I apologise for this being late. Nevertheless, some people may still yet find it useful.
The purpose of this thread is to have a look at each of the race's attack combos, assess them against likely defenders, and through that, determine their "strength" in attack which is the primary determinate of success in planetarion (that, and your alliance, heh). Similarly, defensive strength of a race can be determined through this procedure. The structure of the thread will look at attacking fleet by classes, and the units that fire on those classes (ie, the normal way). Multi-class attack fleets will only be very briefly touched upon at this stage, though may be added to later.
Thanks go to this round's statmaker, Monroe, and to Appocomaster for coding the
Stats Analysis Page - finally i dont need to do these calcs for myself!
.
That aside, let's get started.
Fighter Pods
The only fighter pods this round are Xan's. They have two escorts (as per all attacking fleets), namely the Banshee (DE) and Phantom (CO).
Ships that target FI are:
Pegasus (DE)
Beetle (CO)
Wraith (CO)
Thief (FR)
Merchant (FI)
Obviously, that means the Xan FI attack fleet will be able to target Pegasus (before Pegs fire), Beetles (after Beetles EMP) and Wraithes (Same init); which makes Terran very vulnerable to a FI attack fleet only, Cathaars can be outflakked by superior numbers as beetles are EMP, and attacking Xans is typically a bad idea; in this case its more of a game of chicken, but still a bad idea.
By adding CO, Xans can also target Theives and Merchants, however this makes the fleet open to anti CO def as well. Throwing in the random Wraith might discourage some universal Merchant defence when attacking Terrans, however whether you have enough Phantoms left unstunned by Merchants to kill defending Phoenix to reduce losses on Wraithes so they can kill Merchants is obviously ambiguous. Bombers should be able to handle any Chimera, if for some reason a Terran builds any.
I think, this round, Xan will be able to attack Terran more or less with ease (adding CO when required), be able to attack Ziks particularly if the Thief becomes unpopular (ie, non-FR Ziks), will (as always) potentially be able to out-flak and thus roid for free Caths (and to a lesser extent, Eitraides), and attacking other Xans - whilst possible - is again probably a bad idea.
Corvettes
Two races have CO attack fleets this round, Cathaar and Eitraides.
Cathaar: Viper (FR), Beetle (FI), Mosquito (RO).
Eitraides: Voyager (CO), Vendor (FR), Rambler (RO).
Ships that target CO;
Phoenix (CO)
Chimera (FR)
BW (FR)
Phantom (FI)
Nightmare (FR)
Cutter (FR)
Buccaneer (DE)
Voyager (CO)
As it might be obvious, alot of ships seem to target CO this round, which makes sense given that there are two attack fleets. Cathaar's CO fleet will be able to handle Xans who are small enough very well; Xan's poor EMP res and the CO fleet being quite efficient means that Xans should be a pushover when Caths attack. However, Cath CO's ability to target any other race is questionable; they cant target Voyagers or Phoenix without adding BW and thus a whole extra hour of ETA, and they cant target Zik Buccaneers without Spiders to aid them. Spiders arent overly efficient at EMPing Buccs (at a poor 116%), however well timed CO/FI raids against Ziks with their fleets out might still be a viable target. Otherwise, there are always Xans
. Attacking other Caths depends - as usual - on how much EMP you face; BW have the init advantage over the CO fleet, but other Caths can be targets. Stay away from Terran and Eitraides unless you see obvious holes in their fleet (ie, no CO).
As for the Eitraides CO fleet, they can wipe the floor with Terrans as Eit CO has the initiative advantage. To attack Caths, you need to outflak the EMP but otherwise you'll have a free run (and you'll kill some BW whilst you're at it, making it easier for the next wave to get through). Theoretically, you could attack Xans if you include Merchants, however i doubt whether Eits will have enough resources devoted towards stunning Xan FI/CO which is usually a huge proportion of their fleet. Still, you might be able to prey upon FR Xans if you stumble across them. Attacking Zik is probably a bad idea due to Buccaneers, but again if you notice them being out there is an opportunity for you to sneak in for a quick raid like Caths. Attacking other Eits is a game of chicken, so its problably not the best move unless you are certain that they will flee - there has to be cheaper targets out there
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Frigates
Two races have FR attack fleets this round, Xandathrii and Zikonians.
Xandathrii: Shadow (CR), Nightmare (CO), Vampyre (RO).
Zikonian: Thief (FI), Cutter (CO), Privateer (RO).
