Beating Merciless AI on The Very First Map.

Share and discuss your gameplay strategies.
posted on April 5th, 2011, 9:12 pm
Based on Klingon Player VS Federation Merciless AI.

Nothing was adjusted, I just selected Klingons, and set the AI and launch. As it turned out, the AI was at the far diagonal... this might be best if you want to set it up that way. It is the longest distance.

Immediately build third constructor, then queue up eight topmeys followed by two Qawduj, followed by four more topmey. As soon as the third constructor is done, send it to the middle of the map to build a battle yard. 

First two constructors build Field Yard (don't build any extensions for a bit), and dilithium. Much like early Vorcha. First one done goes to the expansion between you and the center of the map. Build dilithium. Then Tri. The constructor at home base builds tritanium.

During all this, the four topmeys from your Kahless station should be filling up dilithium then the tri. The next four get sent to your expansion closest to you, and fill up the moons there. By the time your constructor gets to the middle, it will be able to build battleyard. Once built, queue up two Qawduj. Build the battleyard next to di, preferably, if not go tri. And build your refinery. Get your next 4 topmeys to the middle.

Get two turrets up as soon as you can in the middle expansion (the main face off will be there, and you'll need them). Also build two turrets at your expansion in the middle in good time, but you should have some breathing room for this. Also get a Kbeajq extension, field research and armory up. After the first two qawduj at your battleyard, build 5 or so vorcha. Also build 5 Kbeajq from base. Set the rally point to the middle of the map. For everything, Kahless, field yard.. battleyard is already there...

The AI beat me to the opposite moon in the middle. So as you might guess there is a big face off there. You will get your turret built first though, and should have time to get first couple of kbeajq there as well, but you will be attacked quite a bit and need to fend them off. Eventually youre qawduj will come for reinforcements, and get that second turret up.

Build these at your discretion, but at the very least try to get the stations up, then the ships to the center. By the time you get all four turrets up you should be in fairly good condition. Build two more turrets to guard di moon and your battle yard.

Somewhere in here, once youve managed to amass a few kbeajq, qawduj, and vorcha take out the AI in the middle. I had to take out a couple refineries and phaser turrets. Build the next research station, and upgrade to mainly Luspet production. If desired, get another battleyard at your middle expansion.

You can beat it with these three expansions alone. And you don't need any other ship extensions etc. A fleet solely consisting of kbeajq, qawduj, Vorcha, and a few luspet will win it. I had taken out everything except their homebase before I got to my Luspet. You don't need to much of a turret wall in this scenario. You want a ship wall. Big thing here is to rank up, important! Never retreat. Let your kbeajq get blown up. Stay in the fight and get all ships possible to rank up with kills. Except for very beginning use your turrets if you are short ships. Use your discretion of course. I'm not probably that great at micro but still. Get the rank ups. Veterans help.

I think its a fairly easy game. You have the yard at the center, repair as needed but keep ships in the fight. Would never work against other players, but the computer never scouted to learn I had no ship production for quite a few minutes. And you are outmatched in ships at the beginning, but just stick with it. And rebuild your losses. You might lose a few topmey. But I prefer the ship wall over the turret wall in this case, that gets the rank ups. If there is ever a really large fleet engagement, obviously just retreat to the center for turret help. In the end, had eight turrets in the middle, four for each moon with battle yard in the center of it.

AI won't get to eraudi yard at all. Its probably the first few minutes of engagement that are toughest, but clear sailing from there. If you get the four turrets up, and have kbeajq and qawduj from your home base stations arriving in the center and all, along with your battleyard. Its a walk.
posted on April 5th, 2011, 9:23 pm
Not bad but i never like to throw ships away as klingons
posted on April 5th, 2011, 9:36 pm
Last edited by godsvoice on April 5th, 2011, 11:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
yeah, I could probably really improve on this. repairing ships. but keeping them in the fight while their hull drains helps. I do when I'm finishing up the last ship or two of a fleet, but for beginning of engagements, my Klingons get sent to sto va kor. (haha, not sure how to spell it). But yeah, for the beginning, I let the kbeajq go because really... you are outnumbered. The extra firepower does help. But honestly, those who are better at it will probably have no problem whatsoever with repairs. I mean, I didn't do much of anything in that regard. If your already well practised at it... you will have no problems, the battle yard is right there for you. You could easily cycle your ships.

You will have more problems in the middle expansion later on. But this worked out almost perfectly with the double expansion.

1. The constructors actually get to each of their expansions almost at exactly the same time. By the time the third constructor gets to the center, and the field yard is built and constructor reaches the other expansion, its even. So you get quick di. There is a tri shortage.. but nothing to hard to manage.

2. Because you take the center, you have much easier time dealing with the AI. I also played a game where I let the merciless get to the center, and before I knew it I was faced with double Eraudi spam from AI... and lost. But this way, no contest. And in that one I took the whole top of the map with four expansions...

