How to defend Asteroid belts as a choke point?

from Sins Forums
I have had a few small map games where the primary choke points on the map were asteroid belts and as such weren't colonizable.  Normally if there was a colonizable planet/asteroid there, I would drop in the monster defenses and use it to section off a large chunk of the system from the enemy.
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So if you can't build hangars/gauss/etc, is the only option to station a fleet there?  Or is there something else that I am missing?
strategy
5,068 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
You have to use a fleet.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
Personally, I normally don't use those locations as choke points because you can't place any defenses. I normally use the system that's right next to that un-colonizable location. I will still set up resource extractors in those locations though.
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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
If you're strapped for units, putting 2-4 carrier cruisers, preferably well past the edge of the asteroid belt will make a pretty good harassing force for anybody trying to attack your nearby colony. Asteroid belts are a bad place to make a stand however, on the other hand they make excellent early warning sensors, because the only way they can get rid of your station is by capturing it with a Jikara Navigator/Missionary Ship/Colony Frigate
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
You can't really defend choke points in this game. The original intent of the phase jump inhibitor was to enable the creation of choke points, but it no longer does this. It was modified after the beta tests.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
I don't think asteriod belts/space junks etc. can ever be successfully utilised as a frontline defence. You can station a fleet there, but most times enemy fleets will just ignore your units and simply jump on through. Against the AI, I've found that putting a carrier based fleet in one of these places will inflict severe enough losses to allow your planetary defences to finish whats left when they get there.

I've often thought that to make these positions actually worth anything would be either allow you to build some kind of station there, or perhaps more interesting would be an "interdictor" class of ship or Capital ability, to act as a portable PJI. (Although the current usefulness of PJIs in general is still something of debate.)