. This type of operation gives the best
promise of success.
A gamble, on the other hand, is an operation which can lead to victory
or to the destruction of one's own forces.
When defeat is merely a question of time, when the gaining of time is
pointless, then the only chance lies in an operation of great risk and a
gamble can be justified.
Normally there is no ideal solution, but each possible course of
action has its advantages and disadvantages. Select the one which seems the
best from the widest point of view, then pursue it, and accept the
consequences. Any compromise is bad.
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III. BATTLE AND CONVOY GROUPS by Doug Suerich
A. Definition
A BATTLE GROUP or a CONVOY GROUP is a specific group of ships that
complement each other in a task. By keeping the ships in each group
standard, it is easier to manage your forces. Keeping track of 30 ships is
hard; however, if the ships are placed into similiar groups of 3 ships, the
task is much easier.
B. How to Create
1. Ships
When trying to pick out ships that will work well together, first
decide on exactly what you want them to do. In the example that follows, we
are trying to create a battle group that will be able to run along the
border of enemy territory and take out most ships that it meets, causing
general disruption, destroying enemy ships and resources, and putting the
enemy into a defensive frame of mind.
After choosing a purpose, we will try to weed out the useless ships in
our arsenal from those that can be put to good use in our battle group.
a. Ships to Consider for your Battle Groups
There are certain criteria that will make a good general-purpose ship.
i. Cloaking
A vessel that cloaks will allow you to go undetected in your
activities, and is especially useful for spying on your enemies. A cloaking
ship can sneak into enemy territory and attack undefended freighters. If
the cloaker has two engines, it can tow small capital ships or frieghters
right off of planets, into space, and then attack and defeat them. After
this the ship will recloak, enter into orbit, and grab another ship! There
is, however, a way to counter this. If the enemy sets one of his capital
ships to intercept the ship that you tow, he will intercept the ship you
towed, and, since you are in the same place as the ship you towed, you will
get blown up. Also, you won't be able to tow a ship that is set to warp 9
and has a waypoint that is more than 81 light-years away.
ii. Large Cargo Hold
With a large cargo hold you can carry enough torpedoes or fighters to
last a long attack. You can also carry supplies to repair in space. 5
supplies will repair 1% of damage on any ship. A large cargo hold can also
be used for freighting.
iii. Large Mass
A hull that has a heavier mass will have a better resistence to beam
and torpedo damage, as well as to deep space mines.
iv. Large Crew
A large crew size will prevent you from being captured. Crew size is
not a problem on most large ships, but on the smaller ships the crew is
sometimes small enough that a determined enemy can capture your ship, and
use it against you.
v. Firepower
A large number of beam weapons can knock down fighters.
When you are planning to capture planets, ships that have 8 X-Rays,
and 3 Mark 6 or Mark 7 torpedo tubes will work well, for the simple reason
that planets depend on fighters for defence--they can't launch enough
fighters to overwhelm a ship with 8 beams. The torpedoes will capture the
planet before you have to worry about the planet's beams damaging your ship.
Fighters can destroy large ships.
Torpedoes can help in the capture of vessels.
Determine what type of weapons your ship will need in order to be
effective in its planned role.
b. Good All-Purpose Vessels
Here are some good all-purpose vessels:
BEST OVERALL FREIGHTER....LARGE DEEP SPACE FREIGHTER
SOLAR FEDS....NEBULA CLASS CRUISER
VENDETTA CLASS FRIGATE
LIZARD........REPTILE CLASS DESTROYER.....cloaking
LIZARD CLASS CRUISER........cloaking
BIRDMEN.......SWIFT HEART CLASS SCOUT.....cloaking
FEARLESS WING CRUISER.......cloaking
DETH SPECULA CLASS FRIGATE..cloaking
FASCIST.......GOLDPAIN CLASS CRUISER......cloaking
D7 COLDPAIN CLASS CRUISER...cloaking
D3 THORN CLASS DESTROYER....cloaking
DETH SPECULA CLASS FRIGATE.cloaking
PRIVATEER.....BR4 GUNSHIP..................cloaking, accelerated
BR5 KAYE CLASS TORPEDO BOAT..cloaking, accelerated
METEOR CLASS BLOCKADE RUNNER.cloaking, accelerated
DWARFSTAR CLASS TRANSPORT....cloaking
CYBORG........B200 CLASS PROBE........HYPER-DRIVE
FIRECLOUD CLASS CRUISER
BIOCIDE CARRIER
ANIALATION CLASS BATTLESHIP
CRYSTALLINE...RUBY CLASS LIGHT CRUISER
EMERALD CLASS BATTLE CRUISER
EVIL EMPIRE...PL32 PROBE..............HYPER-DRIVE
H-ROSS CLASS LIGHT CARRIER
MOSCOW CLASS STAR ESCORT
SUPER STAR FRIGATE
SUPER STAR CARRIER
ROBOT.........CAT's PAW CLASS DESTROYER
INSTRUMENTALITY CLASS BASESHIP
Q-TANKER
REBEL.........FALCON CLASS ESCORT.......HYPER-DRIVE
GEMINI CLASS TRANSPORT
PATRIOT CLASS LIGHT CARRIER
GUARDIAN CLASS DESTROYER
LOST COLONIES.GEMINI CLASS TRANSPORT
TRANQUILITY CLASS CRUISER
PATRIOT CLASS LIGHT CARRIER
Whichever ship you select, KNOW what role you will use it for and
build it with the weapons that will be most effective. Don't mix and match.
Having 7 identical ships is easier to plan with than having 7 non standard
designs of the same ship. When you start building BATTLE GROUPS keep them
standard as well. A BATTLE GROUP is a collection of ships that complement
each other as a fighting force.
ALL ships are designed for a specific purpose, and when used for that
purpose are very effective. The above list is a general guide, other ships
may be more cost effective and better suited to your needs than those shown
above.
Remember, obtaining an effective fleet may take take 21 to 28 days.
Because of losses due to battles, after 21 days your initial 7 capital ships
will probably be gone, thus the need for planning ahead.
2. Uniqueness
Next, we will decide on exactly which ships will be in our battle
group, taking into account what we are likely to be be fighting, as well as
our unique resources and circumstances. It is particularly important to be
able to put our race's special advantages to use, and to take advantage of
our enemies disadvantages. In our example, we will be putting together a
fairly general-use battle group, and neither our enemy's special
disadvantages or our unique circumstances will have a large effect.
C. How to Use
If you have several capital ships travelling together, also have a
supply ship. On this ship carry extra fuel and supplies. By carrying
supplies, repairs can be made to damaged ships far from a starbase. Five
supply units repair 1% damage. Always carry the minimun fuel and
fighters/torpedoes required for battle on a capital ship so that if the
capital ship is destroyed your resources in the form of extra
fighters/torpedoes and fuel aren't lost as well.