Ships that target FR;
Harpy (FI)
Viper (CO)
Roach (CR)
Bomber (CO)
Corsair (CO)
Vendor (CO)
Tycoon (BA)
Clearly, the ability to target CO effectively is the key to having a viable FR attack fleet this round. The good news is (i suppose
) that both races have strong anti CO frigates.
Attacking Terrans with Xan FR is probably a bad idea as Harpies (FI) arent targeted by your fleet, unless you add Wraithes, which then get targeted by Pegs, which means you have to send either Banshees or Ghosts - Ghosts are a bad idea as terran anti DE is strong (Wyvern), and if you're sending Banshees, why not just attack with FI? Xan FR dont have the initiative advantage against Cathaar's Vipers or Roaches, so there is a better chance that you wont be able to outflak them with this class when compared to FI, especially given Xan's poor EMP resistance. However, curiously, Xan FR has the initiative advantage against other Xans, Ziks and Eitraides and thus at least theoretically can beat all three races in battle. The only major concern is universal Viper def spoiling the party, as then Bombers will strike back hard (150%! better than EMP!), Corsairs will steal your fleet very well (~125%) and Vendors will tear your fleet to shreds as well (~130-40%). Eitraides having access to the Tycoon effectively prevents effective FR raiding by Xans; even if you sent Shadows along, Tycoons still have the init advantage - though they are reletively inefficient at killing your fleet (~100%).
Thus, Xan FR is probably a better way of taking out Ziks, and a way to surpise other Xans who usually assume that you cant be a threat to them. Otherwise, Xan FR is far more likely to be stunned whilst attacking caths (efficient Vipers and plentiful Roaches should see to that), attacking Eitraides with Tycoons is a bad idea, and you might as well use a FI fleet against Terrans.
Zik FR face similar problems to Xan FR, however they tend to not have the initiative advantage. Unlike Xans, Zikonian FR are able to target Terrans effectively, as Theives have the initiative advantage over Harpies - mind, you'll need to keep rebuilding your Theives like nuts all round due to losses through destruction (Surviving harpies killing) and losses through stealing (as theives steal harpies), so you may find it hard to mass a "decent" FR fleet. Attacking Xans is probably a bad idea as the Bomber is a powerful (and flakked) ship with the initiative advantage, but it could be worthwhile in certain instances (depends how much you want Xan CO and/or FI, i suppose). Attacking Caths with FR is less likely to succeed than with other classes due to the Viper and the Roach both effectively targeting FR. Zik FR can successfully attack other Ziks, as the FR has the initiative advantage, and could be a major source of roids (as ship-swapping isnt as important). Again, unlike Xan FR, Zik FR can potentially attack Eitraides. Whilst Cutters dont have the init advantage against Vendors, and Tycoons will also lean into you, Ziks can send Pirates along to steal any Tycoons that choose to defend, potentially knocking out one source of fire. Whilst Pirates will be stunned to some degree by Baliffs, it means an Eit would need to have both their attacking fleets home to defend themselves against you, which might be advantageous. At the very least, Zik FR has a better chance - just
- against Eitraides than Xan FR.
Destroyers
Two races have DE attack fleets this round, Terrans and Zikonians.
Terran: Drake (DE), Pegasus (FI), Demeter (RO)
Zikonian: Buccaneer (CO), Pirate (BA), Ironclad (RO).
Ships that target DE;
Drake (DE)
Wyvern (BA)
Spider (FI)
Banshee (FI)
Ghost (DE)
Cutlass (FI)
Rogue (CR)
Broker (BA)
R21 sees a whole pantheon of ships targeting DE, which is bad news for Terrans and Ziks.
