Queston about "Catching" AI fleets

Use smaller fleets, the AI will run if he thinks your fleet is to big to fight, he will stay if he thinks he has a chance to win

One of the problems I have with AI running away is it often doesn't work. I can still destroy their fleets (or planets) by chasing after them between planets. AI badly needs to be better at planets defenses so it can retreat it out numbered fleet to them and make a stand. Just running away isn't a good strategy since there is nothing to keep me from following them and blasting them away.

Have 2 fleets, one your uber main assault fleet, and another your gank/support fleet which should have substantial strength as well. Corner them and squeeeeze, their last homeworld , no matter the odds, they will stand and fight.

I usually have three fleets in every game I play. I don’t really have the problem you are describing because the enemy usually tries to fight it out… at first. Once the enemy fleet begins to retreat, I predict their destination and send another fleet there to lay in wait. Sometimes I manage to pursue the enemy fleet to a planet I have colonised, where a phase inhibitor is waiting for them, along with one or two of my fleets.

Needless to say, they usually don’t last long! I once obliterated most of their fleet and let them retreat back. I picked off each of their planets one by one before launching one final offensive on their homeworld. To my surprise and delight, they had been busy building defences and as many ships as possible; one last stand to defend their homeworld. It was an awesome battle and proves that although the AI is quirky at times, it DOES work properly a lot of the time! Well, for me anyway.

Against AI, it's better to match their fleet strength and reinforce rather than overwhelm. Or you can take advantage of their cowardice by why whacking their planets as they cower.

The biggest problem I have is that the AI loves to send about 2-6 of those Siege Frigates at your worlds. Its annoying but a good strategy. No real way to stop them if you play a big map. Because you can't have a fleet in every planet. And you need enough to break the 2-6 Siege Frigates in time. Cause they don't seem to take long to take out a planet.

The only race that seems immune to this is the Vasari.

Gets annoying late game when your tying to kill the ai with your main fleets.

Driving enemy fleets into traps tends to work, but if the enemy does something unconventional, or if you get caught overextending your supply lines, then the AI WILL take advantage of your folly, if they have the resources.

Here's an example of what happened to me, recently, when I was employing this strategy:

I've only played a couple rounds, but the round I'm currently playing took a turn for the worse.

I, too, work with two fleets: my main assault fleet, and a secondary fleet. The main fleet has overwhelming strength (or so I thought), while my secondary fleet is a bit less powerful. I tend to alternate between using my main fleet to drive the AI towards my secondary fleet, or simply attacking with my secondary fleet.

The primary fleet is powerful enough that most enemy fleets simply retreat, but they'll stand and fight my secondary fleet.

I started off on a custom map. Three stars, ten players, and I have one ally...but he isn't in my star system, he's in a separate one, and can't send forces to help me just yet (he's tied up fighting the TEC in his own system). I'm playing as the advent.

So, here's where I stand. I was in the galaxy with three other empires; two Advent, and one TEC. I'd wiped out one of the Advent empires, and owned over 3/4 of my system. My plan is to clear out my system, then help my ally in his system, then move on the third system. Slow, but methodical battles are my tactic at this point.

Well, things took a turn for the worse when the predictable AI did something unexpected. I had both of my fleets stationed at a gas giant at an intersection between the two remaining enemy empires. The Advent had a mere three planets left, all isolated (they were connected in an "L" shape, to the gas giant and nothing else-- they were backed into a corner by my fleets), while the TEC had over five planets, and the more powerful fleet.

I decided to target the Advent first, pegging them as weaker after several skirmishes. I advanced to an Advent colony, their fleet, fled, and I began bombarding their planet. Figuring that the battle was won, I shifted my secondary fleet from the gas giant, towards a TEC ice planet. The TEC planet was lightly defended, but was connected to two TEC-controlled regions: one Terran planet, and one asteroid field. In my experience, late-game TEC empires were weak, so I didn't worry about them retaliating. Well, I was horribly wrong. When I made the custom map, I made phase jumps quite long-- several minutes, for the longest jumps. While it gives me time to prepare defenses when I see enemy fleets approaching, it makes it impossible to have a rapid response to an enemy invasion. My main fleet was two long jumps from my secondary fleet...which was two short jumps from several massive TEC fleets. I looked at the progress of my secondary fleet and noticed that two mid-sized TEC fleets were phasing in. I dismissed the threat, and continued with my bombardment. Well, several other fleets entered phase space. The TEC was, out of the blue, converging four separate, LARGE fleets on my mid-sized secondary fleet.

