Defense

[grobnok]

Is it good to stay on the defense when a fanatic faction attacks you? or should you try to capture their bases?

[Whoha]

Do you have that faction infiltrated?

[Commy]

Defense can mean many things. However, if someone like Miriam declares war on you, sometimes it's just better to let it go and not attack them, simply because, it would be a very costly war and chances are they would take advantage of the leave of troops. Direct defense, which when you literally let them attack your units and hope your armor holds out, is not a good idea, considering that weapon values are always higher than armor values. However, defense can also include attacking. For example, if you attack their units when they are near your base, your units are still in your base, but the odds are in your hands because weapon values are better. Ultimately though, it depends on the situation, and the technology of your weapons and armor, as well as the enemy's. Think of it this way:

Say you have a 1-3-1 unit and a 4-1-1 unit in your base. The enemy approaches with a 4-3-1 unit. If all units were disciplined, and the 4-3-1 unit attacked the 1-3-1, it would win, odds 4/3. These odds would be even greater if the unit was fanatic. However, if the 4-1-1 unit attacked the 4-3-1 unit before it could attack the base, then it would have odds of winning of 4/3. In this case, attacking the enemy first would be better, particularly if it is fanatic.

Say, however, that your base has a perimeter defense, essentially making the armor value of the 1-3-1 unit a value of 6. Even with a fanatic bonus of 25%, bringing the attack value to 5, the garrison unit would have an advantage, 6/5. While this is not as good as attacking the 4-3-1 unit first, with odds of 4/3, if, say, your 4-1-1 unit had low morale, and the 4-3-1 unit had high morale, or had a defensive bonus like rocky square or forest or fungus, it would be better to play sole defense.

Of course, most players in this situation would probably let the unit attack first, then clean it up with the 4-1-1 if the 4-3-1 had a significant defense advantage...

[grobnok]

But won't they eventually take your bases after many attempts? Because your chance of destroying them is 0 because you are not attacking and even if their chance of destroying you is 2 percent after many attempts/waves they will eventually take your bases.

[Chaos Theory]

Then keep making troops. If one loses, you just have another. Keep researching and building until you can counterattack.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by grobnok
But won't they eventually take your bases after many attempts? Because your chance of destroying them is 0 because you are not attacking and even if their chance of destroying you is 2 percent after many attempts/waves they will eventually take your bases.

Nope

The computer player plays very stupidly and will usually keep coming at you down the same land route. Whether you defend or attack depends on the circumstances but I will pretty much NEVER mount an expedition to take out an AI unless I see a good profit in it for me. The fact that they are sniping at me is irrelevant. So if I have decided to defend, I have to decide how to defend.

My preference is active defense, which essentially means killing the enemy as they come in... Done right you don't allow them at your bases . The idea is they are attacking so they have to come at you sooner or later. Basic set up is to run some roads THAT YOU CAN CONTROL, across some rocky tiles. Pair up a few best weapon rovers with a high morale Garrison. They sit in their defensive position on a rocky tile with a couple of one tile roads leading out from them. Each turn a rover rolls out, kills something and rolls back. In ideal situations, you have the killing zone set up so you can hit the enemy where thay get no terrain modifiers. In super ideal situations, you will have a nearby monolith to heal your troops and your sensor net will be sufficient that you never get hit by suprise.

When linked by land to an attacking AI, I have never seen them do anything other than dribble units and my experience has been that you usually end up with a couple of elite rovers that could hold the kill zone indefintely from land attack. The key is usually to NOT get ambitious and advance toward the enemy since then you create situations where THEY get the first shot.

Its a bit different with amphibious assault since the computer doesn't seem to mindlessly follow the same attack routes. But then again its transports seem to be unescorted and its a pretty simple matter to kill the incoming force.

As an aside you can then mine your roaded rocky squares and add crawlers-- even armour them if you wish

[grobnok]

Will they eventually declare a ceasefire if they lost huge amounts of troops? or will they just keep pumping out troops?

[Chaos Theory]

If you attack an AI and hammer them enough, they *might* offer to surrender. On the other hand, there have been reports of AIs surrendering to vastly superior opponents who had not directly threatened them. I don't think losses have anything to do with surrendering, only the current state and current/past diplomatic relations.

An AI is unlikely to agree to a truce after starting a war unless you hurt them, which means more than taking out troops straggling to your bases.

[Whoha]

yea, I rolled out an army towards the peace keepers and the capitulated on the spot, then I sent it towards the believers and they surrendered.

[Apocalypse]

Originally posted by grobnok
Will they eventually declare a ceasefire if they lost huge amounts of troops? or will they just keep pumping out troops?

They will eventually. But usually it isn't too hard just to find one of these cities that is vulernable and hit that. Especially some coastal cities.

[Dis]

never rely on armour. always attack. But depending on your police rating, staying in your territory is sometimes necessary or desired.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Dissident
never rely on armour. always attack.

Change those from 100% absolutisms to something true 98% of the time and I agree.

Weapons usually are twice the power of available armour

[Chaos Theory]

In the early game, when it's lasers vs synthmetal, or impact vs plasma steel, defending in the open is more viable. Later on, defending in bases is inevitable, as choppers become available. AAA + Aero complexes help with this, however. You cannot always counterattack enemy forces, and you cannot always step on your enemy before the midgame.

[grobnok]

I'm playing on libarian.

[Mead]

Originally posted by Flubber


***

My preference is active defense, which essentially means killing the enemy as they come in... Done right you don't allow them at your bases . The idea is they are attacking so they have to come at you sooner or later. Basic set up is to run some roads THAT YOU CAN CONTROL, across some rocky tiles. Pair up a few best weapon rovers with a high morale Garrison. They sit in their defensive position on a rocky tile with a couple of one tile roads leading out from them. Each turn a rover rolls out, kills something and rolls back. In ideal situations, you have the killing zone set up so you can hit the enemy where thay get no terrain modifiers. In super ideal situations, you will have a nearby monolith to heal your troops and your sensor net will be sufficient that you never get hit by suprise.
***

Flubber has it right.

Harry them as they approach your holdings.

Set up the battlefield so that you have good kill zones.

Have a good defensive position that you can rest/repair units, maintain good survelliance (via sensors and/or Aircraft if availaible).

Kill them as they approach you, then withdraw to heal.


Mead