How to Defend
All credit goes to beholdbrandon!
1 thing that might help is to turn off Advanced AI starts. If you are new to the game, they can completely wreck you if they are an aggressive empire.
Also, try to befriend your neighbors (send envoy to improve relations, establish embassy if they are friendly enough, consider changing your diplomacy stance to cooperative, if they are just out of reach of establishing an embassy a small gift giving a green +10 or something might be enough to improve relations). If you have good relations they usually don’t attack you.
If they are hostile, you just have to prepare for the inevitable war. Try to ramp up alloy production as soon as you can if they appear hostile (you can sometimes tell based on how the first contact dialog evolves) and try to find any means to reduce ship build cost (example: on your next tradition pick, go supremacy, then take the 10% reduced ship build cost next, or if any leaders have reduced ship build cost depending on DLC you have).
If they only have 1 hyperlane access to your systems (1 choke point), you can consider static defenses with upgraded starbases there, and have your fleet parked there as well. If you have a choice, build this on a pulsar/neutron star (the star looks to have a halo around it on the minimap, or hover over it for details) for additional defensive bonuses. If they have 2, you can sometimes afford to do 2 starbases.
More than 2, and I would just save your allows for your fleet. If you can hold off on expanding your empire in the short term (if you aren’t racing another empire to claim systems), hold off on it as those early 90-100 alloys a pop can make a difference in an early war. Also, start building a spy network on them. This can sometimes give you a few months alert that they are planning to declare war.
For early game war techs
- In engineering, I always pick missile 2 upgrade when it shows up (and swarmer missiles when they show up next) and afterburners. Armor upgrades also help.
- In physics, get combat computers.
- In society, naval capacity or fleet size can help if you know war is coming soon.
For ships, the default auto ship build is bad. Assuming no weapon tech, I like to do this build for my early ships. It’s worked for me in the early game.
- Corvette: 3 missile slot. 1 shield, 2 armor, afterburners for aux slot.
- Destroyer: Before swarmers, I do 1 picket and 4 small slot missiles with artillery combat computer. After swarmers, put those on instead. 1 shield/5 armor, afterburners.
- Cruisers: I like to do carriers with swarmer missiles for the other slots (carrier combat computer) or all swarmers (artillery combat computer). 1 shield/ rest armor and afterburners.
If you unlock new tech or upgrade your fleet design, you have to upgrade your already built fleets before they are equipped with the new goodies.
Before war starts, if you are pretty sure its going to start, get into belligerent or supremacy diplomacy stance before it starts (you would need to recall your improve relation envoys to not take an influence cost hit) to help with naval capacity and claim cost.
When war starts, pause the game and evaluate the situation a bit.
I like to plan when/where I want to fight. If the enemy is stronger than me and I don’t have starbase defenses, I let him advance a little bit and take non-critical systems while I continue to build-up. You don’t want to engage if you are going to lose and lose ships and get even more behind. Just stay at your capital if you need to initially and keep building up; you should hopefully have a comparable fleet power before they get to your capital.
If you can, try to intercept the enemy before armies can land to take your colonies. If he’s only a little bit stronger than you and you have some starbase defenses, get their asap with your ships. Retaking a strong starbase can be difficult early game. Otherwise, get all your ships grouped up and teach the AI a lesson. If you start getting the upper hand, claim some of his systems before the war ends.
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