Transmission Matrix Start

[godsvoice]

posted on February 5th, 2012, 5:07 pm

Last edited by godsvoice on February 5th, 2012, 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hmm.. I dunno. I'd at least have enough to build something. Not quite a sphere. I'd have to see where the cc count is after conduction is built. It gets up there, probably around 30. Enough to build assim. But time I'd say is on my side. If he goes 1 e2 then another, that gives me some time anyways.

Both teams will have an easy time scouting, but absolutely mandatory to know what each other is doing.

And I don't think that transmission matrix is a waste early on necessarily. One you get the holding beam very early. The 5.5 min mark can actually be reduced, I've been playing around with it a bit. Building the transmission matrix right at the entrance of your home base in the middle gives you a few extra seconds. I was building the transmission matrix right at AIs doorstep... specifically for AI to stop it from expanding so much, and assimilating the constructors.

It is much better to just make the wall on your half. Only build three stations, and take over the bottom half of the map. You can't really be attacked.

Anyways, back to the transmission matrix, after you get holding beam you might as well go devastating attack instantly. That's a nice quick special for your first ship to come right out into the game with. And borg slicer next. If you come in range while I'm researching I simply cancel the research and get your ship.

That transmission matrix right off the bat with holding beam and early specials like increased 10% attack, devastating attack, and slicer is very nice for my ships. A sphere or assim could do very well with these.

I don't care if he builds more ships faster. If they are midrange I will grab them right as he attacks. Assuming borg gets at least 3, if not 4-5 stations (conduction matrix depending) you need a huge fleet for it to matter, or entirely long range. You can't go saber or canaveral. Canaverals do so little damage. And sabers will fall before borg specials llike nobodies business. Things out of eraudi take time. Even a simple E2 rush I'm skeptical of.

I'd say there is a problem even with his faster ships. What does he do with them? I'd build holding beam stations in the front of my defences, and at worst I know for fact I can build dode immediately with ccs I save. Two intercept relays in behind for those ships that slip through my stations (I can only snag so many). The feds fleet will get depleted. If its a waiting game... I'm good with that for Borg. He will go up through his ships uncontested. But Borg should force an engagement by raiding once he gets  a few ships. He can always easily retreat to those stations in the centre. Sooo... I dunno.

posted on February 5th, 2012, 9:51 pm

Great! You found a way to annoy the enemy player even more.
The problem is vision. . . these stations can't see anything well for their size.
Serkas can destroy these stations easily (romulan artillery) if set on green movement..
If enemy is smart the enemy would make a long transport chain from their base to your base and beam onto ship that you are trying to assimilate or get a special that "disables" the borg conduction's weapons for a short moment for the ship you were trying to capture to run away.
More than 1 ship is involved in these battles so the ships will be beaming back and forth until your station is destroyed.

posted on February 6th, 2012, 1:34 am

Yes, Romulan AI is the only Merciless AI this doesn't work against (And well borg, station holding beams aren't going to assimilate any borg ship I know of with thousands of drones...) I can still beat Romulan Merciless without any adjustments to AI build cost or time, except I need to play normally. Building conduction right at home base, expanding, etc etc. (On hell gate and such)

The serkas are just too much for this, they cloak pass my station and attack my miners at my expansion, and I have few ships to guard with. Except their's, and all that I assimilate. They then get to warbirds and cehlrs eventually, and it just gets ugly. Might not be impossible, but so far I'm 0 for 2 against Rom.

Against Fed, Dom, and Klingon Merci this works splendidly. Klingon is a really fun game. It actually makes them look weaker, (!) than the Fed AI. Mostly because both spew out ships like crazy, but Brels are 0% effective. 30 crew? Instantly assimilated. AI just feeds me ships at insane amounts with Klingon field yards.

And, for other reasons it seems like this is another strategy bent on dismantling the Feds. Dominion can go bombers. Vorcha can disable the weapon etc. Cloaks for Dominion cruiser, and the other two factions.

But what oh what do the federation do??? Even with transporter chain, they can't do very much. That's one thing the AI probably can do just as well. 5 ships all giving support transport = me doing triple station transport, and from my constructor. The AI does use transporters to try save its ships. I do eventually get ships, and this is when I either one shot lowered shield ships with devastating attack, or use stations to beam on to the ship I'm assimilating, or while I'm using holding beam, I use stations do beam onto the ships that are transporting. Unless it they are out of range, than I just do transport to the ship snagged.

In theory, I think there is enough there for it to pan out. There's double yarding small units, E2 rushing, or possible warpins for something like a double teuto warping for strategic range torping. All of which I think the borg player could respond too.

Borg get uber resources. With their own expansion, they get six miners almost instantly going away at it. I would build 2 miners first for home base, then build two more and send them to expansion di and tri each, then finish it off with two more at home. These resources really come piling in, its just a thing of beauty. Then you finish off double mining at expansion.

As for the vision... its a map specific strat. Map being hell gate, pathtonowhere, etc those sort. Line of sight doesn't need to be fantastic. I sit three stations right at the centre of a tiny map, and my stations have all the reach they need. As Gandalf might say, "You shall not pass!". sigh...

posted on February 7th, 2012, 3:56 pm

I only read your first wall of text, not the other ones', correct me if I'm wrong: Those station holdinmg beams are short ranged, aren't they? They are not longer range than medium for sure. You would have nothing against long range ships, cloakers simply fly around and kill your miners. I'd use Serkas or VeQlaragh against you to make sure to lose nothing at all .
Nevertheless: nice idea against AI.

[godsvoice]

posted on February 7th, 2012, 7:32 pm

Last edited by godsvoice on February 7th, 2012, 9:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Very good question. Conduction matrix would be medium range I think. Transmission matrix might, I say might be long range. But nothing close to artillery or strategic. It might be medium too. Transmission matrix it seems to be is a longer beam range than the conduction matrix. So conduction might be short ranged, and transmission medium range. I almost think conduction has to be medium though, because it gets all the AI ships right as they open fire. Intrepids and qawduj, all those ships get snagged. So I dunno.

And yes, it seems this might be a strategy very strongest against Feds if any. It works on all merciless AI except Romulans. But for online, I think feds are probably best bet. Cloaking obviously being the problem. And station damaging units like the susa or bomber. Vorcha special also.

For feds, well, my other posts describe why I think there is a very fair chance for it too work. They have no meaningful early long range unit. So E2 rush takes up a lot of resources and enough time for me to set up and go about getting my one first ship. You won't have a fleet if you go E2 if I imagine this correctly, so it would be your few ships against my few ships, borg would win. Even if you do manage to destroy a station or constructor, even with just a few ships, I will have researched holding beam devastating attack, probably slicer too, and I can get an uplink up wherever I want behind the stations. Eventually I just wait to build sphere, and my single units can withstand your small amount of units.

For warpin. Simply takes too long in my view to take advantage of the lone constructor. By 7-10 min I will have at least three stations up and all expansions complete. Uplinks would then be a go with incubation. Also its a random chance for what ships you get. E1s might help. But a lot of those ships are also mid ranged. But yeah. You could always choose to go teuto... strategic range is way out there. But it all takes too long I think, and again few numbers is not the best against borg. It needs a fleet.

Lastly, just regular ship spam from small yard. Which this should do well against. The holding beams do not depend on special energy, so all ships that come in range, at least 1 will get assimilated. 3 if you get to close to the three stations each. So... yeah.

Haven't heard anything about games. But yep, for sure against -Ai- it works against almost all except romulans, and well .... borg. How do you assimilate borg ships with 2000 crew assimilating 3 at a time 

Really fun to play this vs Klingon though. Brel crew 30... assimilate like 5 in ten sec.

posted on February 11th, 2012, 9:05 am

After some "tests" with human enemies:

Klingons will just K'tinga / whatever counter-rush your constructor, and you are doomed (close one though)
Federation should get a plattform (or two) near the transmatrix as fast as possible, and start to build sabers. (attacking the stations with only a few short ranged vessels is obviously not a good idea)


It might be useful to go for the Borg Assim avatar, a short while after your nodes 1 is complete, you may start the first assim, and help your shiny borg buildings in the enemy base, or start to chase away early long range vessels. Plus you may reach other mining stations / yards to assimilate.
Don't forget to get more "free upgrades" from the transmission matrix.


Anyways godsvoice, not a very useful strategy, but still very funny one to play 

posted on February 14th, 2012, 10:13 pm

hmm. platform for feds might do it... it was adjusted to be really only for them. klingons can just cloak early anyways. it never stopped them.

but yeah. I've never seen how fast a transmission matrix falls to a phaser turret or two. even with dode relay after the conduction matrix, it still takes 25 seconds, which it would not last while under fire from platform. unless you got other ships in there.

hmm. so there, it just depends how much time between building transmission and conduction to get first uplink and if that works.

Yes. Federation platform I could see beating this if you both rush to centre. Ok.

Build conduction matrix right out of the SB. Build 3 miners during that construction. Once conduction is finished, build 1 probe, final miner, 1 probe. Go to centre. Even if you wait to first get some uplinks. Doing a more traditional start, with the intention that when you get a transmission matrix, it gets built at the centre, it might work that way. When constructor has a bit more protection.

Even if the rush to centre doesn't work. I still think these stations would be efficient offensive turrets to slow down enemy fleets once station holding beam is researched.

A probe and detector don't do great damage, but if you can get that, or 1 probe, 1 detector, with either 1 more probe, or 1 more detector, if the construction ship commits to building a platform, they should have enough time to destroy it.

Maybe scube rush, and get to the centre later on. I dunno.

But borg shouldn't restrict themselves to building only one conduction matrix in my view. It is a dirt cheap station turret with holding beam researched. Even if this is just something at home base. buILD a whole bunch there or at expansion. After normal beginning.