capturing planets in PBW games

[trooper]

I don't know if my foes will let me this opportunity... but just in case !

I 've always played these critical moments in tactical mode against AIs, so in strategical mode what are the main mistakes not to be made to avoid stupidely glassing a planet instead of capturing it ?(or to avoid losing my troops and my fleet...)

[geoschmo]

1. Make sure the troop transport has a ship strategy of capture planet.

2. Make sure the fleet has a strategy of capture planet.

3. Make sure the troop transport has troops onboard.

As long as you do these three things then your fleet will attempt to capture the enemy planet. If the enemy has weapons platforms the attack ships will engage it till the weapons plats are gone or your ships are. The troop transport will run for the corner while this happens. Once the platforms are gone the troop transport will make for the planet. Your attack ships will then concentrate on taking out any ships/bases/fighter/sats/drones left. The troops will drop if your transport can get there before the combat round is over.

If your troops are defeated your fleet will then turn back and attempt to glass the planet.

If your troops are sucesful and the enemy has any bases or sats left they will open fire on the planet.

Sometimes, not too often in the unmodded game, the combat round will end with your troops and the enemy at a stalemate. If this happens combat will resume during your opponents next turn. If it Lasts long enough to get back to your turn you can even try dropping reinforcments on the planet. In the unmodded game though this rarely happens.

Geoschmo

[Slick]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
1. Make sure the troop transport has a ship strategy of capture planet.

2. Make sure the fleet has a strategy of capture planet.

3. Make sure the troop transport has troops onboard.

As long as you do these three things then your fleet will attempt to capture the enemy planet. If the enemy has weapons platforms the attack ships will engage it till the weapons plats are gone or your ships are. The troop transport will run for the corner while this happens. Once the platforms are gone the troop transport will make for the planet. Your attack ships will then concentrate on taking out any ships/bases/fighter/sats/drones left. The troops will drop if your transport can get there before the combat round is over.

If your troops are defeated your fleet will then turn back and attempt to glass the planet.

If your troops are sucesful and the enemy has any bases or sats left they will open fire on the planet.

Sometimes, not too often in the unmodded game, the combat round will end with your troops and the enemy at a stalemate. If this happens combat will resume during your opponents next turn. If it Lasts long enough to get back to your turn you can even try dropping reinforcments on the planet. In the unmodded game though this rarely happens.

Geoschmo

I think I found a little problem with this yesterday and I have seen Posts about it in other threads. Need to add 1 more item. The target planet must have a population greater than 0. For some reason, the troop transport won't attempt to capture an enemy planet with 0 population. You would think this would be a no-brainer, but I couldn't get it to work after 4 tries. Unless anyone has a way to modify the Capture Planet strategy???

Slick.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
The troop transport will run for the corner while this happens. Once the platforms are gone the troop transport will make for the planet.

I would add a couple of points:

If your ship weapons are all missiles, and the planet has few platforms and facilities -- the first volley may destroy it. That's not the transports fault. Review combat to see if this was the case.

If the planet has a colonized moon, the one closest to the transport will be invaded. Send more than one transport in these cases.

[ January 21, 2003, 17:08: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Baron Munchausen]

Originally posted by Arkcon:

quote:

---

Originally posted by geoschmo:
The troop transport will run for the corner while this happens. Once the platforms are gone the troop transport will make for the planet.

I would add a couple of points:

If your ship weapons are all missiles, and the planet has few platforms and facilities -- the first volley may destroy it. That's not the transports fault. Review combat to see if this was the case.

If the planet has a colonized moon, the one closest to the transport will be invaded. Send more than one transport in these cases.

---

As of the latest patch it should target the planet you clicked on with the attack command. It's quite frustrating to send in an invasion fleet with hundreds of troops to take a 'huge' size planet and have them attack the moon instead, then glass the huge planet because they don't have troops to take it...

[Baron Grazic]

Trooper,
I asked this question awhile back and both Geo & Grandpa Kim both replied with the instruction given here and I used that tactic just yesterday in a PBW game.
I'd love to see the look on my opponents face when he opens the current turn only to see my fleet sitting deep in his territory being resupplied at a planet he thought was his.