Most suprising or different military strategy

Flubber · February 24, 2004, 11:52

I was wondering about the thing that you considered the most "different " thing you did for a military purpose.

Perhaps I am too conventional but for me the best I could think of was . .. A DEFENSIVE LAND RAISE

I was in a PBEM as the drones and 2 human players and all AI were eliminated. Both the opposing Gaians and I had large large empires on opposite poles with a large area of less developed bases ( mainly conquered ones) in the middle.

My opponent had snared the MCC and the HSA and I saw that he was building several cruiser probeships. Elite these would have a range of 9. I had a couple of techs he did not and a slightly better tech rate. I assessed my empire and saw that I had several vulnerable seaports (I considered any base with only a single probe defender to be vulnerable) and that patrolling the expanses of ocean would be difficult.

My solution was to rush some drop formers and close off some key straits and move a couple of my more exposed bases inland. My opponent realized what I was doing and probeship construction pretty much ceased .

Since that game I have found situations where raising land in a key place can enhance defensibility immensely. Lots of games it makes no sense, but there are times when closing up a key strait can make a large area immune from landing from sea . ..

Perhaps this is just obvious to folks but I had never seen a post on this before -- -

The diplomat · February 24, 2004, 17:32

Lowering terrain can also work. If you lower terrain at a point where only 1 or 2 tiles connect the two landmasses, you can separate both landmasses completely. This forces your enemy to launch an invasion by sea which can more easily be repelled than a land invasion.

Flare · February 24, 2004, 19:17

~Wickedly ironic smile~ Accidentally Fusion Planet Bustering that damn Mind Worm two squares away from my capital, therby destroying My Super Science City, removing all of the crawlers on my energy park, plus most of my other key bases, therby alowing the Artificial Idiot to win! ~GRRRR~ It was suppost to be the OTHER direction! Your OTHER left! You Idiot! Your OTHER LEFT!!! ~Massive EMP burst then destroys the communication infrastructure as my empire goes up in ruins~

Flubber · February 24, 2004, 19:24

at flare

I have used up missiles by hitting anunexpected mindworm but THANKFULLY I don't use PBs against the AI so I never experienced your particular misfortune.

Flare · February 24, 2004, 20:58

~Laughter, joining with Flubber's ~ Welllll, lets just say my days of using Planet Busters soon evaported after that. ~Shakes my head~ I am very careful to NOT be tired when moving those damn things around! I now just probe the opposition to death! ~GRINS~

Sankis · February 25, 2004, 00:07

This is pretty much the opposite of the poster's plan, as mine is offensive(ish).

This plan is best for pirates, as they don't have to waste time creating transports to transport groundtroops to land.

What you do is create a former cruiser. Follow the former with atleast 1 ship good at defense, and some offensive ships. terraform the land near any coastal base downwards so it goes into the ocean, as a ship defends it. Attack the base with offensive ships, and capture it. Rinse and repeat as needed.

The diplomat · February 25, 2004, 09:38

Once I used a bunch of fungal warheads combined with a native army to invade an enemy AI. The fungal warheads created large amounts of fungus which not just choked the AI's bases resources but created roads that my army of mindworms could use to move fast into enemy territory.

It worked ok but was not very efficient because fungal warheads are so expensive for not much bang.

Frankychan · February 25, 2004, 19:28

I've done the same thing too, Flare. I had a Sin Buster and was moving it around manually when I accidentally hit it. The blast took out my entire faction at the time and it was pretty cool.

Mr. President · February 25, 2004, 19:42

I've done that - but for me it was accidentally nuking a mind worm unit in my pactmate's territory.

Flare · February 25, 2004, 21:28

~winces at poor Frankychan's snafu~ OWCH!!! That even hurt me! ~Shakes my head~ Top ten ways to alow the AI to win!

And I bet that you then lost a pactmate, right Crimson Sunrise? ~Image of Crimson sunrise, on his knees beging for forgoveness while his forces then marshal against his new found enemy~ What a way to loose a pactmate!

Frankychan · February 25, 2004, 22:02

I sure as heck hope that you repealed the Charter, Crimson.

Adalbertus · February 26, 2004, 16:38

Flare's accident just gave me another idea, but I still have to try it:
Is it considered an atrocity by the AI when you PB a wild mindworm (who technically doesn't belong to the AI faction) and "accidentally" take out some of their bases? This would give an entirely new use for the fungal spore warhead.

Mr. President · February 26, 2004, 17:04

Quote:

Originally posted by Frankychan

I sure as heck hope that you repealed the Charter, Crimson.

I hadn't repealed the Charter.

And it was an Iron Man game.

Ogie Oglethorpe · February 26, 2004, 19:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Adalbertus
Flare's accident just gave me another idea, but I still have to try it:
Is it considered an atrocity by the AI when you PB a wild mindworm (who technically doesn't belong to the AI faction) and "accidentally" take out some of their bases? This would give an entirely new use for the fungal spore warhead.

Charter inplace, it absolutely is an atrocity and will result in the same old all faction vendetta you and eco damage worm rape. OTOH if you have the charter revoked, I do not know if PB'ing a native and through collateral damage 'accidentally' wiping out a rival's base would result in an atrocity based vendetta (i.e. can you get them to submit). Nor do I know if it would result in a normal vendetta.

Mr. Harley · February 26, 2004, 23:09

I didn't see it, but I stumbled on the thread. A player had volunteered as a replacement and got nailed before he got his feet under him. Well he deliberately build gas choppers, and engaged in as many atrocities as he could before he was eliminated. I think he raised the oceans 1000 meters.

Flubber · February 27, 2004, 13:27

Quote:

Originally posted by shawnmmcc
I didn't see it, but I stumbled on the thread. A player had volunteered as a replacement and got nailed before he got his feet under him. Well he deliberately build gas choppers, and engaged in as many atrocities as he could before he was eliminated. I think he raised the oceans 1000 meters.

Yup thats about right. I was the one that actually jumped him . .. He actually inherited a strong faction in great industrial and tech shape but his predecessor had neglected his army. I actually felt bad about hitting him ( it seemed somehow unfair to someone that was kind enough to join as a replacement) but I had planned for the attack before his predecessor disappeared and the replacement would have very likely won the game if given four or five more turns to solidify defenses.

AS for the atrocity tactic, it was interesting but did me no harm as he committed all of them against a second player that joined in on my side of the war. The sea rise was a bit of a pain but I had ample clean terraformers to raise land and the mass swarms of worms that resulted were a great cash bonus.

johndmuller · February 27, 2004, 17:37

Flubber you are so trigger happy

.

(You do need to work on your rationalizations, though .

Flubber · February 27, 2004, 20:29

Quote:

Originally posted by johndmuller
Flubber you are so trigger happy

.

(You do need to work on your rationalizations, though .

What do you mean

? You and I have not fought once in the Captain's Yang Crusade game ( speaking of which, any chance the turn would get to me over the weekend?)