D. The Colonies of Man's Ships
The COLONIES OF MAN are an often overlooked race in VGA planets; here
is a short lesson on how to use their ships effectively. For the purpose of
this supplement, it will be assumed that you are using an UNREGISTERED
version.
First off, it is vital to know about the better ships in the COLONY
arsenal. Here are some notes about the best COLONY ships:
1. PATRIOT CLASS LIGHT CARRIER
- 6 Fighter Bays
- 2 Beam Weapons
- 30 KT Cargo Capacity
This ship is a deadly killer. It can destroy virtually any small to
medium sized ship and take no damage. The secret to its effectiveness lies
in its 6 fighter bays. In a battle, an opposing ship will only be able to
fire each of its beam weapons twice before the first fighters arrive; in
this same period of time, usually 18 - 20 fighters will have been launched
by the PATRIOT. Therefore, unless the opposing ship has 9 - 10 beam weapons
(which is rare), you can be certain of causing damage to the enemy.
Against a medium size ship, if only 10 - 12 of the PATRIOT's fighters
are destroyed, the remaining fighters are usually sufficient to destroy the
victim; therefore, unless the ship has an extremly high mass, a PATRIOT
CLASS CARRIER can destroy most medium sized ships with less than 7 beam
weapons, and 2 PATRIOT CLASS LIGHT CARRIERS working together can destroy
virtually any TECH 7 or below ship that does not have fighters of its own.
Best of all, it is a component of the COLONY BATTLE GROUP, described below.
CAUTION: The PATRIOT CLASS LIGHT CARRIER is virtually useless unless
it has 30 fighters. Although you may be able to get away with 25 or so,
with much less you are giving up the only advantage the PATRIOT has --- the
ability to put a large number of fighters in the air very quickly.
NOTE: If you need to save money, you can get away with TECH 1 beams
on the PATRIOT --- it rarely uses them, and when it does, it is to destroy
enemy fighters (and for that TECH 1 is as good as TECH 9).
2. GEMINI CLASS CARRIER
- 1 Fighter Bay
- 4 Beam Weapons
- 400 Cargo
This capable little ship is great for 2 missions:
a) Transport: With 400 cargo capacity you can load a lot of
minerals onto this ship, and, with its Fighter Bay and 4 Beams, it is
capable of defending itself against smaller ships; therefore you can send it
on short journeys unescorted.
b) Fighter Production: When it comes to building fighters,
nothing beats the GEMINI. To build a lot of fighters quickly just put a
GEMINI around a mineral rich planet (preferably one with a starbase), and do
the following:
i. Load these on board:
120 - Tritanium
80 - Molybdenum
150 - Supplies
ii. Set the mission of the GEMINI to `Build Fighters'
iii. Next turn you will have 40 fighters! Without paying even
a single mega-credit!
3. TRANQUILITY CLASS CRUISER
- 2 Torpedo Launchers
- 4 Beam Weapons
- 380 Cargo
The TRANQUILITY is a hardy ship that is also a good transport;
slightly more powerful than the GEMINI, it can be trusted to move cargo to
anyplace you need it to go. 'Nuff said.
4. LITTLE JOE CLASS ESCORT
- 6 Beam Weapons
- 20 Cargo
The LITTLE JOE is an excellent ship, but only if used properly and
never when used alone. Proper use of the LITTLE JOE is described below, in
the COLONY BATTLE GROUP section.
5. CYGNUS CLASS BATTLESHIP
- 4 Torpedo Launchers
- 4 Beam Weapons
- 50 Cargo
This ship is the third component of the COLONY battle group described
below. It is the perfect addition to this battle group because it's a cheap
torpedo carrier that holds enough torpedoes to last a long campaign.
E. The Colonies of Man General-Purpose Battle-Group
1. Ships
1 x PATRIOT CLASS CARRIER with 30 fighters and TECH 6 Beams.
1 x LITTLE JOE CLASS ESCORT with DISRUPTORS.
1 x CYGNUS CLASS BATTLESHIP with TECH 6 Torpedoes and Beams.
These 3 ships, when sent out together, combine to form one of the most
powerful battle groups available to the unregistered player, if used
properly.
When this battle group is about to attack an opponent, set the ships
to attack in a certain order that depends upon the type of ship being
attacked.
2. Against a TORPEDO carrying ship: Set the attack order to
the following:
- PATRIOT 1st
- CYGNUS 2nd
- LITTLE JOE 3rd
This is for an obvious reason; the PATRIOT can destroy most ships, but
if it does not succeed, the LITTLE JOE would be mincemeat against a TORP
ship.
3. Against a FIGHTER carrying ship: Set the attack order to
the following:
- LITTLE JOE
- CYGNUS
- PATRIOT
The LITTLE JOE will likely be destroyed, but it will take a lot of
fighters out with it. Then the CYGNUS with it's 4 beams and 4 torps, can
clean up.
4. Against a BEAM only ship: Set the attack order to the
following:
- CYGNUS
- PATRIOT
- LITTLE JOE
In this situation you don't want the PATRIOT to attack first, since
you could expect to lose a lot of its fighters needlessly.
5. Against an UNARMED ship
Send in the LITTLE JOE first. This is the reason why the LITTLE JOE
should be armed with disruptors: so that it can capture enemy freighters.
Obviously against an unarmed ship, no other ships will enter the battle.
If you want to boost the number of ships in this arrangement, you
should first add an extra LITTLE JOE to the group. The LITTLE JOE is
likely to be destroyed first, and it would also be helpful to have 2 LITTLE
JOE's around for stripping fighters off of large enemy fighter carriers.
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IV. Mass, Weapons, and Planetary Defence
A. Ship Mass
Every race has the NEUTRONIC REFINERY SHIP (mass 712) and the MERLIN
CLASS ALCHEMY SHIP (mass 920). Above a mass of 180 there are only 23 other
ships, all the remaining 145 ships have a mass below 180.
B. Fighters
1. Use
At weights lower than 180 the beams and torpedoes are very effective,
but as the mass increases their effectiveness decreases. Fighters have the
same effect on every weight of ship after destroying the shields. Between
masses of 450 to 980, the fighters are more effective at destroying ships
than the beams or torpedoes.
2. Ordnance--How Many?
On a large carrier, carry at least 80 to 90 fighters, while a smaller
carrier about 30 to 40 fighters is sufficient. However, if you are attacking
several targets with a single ship (not wise) more fighters may be prudent.
C. Beam Weapon Selection
Against fighters the LASER is fine; however, it is wise to choose the
X-RAY LASER in case you need to capture a freighter. In ships that have a
mass up to 180 use 4 BLASTERS as a minimun. The BLASTER is the best value
for your money. For masses 180 to 450 a higher tech and a larger number of
beam weapons should be used. Above 450 never rely on beam weapons alone to
destroy a ship; you will need fighters or torpedoes to supplement the beam
weapons.
