Strategy problems

I can't cover every planet....

from Sins Forums
I recently bought Sins after massively enjoying the demo.  I'd be day dreaming about playing it while at work.  Now that I've got the real thing...I'm stuck.  The computer is just so unbelievably evil.  It seems like I need a 30 ship fleet at every colony I have anywhere in the galaxy just to defend and forget about attacking anything.

If I send a fleet off to start an offensive:  The computer instantly knows and sends their entire fleet to destroy the world I left.

If I leave the fleet there:  They attack somewhere else in my backfield/the guys I was going to attack rebuild and destroy me.

If I split the fleet:  Not enough power to do anything/The baddies send a bigger fleet that my split fleet can't handle.

If I recall my fleet:  The computer knows and retreats before I get there/Comes back the moment I leave orbit.



In a nutshell:  The computer knows every move I make before I make it and pre-empts me constantly.  I can never defeat these raiding parties because they know when my fleets will leave/arrive and are there/gone at the perfect moment.  What am I doing wrong?
strategy
1,917 views 3 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Try an easy game to start with, with multiple allies on your side maybe? maybe turn off pirate raids as well? You'll learn, I started new games over and over and failed for a couple days when I first got the game. Before you know it you'll figure out how to fight fleets 2-3 times the size of your own and will be moving up to hard setting games =)
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
Ok. I'll try that. I'm currently on Normal. I thought I was ready, but I guess not.
Object Desktop - Get all of our enhancement utilities in one suite
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
If the computer is dominating you, you need to go watch the replays and see how it is playing more efficiently than you. Better yet, find a replay online, and watch how a good player starts his game.

Keep playing against 1 computer on normal on a small map. Don't think defensively "how can I protect myself from the computer", think offensively "How can the computer protect itself from me?" Harass it, raid it, scout it and try to anticipate or attack its main fleet when you find an advantage, or at least pin it down while you raid somewhere with a small fleet. Anyone can dig in with fortress worlds and slowly chip away at the computer. To build skill that will helpl you transition to multiplayer, you have to get good at flat out outplaying the computer, which is entirely possible on smaller maps.

When you can dominate the normal computer, turn it up to hard, then up to unfair. When you can dominate an Unfair computer on a smallish map, come join the online gamers.

Again, I can't stress enough, if your strategy against the computer is to turtle, and kill it slowly over 5 hours, this will not help you get better. Actually, on really big maps, or against multiple allied computers, you kind of have to play like this, and it really isn't the same skillset that you would use in multiplayer games.