size of fleets midgame

[Karibu]

60 ships is not much to use to be defeating 150 ships of any reasonable sort, really. You have to use roughly equal numbers, or your examples become flawed.

Very true. Like I said, PD is way too powerful compared to missiles. Also, do not forget that I said the battle started in the warp point, fleets mixed (Missile fleet taking full battering before firing first volley). Either PD should be less accurate or missiles should be able to take more damage. IMO PD accuracy could be from 30%...70% (10% more accuracy with each new PD cannon level). Though that is only speculation, I hope developers check PD accuracy in the SEV (5th Version). Apart from the beginning, missiles are only useful in large masses.

[ February 26, 2003, 11:57: Message edited by: Karibu ]

[minipol]

Yesterday i designed a battleship with lots of shields and armor and a few planetary boms ( forgot the exact name). Quite effective but as i mixed them with my fleet, they didn't seem to attack. Fleet orders where drop troops and optimal weapons range. When i changed the fleet orders to drop troops and point blank, then the planet busters as i call them attacked the planet.

I'll have to try some more to tune the strategy of my fleets as i'm new to simultaneous.
Is it possible to have those planet busters go in point blank and have the rest stay back on maximum weapons range orders and still have troops dropped in the end?

[Instar]

sometimes I build fleets around 50 to 100 or so, just for the heck of it, but that is more late game than anything (when Im making 1million minerals a turn)

[Fyron]

Originally posted by minipol:
Yesterday i designed a battleship with lots of shields and armor and a few planetary boms ( forgot the exact name). Quite effective but as i mixed them with my fleet, they didn't seem to attack. Fleet orders where drop troops and optimal weapons range. When i changed the fleet orders to drop troops and point blank, then the planet busters as i call them attacked the planet.

I'll have to try some more to tune the strategy of my fleets as i'm new to simultaneous.
Is it possible to have those planet busters go in point blank and have the rest stay back on maximum weapons range orders and still have troops dropped in the end?

Set the fleet to break formation, and the ships will use the strategies of their designs. In fact, it is always better to break formation.

[minipol]

thanks Fyron, i'll try that.

JLS: i was unable to recon the planets. It was very weird. My fleet of 46 ships with planet busters in the sector next to the planet i wanted to invade. I did some intelligence projects which all succeeded yet they didn't reveil any defences for the planet. However, when i attacked, i lost some 5 ships so their must have been planetary defences! I just couldn't see them. Weird.
The planetbuster ship proved invaluable for this attack. Unfortunately, the attack was over before the troops could be drop: the planets where wiped out and almost immediately recolonized by other alien races that i have a trade allience with.
That's one thing i would like in SE5: a way to keep friendly races out of your territory. Technically this isn't my territory but they had to travel through 3 systems to get there. I think there should be an easy way to stop this kind of ai behaviour. I have always detested it. Civilization used to suffer from this too. Drives me nuts.

[JLS]

Minipol,
Where you able to send a scout over that planet earlier, I am curious about its defenses. How many weapons Platforms, Troops or fighters does it have? Is there any enemy ships or bases on station over your intended target? If so how many and what is there makeup.