How to become big

[ChubbyChecker]

I've been top 200 for a while, which means that I am considerably better than most of you. Ha! Ha! Ha!

Yes, well, anyway, I just thought I'd post a few thoughts about how I became big. Maybe if you guys have anything to add you can post that too:

Attack
Attacking is the priority in this game, especially since XP was introduced. Send 2 fleets out to attack every night, preferably on an attack with your alliance. When you attack with your alliance you are helping your fellow alliance members out and having a better chance of landing yourself since more planets will be covered.
Always go for planets with as many roids as possible and as high a value as possible. This will maximise your XP gains. Don't be afraid to attack big targets. I've lost count of the number of roids I've stolen off top 100 planets. Sure, they will get defence often but if you're attacking twice a night with your alliance then some attacks will land. If a target is too big for you to take alone team up. You'll get fewer roids but the XP will be good.
Make sure that both your attacking fleets are the same class. So if you're a Terran either have two Destroyer fleets or two Battleship fleets, not one of each. This will ensure that defenders in-galaxy have to choose which attack to send their ships to, they can't as easily cover both.
My attacking ships make up approximately two thirds of the value of my whole fleet. This ensures that I can attack two decent targets every night. You should do the same.

Constructions
Build Refineries and Finance Centres, none of those pansy Distorters and Security Centres. Refineries and Finance Centres give you resources, resources give you ships, ships give you value, value gives you score! I've built a lot of wave amps too cos I'm a scanner for my alliance but I haven't neglected the other Structures.

Don't get disheartened
I recently lost 80% of my roids in the space of two days. So what? Roids come and go. It took me pretty much the same amount of time to get my roids back, with interest. In the process netting myself some good XP. Attacking is easy now, so it stands to reason that defending is hard. You will lose a lot of roids over the course of the round (I've lost over 3000 and counting), you just have to make sure that you gain lots too.

Look after your ships
I've heard a lot of talk this round about people suiciding their fleets on planets with good defence in order to get XP. I doubt whether anybody actually does this however because it is friggin' retarded (Mr Bigglesworth). I tend to make sure that I am never paying more than 20,000 resources per roid stolen. Any more than this and it's unlikely that the roid will make up the resources before it is stolen from me.
You should also make sure that you do not lose too many ships defending yourself or others. If you're covered and your ships have a chance to fire, then stay and fight. If you're not covered then run. Better to lose roids than ships. Ships are harder to regain.

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment. Anybody else got anything to add?

[SilverSmoke]

I spend about 6 effective hours in the gym this week

[jerome]

Originally Posted by ChubbyChecker

I've been top 200 for a while, which means that I am considerably better than most of you. Ha! Ha! Ha!

T200 is quite poor, no offence, but "big" is t10ish.

Attack
Attacking is the priority in this game, especially since XP was introduced. Send 2 fleets out to attack every night, preferably on an attack with your alliance. When you attack with your alliance you are helping your fellow alliance members out and having a better chance of landing yourself since more planets will be covered.
Always go for planets with as many roids as possible and as high a value as possible. This will maximise your XP gains. Don't be afraid to attack big targets. I've lost count of the number of roids I've stolen off top 100 planets. Sure, they will get defence often but if you're attacking twice a night with your alliance then some attacks will land. If a target is too big for you to take alone team up. You'll get fewer roids but the XP will be good

It really isn't mandatory to attack twice a night, defending works better for ziks with one attack with all of your attack fleet which of course enables your ability to hit higher value targets. Remember that xp modifier is capped at 20xp per roid so you should really calculate which is more profitable - 2 medium value planets with medium roids or 1 big value, big roidcount. Always be fluid with your strategies, never remain constant as predictability will ruin you.

Make sure that both your attacking fleets are the same class. So if you're a Terran either have two Destroyer fleets or two Battleship fleets, not one of each. This will ensure that defenders in-galaxy have to choose which attack to send their ships to, they can't as easily cover both.

No. Having one of each de and bs fleet allows to run effective fake attacks and also expands your range of targets.

