The Bluff Game

from Stardock Forums
I often use military deterrent to prevent the AI from bothering me. The problem is that if it, like me, can see orbits around my planets, it will know that I am sitting on a bunch of anti-matter missiles and battle axes. I know its planets have a bunch of cruddy star fighters. (BTW, the AI doesn't upgrade his crappy ships in a starbase even when you go to war with him--only after you destroy that defender will it build a new one. Lesson: Don't attack planets with poor defenders until your combat transport arrives.)

I would enjoy the military aspect of the game more if I didn't know what units were orbitting his systems. It would make the "bluff" (its or mine) more interesting.

My $0.02.

/ds
369 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
I would agree. But since I've never NOT funded my spies, is seeing into their orbits a function of spying? If it's not and everyone can see, then I would like that changed along with the AI upgrading its defenses a lot better than it currently does.

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Don't agree - one of the downright silly aspects most strat games is the idea that you don't know their troop composition without a lot of teching up or constant micromanagement. Today, we've got the ability to read a license plate from space - by the time we've got hyperdrive you're not going to be able to hide a fleet of corvettes or whatever from the intelligence gatherers when they're stationed on a home system. That's what the vastness of space is for, and why the game has stuff like sensors and cloaking.

Brad has said the AI can do exactly what you do, virtually click on a planet to see what's there. The bluff is to leave two defenders in midgame on a juicy system while you have a fleet of cloaked Dreadnoughts nearby and away from the enemies sensor range. If they take the bait and attack, you know where they'll be coming, and by the time they know where you are and what you actually have, too bad.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
is cloaking even implemented? i've never seen the AI attack anything but the closest colony in any case.

cheers

h
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Lots of points here. I think being able to see all defending ships is a little much. Espionage doesnt seem to do anything practical for the money. And, if cloaking has a practical advantage, I havent seen it.

olaf
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Actually, espionage's most useful tactic is being able to see exactly what they're spending on the three categories and what they're researching. The first lets you see how strong their econ actually is, the second lets you not waste time duplicating a friend or ally's research. It's not really that expensive so it's not like it should do that much.

As for cloaking, the advantage/disadvantage is that you can't see that there is an alien ship in a sector unless you have sensor access there, done and done. It means the enemy/you can move fleets of dreadnoughts through a sector but nothing will show up on the map whereas without cloaking, all ships are visible in explored space. I don't know how much or little game effect that has, but I assume there must be some effect on the AI.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
in my experience, AI ships *always* disappear when they leave sensor range, regardless of whether anyone has discovered cloaking tech.

are we playing the same game here?

cheers

h
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Yeah Code monkey that doesn't match what I experience in game. The cloaking tech is not implemented in a way that is clear.

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
Hmm... well, maybe I am misinterpreting something, or just not paying attention, but I have oodles of dots on the mini map showing me positions of enemy ships that I cannot otherwise "see". My take was that with cloaking, these ship beacons are not visible.