3. Because all the expanding you need to do is done right at the beginning, you can really focus on the fighting. I also built a couple extra scouts for the AI expansion and home base. Knew what was coming more or less. Just rebuild a couple topmeys and get them in there. But between fighting and research, pretty balanced.

Follow Up:

Yeah, wait to build the first research and field yard, because when you get to the center, you need to have guaranteed resources to build the battleyard. Otherwise, you will be waiting and waiting to build battle yard, and the turrets. Once battleyard is built, thats great. Then the next most expensive thing is turrets.

The initial di/tri needs to get you 4 refineries, 1 field yard station with no extensions, 1 battleyard, 1 research station (in order to build turrets, but save this for last) and all those miners and the extra constructor, along with whatever you mine during that time. From there, focus on the first turret, and kbeajq extension. Get a few kbeajq quickly to the center. I had a few sabers and fed freighters in the center for probably about a minute before I had turret up with kbeajq to guard. But they weren't able to do much. Then get all your research stations up, next two.
posted on April 6th, 2011, 3:09 am
Tried this on a couple maps with a clear middle ... moons. Its worked consistently so far. Some a bit harder than others.  I'm also finding it really good practice for micro. That is, rushing to center with battle yard. Then getting ships out one by one and using them/repairing them. There is a lot of activity, with consistent increase in difficulty. In the beginning, you can get one qawduj and one kbeajq against a couple sabers, then come the monsoons, intrepids novas etc. There is always a saber or two that get out and greet you when you have nothing, but they just shoot randomly with their phasers not doing much. After you get the turrets up, the AI seems to stop even trying.

Just finished one in battlepit. 20 k by 20 k seems to be ideal.

Just in general, taking the center seems to throw the AI off. Seems a lot more timid when it cant take the center.

Almost like a game of chess, take the center and what does your opponent do? Someone needs to teach the AI how to play some hypermodern.
posted on April 7th, 2011, 1:44 am
I also did this as Feds (Risner) against the Dominion Merciless AI.

Same idea, works slightly different but I found much easier in a lot of ways.

First queue up extra constructor with 8 miners after. Once the constructor is built, send it to the center inside the purple nebula and build Antares yard.

First two constructors build Di and Tri. First to be done goes to the middle expansion, build di yard, then tri yard. The one left at home base builds starfleet engineering. Queue up first chassis immediately. You should have one constructor now at each expansion.

Once the constructor is finished building the Antares yard beside the di moon, have it build a turret platform. Then build the di refinery, then build a second turret platform, again phaser. Then expand to the tri. Get four more miners out of the starbase. Three each at every moon.  At the Antares yard queue up 5 intrepids.

By the time you get five intrepids you should have had enough time to finish building starfleet science, and starfleet command at the home base. Starfleet command takes a while. You are getting six full moons mining first off.

At the middle expansion, spread out two-three turrets. It is much faster than with the Klingons to get those turrets up, for the platform and they were all phaser based turrets. Ended up with four at middle expansion (although it was hardly ever attacked) and the center moons had four phaser turrets per moon.

After you get five intrepids, the AI will probably have expanded to the three other middle expansions. Attack one of the ones to the sides (not the one diagonally in front of the Dominion home base). Use starfleet command for your first warpins, have them meet with the intrepids just outside the purple nebula to begin the attack. Also, research the Intrepid special right after starfleet science is up.

Overall, I didn't upgrade many of the specials. Just Intrepid and Akira. Other than that, I upgraded all of starfleet engineering. weapons, shields, sensors. After about eight intrepids total, switch to Akira Spam. Build an Eraudi yard in the center next to the tri moon. I prefer Avalon. But I actually had a mix. E2, Avalon, Defiant, Sovereign, Built a couple of each.

Hotkey starfleet command so you can keep a watch on when you can warp more in, get them quickly.

In the end, you will have main center base with one Antares yard, and one Eraudi yard. Also with the warpins, you should have steady fleet development. Crush the expansions on either side of the Purple Nebula. Then advance to the AIs main frontdoor expansion. I had a healthy fleet of 20-thirty ships. With healthy rankups as well. You get plenty of bugs sent your way well you take out the expansions to rank up your ships.

Overall, it worked quite well. The mining station is cheaper compared to Klingons. Platforms and phaser turrets are cheaper. Less of a resource stretch. Should be a good game to play. The AI will end up building T-15 and battleships in the games I played. Theyre quick to get them up. But thankfully, there are far more bugs than anything else, and it shouldnt be a problem. You will have good funds, and a healthy fleet. I didnt need to do any expanding except for the beginning, and its good because thats the only time you have against AI merciless is the beginning. They didnt really scout me out even.

Just time it so the first warpin matches first 4-5 intrepids, and immediately take out side expansions of the AI. Also queue all your shipyards to be producing towards the same fleet number. Ordering fleet 1 or whatever you make it to attack, thereby getting newer ships constantly sent to the fight you are in. And watch starfleet command. Extra three vessels right at your fight is always welcomed. 
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