Never seen this before

[Aabraxan]

Originally posted by vmxa1
Were you dusting their attackers each time? If not, that may be what allowed them to return sooner. Losing all their attackers, means they need time to rebuild.

So you would have to be large enough to be the one attacked, but weakly defended to let them have some survivors.

No. They were wiping the floor with me. The first couple of times they attacked, they decimated my fleet, so the best I could hope for was to get what meager ships I had out of the path of attack, leaving the colony to be attacked to its own devices. Normally, I would see this as a bad move, but I had two choices: (1) allow my colony to get bashed; or (2) allow my colony to get bashed and lose a bunch of ships, too.

[vmxa1]

Well I would like to see that. I tend to not play with them on any more as they are so boring and tempt me to end the game with a quick smashing of their HW.

They never have any surviving ships in my games, so somethinig is wrong. The first few times they come they go for someone else as I will not be the biggest.

Then they come for me the rest of the game. So if you are playing a level where you can be the top dog right away, then maybe they come before you are up to stopping them.

Once I have two BB's they no longer are a threat. You have at least 3 turns to see them coming, so you can get up a few defenses.

[vmxa1]

I just looked at the log from that game posted and they only sent 4 ships on one turn to an undefended planet. I sent 4 ships to defend and dusted them, no loses.

[Zoetrope]

Usually I have close encounters with the Antarans about three times in a game.

First time, they wipe the floor with any fleet and defences, then bomb the planet, causing either minor damage or total devastation depending on comparative force strengths.

Second time, I'm able to defend myself; I may capture one, two or three of their ships if my ground combat skills are up to it and the right ships are near enough.

You don't always get 3-4 turns warning: sometimes they materialise 1 turn from a poorly defended colony.

Third time we meet, it's at their base world. Two disappointments here: (1) no Antaran buildings or statistically measurable population to wreak vengeance on; (2) cannot seize their ships and run with them, which would be fun.

In one game, however, I was near the middle of the map, nad had good relations with my neighbors, but the Antarans attacked me once or twice in every 10 turns, repeatedly. They destroyed my best planets, one by one.

For some reason my ship tech wasn't up to fending them off, but I was close enough to Android tech to go for it. So I concentrated my research, got Android Workers, then went to war against my formerly placid neighbors, just so I could grab some worlds to survive the relentless Antaran onslaught.

The AWs were worth their weight in xentronium, because they worked hard enough to build up each captured colony fast enough to maintain the industry necessary to build ships (incl. colony ships), and so was able to maintain about 10 useful colonies despite continual losses to Antaran bombardment and withstand the attempts by my neighbors to retaliate against my desperate grabs for territory.

[Aabraxan]

Originally posted by vmxa1
I just looked at the log from that game you posted and they only sent 4 ships on one turn to an undefended planet. I sent 4 ships to defend and dusted them, no loses.

If you're referring to me, vmxa1, I didn't post a log.

[vmxa1]

Sorry for the confusion, the log was from the game I played from the posted save.

[Brutalisk]

"In all the years and thousands of moo2 games I've played, I have never seen an invading Space Dragon ask for money to spare a system. Cool, a feature I've never seen before."

I tried really hard to get over that statement but i can't. The only explanation is probably that your games wouldn't last for a lot of turns. Atleast not enough turns for the dragon to appear.

[Aabraxan]

Originally posted by vmxa1
Sorry for the confusion, the log was from the game I played from the posted save.

Are you referring to me? I've never posted a save, either. Had to be someone else's.

[vmxa1]

One other method Brutlisk, having random events turned off.

[Brutalisk]

LOL, it's just that from the sound of it, he does have random events on.