How smart is PD?

[Shogo Yahagi]

If it sees a few big heavy missiles mixed in with a pack of wimpy little missiles, will it shoot down the most dangerous missiles first or does it just pick targets at random?

[DeckPrism]

Across interplanetary distances, determining missile size is a bit tough. So, some people mix in a 2-1 or 3-1 mix of PD missiles (the smallest) with their heavy missiles. This tends to mean that you overwhealm your oponent's PD and some of your heavy missiles get through.

[DavidByron]

That tactic certainly works against Guardians pre 1.2.5 patch -- I played a number of variations against them and mixing in PD missiles meant the Guardian could be taken down a lot easier. A very clear result.

I assume nothing changed post-1.2.5

[Shogo Yahagi]

I just dump fighters on them. Guardians have very powerful DF weapons, but not a lot of PD. Fighters really chew them up. Of course, I haven't played on the higher difficulty levels.

[DeckPrism]

The "problem" with guardians is space. They just don't have enough space in a single legal ship to pack enough PD to stop 10 TFs of fighters or missiles. So someone can always overwhealm one and then talk about how their 180 ships took down 1 ship so "easily". However, you can mod guardians to have an illegal amount of space, and other tricks like an extra armor class.

Guardians have ther place in the game. Woe betide the person who tries to take one on too early.

[Strifeguard]

Originally posted by DeckPrism
Guardians have ther place in the game. Woe betide the person who tries to take one on too early.
Personally, I don't understand why players don't try to take them on much earlier than they currently do.

If you REALLY push it, I bet you could put together a guardian-killing IF force by turn 120 (maybe a little earlier, but it would be a stretch). Can you imagine getting an "X" that early in the game? It would be amazing. Granted, guardians only have a 1/5 chance of having an X, but none-the-less...

[DavidByron]

Turn 120?
It's probably better to speak in terms of what tech you have. We're talking about the time when you have about tech 15-20 and 25-150k+ cement/production (not industry) per round.

You can take out the Guardians easily enough with Neutronium rockets or light missiles but it's not profitable compared to assaulting the AI empires. I suppose it's more profitable if you are Humanoid.

I don't know if it is worth it for the X considering you'll get them all anyway with the expeditions about 50-75 turns later on.

Seems there are about 4 major projects you can undertake during this time period when you are getting industry and tech up. (by this time you should already have secured the lesser project of sending out scores of outpost ships to secure a greater hinterland and reduce the HFoG - or an invasion of one or two AI homeworlds).

(1) Major invasion of the AI empires - several of them.

(2) Sending out 5 armardas on Antaran Xpeditions.

(3) Taking out Guardians

(4) Huge coloniziation program.

Or you can be preparing an early assault on Orion.


Now of those 4 projects I'm rating attacking Guardians about last at the moment (although my thinking keeps changing in this game!) They all involve building a lot of ships in the 30k cost region but they are all different ship types which are not very useful or completely unusable for the other missions.

Of course you have to get PAST the Guardians much earlier than that but that's trivial....

[haniblecter]

How Smart is PD?


Take a new born baby with down syndrome, beat it for a few hours with the "stupid bat" and raise it to adulthood.

You now have a concept of the IQ of PD.

[DeckPrism]

@haniblelecter: Your post like your nickname is in poor taste. :sour: