I so lovehate this game. I’m totally digging the strategic layer and want more. I even kind of like the combat. If it weren’t so merciless, and so instantly so.
Getting wrecked by the enemies initial laser accurate 3 on 1 volley remains not fun. Dodging fire seems only practical in the small ships like the lightning (which I’ve had some really satisfying early wins with). If I can get my bearings and not get wrecked by the initial volley (and if the enemies aren’t hidden by UI elements, or somehow firing at me from offscreen where I can’t see them but apparently then can see me, or I get hit by my own missile right after launch, etc.) then combat, while still brutal, can be satisfying. The rest of the game I am very much enjoying.
I bagged a transport using intercepted comms which was totally satisfying. After capturing an intel base I got the location of the strike group that was in the way of my progress north. Using those funds at a mercenary base I bought a little cruise missile platform (Yars mk2) and a carrier (Wasp). While at around the same time my detached lightning/skylark scouting squad found an ally that gave me another carrier (a second Wasp). Given that I knew where the first SG blocking my way was, and I had all these new toys, I figure why not go on the offensive. I approached with my main group with its new cruise missile platform and carrier from the south. My strike group with it’s allied carrier came in from the west. My harpoon instincts awakened by this game I try to position them about the same distance before I launch the strike.
I passively pick up the radar of the enemy strike group as I approach. Apparently I get too close as some cruise missiles and planes show up heading in my direction. Fortunately I’ve got some anti-missile missiles, and I took an AA platform (Gephart) as one of my starter ships. I survive the missiles. The planes do unfortunately get in some licks. I try to launch fighters against them, but being my first time I work the UI wrong and launch not a wing but a trickle of lone fighters. They are ineffective.
With the element of surprise clearly lost I flick on the radar. The enemy strike group has left the city and is approaching. However there is also a carrier group in the city. That explains the planes. I’m still in a good position to try and hit them simultaneously on two sides so I launch. Four cruise missiles, the remaining planes in the main group and everything the second carrier has. I even work the UI right on the second carrier and launch all six planes as a group. They are only armed with 37mm cannon, no bombs or missiles like the planes I’ve been attacked with. Not sure if I need different planes or if I was supposed to buy supplemental arms from them at a supply city, but the game isn’t going to tell me and it’s too late now.
My strike lands. Turns out the simultaneous attack doesn’t seem to matter as each group is resolved in turn. There may be some other way it is taking it into account but it’s not obvious. That or I needed to time it more perfectly. I used the compass and everything! The planes are the same so should be going the same speed. I had resisted the urge to go and google to if there’s a wiki to tell me the exact speeds of the planes and cruise missiles to fully time the launch so I didn’t expect them to hit at the same time but it would have been nice to see the planes do so.
Anyway, the first set of planes get shot down quickly with only one making it back. The second which I properly launched as a group does better, especially since I took notice of the “retreat” button after watching the first planes linger long enough to get killed after making their initial strafing runs. The planes aren’t super effective but they appear to do some damage.
The cruise missiles do better. Three of four connect. One confirmed kill. Not really sure how big a strike group is in the first place or how much I’ve really damaged it. Acting cautiously I turn both of fleets around. I can’t escape as I’ll need to land the main group to fuel soon. Maybe if I can keep away long enough I can get another sortie off with my surviving planes. If nothing else but to scout the enemy’s strength by entering and immediately retreating from combat.
Then I see it happen. The strike group turns around. They are retreating! (I also notice it shows me an indication how long they need to repair so I do get some gauge of how much I damaged them. That’s nice.)
I gather an assault force. I start with my main brawler the Paladin Mk2 I got from a grateful city. I also include the Gephardt I started with. My most experienced lightning rounds out the group. It’s the one ship I can reliably dodge fire with and have more practice with from taking on the tiny garrisons of the southernmost cities.
Turns out I did more damage than I thought. When I catch up to the strike group it’s just one cruiser and it’s looking pretty damaged with gaps behind its armor where I assume components should be. I had planned to open up with the brawler, but since it’s just one ship, and I can dodge one ship’s fire with the lightning for a while, I opt for the little interceptor.
I have only one real “tactic” in the combat of this game. Given the vast disparity in long range fire accuracy between me and the AI, and given that I’ve only played early game battles where I’ve been flying the lightning a lot, stand off tactics are right out. Especially if there are multiple enemies that can triangulate fire on me making it hard to consistently dodge. So I’ve developed a tactic I’d like to call the enema. I try to get below an enemy at a distance. Wait for them to fire a volley. Dodge it. Fly up into their bottom and unleash everything. Then of course I try to flee to dodging distance before it can fire back.
I gave that cruiser one hell of an enema.
The lightning took a couple of hard knocks in the process but it brought down the enemy. Another air strike hit while I was salvaging. Reminding me that carrier group is still up north of me. It didn’t get any kills but their bombs did a good job of hollowing out out one of my ships.
I joined the strike group up with the main group and started to fuel up. Cash was running a bit low. With 5/6 planes from one of the carriers destroyed I sold it off. I had acquired a Meteor mk3 earlier which I sold too. I figured I’ve got to make it north to the fuel depot city that the strike group came from (and the carrier group is still at). I buy enough fuel to make it there with some safety margin. Not entirely because I’m short on cash, but with my position known and the active carrier threat I feel don’t have time to top off.
Sure enough before I can get enough fuel onboard to make it to the depot I get an alert. Contact to the northwest. Missiles incoming. A second strike group is closing in. S#*t.
(there was much alt-f4ing within the first 10 seconds of combat in the making of this story)
