How do you manage long-distance strike fleets? |
I have a neighbor with a fairly expansive empire (an entire arm of the spiral, actually) and I'd like to glass a few of his planets. My fleet is vastly superior to his, so the actual combat is not a problem (indeed, the object of this plan is to force him into stopping all research, so he won't ever be a threat). However, I run out of supplies after a few systems, probably due to the large size of my armada and the use of supply-intensive weaponry (psychic weapons, to be specific).
How do you manage fleets that need to strike a systems that are perhaps 8 jumps away? My current strategy is to build a couple of supply ships loaded to the brim with quantum reactors and combine this with a handful of standard supply ships. Hopefully, this will provide enough supplies for a long-term expedition into enemy space.
Am I missing some technology or component that could make this easier?
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
Yep, as M--5 said, have a few colony ships to build supply depot worlds every couple/few systems that you umm depopulate. Other than that, just really efficient supply ships - quantum reactors and solar panels with lots of supply storage.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
This probably isn't the answer you want to hear, but IMO one of the best ways to manage supply issues is to capture enemy planets rather than glassing them. Unfortunately it sounds like your enemy is already too far away for that...
The next best option is to build ships loaded with supply storage (and high-tech engines, if your engines hold lots of supplies). Supply storage will probably be more efficient that quantum reactors. Build your supply ships as close to the front lines as possible, and when you're done with them just go ahead and scrap them rather than trying to refill 'em. It's much quicker to build new supply ships than it is to refill old ones and send them back to the fleet. By scrapping them, you also recover some of the cost of building new ones.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
Look for an enemy colony with a resupply depot and drop troops to capture it instead of glassing it. Instant supply dump.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
I doubt that the AI is flexible enough to actually scrap research (or any other buildings) buildings to make room for something (anything)else.
Expand, take their planets.
On a side note, if you take their populations, they will generally breathe something different then your race. It can be faster to move in the correct breathers, then to change the atmosphere type.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
yes you will find selective glassing the better option, capture 1 planet each system and have 2 or 3 suply depots on each to drip feed ur fleets as they pass through to the front line.
i also take colonisers with me as a backup and if the tech available a spaceyard ship to, i usualy have a shell of a ship designed with just suply storage on it and nothing else(other than crew and life suport) they dont take long to build and can transfer the suplies then scrap them with the same ship, also works great with satelites.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
The supply problem can also be partially fixed by combat ship design.
Combat ships consume up to 816 supply per ship for turn (max assumes 12 quantum engines, solar sail and racial trait for movement). Quantum generator produces about 200 supply with at first level, I think.
If you are willing to sacrifice 40 kt in each of your combat ships, you can cut the supply problem in half (movement wise, you still need the ammo). I think at max level two reactors is enough to cover the movement, while three would be a nice surplus.
Notice that if you have ships heavier then cruisers, this is much easier, because of consumption due to lower movement rate. 10 engines means 600 supply per turn, 6 engines is 244 per turn.
By designing each ship originally so it will take care of it's own supply problem, you can scale fleets up without problems.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
Reseach solar panels and add a few solar ships to your fleet.
Your lord and master (below Foamy) LordHavoc
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
If you have repair ships with your fleet another trick is to use emergency resupply pods. When you use the component they generate several thousand supplies, I forget the exact amount, and then will be repaired next turn for reuse. Unfortunately there is a limit of 1 per ship although I'm not sure if that is enforced. You also cannot use the use component order when the ship is part of a fleet, so you have to remove it from the fleet first which adds a bit too much micromanagement for me.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
I like the "Rolling Thunder" strategy:
1. Enter system.
2. Glass planets.
3. Colonize resupply planet.
4. Repeat and rinse. 
(Sorry about the strategy name. Guess you can tell I was alive in the 60's. 
)
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
Ok, so using 1m of your people in a colony ship to make a resupply planet (that takes what 2 turns to make at most) alot closer to your borders slows down your fleets? I don't get it. Your fleet needn't stay and babysit it as your fleet just blew to hell everything else in that system. Your fleet jumps to the next system and carries on. Meanwhile your colony ship colonizes a world, makes a resupply depot and when your fleet needs to come back and resupply it only has to go back ...3 systems maybe instead of 5-7 systems. What part of it slows down your fleet? It seems to me NOT having resupply bases would slow you down ultimately unless you just make good supply freighters.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
I usually play an organic race.
My long term strike fleets:
Attack Ships + fighter + drones
usual tenders such as repair ships,mobile ship yards, etc.
Supply/Ord:
2 Supply "Tankers", Large Freighters with mostly supply holds, 2x solar generators,
1 large Sat Launcher w/large cargo holds
they hold sats that are are maxed out in supply/ordnanace regen. Mix % depends on the needs of my fleet its supporting.
