To be honest, I am overwhelmed. I didn’t expect to face this kind of difficulty. I was too careless. I've made mistakes. Perhaps my topic will be a warning to other newbies, maybe you can advise me something ...
A little background:
I started playing for a traditional empire. From the very beginning, I tried to achieve the maximum growth rate of industry and economy, and all my construction, research and development were aimed at exponentially developing this.
Ultimately, in the first 20-30 years, I reached 1000 factories on Earth, many powerful shipyards, 5 gravity, 5 geological reconnaissance, 5 ships for the construction of gates. Then I created a total of 30 transporters of 125 thousand cargo, 26 terraforming stations with 5 modules in each, 7 huge tanker tugs.
As a result, 45 years after the start of the game, I had 3 large (a total of 250 million) inhabited colonies in other systems, and in total I terraformed and prepared 6 worlds for colonization.
I also built a huge network of warp gates connecting a total of 45 systems, and my colonization fleet is capable of loading 10 million people.
I assumed that first - to develop the economy, and then - the military sphere - is a profitable strategy. And in general I was right, but due to a number of fatal mistakes, now I can lose everything.
In preparing for war, I expected that I would build a powerful fleet capable of destroying their fleet in one general battle - which will take place in the enemy's main system.
I assumed that it would be most efficient to completely separate the ships by roles:
Separately build huge missile cruisers, each capable of firing 50 size 9 missiles:
Missile cruiser:
Rocket BC MK1 class War Cruiser 63 616 tons 1 757 Crew 8 526.2 BP TCS 1 272 TH 1 575 EM 0
1237 km/s Armour 7-141 Shields 0-0 HTK 362 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 41 PPV 450
Maint Life 0.06 Years MSP 5 083 AFR 32375% IFR 449.7% 1YR 81 103 5YR 1 216 543 Max Repair 500 MSP
Magazine 8 950
Captain Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Magnetic Fusion Drive EP525.00 (3) Power 1575 Fuel Use 5.96% Signature 525 Explosion 6%
Fuel Capacity 500 000 Litres Range 23.7 billion km (221 days at full power)
Size 9.00 Missile Launcher (50) Missile Size: 9 Rate of Fire 25
Missile Fire Control FC101-R60 (4) Range 101.2m km Resolution 60
Separately - missile defense destroyers:
DD Rocket mk1 class Destroyer Escort 11 987 tons 291 Crew 1 695.4 BP TCS 240 TH 300 EM 0
1251 km/s Armour 6-46 Shields 0-0 HTK 98 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 21 PPV 59
Maint Life 0.92 Years MSP 2 588 AFR 1149% IFR 16.0% 1YR 2 817 5YR 42 257 Max Repair 500 MSP
Magazine 1 759
Captain Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Magnetic Fusion Drive EP300.00 (1) Power 300 Fuel Use 15.40% Signature 300 Explosion 7%
Fuel Capacity 250 000 Litres Range 24.4 billion km (225 days at full power)
Size 1 Missile Launcher mk1 (59) Missile Size: 1 Rate of Fire 10
Missile Fire Control FC11-R1 (4) Range 11.6m km Resolution 1
Missile Fire Control FC28-R1 (1) Range 28.3m km Resolution 1
Later - build ships that provide touch control, as well as shelling the enemy with dummy missiles to destroy enemy anti-missiles
DD SCOUT AMM mk1 class Destroyer Escort 10 331 tons 216 Crew 2 140.5 BP TCS 207 TH 300 EM 0
1452 km/s Armour 10-42 Shields 0-0 HTK 57 Sensors 6/2/0/0 DCR 11 PPV 25
Maint Life 1.44 Years MSP 2 629 AFR 854% IFR 11.9% 1YR 1 406 5YR 21 087 Max Repair 588 MSP
Magazine 1 215
Captain Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Magnetic Fusion Drive EP300.00 (1) Power 300 Fuel Use 15.40% Signature 300 Explosion 7%
Fuel Capacity 250 000 Litres Range 28.3 billion km (225 days at full power)
Size 1 Missile Launcher mk1 (25) Missile Size: 1 Rate of Fire 10
Missile Fire Control FC185-R90 (1) Range 185.4m km Resolution 90
SPAM SENSOR 190m (100) Speed: 21 800 km/s End: 145.6m Range: 190.5m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 72/43/21
Anti AMM SPAM (495) Speed: 16 800 km/s End: 182.2m Range: 183.6m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 56/33/16
Active Search Sensor AS166-R80 (1) GPS 47040 Range 166.7m km Resolution 80
Active Search Sensor AS16-R1 (1) GPS 112 Range 16.9m km MCR 1.5m km Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH1.0-6.0 (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
EM Sensor EM0.5-2.5 (1) Sensitivity 2.5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 12.5m km
I specially built such slow ships to accommodate a maximum of weapons systems in their tonnage.
And that was my first fatal mistake.
The war began suddenly, with an enemy attack on my distant colony with automatic mines. The program for the construction of the military fleet has not yet been completed: at the moment, 6 missile cruisers and 8 missile defense destroyers have been built, but only half of the missiles have been produced for them, and there is not a single sensor control ship, the construction of military landing ships, as well as supply ships has not started yet.
As a result, my fleet is not yet capable of operating at a distance from my home planet, which the enemy actively took advantage of: they blocked the warp gates leading to my system, and thus deprived me of the supply of resources.
The worst thing that can happen now is that they will move on and simply destroy all my colonies.
I have a powerful economy, and I am sure that if I had another year or two, I could easily cope with this situation, but I have no time at all.
Even 30 years ago, I saw an enemy in the home system - 57 ships of 21 thousand tons of tonnage ... then I hoped that these were not warships. I was wrong.
The only hope for that is if these are the ships that were built 30 years ago, perhaps they are technologically quite backward. But judging by the speed of 4500 km / s, I would not count on this.
The question is, what can I do to improve my chances of surviving now, and winning in the future ...
I have poured all my research resources into advanced sensor development programs and energy weapons (plasma carronades). For now, the enemy is using small fleets of 2-3 ships against me, which I would easily cope with if I had fast ships. It is them that I am going to begin to produce in large quantities, but if the enemy sends their entire combat fleet to me immediately, it will be too late.
DD RAIDER MK1 class Destroyer Escort 10 285 tons 253 Crew 1 383.8 BP TCS 206 TH 1 350 EM 0
6563 km/s Armour 9-42 Shields 0-0 HTK 69 Sensors 6/2/0/0 DCR 11 PPV 72
Maint Life 2.30 Years MSP 2 584 AFR 846% IFR 11.8% 1YR 664 5YR 9 960 Max Repair 202.5000 MSP
Captain Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Magnetic Fusion Drive EP450.00 (3) Power 1350.0 Fuel Use 21.73% Signature 450.00 Explosion 9%
Fuel Capacity 500 000 Litres Range 40.3 billion km (71 days at full power)
30 cm C3 Plasma Carronade (
Range 60 000km TS: 6 563 km/s Power 24-3 RM 10 000 km ROF 40
Beam Fire Control R60-TS5000 (1) Max Range: 60 000 km TS: 5 000 km/s 83 67 50 33 17 0 0 0 0 0
Thermal Sensor TH1.0-6.0 (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
EM Sensor EM0.5-2.5 (1) Sensitivity 2.5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 12.5m km
ECM 40
The reactor is not here yet, it is being developed
How effective would small fighters be as replacements for large sensor ships?