MOO2: shining,spying,cheating

[Master Marcus]

Originally posted by Garth Vader
I am generally a warmonger as I have conquered a huge galaxy using only lasers

At last, AT LAST! Someone else who is not using massively MIRV-missles! Don't get me wrong: I do recognize the MIRV-nuclear and merculite to be powerful at the beginning, but my strategy is hybrid and diversified - by the time when I begin my attacks on Space monsters and a weak AI, I've almost reached plasma cannons ( surely graviton ) at a point then where the Beam's [cost&space//attack power] ratio surpass the missle one in chemistry ( pulson to Zeon).

[Garth Vader]

I like Armor Piercing lasers because even in the early game you can kill ships before they can even shoot at you. That's why I continue to use beam weapons throughout the game.

[Like2frolick]

Bah..Lasers suck.

And I have to agree..later in the game, when you can HIT things with em, and use em to turn ships into butter, then Beams kick bootay!

Of course...this is ignoring the Capture Ship, which hands down is one of the coolest ideas ~ever~....

[Garth Vader]

That's why you use the battle scanner, and the continious mount on your lasers. Then you can hit even with the electronic computer

[Master Marcus]

Originally posted by Like2frolick
Of course...this is ignoring the Capture Ship, which hands down is one of the coolest ideas ~ever~....

Very true, but in MoO2 that function is undesirable to perform since I despise capturing weak AI ships ( so lame with their low beams and missles, low armor&shields ) and it really sucks having them joining my fleet ( even at Impossible ). I have capture enemy ships only scarcely in the past, and the few times I've done it I was so disappointed that I immediately scrapped them for a few BCs. That will surely be remodeled in MoO3, and only when playing it will I reperform boarding.

[Garth Vader]

Sometimes it works for the AI. Every once in a while they get a real good design. I have run into large fleets that had neutron blasters, tractor beams, and transporters. I don't remember how I got out of that one, but it wasn't easy.

[pchang]

I do not use "Capture Ships" against the AI. I use them against the Antarans. In fact, I keep hoping that they will attack me and I will even capture an enemy planet ahead of an Antaran attack in the hopes of capturing an Antaran or two.

[Like2frolick]

You don't USE the ships, silly..you scrap em, for technology!

Much more profitable than simply blowing em up..more efficient, too!

And...The Antaran's only really bug me in the early-early game...

And I can't capture em, goddangit! They must have an absolutely HELLISH Personal attack....

[The Mad Monk]

When capturing Antarans in the early game, expect hellish casualties--and plan accordingly. If you are at the stage of the game where you just got assault shuttles, expect to use at least 40 of them (that's 10 'picks' worth of shuttles) for each frigate you intend to capture. Don't even think of transporters--damping fields cut them to 1/4 strength before they even get to fight.

[Garth Vader]

I should try that some time.

I took a highG creative race once, with the goal of invading Antares and capturing everything with one ship. Came close IIRC.

[chequita guevara]

I love capture ships. It's a great way to knock out enemy ships quick, instead of slugging it out with them. Plus, they can give you a quick kill against bases.

Lasers rule: autofire, armor-piercing, continous, heavy mount with an FX arc for heavy weapons and autofire, armor-piercing, continous, point-defense, 360 for anti-missile, anti-fighter work.

[jdlessl]

I barely ever beat Impossible "the hard way". It's usually with a council vote, for which Charismatic is by far the best attribute to have. Your final score sucks, but hey...

I'll have to try the advanced laser stuff. Usually I never actually get involved into wars until I have the Gauss or Plasma cannon and some decent computers and shielding. The bots never seem to be able to put together a decent ship with high technology; they can be ahead of me in nearly every tech and outnumber me ridiculously, but I'll just walk right through them with a couple of battleships. My only problem until then is with blockades.

--
Jared Lessl

[ravagon]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara

Lasers rule: autofire, armor-piercing, continous, heavy mount with an FX arc for heavy weapons and autofire, armor-piercing, continous, point-defense, 360 for anti-missile, anti-fighter work.

You put AP on PD weapons? Does this actually do anything?
Realistically it seems a little ... odd.

One other thing I have noticed about captured ships is that they seem to attract an awful lot of fire, even the relatively lousy ships. Leaving a few with more vulnerable fleets and having them turn tail and run for the edge of the screen is a sure way of absorbing a lot of enemy missiles. Works rather well with beam weapons too as they are still heavily targetted and the range diffusion effect works in your favour with them being further away.

[The Mad Monk]

I think the main reason captured ships tend to draw more fire is that they're likely to have poorer defenses than your own, intelligently designed vessels.

The AI will target ships without heavy armor before those that do, ships with lower 'hit points' than others of the same hull size, and lager ships over smaller ones.

For example, I've seen AIs preferentially target doomstars without heavy armor over heavy armor cruisers, even though the cruisers had fewer hit point overall and were inflicting far more damge. (The doomstars in question were an experimental 'carrier' design that had already launched every fighter they had).

[pchang]

Ground Troops

My defenders have tanks and those battlebot things, but I have never been able to invade using tanks or those battlebot things. Is there any way to load up tanks or battlebots in an invasion force?