D. Torpedo Selection
1. Which Type?
As a general rule torpedoes are more effective at destroying the
shields of a ship than causing hull damage. The best torpedo for both
sheild destruction and hull damage is the MARK 8. Unfortunately, though,
your resources at the beginning of the game are limited, and are often best
used elsewhere.
Above 450 mass, a minimun of 5 torpedo tubes and high-tech torpedoes,
to destroy the shields, are needed to do any appreciable damage. It is
possible to use Mark 7 or 8s to destroy the shields of a very heavy ship
(ex. Fed's Super Nova), and then to use Proton Torps, which always do at
least 1% damage, to destroy the hull, but the conditions needed to make this
worthwhile are rare. Above 450 mass carriers with fighters are the best
choice.
There are only 5 useful torp types.
a. The Gamma Bomb
The only real use for the Gamma Bomb is putting it on on ships (often
low-mass cloaking ships) that will be trying to steal freighters.
b. The Mark 4
For destroying ships that have a hull mass up to 180 the Mark 4 gives
the best bang for the buck, but, in the long-run, the amount of minerals
needed may offset this. However, at the start of the game it is best not to
be overly-worried about the long-run, or you may not be around to see it.
The money saved by using Mark 4s at the beginning of the game can go
elsewhere and be better used (than on Mark 7 or 8s), usually. Besides, you
may regret having upgraded your HW torp tech level to 10 when you find a
Siliconoid planet that is perfect for a starbase the next turn.
c. The Mark 6
The Mark 6 can provide a useful amount of explosive in a package that,
while not as effecient as the Mark 4 or Mark 8, does not have a large start-
up cost; to upgrade from tech 7 (the Mark 6) to tech 8 (the Mark 7) costs
700mc or 2400mc to upgrade to tech 10 (the Mark 8). The Mark 6 is the torp
to use in a one-time application that requires something with more BANG than
the Mark 4. If you are not planning a one-time application, consider the
Mark 7. This is also the minimum torp to use if you are destroying ships
with a mass of 180 or more.
d. The Mark 7
The Mark 7 offers almost as much BANG as the Mark 8, and at a much
lower start-up cost (1700mc less). This torpedo can easily replace the Mark
8 in most applications. The Mark 8 itself, however, is a must if you have
lots of money, few minerals, and weak ships.
e. The Mark 8
Switching from Mark 4s to Mark 8s (or Mark 7s) can make an incredible
difference in under-180 mass ships; however, it is only worth the extra
money if you are on a Siliconoid planet, or if you are planning to produce a
lot of Mark 8s. When producing over-450 ships, the heavier torpedoes (Mark
6, 7, and 8) are almost always used in favour of the Mark 4.
2. How Many Launcher Tubes?
In most torpedo ship combats, usually two salvoes will be fired. To
get the most damage from these salvoes the following MINIMUN combination is
recommended for targets that have a mass less than 180:
Ships with 4 torpedo launchers....... MARK 4 PHOTON
.. .. 3 .. .. ....... .. 6 ..
.. .. 2 .. .. ....... .. 7 ..
.. .. 1 .. .. ....... .. 8 ..
For logistics and planning, it is best to not choose torpedo types at
random but rather to have well-designed battle-groups.
Also, see the section on defending your Home World with small capital
ships.
3. Ordnance
For torpedoes, 7 times the number of torpedo launchers should be
adequate. So, on a ship with 3 torpedo launchers have 21 torpedoes. On
real naval carriers, the compliment of aircraft is about 85 aircraft on a
big carrier and 35 aircraft on a smaller one. Submarines (ships that cloak)
carry 18 to 24 torps, while a destroyer will have 6 to 12 torps (the more
launch tubes, the more torpedoes).
4. Minefields
If you only plan to build one small mine field surrounding your
starbase the MARK 4 PHOTON is cost effective. A radius of 50 light years
will cost 1300mc and use only 100 torpedoes.
Up to a radius of 100 light years the MARK 7 PHOTON is better because
it uses fewer minerals than a MARK 4 PHOTON.
Building more than one minefield or fields larger than 100 light years
use the MARK 8 PHOTON because of the tremendous savings in minerals.
The important thing to realize is that once you have upgraded the torp
tech level on a starbase, you should use the same tech level of torps on
your all ships. If you are really interested in winning, you can even build
starbases dedicated to producing a certain tech level of
torps\beams\engines\hulls which will take advantage of native races. You
can use the starbase RECYCLE command to spread the high-tech parts
throughout your empire.
The following is a mine-laying efficiency listing of the various
torps.
TORPEDO COST (NOT LAUNCHER) TO LAY _1_ MINE UNIT:
T C T M T
Y O R D O E
P S I U L C
E T T R Y H
MARK 1 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1
PROTON TORP 2.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1
MARK 2 0.56 0.11 0.11 0.11 3
GAMMA BOMB 1.11 0.11 0.11 0.11 3
MARK 3 0.75 0.06 0.06 0.06 4
MARK 4 0.52 0.04 0.04 0.04 5
MARK 5 0.86 0.03 0.03 0.03 6
MARK 6 0.71 0.02 0.02 0.02 7
MARK 7 0.56 0.02 0.02 0.02 8
MARK 8 0.54 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
THE FORMULA FOR NUMBER OF MINES LAID IS:
mines_laid=number_of_torpedoes * tech^2
or
Number of torpedoes times the torpedo tech level squared will equal
the number of mine units layed.
Assuming that one torpedo was used, divide the cost for one torpedo by
the number of mines laid by that same torpedo to find the cost per mine.
Note that this is for comparison purposes only; do not try to
calculate the cost of laying a minefield with this, because you will likely
end up with an incorrect answer due to rounding.
Do not dismiss a difference of 0.02, or 0.01. When you start laying
25 or so torpedoes every couple of days, it adds up FAST!
An important factor not included in the mine-laying efficiency stats
is that if you use the torpedoes for battle, it is a great deal of help if
you have a high torp tech level (although, this does not mean that all your
torps have to be high-tech torps; it means that you should use high-tech
torps when they are available).
Since you will always be using the highest tech level of torps that
you can produce, the only question is what tech level to upgrade to. If
you're on an Siliconoid planet (which gives your starbase automatic tech 10
torp level) you will be building only Mark 8s or Gamma Bombs (except for a
few, rare scenarios where you may need to use a different type of torps).
If there is no starbase on a Siliconoid planet nearby, you will have to
choose a tech level to upgrade to. For the 5 useful torp types see the
section on choosing torp types.
