Planetary Bombardment

[LizardSF (OP)]

In my prior game, I gave up and began anew because Earth was constantly being bombarded by an unknown foe. How can they slip into my home system, get close enough to Earth to bombard it, and escape detection? What do I need to do make sure if anyone sticks their nose into Sol, I can see them? I know Deep Space Tracking is part of it; anything else?

[LoSboccacc]

may be that the foe is far and you don't have anything that could pick the enemy incoming missiles?

to detect their ship you can build a 1000 ton pdc that's almost a single active sensor (res 20 or 50 will do)
and build from your planet factories.

to detect the incoming missiles do the same but with a res 1 sensor.

[Charlie Beeler]

Are you sure it was an NPR?  The most common form of "bombardment" without detecting a ship(s) is a players own use of mass drivers to deliver minerals without the receiving planet having a mass driver to catch the packets.  This is usually because of removing the last MD after setting up the sending side of the set.

[Vynadan]

You should be able to spot anything coming close to Earth by the one deep space tracking station you have. It won't show you everything in the system, but you'll see everything on top of Earth and in its vicinity.

My guess is that you sent massdriver packets to Earth, but didn't have a massdriver there to catch them?
If not, deep space tracking stations act as passive sensors for both EM and TH. Then, you can build PDC with preferably large active sensors for active sensor coverage.
Even a completly cloaked ship is visible with active sensors if it's right on top of Earth.

If you want to see ships as soon as they enter Sol, you'll need multiple deep space sensor stations (if the jump point is far away, 10+) on Earth or jump point pickets. For the latter, just use the search function or read some of the fiction - it's a commonly used strategy.

[LizardSF (OP)]

Are you sure it was an NPR?  The most common form of "bombardment" without detecting a ship(s) is a players own use of mass drivers to deliver minerals without the receiving planet having a mass driver to catch the packets.  This is usually because of removing the last MD after setting up the sending side of the set.

Ohhhh......smeg.

Earth Defense Command: "Attention, Titan Automated Mining Colony AI! Attention! STOP SENDING THE ROCKS! We repeat! STOP SENDING THE ROCKS!"
Titan Automated Mining Colony:"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

[Charlie Beeler]

Ohhhh......smeg.

Earth Defense Command: "Attention, Titan Automated Mining Colony AI! Attention! STOP SENDING THE ROCKS! We repeat! STOP SENDING THE ROCKS!"
Titan Automated Mining Colony:"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

I think it is safe to say that just about all of us have done that one. 

[USS America]

I think it is safe to say that just about all of us have done that one.  

I've not done it yet, but it's still early in my Aurora career.   

[LizardSF (OP)]

BTW, I am probably the 10,000th person to say this, but, every time I hear "NPR", I think, "Wait, we're fighting Garrison Keeler?"

[Steve Walmsley]

Earth Defense Command: "Attention, Titan Automated Mining Colony AI! Attention! STOP SENDING THE ROCKS! We repeat! STOP SENDING THE ROCKS!"
Titan Automated Mining Colony:"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

What's the problem?

Steve

[Lucifer]

What's the problem?

Steve

The problem is probably that 50 packets are already on their way.

I think it is safe to say that just about all of us have done that one.   

In my case you are correct 
In the game that I've just started, the Moon probably will be the end recipient of the packets.
Cargo ships will take care of the final 384k km 

By the way, incredible game Steve.
Thank you for sharing it.
(in case you don't know this one, I recommend it ! There are very interesting technologies there hxxp: www. amazon. com/Earth-Strike-Star-Carrier-Book/dp/0061840254)
Best.

[metalax]

So if you remove the last mass driver and are suffering from bombardment, do you actually get the minerals in the bombardment packets added to the planets stockpile or are they lost?

[Yonder]

So if you remove the last mass driver and are suffering from bombardment, do you actually get the minerals in the bombardment packets added to the planets stockpile or are they lost?

The minerals are lost.

The problem is probably that 50 packets are already on their way.

If you put your entire planet's industrial capacity towards making a Mass Driver would it be finished before (some of) those packets hit the Earth?

[HaliRyan]

If you put your entire planet's industrial capacity towards making a Mass Driver would it be finished before (some of) those packets hit the Earth?

I had a small alien fleet bombard Earth once. They destroyed only something like 3 structures before I managed to destroy them, but one of those was my mass driver. Even building a new one with full industry I still got slammed by over a dozen packets before it was operational. >.<

[sloanjh]

Ohhhh......smeg.

Earth Defense Command: "Attention, Titan Automated Mining Colony AI! Attention! STOP SENDING THE ROCKS! We repeat! STOP SENDING THE ROCKS!"
Titan Automated Mining Colony:"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

ROFL.  We really need a "Wall of Shame" for this

John

[Girlinhat]

Actually, I can't assign mass driver deliveries to a planet without a MD, and when giving an automated order to "move MD's away" it gives me an Oops! event, with the message "cannot move a mass driver away from a planet that is set to receive deliveries."

I've heavily debated how to weaponize this, but I can't seem to find a good way to assault an enemy planet from the other side of the system...