Technology after Takeover

[Zhaneel]

I have not noticed that I get a tech after taking over a planet. I've been taking over quite a few, and just wondered if it was 'cause the opposing empire was too low tech or I was just missing the message.

Anyone know where to look to find what tech you get?

Zhaneel

[RobNelson]

I haven't been lucky enough yet, even though I had some cool ground battles (4 turns to take a planet while the enemy sent reinforcements into the system - I was sweating when I finally took it :D ), but I read in another thread that the chance to get a tech is based on the develpoment of a planet after the ground combat, so those orbital bombardments and those NBCs will take away your chances to get a free tech.

Also, it won't hurt to go to the tech matrix and see if they have any techs you don't have... I call it "shopping" and always do it right before I send in the scientific spies. :D

[Zhaneel]

Makes sense, only a chance.

Really hard to take over a planet without bombing first, In my experience. Post-Patch I'm having major troubles with ground combat. Something to take a look at. Thanks.

Zhaneel

[StormHawk]

I've gotten tech from ground combat at least twice. I think it is dependant on the development of the planet. Try using 'Low' collaterale damage.

It is harder to take planets now, as the AI seems to put troops on his planets now.

[DavidByron]

If you go to the diplomatic tab and "demand" something it will give you a list of the tech they have that you don't. Or use the technology tab of course.

If you mean how do you know what tech you get - there's a sitrep entry for it isn't there?

[Rubel]

It's a wonderful feeling to get a new tech off of a freshly conquered planet! I wasn't even expecting it, having missed that bit in the readme.

[Hikari]

I can confirm this works. The message appears in the large ones near the top of the SitRep, with a picture of a hand holding a beaker (at least for me) and the text "Our ground forces have captured [tech name]".

I'll also second Rubel's assertion that it's a truly gratifying experience. My Silicoids invaded a major Tachidi planet and just barely pushed through to take it, and with it the Personal Deflectors that no doubt made the battle so hard to begin with.

Come to think of it, the Tachidi were probably quite surprised when I invaded their homeworld five or six turns later using freshly-made Tachidi Armor equipped with Personal Deflectors I stole off the bodies of their conquered soldiers.

"Hey, guys! What are you doing back, weren't you supposed to be defending Browntes?"

-Hikari

[Adacore]

I've captured at least two techs - HWs seem to need hordes of troops to take down now - i sent in two complete armies of silicoid marines, and I didn't even get a foothold on the Nommo HW...

[Zeraan]

In one ground combat I had, I sent an army to take over a planet from Isablah race. I thought that should suffice to take the planet over, but I was wrong. They have more troops (including milita) and power than mine when I landed all the troops there. I frantically made another army to reinforce those and it took me 6 turns to arrive with that troop task force. In those 6 turns my army was fighting for their lives and managed to conquer half the planet in the process, and only 1 mobile and 2 support were left when I finally arrived with reinforcements. Those 1 mobile and 2 support became veterans and crack. Total turns taken to conquer the planet: 11 It was an intense experience that goes like this "Yes! Kill those dirtbags! NO! Jimmy! YES! Avenged Jimmy! Ah, reinforcements!" and so forth. It was fun :)

I got a tech for farming I think.

[SnowFox5]

Originally posted by Zeraan
In one ground combat I had, I sent an army to take over a planet from Isablah race. I thought that should suffice to take the planet over, but I was wrong. They have more troops (including milita) and power than mine when I landed all the troops there. I frantically made another army to reinforce those and it took me 6 turns to arrive with that troop task force. In those 6 turns my army was fighting for their lives and managed to conquer half the planet in the process, and only 1 mobile and 2 support were left when I finally arrived with reinforcements. Those 1 mobile and 2 support became veterans and crack. Total turns taken to conquer the planet: 11 It was an intense experience that goes like this "Yes! Kill those dirtbags! NO! Jimmy! YES! Avenged Jimmy! Ah, reinforcements!" and so forth. It was fun :)

I got a tech for farming I think.

even though I don't do alot of troop landing (as you can see in my sig) I have had some long battles, longest was 14 turns I think.

[teecee]

I've taken over 3 planets in my latest game and got new techs on 2 of them.

The first invasion, I took great pains to try and keep the infrastructure healthy. Low intensity, no NBC warfare, no pre-invasion bombardment. Didn't get anything so I decided to open it up.

The next 2 invasions, I heated it all up! High Intensity, overwhelming forces, NBC warfare, pre-invasion bombardment, EVERYTHING.

Viola! 2 takeovers, 2 techs.:D

tc

[herknav]

I captured an X in an invasion in my last large sp game. I usually capture something about 1 out of every 5 invasions... but thats just a guess. As a rule, I go with low intensity low colateral damage with no bombardment, (unless I need to reduce the defending forces).