E. Planetary Defence Post Tables
DP Ftr Bm Clans Tech DP Ftr Bm Clans Tech
1 1 1 1 1 * 85 9 5 1257 7 *
3 2 1 3 1 91 10 6 1710 7
5 2 1 5 2 * 111 11 6 3740 7
7 3 1 7 2 113 11 6 3987 8 *
13 4 2 13 3 * 127 11 7 5940 8
19 4 3 19 3 133 12 7 6897 8
21 5 3 21 3 145 12 7 9027 9 *
25 5 3 25 4 * 157 13 7 11445 9
31 6 3 31 4 169 13 8 14151 9
37 6 4 37 4 181 13 8 17145 10 *
41 6 4 41 5 * 183 14 8 17672 10
43 7 4 43 5 211 15 8 25890 10
57 8 4 95 5 217 15 9 27855 10
61 8 5 165 6 * 241 16 9 36435 10
73 9 5 567 6 271 16 10 48780 10
`*' denotes a beam tech level increase.
NOTE: Having 181 Defence Posts means that when the planet is attacked it
will use Heavy Phasers in its defence; it does not mean that a starbase over
the planet will have a tech 10 beam level. In other words, just because the
tech level of beams used to defend a planet against attack increases due to
a high number of defence posts does not mean that the tech level of beams
that a starbase can produce goes up.
NOTE: The tech level of beams used to defend a planet will not be lower
than the beam tech level on a starbase above the planet; however, it may be
lower.
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V. Basic Conservative Strategy for the New Player
The following is what can be referred to as standard practice. It is
not necessarily recommended; it is just standard, conservative play that you
can use as base for more complex, innovative, and effective strategies and
tactics. Make sure that you also read the section on Convoy and Battle
Groups.
A. On the First Day
1. Race Choice
For the novice player, a cloaking race such as the Lizards or Birdman
would be a wise race choice. Cloaking ships have the advantages of usually
being low-tech, as well as forcing you to become a better player. Cloakers
can also get away with low-tech engines easier than most other ships.
The Robots would also be a wise choice, especially in a short game.
2. Home World Development
bring your defence posts to 101: guaranteed to not be detected by a sensor
sweep.
.. .. factories .. max: supplies can be sold for money and
are needed to colonize. Free fighter races
also need supplies to build fighters.
.. .. mines .. .. : this will let you get a quick start on
colonizing as well as in defence/small
raids.
.. .. tax rate .. 9% : you can usually increase taxes to the first
level of "They are angry at you" without
any adverse effects. Money is needed to
get
a quick start in the game.
3. Home World Defence
Do not bring your starbase defence level to 200 right away. Doing so
will waste 1800mc, and 180 duranium, a precious commodity early in the game.
Neither should you bring your starbase fighters to 60. This will waste more
money than you can spare this early in the game. If you are a free-fighter
race (Robots, Rebels, and Colonies) you should bring your fighters up to 60
with caution, always making sure that you will have enough minerals for the
ships you will soon be producing.
Later on, as minerals become more common, colonization less important,
and the threat of attack more menacing, you will likely want to raise your
Home World defences as much as you can.
However, do not totally neglect defending your HW (Home World).
During the first two weeks, while building ships, increase your planetary
defence posts, starbase defense strength, and add fighters. Work toward
getting the number of fighters on your starbase to 60 (max) and the
planetary defence to max within 20 to 25 turns. This is your last line of
defence. Always make sure your defence posts are 100+ so that your planet's
industrial activity is guaranteed to be shielded from long range sensor
sweeps. Obviously, if your HW is closer to your enemies, defence will be
more important sooner.
A starbase with 30 fighters, 100 planetary defence posts, and 100
starbase defence strength is equivalent to a carrier with a mass of 300kt,
40 fighters, and 6 phasers (section 2.4 and 4.1 docs).
a. Small Capital Ships for Defence
i. Reason
One of the other tools for defending your starbases should be several
low-cost ships with beam weapons and torpedoes. When a carrier attacks a
small ship, the small ship will usually get to fire off two salvoes of beam
weapons and two salvoes of torps before it is destroyed.
So, if it has 4 beams and 2 torp launchers, it will shoot down 8
fighters and do a little damage to the carrier. Several of these expendable
capital ships may weaken the carrier sufficiently that the starbase to
survive.
ii. Construction
Use TECH 1 engines with one kt of fuel on board. Put X-RAY LASERS on
board, and use the most explosive torpedo that you can afford but load only
2 or 3 torps per tube.
4. Starbase Tech Levels
HULL.....TECH 6.....I find that this level gives a good complement of
ships. The ideal freighter being the LARGE DEEP SPACE FREIGHTER.
ENGINES..TECH 10....Most fuel efficient on all ships.
WEAPONS..TECH 3.....The blaster offers good explosive damage for its
cost, use in minerals and cost in tech level.
TORP.....TECH 5.....The MARK 4 in all weight ranges is the best bang
for the buck. On ships with only 1 or 2 tubes the MARK 8 or the MARK 7
offsets the disadvantage of few tubes and the 35% chance of a miss.
5. Planning and Calculating Ahead
You can plan for most games to last about 40 to 60 turns. The first
major battles will likely occur around turn 20 to 30 with a couple races
knocked out. Turns 30 to 50 usually see a few more players knocked out with
the game winding down after turn 50.
Prepare your strategy. Even before you begin the game, review your
race's advantages, and plan a strategy that you will use. Then, be sure to
stick to your strategy. You will likely have to wait until you know who
your neighbours are before you can get too specific about your strategy.
Also, be sure to leave room for change in your strategy. Do not leave it so
open-ended that you fight an undisciplined war, but do leave room for
change. This is easy to forget as you progress in playing ability.
When following through with your strategy, use aggressive tactics that
are specially designed and customized for the task at hand. As an example:
if you are planning to distract the enemy and then launch an attack to his
side the following tactic could be used to distract the enemy...
(example)
Object: To put the enemy into a defensive and frame of mind by
disrupting freight lanes and through the use of a sudden, large number of
attacks (sweeping a minefield can be considered an attack in this case).
Requirements: Birds as offending race, Robots as the defending race.
5-10 Swift Heart Class Scouts with X-Rays. 4-7 Resolutes with Disrupters
(one Resolute sweeps 800 mines per turn), Heavy Disrupters (one Resolute
sweeps 1984 mines per turn), or Heavy Phasers (one Resolute sweeps 3200
mines per turn).
Explanation of Requirements: The Swift Heart Class Scout is a cheap
cloaking ship that you can sacrifice for the purpose of taking out a
freighter along with you. You may want to use beams with a smaller
crew-kill factor.
The number of Resolutes needed depends on the beam weapon used.
Disrupter, Heavy Disrupter, and Heavy Phaser are the levels to consider
upgrading your starbase tech level to for the purpose of minesweeping.