The Terran DE fleet of Drakes (DE) and Pegasus (FI) will have a simple game of chicken against other Terrans, except the Wyvern will inflict damage for no return fire. Although the Wyvern (and the Drake) arent very powerful in terms of attack, and high armour, means that you will probably still pick up roids, though obviously at a higher cost than you "should". Attacking Cathaar, on the other hand, should be quite easy and profitable for much of the round. Spiders are very efficient given that they are targeting Terran ships, though still manage to stunn Drakes/Dems at ~120% and Pegs at ~140%. However, like usual, its just a matter of out-flakking any defending Spiders to get "free" roids - beware of Banshee et al universal defence though, as the Fighters will flak eachother obviously. Attacking Xan is probably a bad idea; whilst your Drakes are superior to Ghosts (mainly though the init advantage - they both kill eachother at ~80%), the main problem Terrans will have are Banshees and their plentiful quantities. Avoid attacking Xans as much as you can, however you might find opportunity to retal a Xan attacker with your DE which would most likely just die defending your home anyway (you know his Banshee are out, after all
). Terran DE attacking Ziks will depend on the Zik - Pegs have the init advantage against Cutlasses, but dont massively overkill them (Pegs @ 110% against Cutlasses, Cutlasses ~95% against Pegs, Pegs init advantage). For a Terran killship, its not bad, however your main worry will actually be Rogues. Terran DE cant counter Rogues without sending Dragons, adding ETA. However, Rogues only kill terran DE at ~85%, so it may be that you can just ride out the storm - though this will probably result in expensive roids if you rely on doing this all round. The good news is, Terran DE will have a field day attacking Eitraides; only the Baliff (BA) targets DE (plenty of time for early raiding), and even then it only stuns DE at 100-120%; thus Eit might be a good source of roids for Terran DE fleets.
Thus, Eit and to a lesser extent Caths are good targets for Terran DE. Terran DE can be made to work against other Terrans and Ziks, however its far from being good, and attacking Xans is probably a bad idea except in retal perhaps.
Zikonian DE is a bit different. As no CO ship targets BA, the Buccaneer is probaly a useless escort for this fleet and is (afaik) unique in that dubious distinction. Furthermore, the Pirate targeting BA will be reasonably effective at attacking Eits (like Terran DE), and can potentially target Terrans as well. Whilst not holding the initiative advantage, the Pirate will be able to target Wyvern (at 83%) whilst only being targeted in return by Wyvern at ~65%. However, without any "trophy ships", Ziks will not be able to target Drakes, and thus will only be effective at targeting BA Terrans (as opposed to Terrans who use DE primarily). The good news is, most terrans will pursue Battleships. Again, like Terran DE, Zikonian DE will be able to attack Caths if they can outflak the efficient Spiders. However, attacking other Ziks will not be effective due to both Cutlasses and Rogues being untargeted, and in another non-shocker attacking Xans is a bad idea as both Ghosts and Banshees are now effective anti DE.
Thus, Zik DE can really only attack Eit and Cath, with the potential to work against Terrans. Attacking other Ziks and Xans is a bad idea. Frankly, Zik DE will require stolen ships to be effective (Pegs & Spectre to attack Ziks, Spectre and Ghosts/Drakes to attack Terran, Prayer to attack Xans).
Cruisers
The only CR pods this round are Cath's (Hornets). They have two escorts, namely the Tarantula (BA) and Roach (FR).
Ships that target CR are:
Dragon (BA)
Scarab (FR)
Shadow (FR)
Marauder (BA)
Dealer (FR)
The good news for Cath CR is that their fleet targets all enemy ships,
and has the initiative advantage in all instances*. The bad news is, both ships are EMP and thus any and all defence sent against CR calls will survive - and all current and former Cath players know what that means; plentiful and willing defenders. Nevertheless, Cathaar CR will be able to cap roids for zero losses provided you have enough value to stun the enemy. Unfortunately, CR EMP efficiency this round is leaving much to be desired; in the range of 100(for Terran ships) - ~150% for most of the Tarantula's targets, and a paltry 115-130% for the Roach's - i suppose this is the price you pay for great targeting and init. Nevertheless, the result is that Cath CR fleets wont be able to take on planets that are all that much bigger than them, compared to past rounds at least. Further, the major anti CR ships (Shadow, Dealer, Scarab) - mainly due to their ETA - have the inefficient Roach as their main opposition (and the Scarab can stun the Roach before it fires). As such, Xan, Cath and Eit races are probably bad places to attack, and Terrans may or may not be vulnerable to your Tarants (Tarants stun Dragons at 105%). The Tarant even stuns the Marauder (Zik) at 117% - and there will be plenty of Ziks looking for free Cath ships to steal.
*Whoops, Scarab has superior init to the Roach. Sorry.
Frankly, i cant see how people can be enthusiastic about the Cath CR fleet this round, or even optimistic for this race in general - their CO fleet is OK and their CR fleet is crap. Cath CR has no "good" targets, and must run the gauntlet of (relatively) large amounts of universal def (with a 2 tick window for FR) in order to cap roids. I wish Cathaar players luck this round - they'll need it.
Battleships
Two* races have BA attack fleets this round, Terran and Eitraides.
