Planet Busters and the AI

[King_Kristian]

Has the AI ever used Planet Busters against you?
My opponents usually build one or two, but they never use them, never ever, not on any difficulty.
They just store them (untill I sabotage them before an invasion).

[Pandir]

I think I have had them used against me once or twice. I allways have at least one of my own so I guess it works as a deterent to keep them from using theirs.

[King_Kristian]

Strange, they never use them even if I have or don't have any of my own.

[Rex Little]

I've been hit many times. Once I had been ignoring probes the whole game because I'd built HSA early, and then that city got PBed. All of a sudden probes were nibbling at me everywhere--stealing a unit here, a tech there. . . very annoying. Fortunately I already had a good lead built up, so annoying is all it was.

[Vytae]

Depends

Depends really,the Ai is erratic with PB's. First let me assure you they use them,and when they DO use them *shudder* they have devlish aim. I believe it depends on how powerful you are,how powerful they are and how much they hate you. if your equal strength and youve been using gas obliteraing their bases and other such your practicly guarnteed a PB up the tailpipe if they get any built.

Another thing ive noticed the "peaceful" factions use them more then the warmongers. Ie first person to ever nuke me was Lal followed by Miriam, Hive , Lal again and on.

[Mavfin]

First AI faction to ever nuke me was Deirdre, but only after I tossed a couple at Yang...

I rarely use PBs, but I always build a couple and put them close to the faction I want to pressure or I think is about to declare vendetta on me...

[Blacken]

...the AI is merciless with PBs on Thinker and above level, I've found.

I was Spartans, had dropped the charter, and started beating on Yang (who was on an island with a few of my expansion bases, Deirdre, and one lone University base that I hadn't captured yet.) I let him meet my X Shard Infantry, and toasted all but two bases. I was quietly building up a huge army of Fusion Transport Cruisers, X Shard Rovers, and Shard Hovertanks, and I had a couple "silos" that were nothing more than size 3 (Planetary Transit System bases) bases with five or six PBs inside em.

Well, I blew away ol' Yang, and took out Zak's last base. I then got a fun little display, as both Deirdre and Lal nuked the hell out of me, taking out one of my main bases and two littler bases, as well as one of my two build-up bases, killing about 10 infantry, 5 rovers, 3 tanks, and a couple of planes.

I was mad.

I sent off my cruiser transports with what was left, but before I did that I happened to make a couple of Carrier Deck-equipped ones, and loaded ALL my missiles onto them, as well as a few X Shard Penetrators and Copters. I was kinder to Lal, I just took 21 of 23 bases, and dropped a PB on the last one. For once (and I wish I had a save of this) an atrocity victim went SUBMISSIVE, and Lal became my bestest buddy, har har. Deirdre took 10 PBs, turning her big continent into a bunch of lakes, and she went bye-bye.

Morgan then dropped TWO PLANET BUSTERS on my main base, where I had four secret projects (HSA, Voice of Planet, Xeno Dome, and Weather Paradigm). Miriam was submissive-Pacted to me, but Morgan was only treatied to me...or was. Anyway, by this time I had singularity PBs, so four of them sorta wiped their entire island out...Sorry, Miriam. Or not.

Conquest victory win...but a really sloppy one. I usually don't drop more than five PBs in a game...I used twelve in this one.

[big_canuk]

I find that if the AI is ahead on the power graph, then the moment you pass them they drop their planet buster(s) on you. After I noticed it, I confirmed it in many SP games, by observation. This doesn't make it always true, or only true as to timing. I always keep my rep noble, in case that plays in the equation.

Have others noticed the same, or maybe different timing. I guess it introduces the stratagy of keeping low on the power graph, until you have defenses, or until you sabatoge their PBs.

[Dreifels]

Originally posted by big_canuk
I find that if the AI is ahead on the power graph, then the moment you pass them they drop their planet buster(s) on you. After I noticed it, I confirmed it in many SP games, by observation. This doesn't make it always true, or only true as to timing. I always keep my rep noble, in case that plays in the equation.

So far I've seen, this happens only if you don't have more planet busters than the other, so that you can't hit back right.
(Seems to be similar with Civ2)

[big_canuk]

Yes, in those games, I would have not had any PBs.....

[Cybergod]

The only two factions to ever attempt to Planet Buster me have been Deidre and Yang. Deidre did actually succeed (but that's another story, on another thread... long forgotten until I brought it up... ) and (of all people a hippy sends a nuke) I just had to blow her tree farms and tree huggers into deeeeeeeeeeeeeep space...

[spartak]

Nothing quite beats the joy of PB the **** out the enemy.

Does anyone have any experiance of fletchette defenses? Are they any good?

[thinkingamer]

one time Miriam pb me at my capital of Hive; it had 5 Secrets, including, virtual, command, genome, etc.
(it was in trancendent level )
needless to say, i quit the game, never finishing it............

(f**k U Miriam)