Disrupter is the minimum to equip your minesweeping Resolutes with.
Remember that if you spend a large amount of money on a tech upgrade to get
full use out of it.
Method: Line up all your Resolutes as close to the border of the
Robots existing minefield as possible. On one of your Resolutes, have
enough torpedoes so that you can drop a minefield of your own as a quick way
to remove the Robot's minefield. It is possible that you can achieve the
same quick-removal effect through regular sweeping, but that method is
limited in the area that can be cleared of enemy mine. When all the Swift
Hearts and Resolutes are as near to the minefield as they can safely get
(they're all cloaked, of course!) you will drop a minefield from your
Resolute prepared for that purpose.
This same turn that you dropped your own minefield move your Swift
Hearts (cloaked) to, or as near to a planet as they can get. You will also
begin the following with your Resolutes.
The Resolutes are used to mine-sweep when Robots drops mines. The
main purpose is to put the Robots into a defensive frame of mind. The
Resolutes must cloak and move a few light-years, and then uncloak in order
to mine-sweep. They then cloak and repeat. Be sure within reach of the
Robot's mines, and to always have at least two Resolutes uncloaked and
sweeping mines so that the enemy knows he is wasting his resources laying
mines, and also so that he knows that if he stops laying mines, the
Resolutes will sneak in and attack (they would attack using a tactic
similiar to the one the Swift Hearts are currently using).
The Swift Hearts will attack anything they can damage, destroy, or
steal every turn until they are gone. The Resolutes can continue sweeping
mines ad infinitum, or at least until they run out of fuel.
When you feel that you have the enemy playing the most defensively,
you will launch your attack with properly designed attacking ships.
(end of example)
Try to always have a 7 day plan. Be aware of the cost in mega-credits
and minerals for the fleet you are building so that you will not be caught
short. See the section `Documents and Utilities' `BUILD1_1' for more
information on fleet planning and design.
Once you own more planets, take a look at the mining surveys and
calculate the number on minerals you will have in 7 days, 14 days and 21
days. By looking ahead you can see where your weakness in minerals is, and
when you might run out. You will also see which ships you will and will not
be able to build.
First determine what you would like and how much it will cost. For
example, to build 10 WHITE FALCON CLASS CRUISERS consider:
Cost of raising the HULL tech levels to a minimun tech 3.
Cost .. .. .. BEAM .. .. .. level desired.
Cost .. .. .. TORP .. .. .. .. ..
Cost .. .. .. ENG .. .. .. maximum.
Cost in mega credits and minerals for 40 beam weapons.
Cost .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 torpedo launchers.
Cost .. .. .. .. .. .. 20 engines.
Cost .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 hulls.
Cost .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 torpedoes...10 per.
Amount of fuel required.......full tanks....4300 neutronium.
Now, from the mining surveys you can determine if some of the minerals
you are short of can be transported from other planets. Or maybe your ships
can be just as effective with tech 1 beam weapons which are cheaper and use
less minerals than higher tech beam weapons. Maybe tech 2 torpedoes could
still perform in the role required, but are cheaper than higher tech
torpedoes. Maybe have only 3 beam weapons instead of four, or no torpedo
launchers instead of 1 on board.
As your resources improve you could plan a fleet replacement and
purchase the ships you truly desire. Whatever your strategy is, plan for 7,
14 and 21 days ahead and ensure you have the resources in supplies,
factories, minerals and mega credits to fulfil it.
Whatever you plan, be innovative, cunning, and read up on tactical
warfare. Strategy by B.H. Liddel Hart and How Great Generals Win by Bevin
Alexander are but two of the many excellent books available at your local
library. Field Marshal Rommel's tactics with the Afrika Corps in North
Africa can be used here with astounding results.
6. Ships
a. First Ships
Unless Home Worlds are close together, you should first build an LDSF
(Large Deep Space Freighter) for colonizing. After building this, you may
have to rest a few turns to let your duranium stores build up again.
In the case that Home Worlds are close together, you may want to build
a suitable capital ship or two first. If possible, build one with a large
cargo capacity (350 or more) so that it can act as a freighter. When Home
Worlds are close together, you do not want to risk losing a valuable
freighter to a scout with only 2 X-Rays. If you cannot build a capital ship
that can act as a freighter, always be sure to escort your ships.
If you are playing in a game where many of the planets you find will
not be worthwhile, you may want to build an MDSF (Medium Deep Space
Freighter) so that you can scout out the good planets. Once the MDSF's job
of scouting has been finished, it can be colonized or put to use in small
cargo transport. If you plan to colonize it you may choose to build a
Smallie (Small Deep Space Freighter) instead.
For the first seven days you should likely build the cheapest craft
with the highest number of cargo holds. This is usually the Large Deep
Space Freighter. Consider using the Large Deep Space Freighter for
colonization, and the Medium Deep Space Freighter for mineral movement at
this early stage in the game. Do not forget that you may have a capital
ship that will function in the role of colonization or mineral movement more
effectively than these two freighters.
Be sure to equip your first ships with tech 10 engines so that they
can remain out of sight of the races that have HYPerdrive ships (Cyborg,
Empire, Rebels). These ships can be aimed at your planets (see section on
the HYPerdrive) to capture undefended freighters from you in less time than
it takes to send a capital ship to save your freighter.
You will also have to make sure that you produce enough capital ships
to defend a minor exploratory attack on your growing empire. Unless you're
planning a sudden surprise attack, stay away from large expensive ships that
will hinder your colonization. Large expensive ships also have the
disadvantage that they can only be in one place at a time. An attack may
strike just far enough away from your large expensive ship that you could be
wiped out, even if you currently own the most powerful ship in the game.
Take note, Cyborg.
b. More Ships
i. Criteria
Whatever ship you select, KNOW what role you will use it for and build
it with the weapons that will be most effective in that role (taking into
account your resources, too, of course). Having 7 similiar ships is easier
to plan with than having 7 non-standard designs of the same ship. When you
start building BATTLE GROUPS keep them standard as well. A BATTLE GROUP is
a collection of ships that complement each other in fulfilling a single
role.
ALL ships are designed for a specific purpose, and when used for that
purpose are very effective. Do not ignore any particular ship because it is
traditionally not used, or seems to be too wimpy. Even the most useless
seeming ships can sometimes have valuable purposes in your empire.
Also, see the section on BATTLE OR CONVOY GROUPS for a list of
important criteria for general-use ships.
Also, see the section on Battle and Convoy Groups, which contains
useful criteria for selecting ships.
From turns 7 to 14 you should start building your main capital ships.
If you empire is running smoothly, you should be able to produce almost one
every turn, so that by turn 14 you have a fleet of at least 7 capital ships.
