03-06-2001 06:02									#1
	Actually Used Artillery (Game Story)! Got spare money?

Marhaba all, there was just a little experience I wanted to share.

Anyhow, in all my past games I'd never used artillery, and for the most part considered it a huge AI-fetish to build copious amounts of them and bombard aimlessly and annoying at will. Though I was aware of their function, there seemed to be always a more important military unit to build.

Well, in a recent game that I played as the Drones I found the Hive to be my immediate neighbor. Remembering the #1 rule regarding Hive policy: "If Yang is on your continent, his destruction is your first priority," I started to beeline towards Nonlinear Mathmatics. Once I got it and Planetary Networks I switched to Fundy/Planned (Police State/Planned is another common early game SE pairing for me), ditched further notions of research and focused on building Impact Rovers/Infantry and probes. The combination of command centers, fundy morle, and monoliths had got me a small force of commando/elite units, though Yang was several techs ahead of me, including High Energy Chemistry. I able to extract the techs with probes, though Impact weaponry was still the best I had, and once my first rover crashed and burned to The Hive's plasma garrison behind a perimeter defence (without even EMC), my strategy needed reassessing. The Hive had high-security locks and was making taking down the Perimeter defence with probes very difficult.

So, I decided to use artillery for the first time ever. Pumped out a couple of units, stationed them on an elevated rocky square outside the Hive, and proceeded to bombard. The accrued damage was slow, but it prevented Yang from repairing and counterattacking. Sooner or later I'd probe down Yang's perimeter defence or his units would be badgered enough that I could simply attack, which is what happened. One of the most satisfying victories I had, using a combination of specialty units, instead of merely a rover-rush conquest. Afterwards, I even kept the Artillery around to guard my base shores and engage in artillery battles with enemy skimships, to pleasing affect. So though I'm not exactly an Artillery convert, they can definitely give an edge when the odds are locked.

	03-06-2001 22:52									#2
	Remove this text

I agree, that artillery has it moments on the offensive. This usually occurs before you have WAVE. Airpower is met with AAA. Rovers are met with ECM. Infantry are attacked before they reach the base, or are reduced by the base's own artillery. In your case, defensive armor was better than your offensive weapons, considering base enhancements.

What is one to do but soften up the target.

Artillery is key - including seaborne artillery.

And, don't forget to take out any sensors in the area. Arty's range here is quite useful.

Ned

	03-06-2001 22:59									#3
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

xcuse for being dumb but what's WAVE?

	04-06-2001 04:15									#4
	Remove this text

WAVE is a special ability you get with Centauri PSI. It "defeats" the defender's (I don't know about the attacker's) special abilities, such as AAA and ECM. It appears as if the defender had no special abilities at all.

Once you have this special ability, it is imporant that you equip your choppers and needlejets with it. Ditto tanks.

Ned

	04-06-2001 06:14									#5
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

quote: Originally posted by Ned WAVE is a special ability you get with Centauri PSI. It "defeats" the defender's (I don't know about the attacker's) special abilities, such as AAA and ECM. It appears as if the defender had no special abilities at all.

Dissociative wave. Fizzles special abilities like ECM and AAA. Pretty sure it's just SMAX.