Taking a planet with low-tech?

[serpwidgets]

I'm on turn 24 and there's a neutral race in the next system. I've wiped out everything of theirs except their home planet, and I want to try to either make them surrender, or wipe them out. I'm playing with strategic combat only cuz I want to learn how to make the best of what it does with that in multiplayer.

I have 5 destroyers and 6 frigates, and their home planet has 8 weap platforms with 3 cap ship missile I's each, and 20 satellites with Du II. I've tried all kinds of stuff, including putting all missiles on my ships and setting the fleet to max weapons range, but they still end up getting killed by the planet's missiles and really don't do any significant damage to the planet or the satellites. Is there a way--without researching a ton of new tech, I've got it on high cost for tech and ~14K research points--to take this planet?

Also, will blockading it do any good?

[Marty Ward]

I'm not to familiar with strategic combat but you may need to do a two step attack. First design a fleet that will take out either the sats or the WP. Take out one completely and your job becomes easier.
If you can kill the sats first the rest is easier if you have any point defense. Once the sats are gone build some ships loaded with point defense and take out the missle platforms. Set the point defense ships to optimal range and your missle ships to max range and you should have no problem.
If you can't take out the sat first make sure your missile firers have some protection, armor or shields and then set them to max range as primary strategy and don't get hurt as secondary strategy. This should let them fire their missiles then retreat, hopefuly out of the sat range, until they reload.
I'm sure there are other ways and hopefully a more strategically experianced person can help. Good luck.

[Suicide Junkie]

Blockading the planet will help get them to surrender, as (i think) it cuts off all resource generation on the planet.

If you want to do a military takeover, I suggest building 3 heavily shielded/armored transports full of troops.
Add a fleet of suicide PD ships to protect the transports on the way in.
Your troops will then take the planet & the PD ships can attack the satellites.

[serpwidgets]

Ouch, I was hoping not to have to research troops, PD, and shields, they're way expensive at this point. I guess I'll keep a blockade on them while I try to get the research done and see what happens. Thanks.

[mottlee]

If you blockade him do not forget to ask for his surender...never know might get em that way too

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"Kill em all let God sort em out"

[Q]

And ask several times to surrender. His population will get angrier about your blockade and eventually start to riot.