Strategy Guide in the Archive

[Dracus]

Sure,
Since you can see any movement in a system that you have planets/ships
(unless they are cloaked)
You either have to keep a ship on patrol in the empty systems (were you can't colonize) Or you can just place a sat over in a corner. (less likely the AI will take it out then.) This Sat can be unarmed. Now onyour map, it will so that you occupy that system and everytime some other race enters it, a trangle will appear. I do this to all empty sytems within and around my borders. prevents anyone from sneaking in on me.
Also, maybe sat protect any WP's that come from blackhole systems. Others like to use these once they get shields. I personally don't use sat's to protect planets because they can't move and can't be placed in a defense orbit. Long range guns can take them out quickly. But you will find that most of the time, the wp battles will place both your sat's and the enemy ships near the point. you get first shot and you can take out a small fleet before they even get to fire. send in ships to clean up the others.
And exception to this is nebula and black hole systems:
Blackhole systems will pull anything in so you can not monitor them. So blocking the the connecting systems WP's takes care of any movement acrossed a blackhole system.
Nebula systems hide everything. SO to counter this I put a sat/mine defense on the WP's Anything in or out that is not friendly hits my forces. and now I know were they plan to attack from.

[This message has been edited by Dracus (edited 12 April 2001).]

[Nitram Draw]

Here are some tips for beginners. Remember, don't blame me if you follow them and still get your butt kicked, there is no absolutly no certain winning strategy in this game!

[DirectorTsaarx]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dubious:
Thanks Dracus. "Rippling" the sat's as your border expands. That's a nice one. For the inexperienced like myself, could you expand a bit on the use of a sat in an "empty" system to monitor movement? Are you talking about using sensors (which I thought could only go on ships)?

---

Actually, you CAN put sensors on a satellite. I do it all the time (and so does the AI). I don't build many of them, since the advanced sensors take up so much room, but it's a cheap way to monitor systems.

Personally, though, I prefer to put bases in asteroid/nebula systems; generally with a shipyard and a sensor, so I can build ships if I need to. I've also created a base with a shipyard, sensor, and combo of satellite, fighter and mine storage, so I can build units in the remote systems. Add a mine/satellite laying ship and you have a pretty potent defence force (since fighters can travel in-system on their own, you don't need a carrier).

[Dracus]

Yes you can add sensors to sat's
But I personally don't Until later in the game and by that time, I have a good defense force built. To do the Sat defense, were you move the sat's outward as you expand, requires 6-10 sat laying ships.
One Other thing, since you can't recover mines.As I expand, I normally destroy them form area's deep within my empire.
This is a risk because if the AI moves ships into your systems before they break off relations then they can attack a couple of your planets. but when they try to escape to refuel, they stall at your defense lines. You
can then take them out with ships. But if they happen to use the solar panels, ( I have not seen this yet.) It could be assumed that they could then repeatly attack inside your systems and force to have to hunt them down.




[This message has been edited by Dracus (edited 12 April 2001).]

[Dubious]

The zip file in the "Space Empires: IV - Modding and other Help Tools/Information" archive has been updated (same name: SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide).

Revision 12 Apr 2001: Added new topics: Nitram Draw's "Beginners Game Tips", with subsections on "In The Beginning", "General observations and recommendations", "Must have technologies", "Combat tips",
"Opinion"; topic "System Defense" with subsections on "Controlling Costs", "Treaties and System Access", "Minefields". Added items to First 50 Turns; First Contact subsection on Treaties.

Revision 10 Apr 2001: Added to First 50 Turns: Research Strategies, Exploration, and Weapon Research Comparisons subtopics; First Contact.

[CaptSpoogy]

Mr.Dubious,

I just downloaded the strategy guide and notice a few typos and such, and was wondering if you would like me to go through it and fix them.

Also, I wouldn't mind converting the guide to MS word - maybe add some targets to make navigation easier. Let me know what you think.

[email protected] or
[email protected]

[Dubious]

Thank you for the offer, capt_spoogy. I try to clean up the typos and such that I find, but another set of eyes is always appreciated. The mind often reads what it expects instead of what's actually there if it's close enough. However, since the guide is still being updated so often (about every other day at this point; I want each revision to be worth the download) I think just pointing out the places where you find problems would be best, and I'll make the changes in the "master copy". Just give me a string I can search for should be sufficient, though the name of the poster and the date or topic in the guide should pin it down decisively. Anyone else who wants to point out things which need correction, don't ask ... just tell me. Bear in mind we aren't trying to "clean up" what someone said, just make sure it's understandable. Minimum editting.

Once the guide has gotten a bit more complete I was going to ask if someone wanted to make an HTML Version. While there's no objection to a Word Version, not everyone has Word, or even the free "Word Viewer". But everyone using the web has a browser. And there is no reason we can't have multiple formats if someone is willing to make the conVersion.

[Dubious]

The "SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide" is an editted compilation of threads from the forum. It is a "work in progress". The zip file in the "Space Empires: IV - Modding and other Help Tools/Information" archive has been updated (same name: SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide).

Revision 15 Apr 2001: Added new topics: "AI Behaviour"; "Projecting Your Influence" with subsections on "Fleet Operations", "Mine Sweeping", "Boarding Parties", "Capturing Ships", "Taking planets". Add to topic "First 50 Turns" new subtopics "Facilities", "Colonies", "Ships, Satellites, etc" (including color code for the sensor level Nebulae obscure), "Intel-CI", "Research Strategies", "Remote Mining", and rearranged some postings to them; rearranged some postings to topic "Beginners tips" and subtopic "Exploration". Also started adding in MM site Q&A to the beginning of appropriate topics.

[PsychoTechFreak]

Dubious, first of all: good job !

if you update the strategy guide, could you change the nebulae obscuration color code, please, cause I have observed the data files once more and have noticed that cyan and violett nebulaes also obscure to level 3, small sector storms do the same.

Summary , ver 1.35 compatible:

Cyan, violett, orange/brown nebulaes and every small storm:

Obscuration to level 3 , ability to scan with level 3 sensor, e.g. Tachyon Sensor II

Green nebulaes:

Obscuration to level 4 , ability to scan with level 4 sensor, e.g. Tachyon Sensor III

Red nebulaes:
Obscuration to level 5 , ability to scan with level 5 sensor, not yet available (w/o mod)

Remark: Cloaking is still buggy with "omnipresent view of all systems", scanners have no function at all with omnipresent view, you can't even detect not-cloaked satellites if they just have a cloaking device in it.

[Dracus]

here is another little tip:

A way to help protect your homeworld or any planet for that matter in addition to using sat's or wp's is to add some mines in orbit. Whiles mines are only good for ships entering orbit. They have been very effective to prevent the loss of one of my major planets. A fleet moves into to glass the area, they run into mines and take some losses. Then in the attack you mop up the remaining ships. The down side is that if a ship get damaged to were it can't move and you have no way to attack it then the planet become blockaded.
To keep re-supply the mine field, either use a base with a SY and mine laying bays or keep a cargo ship in orbit with a couple of mine laying bays building mines on the planet and loading them to the ship after each attack then you can re-build the field. To protect the ship, when battle starts, just move it behind the planet out of attack range. but behind the cover of your planet defenses.
Of course this all is somewhat useless if they send in penty of mine sweepers.
(if you use strat rather then tach then most of the time you will lose the ship since it will run to the corner to die.) But sometimes the mines take out all the attacking ships ant you don't have to battle.

[This message has been edited by Dracus (edited 20 April 2001).]