Weapons Platforms Usage?

[Fionn]

I'm probably just missing it, but I'm having a hard time finding the value in weapons platforms. It seems to me that satellites are a better choice. Granted, they are smaller but they can be deployed anywhere, unlike platforms which (as far as I can tell) are only deployable for defense on planets you already control.

What am I missing here?

[Baron Munchausen]

Satellites: 80/100/120kt.
Weapons Platforms: 200/400/600kt.

You don't understand the difference between something smaller than an escort and something as large as a battle cruiser? All satellites are smaller than the smallest ship. It's hard to cram a decent set of components into them. Weapons platforms start at Frigate size and go on up. A medium or large weapons platform can fend off battleships.

You might be thinking that you can just dumps LOTS of satellites to create the same level of benefit, but it ain't so. Each sat needs a computer core, each sat needs combat sensors and/or ecm, each sat needs shields and/or armor. But each sat is much smaller than a weapons platform. The amount of firepower you can put in space with satellites is MUCH less per ton than weapons platforms. Then there are differences in how they perform in combat.

Satellite Groups are placed randomly around a planet when combat begins. If the enemy comes from a direction other than the direction in which the satellites are placed, they can just shoot the planet without having to fight your satellites. Not only can't they "bypass" weapons platforms, but weapons platforms have to be destroyed BEFORE the planet they protect can be damaged. They function as "armor" for your planet as well as weapons systems.

Also, they are NOT visible from a distance. An enemy can SEE how many satellites, bases, or ships your planet has just by being in the same system. This let's them plan their attack better. Unless they've used intelligence means (Covert Recon) they cannot know how many weapons platforms are on your planet, though they can make a rough guess at how many their COULD be based on its size. This makes planning for the attack more difficult. They will have to commit more resources to be sure of winning.

Beginning to see some of the reasons why weapons platforms are useful?


[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 26 August 2000).]

[jars_u]

Mhhh... if in combat sat's are placed randomly around a planet and ships can go around them, how are space stations handled? If you but a battle station in orbit around a planet do attackers first have to destory that and then combat aganist weapons platforms occurs? So weapons platforms can be used both aganist space ships and ground forces? Have not really had the chance to use them yet myself.

[Fionn]

I can see your point now that I see the stats. I've never researched WPs beyond the first level, where that size difference really widens, and while I've been using shields and armor, I haven't gotten around to experimenting with the ECM or sensors yet. I've just been playing the demo for a week or so, and obviously there's still a lot of depth left to explore!

I haven't had an enemy invade a planet equipped with platforms yet. Aside from their obvious ability to shoot down incoming transports, do they also directly battle ground troops as well?

[Richard]

Actually the true strength in weapon platforms is to prevent the fleet from getting close enough to invade in the first place.



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Sarge is coming...

Richard Arnesen
Director of Covert Ops
Shrapnel Games
http://www.shrapnelgames.com

[Baron Munchausen]

I had the impression from some Posts I have seen that weapons platforms DO participate in ground combat if you manage to land troops before they have been destroyed. But I have never seen this happen either as attacker or defender. If it's true, then this is the ultimate ground defense. A weapons platform is many times tougher than any troop.

[Taqwus]

jars_u >>

The [space|battle]station gets placed randomly near the planet, not on it. If you can get a transport to the planet intact, you can still invade, although that seems a) unlikely (because the station probably can destroy/cripple your transports), and b) unwise (the station can probably just bLast the heck out of the planet even if you DO capture the planet, so take out the station first).

Note that the station is NOT on the planet, while a WP stack is. So an attacker can play attack-from-the-other-side games with a station (e.g. if both have range-8 weapons and enough pd to shoot down missiles, then the attacker positions himself range 7-8 from the planet, and 9+ from the station on the other side), but that doesn't hold with a WP stack (here, you have to micro-manage in tactical combat by dancing in and out of range if you're going to shoot without being shot.)

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Noble713]

quote:

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Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
I had the impression from some Posts I have seen that weapons platforms DO participate in ground combat if you manage to land troops before they have been destroyed. But I have never seen this happen either as attacker or defender. If it's true, then this is the ultimate ground defense. A weapons platform is many times tougher than any troop.

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Which makes since. It should take more than a few troops to storm and take the future equivalent of a coastal weapons battery.

From the vehicle sizes file:

"Serve only as a container for weapons which fire from a planet into space (or for ground combat)."

I'd really like to see this happen, but the computer never invades my planets. Can you put platforms in the combat simulator?

[Taqwus]

Noble713>>

Sure. Add a planet to one side, then hit the 'change cargo' (IIRC) option. Then load it up with whatever units you like. The largest planetary cargo space I remember seeing might have been something like 16000kt, which should hold up to 80 small weapons platforms (ouch).

I haven't yet set it up such that friendly ships/stations start near the planet, however. Maybe a fleet is *actually* stationed there, they'll be considered as defending the planet and not start near the edge as an attacker.

If you want to see the AI invade, hrrrrmmmm. Maybe it'll try if you provide it (in the simulator) with several loaded troop transports and a small escort, against a planet with a few wps and some troops?

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[matt2000]

weapon platforms are really useful for one thing:

killing annoying ships trying to blow up your NEWLY COLONIZED planets.

One of the things that the AI tries to do is always target your newest planet. Therefore, i always take a colonizer and a transport: the colonizer has the coloney and 20kt population and the transport has about 1000kt weapons platforms

(weapons platform specs)
1x plat computer core (10k)
3x Capital Ship Missles (150k)
2x Armor (20k)
2x Sensors (20k)

Actually, the armor is in some ways better than the sheilds because you get the armor

10k = 70 pts protection

while sheild

40k = 20 pts protection

so for the same 40k,

40k = 280 pts protection

so for 40k you can ward off two wave motion hits plus a coulpla small weapon bLasts.