Posted by: Jorgen_CAB
« on: September 21, 2013, 04:43:17 PM »In my opinion I find it to be wasteful to put huge active sensors on fleet scouts which I put in with my main fleet. I would never ever want to reveal my main fleet like that, especially if I have carriers. These sensor systems are pretty expensive as well, both research wise and production wise. I rather run with smaller fleet scouts such as frigates or 500t scouts to function as my main active platforms.
If I don't play against only the AI (I usually control at least two none human factions against myself for the challenge) then I need to be way more flexible in my designs and I also find that harmonizing my fleet into one speed is a big mistake against none AI opposition. Against the AI it does not matter much because it is pretty easy to outmaneuver even with a few tech levels lower than they have.
At Magneto Plasma level my fleets are generally concentrated into a fighter/carrier base. Pure ASM is only fitted to fighter hulls while missiles on ships are mainly anti-fighter/FAC types or AMM. The range necessary to engage with ship based missiles against enemy main combat ships (human controlled) with same tech fleets (when fighters is common) is just too short most of the time.
Beam weapons are usually for jump point defense/attack and as a deterrent for a rush attack by an enemy fleet.
I find anything smaller than 4-6000t is pretty useless in an offensive beam capacity, they are just too weak defensively and easy to destroy with decent long range PD beam weapons and/or anti-fighter/AMM missiles.
Overall your ships are well designed but your ship based missiles might have a rather low range for my taste. I would just remove those missile cruisers for more carriers, they just don't rime that well with each other in my opinion. Carriers are just much more dynamic than missile cruisers when you have the technology/industry to support them. Fleet carrier strike range are pretty much unlimited, especially if you have a decent support fleet with extra fuel in tow.
In general I deploy smaller light carrier models with faster engines and a smaller hangar, perhaps in the range of 12-18000t and then fleet carriers as big as I can make them. The light carrier can act as a scout or in support of other more dedicated scout ships, the fleet carrier act as my main battle-force deployed far behind the scouting elements usually with much slower (or less) engines than the scouting element of the fleet. Cruisers will mainly be defensive with PD weaponry (including AMM) and heavy beam weapons for JP defense/attack. My destroyers would mainly be anti-fighter/FAC/missile platforms at these tech levels.
In general my fleets/ships are not designed from a general template but as a counter to what I know about any possible hostile/neutral alien threat that I meet.
Basically, I either deploy a large fleet or just scouting elements. Worlds are generally defended by missile bases or in systems with many colonies by patrol corvettes (2-4000t ships), fighters and defensive PDC bases. Fleets are stationed at sector HQ bases and operates from there.
If I don't play against only the AI (I usually control at least two none human factions against myself for the challenge) then I need to be way more flexible in my designs and I also find that harmonizing my fleet into one speed is a big mistake against none AI opposition. Against the AI it does not matter much because it is pretty easy to outmaneuver even with a few tech levels lower than they have.
At Magneto Plasma level my fleets are generally concentrated into a fighter/carrier base. Pure ASM is only fitted to fighter hulls while missiles on ships are mainly anti-fighter/FAC types or AMM. The range necessary to engage with ship based missiles against enemy main combat ships (human controlled) with same tech fleets (when fighters is common) is just too short most of the time.
Beam weapons are usually for jump point defense/attack and as a deterrent for a rush attack by an enemy fleet.
I find anything smaller than 4-6000t is pretty useless in an offensive beam capacity, they are just too weak defensively and easy to destroy with decent long range PD beam weapons and/or anti-fighter/AMM missiles.
Overall your ships are well designed but your ship based missiles might have a rather low range for my taste. I would just remove those missile cruisers for more carriers, they just don't rime that well with each other in my opinion. Carriers are just much more dynamic than missile cruisers when you have the technology/industry to support them. Fleet carrier strike range are pretty much unlimited, especially if you have a decent support fleet with extra fuel in tow.
In general I deploy smaller light carrier models with faster engines and a smaller hangar, perhaps in the range of 12-18000t and then fleet carriers as big as I can make them. The light carrier can act as a scout or in support of other more dedicated scout ships, the fleet carrier act as my main battle-force deployed far behind the scouting elements usually with much slower (or less) engines than the scouting element of the fleet. Cruisers will mainly be defensive with PD weaponry (including AMM) and heavy beam weapons for JP defense/attack. My destroyers would mainly be anti-fighter/FAC/missile platforms at these tech levels.
In general my fleets/ships are not designed from a general template but as a counter to what I know about any possible hostile/neutral alien threat that I meet.
Basically, I either deploy a large fleet or just scouting elements. Worlds are generally defended by missile bases or in systems with many colonies by patrol corvettes (2-4000t ships), fighters and defensive PDC bases. Fleets are stationed at sector HQ bases and operates from there.