Newbie question on fighters and capturing planets

Chronon · #1 September 16th, 2002, 10:46 PM

My first venture into PBW is as a replacement player, and I find myself with an empire that is oriented around fighters. This not my usual play style - I prefer to use fewer large ships - but since I have the technology I might as well use it.

My question is, what weapons should I use on the fighters when I'm trying to capture a planet? Should I go with bombs, rocket pods, or other planetary weapons and risk glassing it? Or, should I go with regular direct fire weapons with a better rate of fire?

I'm sure this topic has been covered before, but my search of the forum yielded no threads. I'd love to hear any and all advice. Thanks!

Oh, BTW, it's pretty early in the game (turn 50 or so), and I have fighters level one, organics level two, and small weapons level one. And I will, of course, build a troop transport, fill it to the gills with troops, and send it in with the light carrier and escort ships.

geoschmo · #2 September 16th, 2002, 11:08 PM

If you have a troop transport with the fleet and your fleet strategy is set to capture planet, then your fighters should cease firing on the planet as soon as the weapons platforms are gone. All fighter weapons and all planetary waepons in the unmodded game are direct fire weapons.

Missles and anything listed as a seeker weapon are things wqhich will give you a risk of accidental glassing. Fighters are refered to as seekers sometimes because they can be targetted by PDC, but they aren't really any more than sats are which can also be targeted by PDC.

Geoschmo

Fyron · #3 September 16th, 2002, 11:19 PM

You can accidentally glass a low population world that has tons of weapon platforms, esp. using weapons with a high damage value (or large fighter stacks

).

Chronon · #4 September 17th, 2002, 05:36 PM

Thanks Geoschmo and Imperator Fyron for the advice and good information on planet capture.

I think I'll go with the ship/planetary weapons rather than the purely planetary ones. That will give my fighters more flexibility. Do either of you like rocket pods - one shot massive destruction - or do you go with the one-shot-per turn weapons?

geoschmo · #5 September 17th, 2002, 06:03 PM

Personally I like rocket pods at least until I get large fighters with shields. DUC's or whatever will give more total damage for 30 rounds of combat, but since fighters get slaughtered by PDC and ships weapons they aren't likely to live more than a few combat rounds anyway.

The exception might be against a race that uses a lot of fighters too. There you might want your fighters to be able to take out some of his fighters. Rocket pods can only target ships.

Geoschmo

Phoenix-D · #6 September 17th, 2002, 06:29 PM

Rocket pods all the way. Especially on warp points!

"Hello!" -200 fighters with Rocket Pods III fire-

Phoenix-D

Chronon · #7 September 17th, 2002, 07:36 PM

Rocket pods it is! I'll start building them next turn...

dogscoff · #8 September 17th, 2002, 08:27 PM

Also be aware that the small Versions of the organic weapons are some of the best nfighter weapons in the game. Against other fighters or even larger ships, they can really do some damage.

Greybeard · #9 September 17th, 2002, 11:50 PM

I have been avoiding fighters in my games with the AI to give them more of a chance =|%^)>

I think I'll need to change my tactics in PBW....

Greybeard

jimbob · #10 September 18th, 2002, 01:49 AM

So what if you change the strategy of your ships to "ignore planets" but still allow them to attack Weapons Platforms?

1) Will they kill everything in site, but leave the planet alone?
2) Will your ships kill everything except the planet but then just sit there and get pounded by the weapon platforms (assuming WP are present)?
3) if you tell ships to ignore planets, but set "damage planet" to say 50%, what will happen? (i'm guessing but I'm not sure, that the ships will attack the planet until 50% of the weapon platforms are gone, and then stop)

PBW & rules pertaining to strategies confuse me.