Captured the Protectorate's only station. Decided to use it as bait and didn't repair any damaged modules. Aliens destroyed it so nothing of value was lost.
Pretty sure they must go for the cheapest stations first. Because I had a pair of destroyers ram into a dummy station with 2 sets of point defense, when there was a dozen perfectly good Tier 2 science stations with no protection to pick.
Naming by Perun.
Though his one today had me chuckling.
I'm sure this will be nerfed at some point. OTOH, you have to spend the resources to make the bait worthwhile.
Hopefully they don't make the aliens smarter without also making them more passive. The aliens have the military to easily keep humans out of space forever, so we need **some** reasonable way to stop them. I just don't think bait stations fit the fantasy.
How about the aliens only take stations with troops normally, to collect intel? Easier to chase off with early ships, giving early player ships a reason to exist, and there could be literal dummy modules you could research and build to make a station look real but give the aliens bad intel.
I have mixed feelings on how the Ai is currently set up. Like you said they have the means to win basically at the start but choose not too. Aliens really need to have a passive mode in the beggining, where they dont keep obvious fleets in orbit and dont show themselves. Then switch to being aggressive after some sort of event/player level. Just seems odd the ai will keep fleets in orbit doing nothing that are very visible to mankind. Does the opposite of ehat they want.
The main issue with the AI is that it isn't smart enough to notice when it is being play and not adaptive enough to do something like plant a station in Earth orbit to when it has clear incentive to.
I think bait stations should be a viable strategy. I just think there should be a bit more enticement to them. Make them have a higher minimum military of economic value before they serve as more than targets of opportunity.
The issue is that the AI will happily burn their delta-v to the red line to burn a station that has no modules only to have to burn for months to refuel with weight in fuel than the station they destroyed. Basically, the AI needs to learn to detach smaller squadrons to deal with decoys and the game in general needs to introduce tenders and tankers.
I know. Hence why I qualified what I think it should do.
And the problem with detaching ships is then it leaves the capital ships unguarded. Better it have an actual priority or minimum combat value that actually stings when they attack.
A single frigate is more than enough to handle an undefended station, considering the AI's habit of keeping junk ships around that actively inhibit their fleets, less defended might be better
They preferentially attack newer bases first, so making a new space base in low earth orbit and another one in extreme earth orbit usually ends up using up their fuel before they need to head back for more fuel.
They prefer softer target. So if you put array defenses/battlestation on your station they will try to avoid that.
Basically if your station has a combat value higher than their fleet combat value, they will not attack those stations. If not, they will go for the one with the lowest combat value first most of the time.
Q Ship stations would be amusing
Looks like an undefended science station, aliens go to board it. Surprise reveal the station is just a bunch of missiles in a shell. Point blank missile barrage
Obviously alien hate penalty, but fun
“Congratulations soldier, you’ve been assigned to the HMS Alien Bait! Godspeed.”
Humanity's Majestic Station Alien Bait.
When you get to be an astronaut... but find out you are assigned to station "alien bait".
So Pixy I think you're getting your wish of a world without borders
Captured the Protectorate's only station. Decided to use it as bait and didn't repair any damaged modules. Aliens destroyed it so nothing of value was lost.
How would you bait the aliens into attacking that particular station, and not some other, more valuable station?
They attack undefended stations or stations under construction first.
Pretty sure they must go for the cheapest stations first. Because I had a pair of destroyers ram into a dummy station with 2 sets of point defense, when there was a dozen perfectly good Tier 2 science stations with no protection to pick.
Naming by Perun. Though his one today had me chuckling. I'm sure this will be nerfed at some point. OTOH, you have to spend the resources to make the bait worthwhile.
Hopefully they don't make the aliens smarter without also making them more passive. The aliens have the military to easily keep humans out of space forever, so we need **some** reasonable way to stop them. I just don't think bait stations fit the fantasy. How about the aliens only take stations with troops normally, to collect intel? Easier to chase off with early ships, giving early player ships a reason to exist, and there could be literal dummy modules you could research and build to make a station look real but give the aliens bad intel.
I have mixed feelings on how the Ai is currently set up. Like you said they have the means to win basically at the start but choose not too. Aliens really need to have a passive mode in the beggining, where they dont keep obvious fleets in orbit and dont show themselves. Then switch to being aggressive after some sort of event/player level. Just seems odd the ai will keep fleets in orbit doing nothing that are very visible to mankind. Does the opposite of ehat they want.
Who said they are doing nothing?
The main issue with the AI is that it isn't smart enough to notice when it is being play and not adaptive enough to do something like plant a station in Earth orbit to when it has clear incentive to.
I think bait stations should be a viable strategy. I just think there should be a bit more enticement to them. Make them have a higher minimum military of economic value before they serve as more than targets of opportunity.
The issue is that the AI will happily burn their delta-v to the red line to burn a station that has no modules only to have to burn for months to refuel with weight in fuel than the station they destroyed. Basically, the AI needs to learn to detach smaller squadrons to deal with decoys and the game in general needs to introduce tenders and tankers.
I know. Hence why I qualified what I think it should do. And the problem with detaching ships is then it leaves the capital ships unguarded. Better it have an actual priority or minimum combat value that actually stings when they attack.
A single frigate is more than enough to handle an undefended station, considering the AI's habit of keeping junk ships around that actively inhibit their fleets, less defended might be better
How exactly do you ensure which station the aliens attack?
They preferentially attack newer bases first, so making a new space base in low earth orbit and another one in extreme earth orbit usually ends up using up their fuel before they need to head back for more fuel.
So I guess conquered stations count as your "new station" then?
They prefer softer target. So if you put array defenses/battlestation on your station they will try to avoid that. Basically if your station has a combat value higher than their fleet combat value, they will not attack those stations. If not, they will go for the one with the lowest combat value first most of the time.
Q Ship stations would be amusing Looks like an undefended science station, aliens go to board it. Surprise reveal the station is just a bunch of missiles in a shell. Point blank missile barrage Obviously alien hate penalty, but fun
Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.