Yor and Military Starbases

from GalCiv2 Forums
I don't know about you guys, but I rarely use military star bases. They are usually not worth the micromanagement. However in my current game, the Thalans quickly decided to attack me, because they thought I was too weak to be a 'worthy neighbor'. And they were right, my military was pitiful compared to theirs, and their fleets were already on the way. In an act of desperation, I built a military star base in the corridor they would come through and equipped it with some assisting modules for my ships. It was then that I noticed a new module I hadn't seen before, the 'Warp Field Inhibitor', which gives a -2 to enemy ships speed. That alone is not a big deal, but combine that with the Yor's ability (which I was playing this game) as a super isolator, which reduces enemy ship speed to 3, and you get instant space molasses, enemy ships can only move one square per round. This makes it easy to pick the weaker fleets and buys you lots of time. Only have to constructors ready and you can slow down an enemy advance wherever you want.

Anybody else ever used this tactic?
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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
No, I don't remember hearing of it anywhere else. That is a good idea though. Nice.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I haven't tried that particular idea, of Yor+Warp field inhibitors, but I put up Military starbases in desperation all the time, and successfully.

Are we sure the Yor+warp field speed penalty works that way? Do you see AI ships with a speed of 5 getting capped at 3, and then being slowed to 1? If the inhibitor kicked in first and then it got capped, they would have a speed of 3.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thats a good question and one i would love to see answered. im playing as the Yor now, but i just started an it will be a while before i can test this out. I'd almost hate to ask this, but if you had 2 military starbases would the effect stack. well i guess not other wise the speed could theoretically be -1. never mind.

This thread got me to thiniking too, how much more valuable influence star bases can be. you can have a real bufferer between your worlds and the enemy.

Of course there is the notion that the speed reduction to 3 is only when the enemy ship STARTS its turn in Yor territory. so with enough speed the enemy can start outside and make it to your starbase in one turn, destroy it and conting with speed 3. unless theres another starbase near by. can't wait to try this.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
the speed reduction to 3 is only when the enemy ship STARTS its turn in Yor territory. so with enough speed the enemy can start outside and make it to your starbase in one turn, destroy it and conting with speed 3


This sounds like truth - but who knows with the latest patch ?



Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It's true, that the penalty only works if they start their turn inside my sphere of influence, but I've never seen the AI react to that and actually build faster ships to get in there quicker.
And yes, they are first reduced to 3 moves and then the inhibitor kicks in. Sit back and enjoy watching your enemies crawl up to you. Asgard time dilation field anyone?
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks now i think i'll skip work today and go check it out.

I agree withg Gaggi, i think nly a human player with think up a way to counter the speed penalty. I also wonder if the AI would think enough to make taking out the starbases, both military and influence top priorites, even more than usual.

I have another question about the Yor super ability. I colonized a barren world just as it says i can but it seems that i cant build anything. is this the case? that i can colonize out ill still need the tech to build there? BTW this is my first DA game so im not really sure how the hostile environment worlds work yet.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You probably colonized one of the new Class 1 worlds. You can colonize those, but need to research Terra forming technologies to actually use the squares. On a higher class barren world, the squares should be immediately available to you, like any regular planet.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
no its like a class 17, which 9is why i RAN there with a colony ship, before someone esle researched the tech I wanted to take advantage of my ability. and the tiles are all green. i thought maybe my superablility only went as far as allowing a colony.

I noticed that those techs to colonize hositle environments each have 2 sides (i think). is this because one side lets you colonize and the other lets you build?
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
No, the first half of the tech lets you colonize and build, but only build at 50%. The second half kicks your production up to 100%. Building goes *real* slow before you get the second part of the tech, so maybe that's what you are experiencing.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Captain Yar, does is the barren world icon still in red. IF so you cannot build anything. I have had this happen when I culture flip a world I don't have the colonization tech for. Only when I get the tech can I build. I never play the Yor so I haven't seen the ability to colonize the planet.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
maybe i just need to wait a turn and see. The icon was yellow before i even colonized it. i picked a factory to build and it showed up in the tile with the hammer above it, as if it was building. But after leaving the screen and coming back in, it still said "never" for time to build. usually that clears up the time-to-build number.

I think i even tried to buy it and didnt have the option to. like i said i guess ill have to wait and see what it says after i hit next turn.

and thanks for the info / ideas. especially about the 2 halves to the tech.
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Anybody else ever used this tactic?


