Need clue-by-four: Altarian Prophecy lvl8

Level 8, named "Altarian Vengeance" is giving me trouble. What have you found to be successful tactics? I just get beat up too quickly by their power to survive very long.

Thanks
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Reply #3 Top
I'm currently engaged in a brutal war in that very mission.

The "Omega Mod" has turned out to be crippling, as I'm faced with endless waves of speed 10(!) Interceptors that swoop in from outside my scanning range and tear up anything in their path. The Torians in particular have so many ship bonuses -- 358% attack 341% defense -- that nothing less than a DK can bring one of their Interceptors down.

The Interceptor gives a massive advantage to whichever side has superior ships, as it gives them what amounts to a really fast Antimatter Missile. Because only a heavier, slower ship like a DK or Dreadnaught can defeat them the most reliable counters are starbase speed modules and really big stacks of heavy ships that can survive tremendous punishment by spreading damage around.

If I have to restart the mission I will remove the Omega pack. Assuming the scenario wasn't designed by a masochist I doubt it was created with the Interceptor in mind.

However, I have managed to claw my way forward and conquer the 2 planets in sectors 9-7 & 8-8. I'm expecting the ratio of Korx to Torian Interceptors to bias toward Torian, and am not sure I can win when that happens. However, since I managed to make it this far I'll share the tactics that have made it possible:

I'd have to say first research superior classes of ships and all the ship upgrades and build all shipyard enhancements; the Torian's whopping 358% attack and 341% defense bonuses on their ships mean that every "evenly-matched" battle is one you're going to lose. If they're fielding Warhammers, you need Battleships (actually you'll need DK's). Once they get Battleships you'll need Dreadnoughts. Torian Heavy Transports, DK's, and Dreadnoughts are virtually impregnable; only antimatter missiles or a stack of Dreadnoughts will bring those down.

Second, use the eased logistic restrictions of this mission to build multiple starbases along your main trade corridor. You'll only outmatch the enemy if you have money to support lots of big ships and shipyard enhancements.

Third, Starbase speed, defense, and attack enhancements will help even the odds. The defense and attack enhancements are of dubious value at the 300%+ extremes of military quality because starbase combat bonuses don't scale. That is, if you have a ship with base defense of 6 and your defense bonus is 300%, it will have a modified defense of 18. If you have a +1 defense module on your starbase it adds to the 18, not to the 6, so that instead of getting a defense of (6 + 1) * 3 = 21, you get (6 * 3) + 1 = 19. Still, every little bit helps. The speed enhancements are really vital -- faster missiles for Torian capital ships, faster Dreadnought hit-and-run attacks for everything else, faster replacement of losses, and of course slower enemy ships and fewer attacks per turn.

Also you'll want to put heavy defenses on all but your most rearward starbases. The AI targets them relentlessly, so pile on the defenses. A Starbase with 155 hp's and modest defenses may seem formiddable, but when it's down to 55 hp you'll thank yourself for adding that Lightning Shield.

Fourth, put your fleets into big stacks. You'll get pounded every turn by wave after wave of amped-up Corvettes. Normally you would just laugh at these, but with the massive ship bonuses the Torians get they can bring down just about anything with a big enough pack of 'vettes. The only way to keep these at bay is spreading the damage around in a fat stack of capital ships. Attacking with a stack is even more critical; Torian cap ships will ALWAYS require more than 1 of yours to take out, and if you do it piecemeal the target gains experience as it defeats your individual ships. Hit it with a stack of Dreadnaughts so it fights and dies at level 0.

Fifth, have plenty of missiles on hand and stockpile them in a sector with speed-boosting starbases. Instead of exchanging 3-1 with Torian cap ships in a toe-to-toe firefight soften 'em up with a missile. The missile won't make a clean kill, but it will come very close, enough for 1 Dreadnaught to finish the job.

Sixth, keep a "war chest" big enough to build a starbase. Nothing is worse than having Constructors waiting around to get picked off while you try to save up for a starbase in a critical sector.

I'm still a noob, and I don't know if Torian Vengeance with the Omega Mod installed is even winnable or not, but I hope you find some of my advice useful.
Reply #4 Top
Update: stacks of capital ships and an unrelenting stream of transports are wearing down the bad guys.

I've built a "road" of speed-enhancing starbases NW of Vizzard to get my ships to the frontlines. Whenever I take a world I add to the "road" so that it now jogs N through Sauron, NW through Octavia, then N again to Geta, from which I can strike at the Korx in virtually all directions.

The mission objectives don't show in-game, but the scenario editor tells me all I need do is defeat the Korx. I'm about halfway there.
Reply #5 Top
The Torians finally decided to rid themselves of the Terran pests and came on in force. It was a race against time to see whether I could take the last Korx world before the Torians beat me back.

The beaky E.T.'s gave it their best shot, but my transports slipped past their hornets' nest of capital ships and put the Korx in the ground for good. Mission Complete!

That mission was the most difficult of the campaign. The next is a good, old-fashioned "Banzai!" Good luck to you in tackling both.