I find using sats is more efficient because I can tweak the Supply/Ord regen ratio without altering any ship designs.
As soon as I secure a beachhead in a system, I unfleet the Supply/Ord Sats and transfer all supply/ordnance into my attack fleet.
As my attack goes underway, The sats should fill up a tanker every 2-3 turns. I send the full one to refill the fleet.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
In order to sustain offensive operations on a front, one needs 3 or 4 fleets working in rotation. While one fights, one is in for refit/resupply. Another one or 2 can be in transit.
I've never tried to become immune to the logistic elements of the game. Probably need your own mod if that's what you want. Just crank up solar panels to a few thousand units of supply per turn and you'll never need to turn back.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
Sound to me like your ultimate strategy would be to get warp point openers (in the Stellar Manipulation tech tree). That way you can open a jump point directly to the target system - or at the very least, when you are low on supplies just jump directly back to your nearest supply depot.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
I find the (cheesey) tactic of having emergency supply pods with repair components the most effective.
Failing that a dedicated supply ship containing as many supply/ordnance containers as possible to keep the fleet supplied, with further ships being built every turn and sent to the main fleet. BM is especially good in that aspect as cargoships can carry such components.
Also it is imperative to make as many weapons as possible supply-only.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
The most effective ways both seem like cheating to me so I'll never use the emergency supply pod tactic nor the disposable supply ship built from a mobile shipyard tactic, I'll just have a good supply fleet going back and forth ferrying the supplies, it makes more sense for the realism that way.
(Yes I'm fully aware this game isn't geared around realism, but I, personally, think that in this case it's a valid point to bring realism into it. I don't ask that you agree with me.)
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
I like the energy satellite idea, actually.
I haven't been playing many games where I'm using Organic Tech, so Ordnance Vats are unavailable to me most of the time. But a good mix of Solar Panels and Quantum Reactors on satellites should be more than sufficient to fill the energy needs of a depleted fleet.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
If you plan to use the sat strategy, one thing you have to be aware is the wonky fleet transfer. You can't do any remote transfers. So you have to "waste" a turn while to get there and get normal transfer.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
Use only supply using weaps, i once lost 40 ships after defeaating 70 weaker AI ships and using all my ordanance when they used 20 reserve vesses to wipe out my unsupplies fleett. it sucked!!!! the est way to stay supplied is to use small mobile groups, first (only works on small spiral arm against regular people not AI) close all jump points into your systems and build sys shields. find one empty useless system and build a few warp close/open ships and send them there alnog with your main fleet. create carrier groups ands each turn deploy one through an immediatly closed jump point then after mission complete recover them! Alos the alternitaive to attacking is DEFENDING!!! draw the main enmemy fleet into a black hole system(or unstable star) and close the warp points behind them and in front! they will run incircles trying to escape and their emperor will devote al research to stellar manipso this stops enemy research. then after they exhaust most of their supplies rying to escape, attack them and capture or obliterate their fleet. This is useful when you are defending against a longrange fleet sent out to destroy but takes MANY turns to work though the results speak for themselves.
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
That I believe is turtling and is generally disallowed in most PBW games as it's impregnable, unless you keep one point open at all times, correct me if I'm wrong
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
(Yes I'm fully aware this game isn't geared around realism, but I, personally, think that in this case it's a valid point to bring realism into it. I don't ask that you agree with me.)
If you really want to do that you could still build supply ships, just jettison most/all supply/ordnance (or retrofit the componenets in).
I've actually played that realism card before (though only against an AI player).
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
What I dont understand is why the solar panel takes up as much room as a quantum reactor...and also why doesnt the organic armor not have a small solar panel effect...and Im sure you could argue that crystal armor should have the same properties because its special armor like organics...The armors shouldnt have the per star generate X supplies but just a base generate X supplies if there is a star.
Anyway I think the best idea is to add solar cells because they are cheaper, and have a ship to send out resupply pods and then repair the component and rinse and repeat strat...sure colonizers are a good idea but if your not looking to colonize in that area for maybe rp reasons or other then its your best bet...also it would be kinda cool to make a star in the solar system to make them gain more supplies =p
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
If your already up to quantum reactor tech, then there isn't a benefit. However if your not then solar panels are a lot cheaper to research, i think they're a lot cheaper to equip as well and they take up less tonnage.
Your lord and master (below Foamy) LordHavoc
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
Multi-star systems. Solar panels show their strength under those situations. And yes, they are much cheaper meaning faster production of ships, leading to more supplies overall.
---Sig---
Playing Touhou games (Go to this Wiki if interested. No, nobody else is that good/insane as that replay). No rush for SE
Re: How do you manage long-distance strike fleets?
Can you put a colony in a system that's closer and set up a resupply depot? Then you can shuttle the oilers between your fleet and the closer depot...