Between turns 21 and 28 you should have developed an effective fleet.
ii. Outfitting
x. Engines
It is important to remember that this is just basic strategy. If you
are daring and plan to win, you will have to be more innovative than this,
have enemies that play poorly, or just be very lucky.
If you are registered, put tech 10 engines (the TransWarp) on all of
your ships. This is the most fuel efficient, will allow you to easily chase
down enemies, and let you spend less time in space while en-route to your
destination.
xx. Weapons
There are two primary theories to weapons. One is to use the most
powerful weapon you can (ex. Mark 8), and the other is to use the most
efficient weapon (ex. Mark 4).
The best solution is a combination of both. The reasoning behind the
biggest BANG theory is that if your ship survives because you spent more on
weapons, then the extra money was worth it. The reasoning behind the most
efficient weapon theory is that by using cheaper weapons, you can produce so
many more ships that it's worth losing a few more battles. The best
solution has to be tailored to your particular circumstances (enemy,
abundancy of minerals, abundancy of mega-credits, race) as well as to your
playing style.
For a more detailed discussion on weapons see the appropriate
sections.
B. Expanding your Empire with Planets
1. Colonizing
You will often want to send a small scout ahead of you so that it can
find good planets and you can plan ahead for them. For example, if your
scout has found a planet that can generate a lot of money is only a bit
farther on, you may want to hold off on colonizing the in-between planets so
that you can tax this high-revenue planet sooner.
You will want to put 100 clans on most planets that you colonize. The
reason for this is that 100 clans can sustain enough mines for most planets
as well as build 100 factories. Over 100 clans, you can not build 1 factory
for every clan. For most races the best colonizing freighter is the
LARGE DEEP SPACE FREIGHTER.
Remember to include about 25 supplies and 100mc for every 100
colonists. If resources are scarce, you can go to 10 supplies and 50mc.
Planets that have natives (other than Amorphous ones) can generate their own
money, and you do not have to supply these with mega-credits to get started.
Try to make the warps between planets in one turn so that you will not
be seen. This is especially important if everyone knows that you are a
rookie. If you are experienced, they may assume that you believe you are
strong enough to repel an attack.
When you have a ship over an unowned planet do a mineral survey. To
do this, select the ship that is over the unowned planet. Then press F4 and
the F5. You can now unload some colonists onto the planet. If there are
natives (other than Amorphous ones) you need only to unload supplies and
colonists and your freighter can move to the next planet in the same turn.
If there are no natives, your ship will have to wait there until next turn
when you own the planet so that you can give it some mega-credits. The
reason it does not need mega-credits if there are natives is that you can
tax the natives and the planet will generate its own mega-credits.
You may have to stay in orbit, even if there are natives on the
planet. Your ship may be short on fuel, in which case, you can gamble that
there will be enough fuel on the planet's surface to get you to the next
planet. To gamble like this, set your mission to `G'ather Neutronium and
before you leave the planet's orbit, your ship will automatically beam up
all the neutronium on the surface. You may be forced to wait at the planet
until another ship can refuel you or until you have mined some neutronium
from the planet.
2. Development of Planets
When colonizing, do not neglect planetary defence posts on newly-owned
planets. There are three primary types of defence--capital ships, planetary
defence, and mines, usually in that order of importance. Of the three,
planetary defence will be the most important defence against small scouts
with 2 X-Ray beams that wander into your territory looking for unguarded
planets.
In order to prevent small scouts from taking over your precious new
planets and destroying many of the factories and mines as well as stealing
any money on the planet you need about 13 defence posts. It is generally
safe to let a planet go without 13 defence posts for the first few turns
that you own it. After that, you will want a minimum of 13 defence posts to
defend from small scouts or small HYPerdrive ship attacks. The 13 defence
posts should be increased by a couple every turn. Don't build mines until
you have maxed out the number of factories you can build (unless you
urgently need some minerals). By the time you have about 25-50 mines built
(if you have decided that the planet is worthy of that many) you should have
your planetary defence to max, or almost there.
3. Building a New Starbase
a. What for?
Do not think that you will never have to build another STARBASE.
If someone attacks and destroys your Home World, you will need another base
to survive in the game. A STARBASE can also be used as added defence for a
valuable planet. You may find that your Home World starbase is overwhelmed
by the need for new ships in your empire. You may need ships to be produced
nearer to your enemy's heartland. Maybe you need a supply of torpedoes or
fighters closer to the action. Moving minerals from far away to your Home
World is also very wasteful of fuel, and a starbase nearer to high-
production planets will save fuel and effort. Once the 500 ship limit is
reached, he with the most starbases has the best chance to win.
Do not build a starbase simply for the sake of building a starbase,
though. Whenever you build a new starbase, have a specific purpose for it
in mind that is part of your over-all strategy.
b. About Building a Starbase
You may need to build a Large Deep Space Freighter, to transport any
materials and colonists required to the chosen planet. To defend the new
starbase you will need one to three capital ships, at least until it has
full defence posts and max fighters. For building a starbase you need the
following:
900 mega-credits
402 tritanium
120 duranium
340 molybdenum
colonists
A Large Deep Space Freighter or a couple of capital ships with a lot
of cargo holds can deliver these minerals. The ships can also be used to
deliver additional colonists and minerals after the starbase is started.
You will also need supplies and more mega-credits to build factories, mines,
and defence posts.
Do not leave only 100 clans on your starbase. A cloaking race
(especially the Lizards) may find this out and beam colonists of their own
down. Suddenly, they'll have your starbase for free! You will need at
least 500 clans to be fairly safe. Before you can feel really secure, you
should have several thousand clans on your starbase.
C. Defence of your Empire
With hyper-drive potentially in the hands of any race you can be
attacked from a 1000 light years away only a few days after the start of the
game. Get your HW (Home World) defence posts above 100, keep your ships
hidden and don't lay a minefield until it is absolutely necessary
(minefields can be detected from a large distance away).
Every day check to see if any other ships are orbiting any of your
planets.
Always be watching for any sign that your enemy (or your ally) is
planning an attack.
Always be thinking about how you would attack if you were your enemy.
Prepare your defence for this. You can second-guess yourself forever. For
every tactic there is a counter-tactic for which there is a way around by
using a different tactic. Choose the type of attack you expect and prepare
for it. Do your best to prepare for every possibility, though. The Parker
Bros. game "Risk" was called so for a reason. You can't play without being
aggressive, taking risks, and gambling and still hope to win.
D. Attacking the Enemy
Always plan out your attacks. Avoid an all-out battle of attrition.
Use your forces with daring and stealth.
See the section on HYPerdrive ships.
See the section on BATTLE GROUPS. Battle groups can make effective
forays into enemy territory that can put him into a defensive mood, as well
as destroy valuable ships and resources, especially when used in an
organized and thought-out manner.