[balragh]

Originally posted by herknav
As a rule, I go with low intensity low colateral damage with no bombardment, (unless I need to reduce the defending forces).

so do i... on a related note, why use bombs to reduce troops anyway? the amount of bombs you need to reduce the troops significantly will make the planet useless for invading long before. when i bomb usually the troops are only down to something like 66% but development and population is gone...

[herknav]

Originally posted by balragh
so do i... on a related note, why use bombs to reduce troops anyway? the amount of bombs you need to reduce the troops significantly will make the planet useless for invading long before. when i bomb usually the troops are only down to something like 66% but development and population is gone...

Because I might need that edge. In fact I *do* need that edge.. if i decide to bomb, it is because I will lose the subsequent invasion if I don't. I have found, epscially late game, that on "shot" is just enough.. it doesn't kill all the pop, but it does take out some ground troops. I am not trying to win the invasion via bombardment, I am just trying to make it a little easier (or even possible) for my troops to win it for me...

[balragh]

Originally posted by herknav
Because I might need that edge. In fact I *do* need that edge.. if i decide to bomb, it is because I will lose the subsequent invasion if I don't. I have found, epscially late game, that on "shot" is just enough.. it doesn't kill all the pop, but it does take out some ground troops. I am not trying to win the invasion via bombardment, I am just trying to make it a little easier (or even possible) for my troops to win it for me...

ah, ok. bombing is better than losing the battle of course. when i am fighting against a large empire i stop taking their planets after a while anyway, even though they are good developed. at this point they don't have a technology for me to conquer anyway and it's less hassle to let the autocolony do it's job then to manually get all those invasions running.

BTW: has anyone else noticed that planet size affects how many people die when you bombard? i use one fleet to clean up after my main assault force but with the same TF's i sometimes kill 20% per drop and sometimes 85%. i thought the regional defense stuff doesn't work? or am i missing someting else?

[herknav]

The problem with glassing and waiting for your AI to colonise is that they won't. A planet that has been glassed will stay uninhabited unless you either set the colonise flag, or send a ship yourself. The AI won't do it.

I invade because I want to excersice my troops. After I take a system, I disband the invading armies, getting them ready for the next conquest. Lately, I have needed AT LEAST 2 armies per planet, if not more to take them. As I compress the bad guys into fewer and fewer systems, they have less places to spread thier remaining armies to... and I have to face more... fun :)

[Kralizec!]

herknav wrote:
I usually capture something about 1 out of every 5 invasions... but thats just a guess. As a rule, I go with low intensity low colateral damage with no bombardment, (unless I need to reduce the defending forces).

Generally speaking, I always go for high intensity, low collateral damage, no NBC, and no bombardment. Just out of curiousity, why do you use low intensity? I never use it because it always seams like the AI takes the extra time to drop reinforcements on the planet ...

[swilhelm73]

I've read on this forum that your chance of getting a tech from an invasion is proportional to how developed the planet you've just taken is.

Collaterol damage and bombing both lower the planets development and therefore your chance of getting a tech. This seems to be born out in my experience too. Take a major enemy planet and you get a tech, take a new border world and you don't.

[zesuila]

I've been conquering a lot of planet and since i started using Low collateral damage, i've noticed a slight increase in the number of worthless teks i've been getting from conquering a planet. You know, a tek level 5 when your at level 37-40 in research.... Mmmmh very useful.

I seem to get a tek every 7-10 planets that i conquer, no matter the race.

See ya!

[RobNelson]

Well... If that low level tech is something like Deep Extraction Mining, you'll notice a big change.

[Verves2]

Originally posted by Kralizec!
Generally speaking, I always go for high intensity, low collateral damage, no NBC, and no bombardment. Just out of curiousity, why do you use low intensity? I never use it because it always seams like the AI takes the extra time to drop reinforcements on the planet ...

I like to put on low intensity if for no other reason than to prolong the battle to work up my troops for better experience. More experience means more troops in a detachment/corp/army. More troops = fewer transports. Never a bad thing. Also if need be, it could buy some time for reinforcements in case the battle doesn't go as expected.

[CEO Troll]

I am playing a large SP game. A Psylon/Harvestor empire.
I was boxed in by Harvestors and a Guardian.
Its turn 300 and I am at war with many AI races.
I am invading an average of 3 planets a turn.
I have noticed a few things:


1. AI often has a Corps garrison.
2. It is good to bring two armies, but three is better.
2. A few times, I was beating the hell out of the outnumbered AI but never gained a (region) initial foothold. I LOST!!!
3. That initial Loss is more likely with Low Colllateral Damage setting.
4. Conversely, The initial foothold is easier to establish with High Collateral and High Intensity setting.
5. Techs are more likely to be had by using Low Collateral damage.
6. Dragging out the conflict will increase your troops skill level. So strategies like Attacker Attrition are good to use. Especially in the slow moving early game.
7. So generally, the first combat invasion turn it is best to use HIGH settings to get on the planet and the following turns are better set to LOW for experience and tech.