PDCs: Few and large, or small and many?

[Shipright (OP)]

So I have been reading up on missile strategies and it seems to me that for the most part missiles are not self targeting and thus will not retarget when their intended target is destroyed.

With this in mind I started thinking about my PDCs. I have been designing large PDCs that are basically large tanks, taking advantage of the native armor bonus. However, given the above I was curious if it may be more effective to have many smaller platforms dispersed sort of like  modern SAM site. I may lose several but if dozens of enemy missiles disappear with each one I may exhaust the enemies magazines and lose capacity slowly but regularly instead of in large tank explosions.

Which leads to my next question. In space overkill missiles just disappear into the void. On planets is it the same or do they just do damage to the planet once the targeted PDC is destroyed?

[Saibot]

I might be wrong, but don't missiles with sensors retarget? Anyway, I'm curious about the same thing. The PDCs I've built are massive just to take advantage of barracks/hangars, but having multiple smaller installations might have merits too.

[Paul M]

For defending Earth the NCN uses large planetary defence centres.  For defending smaller colonies the plan is to build smaller missile bases with only 3 counter missile or a single AS missile launcher each.

Missiles re-target automatically if they have onboard sensors and there original target is destroyed and the new target is in range of their onboard sensors as I understand the situation.

It is a matter of taste if you use a few large or many small sites, so far as I can see.  What is more relevant in the total number of launchers you have to defend the planet with.  The only advantage that larger PDCs have is that burning through the same thickness of armour is going to proceed slower due to the width of the armour.  Smaller PDCs will have the same thickness of armour penetrated sooner but will clearly be much less of an overall loss to you when they are taken out.  A few lucky hits could cripple a major base and thus provide a larger drop in effectiveness for the defenders.

[Black]

If I want to prefab the PDC I prefer small design as it is easier to transport it.

[Brian Neumann]

The one thing you need to guard against with small bases is losing your active sensor source.  Most of the time the npr's will target the active sensors first.  Because of this you are either going to need a bunch of active sensor pdc's so you can lose some and still continue to shoot back.  With a large pdc you can put enough armor and point defense on it to make it a hard target.  Large pdc's also are easier to spot with their sensors.  With small pdc's they may not be able to see what is shooting at them until you get into close range.  The active sensor itself becomes the only target that they can shoot at.

Brian

[SteelChicken]

Ive never had anyone get close enough to my homeworld to test it, but I generally keep fighters in single, large, unarmed PDC's, then I will have 2-3 fairly stout missile launching PDC's, with only backup active sensors, then multiple (4-5), smaller, very cheap dedicated sensor PDC's, with nothing but sensors.  If I have meson technology, I will have point defense PDC's with meson cannons, otherwise, some orbital platforms with gauss cannon.

Everything that can fire has a backup active sensor, but I rely on ships first for actives (if any are around), then smaller dedicated sensor PDC's.

NPC's will generally "see" active sensor platforms first and attack them first.

This way, the PDC's that are actually capable of firing generally get targeted last.

Again, this is untested, but seems logical.

[Shipright (OP)]

Well then I guess it really depends on how often NPRs actually put sensors on their missiles. From what I can tell from my limited playing experience as well as reading AAR sensors on missiles are not particularly common especially in the early game. HOWEVER, I get the feeling that this is the case in space combat because in the early game it may not be possible to get enough range on that missile sensor to acquire another target. In a planetary attack all PDCs are essentially at zero distance from each other so just a tiny sensor would do for a specialized planetary attack missile.

However, assuming no sensors, it seems you could use a dedicated sensor PDC to not just act as an illumination but also a missile sponge. I also wonder if using many smaller dedicated launcher PDC combined with strong ECM would make it impossible for an average sensor equip missile to retarget or have an acceptable chance of hitting if they did.

Continuing the analogy with real world SAM sites, if I illuminate a target with the active sensor PDC and wait for the enemy to fire but then turn it off will the enemy missiles lose their lock? I assume not as the enemy would need their own active sensor lock to fire in the first place. However, like some mentioned that first active sensor could be a very cheap high resolution PDC designed to just flash a signal and sacrifice itself while you turn on your expensive real sensor to fire your own salvos once you see a few enemy missile salvos headed to the decoy.

I have no idea about any of this, I'll build it tonight but there is nobody there to attack me to test it.

[Brian Neumann]

If you want to test something, save a copy of the database and then use the sm functions to create a hostile race in system and run both sides of the fight.  When the fight is over you can then restore the original database and continue with your game.  In my mind this is the equivalent of wargaming out what will work when you are in the design phase of  a major unit.  I try to do this anytime I am designing a new type of ship (not just an upgrade of an existing class of ships).  I have caught myself with some of the basic design problems like having point defense weapons but not the right fire controls to make good use of them.

Brian

[Jorgen_CAB]

I have ventured back and forth trying to judge what is the most realistic approach given the game parameters. I have come to the conclusion that PDCs should mainly have defensive weaponry such as AMM, PD and anti-ship beam weapons. Things that you rarely have to upgrade and if you do they can be shipped there and placed into hangar facilities. In the next version of the game my anti-ship platforms will be a small platform with just a single spinal mounted laser beam and one or a few dual purpose 15cm laser turrets.

I create active sensor, PD and anti-ship satellites and put them into PDC hangars. I launch them when they need to do something. I also have some small AMM PDC. A larger world will usually get a command bunker with some sensors and AMM and internal garrisons that is heavily armoured but mainly for RP reasons. PDC are put on planets to cover the civilian demands to about 120-150% or so.

Above this I believe in having a centralized response fleet in every sector that respond to incursions. I monitor every JP with drones and I might fortify known enemy entry points with Monitor ships (thick armour, large beams, fast engines, long maintenance cycles).

I believe that keeping any sizeable offence AND defence as static PDC is inefficient. If the planet can just defend long enough for reinforcement to arrive that is more likely if I keep defences on the planets and not both offence and defence at the same time. I just want to keep an eventual invasion force away from the planet. I believe that doing the reverse and just keep an offence is unrealistic and would not be proper for a human based culture, at least not a civilized and open one.

[niflheimr]

I tend to create a hostile race as well for testing. Also , most of the time I try to run the worst case situation and see if it works.

Regarding PDCs , I usually put huge ( 200-ish kt ) PDCs on my main planets , and only listening posts on the out-system colonies. I also mass box/reduced sized launchers and AAMs on them - with ranges 4-5 times larger than on my ships. No one tries to invade your planet a second time after a 2000 missile size 20 salvo.