1. Your Enemy
See the section on team-work.
Avoid a two fronted war by having one enemy at a time. Negotiate with
the others for an alliance or truce so that you can use your forces on a
single enemy. In this way you can concentrate your forces against one
opponent. If possible, use your ally to help destroy the enemy. Two
against one is always better than one on one. Working in a team is even
better. With your resources pooled you will be more effective.
If my race cannot build fighters cheaply (ie just use 3 TRI, 2 MOLY
and 5 supply, no mega-credits) then I will build ships that carry torpedoes.
Unless I can do a quick kill on their starbase, I will avoid conflict with
races that can build fighters cheaply. Instead, I will aid another race by
providing some ships/credits to do my "dirty work" for me. This is similar
to the strategy the Byzantine (500ad) and the British Empires (18th century)
followed.
Be ruthless and aggressive to effectively carry out your plans of
universal domination. An opponent who isn't completely destroyed can
rebuild. Spare no one. The U.S. Navy in World War II had a motto--"HUNT
THEM, FIND THEM, SINK THEM!".
Even if your opponent has a fleet stronger and larger than yours,
never despair. All the great Generals in human history won their battles
with forces that were greatly outnumbered and outgunned. How? They
concentrated their forces and struck at their enemy's weakest areas.
Attacking where least expected and with more forces than your opponent has
in that area will allow you to survive, and eventually turn the tide. Never
do what your opponent expects you to and never be where he thinks you are.
In any situation, determine what is most the most obvious course of action
to follow and what is LEAST obvious. In most cases, do the least obvious.
Always mystify, mislead, and surprise your enemy.
Never underestimate any player. Always be sure to correctly estimate
the effects of your attack on your enemy.
2. Targets
It is usually best to try and avoid head to head conflicts involving
the loss of ships. Attack the resources that supply, build, and fuel these
ships. By avoiding battles against large ships you can commit your
resources to smaller capital ships and have economy of force.
Remember to try and do the unexpected, but at the same time be sure to
keep in mind that certain operations are simply more worthwhile than others.
In order of importance, here are the primary targets.
a. Home World
Whenever possible ALWAYS destroy your opponent's HOME WORLD. As well
as being his source for building ships, mega-credits, supplies, and
colonists a blow here can also knock him out of the game. Psychologically
the loss of the Home World can cause a player to give up and stop playing.
b. Control of the Battlefield
If you can take control of the battlefield, you can call the shots.
Bully the enemy if you can. The safety that freedom of movement generates
will usually pay for itself.
c. Planets
By capturing enemy planets you deny him observation posts. This can
be done by unloading colonists onto the planet for ground war.
Watch enemy movements with cloaking ships, as well as from a distance.
See if you can find his primary planets. Attack a couple of these over a
spread-out area can weaken the enemy greatly.
Attacking lesser planets that the enemy is using primarily for the 100
supplies per turn it generates can also force him to either spend a lot of
money on a minefield (which you will just sweep), force him to spread out
his forces, or force him to lose these planets. If he decides to sacrifice
these lesser planets, you can use them as FORWARD SUPPLY BASES.
d. Freighters
Destroying enemy freighters denies the enemy the minerals needed at
his starbase.
e. Capital Ships
Destroy enemy capital ships ONLY when your losses are minimal and his
losses are maximum or when it gives you a commanding control over the
battlefield.
3. Attacks
Time your attacks carefully. Timing can make the difference between
success and failure.
Before you attack know what your target has for defence. If you are
attacking ships that are in space, check to see what you will be attacking
by using `L' and `V'. After you have identified the enemy ships, use the
program PROSIM.EXE (with SIM.EXE) to see if you will be successful in a
conflict. Determine which ships and in which order you will send your ships
in to attack. Set the ship's mission to INTERCEPT or KILL and input the
PRIMARY ENEMY. The ship with the lowest ID # will attack first. To change
the order of attack change the friendly code. For example ship A is to
attack second and ship B first. Set ship A code to 2xx and B to 1xx. Read
the Doc "HOSTxx.ZIP" for more info.
When attacking or defending, do not waste your forces piecemeal. If
you want a target, then commit enough ships to be successful.
It is a waste of resources to send 3 ships and lose them, even if the
target is destroyed. Send 6. That way, although you still lose three
ships, you have 3 left to control the area. Remember, you must have
sufficient ships to win, as well as to repel any counter attack. Know what
your target defences are, and then use the best combination of weapons
against it. You will lose ships in an attack, anticipate this.
Carriers are the most efficient way of attacking a starbase, but only
when used as part of a BATTLE GROUP.
E. Freight Movement
Bringing minerals to a starbase can be done with capital ships that
have large cargo holds or freighters. Using a capital ship that cloaks is
ideal, because no one can see what your route of travel is.
F. Movement
If you are using a ship that doesn't cloak, try to travel from planet
to planet in one turn. When in orbit around a planet your enemies cannot
see you.
When you cannot make a move in one turn, be sure to avoid telegraphing
your moves. Don't move in a straight line from one planet to another. Zig
zag so your opponents are not sure of your destination.
1. Convoy
To protect your ships have them travel in a convoy. Set the to travel
at the same speed, moving to EXACTLY the same location each turn. This is
accomplished by having all the ships intercept the lead ship in the convoy.
To travel to a distant cluster of planets have several freighters
travel in a convoy with an escort. Their path should closely resemble a
firecracker on the 1st of July. All the ships travel together for as long
as possible and then suddenly the convoy breaks up with each ship travelling
a very short distance to its assigned planet. Using several freighters, a
large number of planets can be checked out quickly.
If the distance between planets is too great to be done economically
because of fuel concerns, have some escorts standing on station at certain
locations. Sitting on station at warp 0, the escorts will not use valuable
fuel. The convoys can then move to these stations for extra protection.
If your resources are low, you can tow a ship and put StarDrive 1
engines on it. For example, a LARGE DEEP SPACE FREIGHTER with high tech
engines could tow a capital ship that has only tech 1 engines. The cost of
the capital ship then is minimized.
2. Or the Lack There-Of: When NOT moving
Unless your capital ships are on convoy duty they should be in one of
two locations. 1) At the starbase to maximize the defences or somewhere
else standing by to face any enemy action. 2) In a strong, single strike
force moving to attack the enemy.
3. Fuel Burn
The heavier the ship, the more fuel it will burn. When selecting beam
weapons, engines, torpedoes, torpedo launchers and fighters check the
weight. A positron beam weighs 3 KT and a blaster 4 KT. Carrying 60
fighters will burn less fuel than 80 fighters. Having 150kt of fuel weighs
less than 200kt fuel, therefore the ship will burn less.