Yes. Not just with the Yor though. On smaller maps military starbases can be a little more feasible. I like to put up four military starbases only upgraded 3-4 times, each with -2 enemy speed, and also each with a +2 speed to my ships. In their range enemies are -8 speed, and I'm +8. I especially do this if facing the Korath. Defenders of the two key sectors or so you are protecting now don't need engines, and you will be able to react to enemy movement well in advance. The enemies crawl towards you at 1 move. Also, it is easy to defend these starbases because the enemies never move close enough to attack them. I never upgrade military starbases beyond this, though.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Anybody else ever used this tactic?


Yes. Not just with the Yor though. On smaller maps military starbases can be a little more feasible. I like to put up four military starbases only upgraded 3-4 times, each with -2 enemy speed, and also each with a +2 speed to my ships. In their range enemies are -8 speed, and I'm +8. I especially do this if facing the Korath. Defenders of the two key sectors or so you are protecting now don't need engines, and you will be able to react to enemy movement well in advance. The enemies crawl towards you at 1 move. Also, it is easy to defend these starbases because the enemies never move close enough to attack them. I never upgrade military starbases beyond this, though.


I do similar. I'll also add on 1 or 2 starbase defense modules against the favorite AI weapon and a couple starbase attack modules so it can defense itself. Otherwise my favorite modules are the speed ones. Just be sure to research up the Warp techs.

Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've never tried the speed modules, but I should. I always did the +attack and +defense modules, and by the time they enter my starbase's sphere, they're dead. Doesn't matter much what speed they are if they're dead.
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
maybe i just need to wait a turn and see. The icon was yellow before i even colonized it. i picked a factory to build and it showed up in the tile with the hammer above it, as if it was building. But after leaving the screen and coming back in, it still said "never" for time to build. usually that clears up the time-to-build number.

I think i even tried to buy it and didnt have the option to. like i said i guess ill have to wait and see what it says after i hit next turn.

and thanks for the info / ideas. especially about the 2 halves to the tech.


What's your social spending like? Since you only get half the normal spending as you only have the first tech, it's possible that if your Social spending slider is too low, you wont be producing any hammers at all and so things will take literally forever to build.
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It was definitely caused by the 1/2 production.


I just thought of something else that will be a benifit to the tactic of having enemy ships at speed 1. CORRECT ME PLEASE IF I'M WRONG. each attack by a ship / fleet on a planet takes one move. right?

No matter how big the enemy fleet or what its normal speed is, with a reduced speed of 1 it can only attack a planet once per turn. So, if you don't have an orbital fleet manager and have 2 ships in orbit, the AI will have to take two turns to get rid of the defenders. Now it doesnt even matter how strong the defenders are, you can place an empty tiny hull as a ship and it will still take the AI one turn to kill it. so you can practically protect your planet for a long time by just placing cheap space junk in orbit. An empty tiny hull is pretty cheap and if you can build one a week you're planet can never be invaded as long as the -2 speed military starbase is there.
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
captYar, that's, like, a really nice tip. A Tiny Hull is only 25bc. That's only 150bc to rush build every turn, if the planet couldn't just produce that on its own. LOL, plunking down 25bc a turn, to postpone getting invaded...that's nothing.

That's one of the best tips for beating Suicidal I have heard since the tech-trade nerfing patch. (I know you're probably going to say you don't play Suicidal, but trust me--that's a darn good Suicidal tip)
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Just watch out, if they come in with two fleets you are owned.
Reply #19 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I doubt I'll use this tactic, unless i make it up to the most difficult levels. But i was assuming that the planet in question was starting out with more than one ship in orbit.

Its true though, that with multiple fleets you'd eventually run out of ships. Now if only the AI was smart enough to break up the fleet into individual ships...

I guess i just thought the concept of protecting your planet for ever with empty hulls, space junk, was funny. One tiny hull in orbit just floating there protecting the planet from invasion from a whole fleet of war ships.(we'll leave the debate about weather or not it has a built in engine for that other thread, i bet its still going on...)
Reply #20 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm still palying this game as the Yor. Now my military starbases have an "enemy ship -1 speed" module. this makes the total -3.

I can't wait to start a war to see whats happens. Has anyone else gotten to this point. Do your enemies actually have a speed of ZERO?
Reply #21 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Nah mate that would be imposible, the lowest that it can go down to is One... But that would be cool... they would be completely stuck, not even able to retreat!!!!!