Terran: Wyvern (DE), Dragon (CR), Leviathan (RO).
Eitraides: Tycoon (FR), Broker (DE), Baliff (RO).
Ships that target BA;
Syren (CR)
Tarantula (CR)
Scorpion (BA)
Spectre (DE)
Pirate (DE)
Ranger (FR)
Terran BA this round actually has the initiative advantage against someone - other Terrans, heh. Dragons will target Syren before they fire, however at the abysmal 56%. The good news is, the only thing worse than this is Syren firing back on Terran BA - at the comedy value of 52-54%. As such, Terran v Terran battles will be largely determined by Initiative, and it favours the attacker (although i highly doubt there will be all that much salvage available to the defenders, as nothing actually dies - these armoured behemoths just stare at eachother, occasionally throwing frozen waste from their on-board toilets at eachother - maybe). Nevertheless, other Terrans will be potential victims for Terran BA fleets. Strangely, Cathaars are well positioned to be bad targets for both Battleship fleets; the Scorpion targets Terran BA at ~65% (not bad considering), and Eit BA at 70(Tycoon)-100%(others) - as such i can see the Scorpion being a mainstay of Cathaar fleets, and thus a frequent nuisence to all Battleship fleets. As such, Cath are going to be bad targets (wow, there's a change!). Xan are potential targets again for Terran BA, and again the Wyvern has the Initiative advantage of the Spectre (DE). That's the end of the good news; the bad news Wyvern only kill Spectres at ~50%, whilst the Spectres return fire at ~74% (cf Scorpion @65%!), so attacking Xans can work (and may frequently), but would perhaps be the most bloody of all your targets - the only consideration is that Xan players may not build may Spectres as they focus on their FI/CO, untill you attack them often enough with BA and they loose their temper, ofc. Again, Wyvern enjoy the initiative advantage against Pirates, however again they suffer from a poor kill efficiency; killing Pirates at ~64% with Pirates stealing back at ~82%. However, the worst targets for a Terran BA fleet have to be Eitraides; Rangers will kill Terran BA at ~62-64%, whilst not being targeted in return, thus making Etd bad targets.
In general, however, with the very high armour of Terran Battleships, it is rare that you will crash and "burn" - as Xandathriis find it all too easy to do. As such, you will frequently pick up roids even if you "crash", with minimal losses. This means you can successfully attack much larger targets than you otherwise would, and benefit from the associated XP gains more than most. This makes Terran much more of a XP race than, say, Xan or Zik. Its hard to go wrong with 1000000000000 armour. Just dont expect to actually kill anything.
Eit BA fleets, otoh, are better at targeting what Terran BA cant - pretty much the same story as last round. Etd BA will have hard times against Terran Syren, Cathaar Tarants (heh) and their uber Scorpions, enjoy the same problems as Terran BA against Xan and Zik, and perform much better against other Etds. The Tycoon enjoys the initiative advantage against the Ranger, killing them at 80% whereas the Ranger steals back (afterwards) at only 63%. This means that it will be costly for Etds to defend themselves against Etd BA incoming - combined with the fact that they'll only be stealing battleships they can build anyway, you probably wont run into Rangers as often as say Terran BA players who i imagine will be plagued by Rangers for the whole round (greedy Etds looking for lovely Terran BA).
Clearly, an objective for Etd players is to use their Rangers to capture other race's Battleships, especially Terran but also Cath Scorps. As such, they will (gradually) get access to more units like Wyren which can then be used to challenge Syren, making Terrans (for example) more viable targets than they would otherwise.
* I suppose because Ziks can steal BA via Pirates, this means Ziks can gradually accumulate a BA fleet, with Marauders being an uber-stealy-Dragon as opposed to that lump of armour that the Terrans are stuck with. Alas, i cba to really go into much detail about the dynamics, as it depends entirely on what ships each individual Zik manages to steal. And then what they steal can counter whatever ships are capable at defending against it, thus making obvious targets that are pretty much the same as above. Come to think about it, i suppose that's true with CR as well. Ah well
.
Anyway, that's it, i'm going downstairs for some tea. I hope this helps some people with planning their attack fleet(s), even though i was naughty and left it too late for the roundstart for people to ponder over prior to the ticks starting (i thought i had another weekend to go, alas
). Nevertheless, i wish you the best of luck with the round, and we'll all see if i managed to make a complete idiot out of myself again by predicting everything incorrectly.
<3
Re: R21 Races: A Quick Overview
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