Starbases can't select targets. Ain't that odd?

posted on August 11th, 2010, 10:37 am

Yesterday butters, Mort and me had a game called Starbase Operations. It was awesome  (We played Scout Operations too but that's another story )
Anyway that's not really the reason why I'm posting this:

I noticed that if your starbase is under attack you can't select targets anymore. (I knew about the turrets though.) That seems a bit odd to me. Basically it's the same with the turrets.

There's no sense in building turrets to protect your expansions at all when your opponent "dances" with his ships to keep them in firing range but to prevent them from destruction by moving in with a ship with a higher target priority to distract your turret(s).  (Once I ended up having two or three s-cubes hovering at my mining and due to good micromanagement all of them were down to about a half of their hull but none of them was destroyed thanks to automated target selection always chosing the "wrong" ship.)
It's the same with starbases.

So here we go:

• Starbases are powerful, especially when upgraded. But I feel that's right. It's a starbase, it's your base of operations. I have no idea why they shouldn't be able to target enemy ships following the players command. - It's getting annoying when someone plays Starbase Operations and builds them everywhere as better turrets. So maybe there could be a cap for starbases and the races could use something like the Perimeter as a stronger defence at expansions or wherever, maybe also with a cap. At least for starbases a cap would make sense imo. But please allow the players to select their targets manually again! 
• Turrets can be annoying, right. But why can't we go back to manual target selection here, too? Make them more expensive, put a cap on them, make them less powerful - or please explain to me why there's no manual target selection anymore  I don't get it...

posted on August 11th, 2010, 12:19 pm

Starbases and turrets use automated targetting computers which are not controllable by the player sorry

posted on August 11th, 2010, 1:17 pm

Starbases and turrets use automated targetting computers which are not controllable by the player

Are they running MS Windows then?  :guns:

If you say so... Well, then... 

posted on August 11th, 2010, 8:53 pm

For gameplay reasons it is to also remove the issue with turrets/starbases not firing at some targets even if they are in range

posted on August 11th, 2010, 11:48 pm

i like leaving them automated. this is fleet ops, not turtle ops. a turret is a deterrent not a fleet killer.

posted on August 12th, 2010, 9:35 am

the only problem i see so far are the torpedo volley turrets. They are sriosly crappy because they split there damage way to much. with 3 attacking vessels: While 1 of maysons phaser turrets has taken down a ship before it goes boom, the quantum torpedo turret damages the shields of 3 but doesnt kill a single one. Dont think that splitting the damage that way makes sense.

also im for having a starbase cap

posted on August 12th, 2010, 9:52 am

split damage is fine, if the quantum turret didnt split its damage then it would be op.

starbase caps are pointless, if your enemy goes and builds loads of starbases then you should build a massive fleet of ships and flatten them. fleets are always better than starbases and turrets. most races have ways to stop starbase turtling as well.

klinks can polaron torp/field the starbase to death, or veq arty it.

feds can critical shot it, or steamy arty it, and use excel 2 at long range.

roms can plasma bolt it or serkas arty it

borg can build some heavy stuff like cubes, use devestating attack to strip shields, nanites to hurt subsystems, and tank the fire.

dominion can hyperspace arty it, or bomber spam with their specials which are awesome in general. pink beam of death too.

if the enemy wastes their money on starbases you can make a fleet to hold all the resources on the map.

posted on August 12th, 2010, 10:35 am

well, the result of the try to make the qunatum turrets not op is that they are actually weaker than pahser plattforms in the most situations, but cost way more. Only against single targets its better ... but as far i know we play FleetOperations, not single ship operations. I would suggest to take the arty range from it, so the turret delivers high damage but not in such a huge area. Mayne then the turret wouldnt be op

about the starbases you are prolly right

posted on August 12th, 2010, 11:15 pm

actually torp turrets arent up.

whichever ship enters range first will take the full volley usually. and the last ships to retreat may take a full volley too.

i would only use torp turrets against borg really.

for anything else i never build it, i would rather have another ship, or for the same price as the turret, i could make another yard lol. and a yard is far better tactically as it can repair a fleet.

i try to make as a few phaser platforms as possible as well, because they are still so useful. i only really make 1 at my first exp to scare off the first raid.

posted on August 12th, 2010, 11:29 pm

I like building a torp turret next to phaser turret to keep artillery ships off it.  They're good at that.

posted on August 13th, 2010, 12:48 pm

Well, lets see it so:


Klingons and dominion are aggressive ones, they should sam a hell of ships and take over the sector with pure mass. While klingons can take supplies from dead ships, the dominion can do supplies from mining. The borg can also generate supplies. Feds and rommies must buy them. BUT, the feds have the warp-in for compensation.

Also the feds are a more defense-like race. I would not have any problems, if they could turtle very good. But they also would sit there with one or two expansions, while the enemy got 3 or 4 at the same time. So the feds would lose the game - but they dont, because a fed player would also expand, turtle the expansion, backing it up with the first fleet and send a warpin to the enemy expansion.

Valid and a good tactic. The klingons can take out fed turrets in one go. I'm not afraid of them when playing klingon. Just send in 3 or 4 K'Vorts, let the one that is short before death cloak, retreat and the rest will kill the turret. No loss.

Then you go on the expansion or at least the freighters, or if you dont have the firepower, only the freighter. A K'Vort can kill one before it gets owned by a turret.

The rommies can do that too. Phase plates and you are free to go.

Borg are crappy in early game, so when playing against them, I would do Taq-Klingon with K'vort and Sang. They fall like flies and you have your K'Vorts and Sangs out in not time to form a hell of firepower against those tiny scout cubes or their freighters.

A good early raid against the borg means nearly instant kill for them. The feds can recover, like the klingons and dom can.

But here is the flaw:
Only the romulans cant defeat a raid very well. They cant cloak their freighters, they have too crappy defense and they spend too much supplies for a good start. They are good for the first 5 minutes, but will break down then. You build you small disruptor und shield recharge force and hope to win the game with that. If you cant, you lost.

The feds can hold out, the klingons can spam again, the borg can assimilate and get free supplies, the dominion is free of everything too.

So, destroying expansions if a pain, if you need them for supplies. And rommies and feds are hard countered by that. Klingons can destroy something and gain it back, borg and dom, like I said, dont have such problems.

Its all about strategy. A good midway are the klingons. Good K'Vort, nice early game raid, and you can use the K'vort in later game too, with backup of Sang and one or two experimental cruisers.

I think, the combination of feds/borg - klingon/dominion or dom_borg/rommie is best. You have one, that generates supplies and one, who got the ability, to form a strong task force in early to mid game.

posted on August 13th, 2010, 2:25 pm

ahem, borg arent crappy in early game. they are actually strong in early game