need help w/ sins of solar empire strategies

[mozirry]

just got this game and LOVE It! Need some strategies to defeat AI

I am playing a game of 4 free for all and I'm in a situation where the AI banded up together and they are practically all united against me leading into a stale mate. If I attack a weak zone, they go after my defenses that I left, and they never outright attack me so its basically huge forces between each other.

It's hard to break their alliance because they constantly ask for ridiculous requests like "destroy civilian etc., destroy amounts of enemy" and never ask for just gold or resources.

I am TEC

 

[Maximilian]

The AI is extremely good at teaming up and fighting the human player. I found no solution to this other than to choose "lock teams" next game i started. It dosent seem to gang up on me as much in the new expansion entrenchment but it does happen sometimes.

I played as the TEC and one AI would attack one planet so i would defend, but when my fleet left the second AI would go for my other planet, i couldnt win 🙁 There were more than two AI's but i got the feeling that the others probably wouldnt arrive to help me anytime soon, or if they did arrive they would be there to help the first two finish me off.

 

[JF060392]

rush infantry.

 

[Slew Foot]

I use the TEC against the computer. I find that building an early capital ship (dreadnaught) and then spamming the javelin frigates owns the AI. The advantage here is that you only have to advance the missle technology and can save the the other resource points for ships. The key in this game is to expand fast and make your non capital ships disposable. Build a big fleet, send it out, build it back during the battle and send it out, its more of a war of attrition than other games, which means your economy should be as maxed as possible. Once your dreadnought gets to level 6, missile barrage on version 1.12 completely owns. I rarely build base defenses, I prefer to take the fight to the enemy, if youve waited too long though, you may be hosed.

 

[mozirry]

Originally posted by: Slew Foot
I use the TEC against the computer. I find that building an early capital ship (dreadnaught) and then spamming the javelin frigates owns the AI. The advantage here is that you only have to advance the missle technology and can save the the other resource points for ships. The key in this game is to expand fast and make your non capital ships disposable. Build a big fleet, send it out, build it back during the battle and send it out, its more of a war of attrition than other games, which means your economy should be as maxed as possible. Once your dreadnought gets to level 6, missile barrage on version 1.12 completely owns. I rarely build base defenses, I prefer to take the fight to the enemy, if youve waited too long though, you may be hosed.

that's what I'm thinking too, lol

Just installed the updated version so I'll try that out

thanks!

 

[Slew Foot]

Here is my general strategy for 4 player FFA with the player as TEC on normal difficulty (no pirate raids)

Build excavators on all asteroids and fully develop your home planet.
Build 2 scouts and send them out.
After the excavators, build a capital ship factory and build a Marza dreadnought (some people would build the akkan cruiser because of its colonize ability but I find that a waste of a capital ship, a colony ship is cheap and can place excavators on asteroid belts)
Start progress towards 2 military research stations (javelin frigate- JLRF) and then 2 civilian research stations (fire and ice base)
After the cap ship is done, Scuttle the cap ship factory and use resources to either build military research or a colony ship
Find a nearby colonizable planet thats lightly guarded and send the cap ship to take out the defenses and the colony ship soon after
After taking over the colony, build extractors and fully develop the planet.
Send cap ship and colony ship to other nearby planets, you may need to build a couple of JLRF or light frigates if youre short on research to take out the stronger defenses.

Once you have about 3-4 planets, start expanding your fleet and cap ship capacity, place your next frigate factory and cap ship factory near the front lines

During this time you should be continually placing research in shields, hull, armor, and missiles in military, and extractor improvements in civilian. If you have ice or volcano planets, get the appropriate base for them.

When you Dreadnought levels up place your upgrade into either radiation bomb or incendiary prjectiles, i dont think it makes a difference but raze planet sucks. At level 6 missile barrage completely owns.

The AI may try and gang up on you, but until VERY late in the game they dont build anti missile defenses so your forces should tear through them.
As you expand, build more military bases and the associated research perks, I dont think more than 3 civilian bases are necessary, trade ports can you a nice bonus to income thoguh.

 

[ZzZGuy]

Quick tip, right away upgrade your home planets population (you will need to buy some crystal to be able to do this and build other things) and go for asteroids first before you touch a planet. A planet will give you greater income and slots for structures, but it will cripple you at the very start.

 

[SunnyD]

When I play, I usually start slow, not trying to over-extend myself too quickly (too hard to defend). I generally try to find a part of the map which is EASILY defendable - preferably one or two choke points that everything must come through - makes it easier to anticipate and prepare.

Defensively - I up tactical slots and start dropping hangar bays as quickly as I can. Hangar bays generally will toast pirates (if you play with them) and also tie up enemy fleets long enough and soften them up until I can get defenses to where I need them.

I usually end up in an hour or so (assuming I survive the initial rush) with two moderate fleets. My fleets will ALWAYS consist of at least 2 caps, then a swarm of smaller ships. I also try to upgrade to carrier cruisers as quickly as possible. Carrier cruisers make great, extremely effective and cheap defensive units (park them on the outside of the gravity well across from when enemies will come in). One of the fleets we'll call my "home fleet" and the other will be the "expeditionary fleet".

The home fleet will generally consist of a carrier and a battleship/dreadnaught (something with heavy firepower). I'll leave this fleet stationed wherever I can provide the quickest average response time to any of my planets, and use it to respond to any situations that arise.

The expeditionary fleet will usually consist of a colonization capital and some other non-support capital, along with a mix of smaller ships. I use this fleet to cautiously expand my empire's border, taking little bites as I can.

Eventually, when I get big enough that there's more than one way in to my border worlds, I start looking at a third fleet, along with adding additional capital ships to the existing fleet for firepower. Once the third fleet is up and running, it usually starts working the opposite side of the map from the expeditionary fleet. This will either confuse or split the enemy fleets, making it much easier to roll them.

The biggest key I found... in a scrap target enemy caps and take them down. In a large battle, if you down 1 or 2 enemy caps before they inflict heavy damage on you, odds are their fleet will turn and run, allowing you to pick off ships as they try to get away (painfully handy to have the support ship with the speed boost aura around for that).

I have no problems being patient in a game like this. My games generally last 6-10 hours on small maps, but I usually end up winning.

 

[Slew Foot]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

I have no problems being patient in a game like this. My games generally last 6-10 hours on small maps, but I usually end up winning.

Damn I can clear a 20 planet system 4 player ffa in 2-3 hours, 4 if I get a crappy starting position.

 

[ZzZGuy]

Originally posted by: Slew Foot

Originally posted by: SunnyD

I have no problems being patient in a game like this. My games generally last 6-10 hours on small maps, but I usually end up winning.

Damn I can clear a 20 planet system 4 player ffa in 2-3 hours, 4 if I get a crappy starting position.

Some people really hate being rushed, thus the "slow" option which I assume SunnyD is using. That or maxing out defenses and building the perfect fleet rather then engaging in sustained combat to cripple the enemy.