The biggest advantage to registering is that you will be able to build
tech 10 engines, and move further and faster than before. A tech 7 engine
is the minimun size engine that should be used on most ships. Lesser tech
engines can be used on ships that are just staying and protecting the
starbase.
G. Scouts, Observation Posts, and Forward Supply Bases
A SMALL SCOUT with high-tech engines can move rapidly and economically
around the universe looking for enemy ships and planets. By leaving one
colonist clan at each planet, this planet becomes an OBSERVATION POST on
enemy activity. By leaving several colonists with supplies and mega-
credits, some factories and eventually some mines can be built to provide
fuel and supplies to ships operating far from your own territory. This
planet is a FORWARD SUPPLY BASE.
With colonists on the planet you can use `v' to look at other ships
that come close. Also use `l' to list the ships if they are travelling in a
convoy; then cycle through using `v' to see which ships are there.
Depending on which version of PLANETS.EXE you have, you may have to use the
small-case of `l' and `v'!
H. Native Races
A number of planets with good native races can win the game for you.
NATIVE RACES to look for:
AVIAN and INSECTOID are a good source for mega credits.
REPTILIAN help with mining.
BOVINOID make extra supplies.
GHIPSOLDAL gives TECH 10 engine technology when building a starbase.
AMPHIBIAN -- TECH 10 beams with starbase.
SILICONOID -- TECH 10 torps with starbase.
A TECH 10 advantage race can save you 4500mc and is the only way that
unregistered players can achieve anything beyond tech 6.
Note that natives, just like you, grow (on planets with the right
temperature!). Taxes have the same effects on them. A good government,
though, can greatly increase the taxes you will earn.
Also, note that on some planets it is not wise to build too many mines
or factories, since that will decrease the maximum tax rate, which will in
turn, decrease the amount you will earn. Remember, you can only mine a
planet once, but the taxation factor is forever. For example, on an
INSECTOID planet with 10 million natives that is earning 300mc a turn,
building 100 factories and only 25 mines will likely lower the maximum tax
rate by 1%. 1% will cost you 300mc a turn, or 900mc in 3 turns, or, the
cost of 60 fighters in 20 turns. Serious business. Make sure you are
certain that further development on a planet is what you want.
************************************************************************
VI. Specific Strategies
A. Lizards
DAY 1 Engine TECH LEVEL to 10 ........transwarp drive
Weapon .. .. .. 3 ........blasters
Torpedo.. .. .. 5.........mark 4's
Hull .. .. .. 4.........
Tax.......about 18%....10 levels above the green....which is usually
around 8%. The 18% requires one ship on HISSS mission.
1. Strategy:
The small freighter I will colonize on my home planet and the Serpent
Class Escort will go on HISSS mission above my home world.
I will usually build 6 to 8 LIZARD CRUISERS. For the first 10 days I
will send the LIZARD CRUISERS out to planets solo, always cloaked. After
that they only go in pairs. If a planet is close enough to be reached in
one turn, then by about day 6, I will increase my hull tech level to 6 and
build 2 large deep space freighters to haul colonists and minerals.
Around day 10 I will keep 4 to 6 LIZARD CRUISERS and the serpent
escort above my home planet on hiss mission...tax rate for 7 ships on HISSS
is 7 x 5 = 35 + 13 = 48%. I will now increase my HULL TECH LEVEL to 10 and
build at least 2 T-REX's.
I use BLASTERS on both the LIZARD CRUISERS and the T-REX's and keep 21
torps on the LIZARDS, 60 torps on the T-REX's.
To destroy a fully defended starbase will require 7 LIZARD CRUISERS as
long as there are no other ships present. 2 T-REX's and 6 LIZARD CRUISERS
should be able to destroy any ships, the starbase and still have some
surviving ships.
If I discover an enemy's newly built starbase, I will drop colonists
onto the planet, so that I can capture the planet and starbase. At combat
odds of 20X it doesn't take too many colonists to take the planet and
starbase.
The Feds are ideal allies. The Thor Class Frigate and Diplomacy
Cruiser as Lizard ships are very deadly with 150% damage capability. If the
Fed player is 500+ light years away, I will try to buy or steal some
hyperdrive or accelerated ships from nearby enemies. These ships can sent
to the Feds and back, so that we can build starbases near to each other in
order to produce fleets with ships that work well together.
B. Birds
Consider a fleet of 6 cloaking SWIFT HEART CLASS SCOUTS, moving
through enemy shipping lanes, observing enemy ship movement, and orbiting
enemy planets & starbases. They could be used for SUPER SPY MISSION and to
guide in your offensive force of 5 or 6 FEARLESS WING CRUISERS and BRIGHT
HEART CLASS DESTROYERS for capturing and destroying enemy planets, weakly
defended starbases and ships. Captured minerals, mc, and ships can be sent
home to increase your own resources. As the battle escalates, you may find
that you have to increase your firepower and go to the DEATH SPECULA CLASS
FRIGATE and RESOLUTE CLASS BATTLESHIP.
If you are registered, the DARKWING CLASS BATTLESHIP and REDWING CLASS
CARRIER would make a good combination for destroying STARBASES's. By using
a fleet of cloaking ships you can prey on shipping lanes by staying right
over top of enemy planets undetected. Dropping colonists onto enemy planets
while in a cloaked SWIFT CLASS SCOUT can force an enemy to commit more ships
to defence, while you have your main force elsewhere.
C. Fascists
The Fascists' biggest advantage is pillaging against yourself. (The
idea of SELF-PILLAGING is from Chris Smith, FAQ0313). When I arrive at a
planet, I check for natives. Beam down one clan, and in the same turn,
pillage the planet. The one clan will be gone, but for every 1,000,000
natives the planet will now have 100 supplies and 100 Credits.
If at all possible, I will ally myself with the Evil Empire, Rebel or
Cyborg to have access to a steady source of hyperdrive ships. By using a
hyperdrive ship in the same manner as the REBEL player, I can launch into a
planets orbit unseen. With the mission preset to PILLAGE and no enemy
specified I can kill off 20% of the natives and colonists. This is very
useful against the CYBORG. If I ally myself to the Privateer, I will use
his accelerated ships to tow my BATTLE GROUPS to the enemy faster.
You can also use the tactic of SELF-PILLAGING with HYPerdrive ships in
order to easily develop starbases on very distant planets. Use enough
HYPerdrive ships to send about 115 colonists, find a planet with lotsa
natives and some minerals, self-pillage, and then you can quickly build
mines and factories.
Four Deth Speculas and 2 D7 Coldpain cruisers make up a BATTLE GROUP.
The Deth Specs are armed with 24 MK 4's torps, 11 colonists and a mix of
blasters and x-rays beams. Both D7's carry 70 MK 8 torps and 30 colonists.
The colonists are for establishing damage repair and refuelling bases in
enemy territory. I also rely on captured f