Conquering Imperial Seat Systems?

[mstevns]

I have searched and searched, but this question does not seem to have been brought forward before.

Are there any benefits from conquering the system/planet where an empire has its Imperial Seat of Government?

In the game that I'm playing now, I have gathered enough intelligence to be able to see the system where my enemy has his Imperial Seat (by pressing the B "borders" button on the Galaxy Map).

Is it worth equipping a massive fleet and going there to take over his home world? Or would I be just as well off with "crawling" up towards it, taking the systems one by one?

Any input appreciated! Thanks in advance.

M

[Blaze]

well when you do take down an AI's capitol, it tends to really reduce their production, and probably monetary base aswell.

[teecee]

I just took the Imperial Seat of Government from the Silicoids last night.

What a bummer. No special bonuses. It probably didn't affect the sili's war effort much either. What a crappy little planet!

tc

[RobNelson]

What it really comes down to is how much damage loosing the imperial seat does to an empire. So I'll ask you, do you find that you're always sending political spies at the enemy? Or do you find that when he/she/it destroys your Imperial seat that it's just an anoyance?

[SamuraiZombie]

I like taking Imperial Seat systems as a matter of course, just because it's kind of cool. "Bring me the Emperor alive!" :)

Seriously, though, taking a Imperial Seat is worthwhile for a number of reasons. First, the Imperial Seat usually has high production and high population. Depriving the enemy of well-developed worlds is just common sense, and Imperial Seats are often some of the most developed in the empire. Second, it reduces the ability of an empire to control unrest and gather taxes. If you are attacking an enemy that is otherwise strong, this may mean very little; I've seen opponents reconstruct their Imperial Seats in a new system in the minimum time possible. But if you are hitting an opponent that is starting to crumble anyway, it could be the coup de grace you need. I've also taken away Imperial Seats from opponents and had them completely collapse, producing only a trickle of ships afterwards and never mounting further significant resistance. It really depends.

BTW, you can hit B and find the Imperial Seat and all the Mob Centers of any alien race you've formally met. You don't need to "gather intelligence."

[Strifeguard]

"Taking Down" imperial seats can be amazing, or just "eh" depending on your definition of "Taking Down".

Because of its sheer age, odds are that Imperial seats will have more Regional Buildings, and DEA improvements than any other planet in the empire. Similarly, they'll probably be able to put up a mobilization center in less than 3 turns. They're almost guaranteed to be a 1-race planet, on that race's sweet spot (a rare find in the mid-to-late game), and they'll probably well populated (if not very large). All this adds up to a great addition to your empire. *Provided* you can take it without causing too much collateral dmage.

Otherwise, it is reduced to just another size 6 planet, when you're realy in the market for size 12's.

[mstevns]

Thanks all for the comments.

I was just wondering if there was any "hidden" bonuses that weren't obvious at a first glance.

Guess the best thing is what it does for our imagination when we give that "coup de grace" to an already weakened enemy, ha ha!

BTW, SamuraiZombie, thanks for the clarification on the "intelligence" thing. Guess it was easier than I thought :)

M

[sirrogue2]

The only thing I find to be different about the Imperial capital systems is that they take longer to conquer. Of course, if someone has getting ready to attack your home planet, you'd defend it to the last man too...

[Beamup]

Originally posted by sirrogue2
Of course, if someone has getting ready to attack your home planet, you'd defend it to the last man too...

Well, I wouldn't defend it to the last man. My army would, but by the time it got to the point of "last man", I personally would be long gone on the other side of my empire...

[RobNelson]

He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.

He who tells others to fight while he runs as fast as he can lives much longer. :D

[Beamup]

Hey, how'd you find out my motto!?!

[Babylon4]

I always go after the weakest planet in the system first to wipe out the system defense fleet and any other ships hanging around. I'm always a little usure of how the matchup will go the first time I attack an opponent and prefer to play it safe.

I suppose if I were way superior to my opponent I'd go after system seat first buy it usually seems I have most of my forces attacking the same system and don't wan't to risk a major wipeout. (I have had this happen before, lose all LR and then IF and CV flee.)

[rhyssana]

Originally posted by RobNelson
He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.

He who tells others to fight while he runs as fast as he can lives much longer. :D
not if some survive... :p
(maybe knocked unconscious and left for dead in the middle of the battlefield??? :bulb: )

:D
-rhyssan

[Strifeguard]

Originally posted by Babylon4
I always go after the weakest planet in the system first to wipe out the system defense fleet and any other ships hanging around. I'm always a little usure of how the matchup will go the first time I attack an opponent and prefer to play it safe.Sometimes I do this, but this depends on what my over-all goal for that system is. For example, if that system contains a MOB center, whichever planet contains the MOB center is my primary target. This usually tends to be the largest, and thus best defended planet in the system. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell before-hand, so you can only make an "educated guess" at best.

Taking the planet with the MOB center (i.e. the strongest planet) does 2 things for you:
1) It prevents your enemy from instantly mobilizing reinforcements.
2) It provides you with a forward base of operations where you can mobilize forces

Note: Even if the MOB center is destroyed during ground combate (you didn't bombard, right?) if the planet is the largest, best developed, etc. chances are you can get a new one built in 2-3 turns. (Don't know if MOB centers have "minimum turns to build")

However, in many cases where I'm unsure about how combat will go, I also attack the weakest planet in order to clear system defenders. I just thought I'd post an alternative consideration.

[rhyssana]

Originally posted by Strifeguard
<snip>
Note: Even if the MOB center is destroyed during ground combate (you didn't bombard, right?) if the planet is the largest, best developed, etc. chances are you can get a new one built in 2-3 turns. (Don't know if MOB centers have "minimum turns to build")
<snip>
min 3 turns to build.

-rhyssan

[ILMTitan]

didn't they add a symbol next to the planet with the MOB center in the last patch, or is that the system seat of government?

[rhyssana]

Originally posted by ILMTitan
didn't they add a symbol next to the planet with the MOB center in the last patch, or is that the system seat of government?
system seat. and that's only in the system view - doesn't help most places.

edit: btw, every system you have a colony in has a system seat, so you'll never see a colonized system without one. that's bc the first world you colonize is "acting system seat" unless/until you move it by building a system seat building in a gov DEA on a different planet in the system.

-rhyssan

[Adacore]

Another thing on destroying the Imperial Seat planet, is that this is the only planet in the empire which can build the empire-wide universities and such. This can reduce an enemy's economic and industrial output by as much as 25% for several turns, which is a serious advantage in a closely matched war.

[rhyssana]

and it has a much higher min turns to build than a system seat (6), so it takes that long just to start working on other imperial buildings.

-rhyssan

[silentrogue30]

I was wondering if when you destroy the Imperial seat of an AI's empire it would stop them from building mob centers till they replaced the Imperial seat? I know they can't build empire wide improvements without it and they might have unrest problems.

Wouldn't it be save to assume that they couldn't collect empire taxes and do a few things like send spies or stuff like that because your effectively decapictating ( spelling? )their government. I just thought of something else if they can't build mob ceters yet and you destroy their Imperial seat you take away there abblity to make new task forces for awhile. Right?

Just something that I was wondering about, and THanx for any help.:)