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Core Detonation: who uses it?

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Core Detonation: who uses it?

from GalCiv2 Forums

Just a little poll.  I have never used it, not even once.

I find that I use Gas Warfare and Traditional constantly until I research Planetary Bombardment.  Then for large planets, I'll use Mass Drivers to tenderize followed by traditional or mini-soldiers.  I used to use Mini-Soldiers more often, but now they seem a bit superfluous, given that PB takes down the bulk of the population and with good enough soldiering, the traditional knocks off the rest.  If I don't think Traditional can defeat the remaining pop, the Gas Warfare is usually good enough.  So Mini-Soldiers are no longer my favorites.

I've used Tidal Disruption exactly once.  I don't like that it destroys all planetary improvements and I'd rather use other techniques to get the job done.  Information Warfare is expensive and usually really works if you sabotage morale.  It is also expensive (800 bc) unless you have the No Mercy Invasion Center.  

Given all the invasion tactics, the usage breakdown for my games looks like this

Mass Drivers: Constantly

Gas Warfare: Constantly until PB

Traditional: Often

Information Warfare: Occasionally

Mini-Soldiers: Rarely

Tidal Disruption: Once. The one time I tried Tidal Disruption against the Dread Lords, it failed to steal a technology (and it destroyed all improvements).

Core Detonation: Never

 

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Reply #26 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Here is how I do things:

  • Mass Drivers: Never
  • Gas Warfare: Never
  • Traditional: Rarely (planet needs to have very low population for me to consider it)
  • Information Warfare: Frequently
  • Mini-Soldiers: Rarely (Also not ussually available in TA, unless Drengin or Korath)
  • Tidal Disruption: Frequently
  • Core Detonation: Never

As a general rule of thumb, anything that damages a planet's quality is something I would never use on the grounds that I might lose usable tiles in the process. People and buildings can be replaced, but there is no way to replace planet tiles (ignoring possible bugs). Any planet I consider worth taking ussually invaded with enough troops and money to be successful in the first attempt.

Reply #27 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

For me almost always information warfare (this often doubles my number of troops) even if the cost is a bit steep. Except of course if I need to send a second invasion because the first failed, then it's usually mass drivers.

I consider the loss of a few tiles acceptable since my primary goal is to annihilate the AI - or bash it into accepting a peace treaty.

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Reply #28 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Well, let's see....

Traditional: Somewhat. If I know I will win a battle and take the planet, I will use traditional. If I am broke I will use traditional. And lastly, if I don't have mini-soldiers, but don't want tidal disrupters to destroy improvements I want, I will use traditional.

Mass Drivers: Often If: my soldiering is low and enemies is high, I will use this often on high populations, but only if I am sure I cannot win (usually I will test initially a couple times to find out).

Core Detonation: Never, I will use Tidal Disrupters instead, to avoid PQ drop.

Tidal Disrupters: Occasionally If: I will use this on lower populations if I know most improvements are unusable, or if the AI has built nothing on it's planet (like Torians love to do, and Iconians... Stardock please please fix that!). When I don't have Mini-Soldiers, this is always used on subsequent invasions when most improvements will not stay/or planet is empty.

Mini-Soldiers: Very Often if: my soldiering ability is about the same, you can still consistly take out about 3+ billion troops with 1 billion. The 5-10% improvements destroyed is actually more like 2% according to the wiki. Most commonly used on subsequent invasion if Information Warfare fails, or after Mass Drivers are used to lower population.

Gas Warfare: Absolutely Never. I see it as a somewhat worthless invasion tactic for the cost. Advantages are not big enough to offset the cost and the possible PQ drop. Not the best tactic to use on high populations or mid populations. That only leaves low population, and your better off going traditional in that case. (imho, anyways).

Information Warfare: Common if: the planet has a high population and low-mid morale. Also, if I have the money to blow (which I usually do). This is only used during initial invasion, very rarely on subsequent invasions.

NOTE: on Information Warfare, I noticed that when I invade an evil civ and use IW, if I do not win, that evil civ (the Korath in this case) gains some of it's citizens BACK. After the invasion screen, say there is 2.8 billion left, and I took .5 billion, the planet afterwards has been showing 3.3 billion. I have either just never noticed this before, or never paid attn, but it happens in my current game..... Anyone else ever notice this???

Reply #29 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

NOTE: on Information Warfare, I noticed that when I invade an evil civ and use IW, if I do not win, that evil civ (the Korath in this case) gains some of it's citizens BACK. After the invasion screen, say there is 2.8 billion left, and I took .5 billion, the planet afterwards has been showing 3.3 billion. I have either just never noticed this before, or never paid attn, but it happens in my current game..... Anyone else ever notice this???
End of quote

Yes, I've noticed that quirk with Information Warfare. I'm not sure if its a bug, or its intentional. However, I don't normally pay attention to it (and because I ussually win planet invasions) so I don't know if it affects only evil civs. I'll keep an eye out for it next time I play, and maybe intentionally lose a few planet invasions to check.

Reply #30 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

NOTE: on Information Warfare, I noticed that when I invade an evil civ and use IW, if I do not win, that evil civ (the Korath in this case) gains some of it's citizens BACK. After the invasion screen, say there is 2.8 billion left, and I took .5 billion, the planet afterwards has been showing 3.3 billion. I have either just never noticed this before, or never paid attn, but it happens in my current game..... Anyone else ever notice this???
End of quote

Good eye.

I noticed this once or twice but never really paid attention to it...as in DivineWrath's case, it's easier to simply not lose invasions.

I'll test it if you don't test it first, DW.  :)

Reply #31 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Do you DW and SS always bring along 3 billion troops on every invasion or something? Haha... to simply never lose the invasion? Granted, I still take most planets with 2 billion, but kept the transports to invade seperate, so one could use IW to get high population down, then 1 to clean up using mini-soldiers. The Korath had alot of 12+ billion planets with pretty decsent morale, and higher soldiering than I, so it seemed to be what worked best in those situations.

Granted, I could have placed a spy on their farms to knock it to 8, then go in with 2b troops, but initially I figured I would 'steal' some of their population, which obviously backlashed me in the face.

Reply #32 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Actually, no, 2B is more than sufficient most of the time-upwards of 95%.

I did mention I abuse the shit out of info warfare, did I not?

Eh, it's cheaper/faster for me to build one transport that can hold 2B than two transports that can hold 1B...especially if I need it to get somewhere fast.  And I've been playing Breeder for long enough that population is no longer a concern to me.

:)

Reply #33 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Well, during my current game, the Torians and Iconians do not steal back the population that was taken through IW.

Of course the bigger question here is: how do they even get the population 'back' after it has been killed??? Corpse reanimation? haha