I was pretty screwed. Eager to hold on to my recently attained price (the TEC ice planet), I scrambled my secondary fleet to defend. When the TEC force arrived, I realized that I would have to pull back my primary fleet from the Advent empire to help fight off the TEC. Well, while my primary fleet pulled back, my secondary fleet was getting torn to ribbons. My intention was to weaken the enemy fleet while I waited for my primary fleet to arrive. Frankly, I underestimated the TEC. I didn't think they had the power to wipe out my secondary fleet. It was composed of high-level capital ships, numerous heavy cruisers, and a modest screen of frigates. My primary fleet had fewer capital ships, but far more heavy cruisers, and about 100 frigates.

However, the TEC was constantly sending in more Kodiaks and capital ships to take back the colony I had recently stolen from them, and my second fleet was taking a bigger beating than I thought. I lost 348 supply worth of ships from my second fleet by the time I pulled them out of there-- all that was left were one level 8 battlecruiser, and a few heavy cruisers. When my primary fleet arrived, I was stunned to realize that it was outnumbered, even after the battle. I beat a hasty retreat after exchanging a few blows, and had to fall back from the gas giant, to one of my heavily defended "frontier worlds"-- an ice world at the edge of the enemy empires, and connected to the gas giant, and one TEC world.


The result of several poor tactical decisions on my part was the loss of an entire fleet, and loosing on two fronts. When I saved and exited, the Advent had a group of cap ships on their way to my gas giant (I had mining operations on the asteroids), and the TEC was sitting on my recently-lost colony world. That's where I stand now, so I'll have to load up tomorrow and rebuild....then I'll still have two more systems to conquer.

I don't want to detract from the discussion, but if anyone has advice about how to take down AI when they're backed into a corner, I'd appreciate it. Slow and methodical, like I was doing earlier? Should I have pulled back from the gas giant, even though it was at a crucial intersection? Leaving my second fleet was a fatal error, I realize that know, but advice regarding other tactics would be appreciated.

I tend to first push them into a corner in a star system and then on a planet that they have to pass by to get out of the system load it up with guns and a small fleet, 3-4 cap ships and varios other frigs and cruisers there (the planet doesnt have to be rite next to the attack planet, as long as the ai ahs to pass through it to get out of the system) then i send the attack fleet to pund them into submission usually 6-8 cap ships and they tend to retreat and what i do is as i see them retreating i give chase with the larger fleet trying to force them into the planet i want them, to go, once they arrive at that planet theyre caught in a pincer because if they continue forward to try to phase jump out of there , theyre gonna gain tremendous losses but if they choose to retreat back to the system they just came from thayre gonna face ur even larger fleet(sometimes i drop the fleet right behind them in the grav well or if i have the extra fast phase jump artifact ill make em jump at the same time and theyll arrive before them) i also try to have my remaingin ships around the sun so if anny stragglers get through theyll get slaughter. the biggest problem with this is that ur using most if not all of ur forces at a single star system and if you do not suceed ur open to quick counter attacks that could cause u to lose one or two of ur planets while ur trying to mobolize ur fleets

One way to take down AI backed into a corner is to hire out a pirate fleet, and then join the pirates in their raid. They won't actually fire on you, but your ships may fire on them.

Catching fleets.. well, most recently in my 5 star system (large random), I was chasing a TEC fleet, and was colonizing their planet one at a time while chasing them, building up their defenses and them moving in. They actually waited for me.

My planetary defenses consisted of a triple ring of defense turrets around the planet, focused mostly around the jump exits. I then circled around the TEC fleet (I was also playing TEC) and proceeded to chase them through my own systems; my defenses tore their fleeing fleet to shreds in their chase to escape my pursuit. It took awhile, but it was fun.

Ignore the AI fleets if they run - focus on their planets. You don't need to destroy all their ships to win, just all their colonies.

As long as you've upgraded your planet's defence development and built a few hangars with fighters (fighters get a bonus against light armour, bombers get a penalty), 2-6 siege frigates won't last long. You might lose some population, but that's all.

It is pointless to attempt to "chase" any fleet. From my experience, all the grunt work of fighting is done by fighters and bombers. Since your fleet is no faster than his is, it is impossible to fight an opponent that doesn't intend to fight except by using fighters. All the games I have played thus come down to fighter wars. Ships exist only to bring fighters into the combat and to sit there and look impressive while the fighters kill things. Some might complain, but I find this acceptable: It's a paradigm of warfare we should all already be familiar with. Everything else will just run from you. With the AI, endless swarms of crap warp into your starsystem and there is absolutely no way you can kill them all before they warp out, or, indeed, even GET there in time. In fact, you DON'T want to leave your spot at the edge of the phase line, because that will in turn extend your OWN jump out time when an enemy runs past you and warps. So you need to STAY THERE, ready to jump out in pursuit, so all the fighting must be done with fighters. In all of the fleets I use against the AI, over 50% of the fleet will be carriers.

I would really like to see it that taking damage greatly slows/resets the time it takes to jump. It would make it a lot easier to take a chunk out of a fleeing fleet.