Constructions
Build Refineries and Finance Centres, none of those pansy Distorters and Security Centres. Refineries and Finance Centres give you resources, resources give you ships, ships give you value, value gives you score! I've built a lot of wave amps too cos I'm a scanner for my alliance but I haven't neglected the other Structures.

Refineries turn pointless once you pass 800 roids. Finance Centres are useful but so are Security Centres and Distorters, getting cov opped regularly is a ****ing bitch and having to put security on engineering where there are usually much more important things that could be used as eng isn't good. Distorters rock. They increase your chances of landing by being able to fake easier.

[Banned]

Originally Posted by ChubbyChecker

I've been top 200 for a while, which means that I am considerably better than most of you. Ha! Ha! Ha!

Cool

Attack

Generally sound, even though hitting two targets with the same class is more feasible for Terran than most other races.

Constructions
Build Refineries and Finance Centres, none of those pansy Distorters and Security Centres. Refineries and Finance Centres give you resources, resources give you ships, ships give you value, value gives you score! I've built a lot of wave amps too cos I'm a scanner for my alliance but I haven't neglected the other Structures.

This is wrong. Jammers have been very important this round, especially for Zik. Obviously they're pretty much useless for Xan.

Don't get disheartened
I recently lost 80% of my roids in the space of two days. So what? Roids come and go. It took me pretty much the same amount of time to get my roids back, with interest. In the process netting myself some good XP. Attacking is easy now, so it stands to reason that defending is hard. You will lose a lot of roids over the course of the round (I've lost over 3000 and counting), you just have to make sure that you gain lots too.

4k and counting

Look after your ships
I've heard a lot of talk this round about people suiciding their fleets on planets with good defence in order to get XP. I doubt whether anybody actually does this however because it is friggin' retarded (Mr Bigglesworth). I tend to make sure that I am never paying more than 20,000 resources per roid stolen. Any more than this and it's unlikely that the roid will make up the resources before it is stolen from me.
You should also make sure that you do not lose too many ships defending yourself or others. If you're covered and your ships have a chance to fire, then stay and fight. If you're not covered then run. Better to lose roids than ships. Ships are harder to regain.

This is entirely correct. Remember also that someone who suicides for XP is of little use to their alliance and friends.

[Rinoa]

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

I spend about 6 effective hours in the gym this week

Funniest post i read on forums today

here want some in your maximucle power shake

[at0mic.c0w]

Originally Posted by ChubbyChecker

Attack
[...]

i think we all agree that attacking is priority this round. still i have made it quite comfortably into the t100 with one attack per night - exception were the nights after i got waved down to 200 roids. picking the biggest target with the most roids and the biggest possible XP gain is all nice and well but what you are actually looking for is the biggest target with the most roids and the biggest possible XP gain from which you can actually steal roids, there is far more to target picking than just going for the biggest planet every time - even more so at the beginning of the round.

Originally Posted by Banned

This is wrong. Jammers have been very important this round, especially for Zik. Obviously they're pretty much useless for Xan.

i very much like picking up salvage from defending 'unscannable' planets

[Cannon_Fodder]

You missed the most important rule:

Don't go cath.

[Banned]

Originally Posted by sniborp

You missed the most important rule:

Don't go cath.

Bit late for that advice.

[Cannon_Fodder]

and the rest of the advice is on time/early?

[Banned]

Originally Posted by sniborp

and the rest of the advice is on time/early?

There's still time to apply it. It is also advice that can be generalized and applied to future rounds, unlike 'don't go cath'.

[furball]

Originally Posted by at0mic.c0w

i think we all agree that attacking is priority this round. still i have made it quite comfortably into the t100 with one attack per night - exception were the nights after i got waved down to 200 roids. picking the biggest target with the most roids and the biggest possible XP gain is all nice and well but what you are actually looking for is the biggest target with the most roids and the biggest possible XP gain from which you can actually steal roids, there is far more to target picking than just going for the biggest planet every time - even more so at the beginning of the round.

Originally Posted by furball

When you attack, don't calc it so that you can just about land. Leave yourself some room for defence, since your target will probably get some. The real question is: is your target going to be partially covered, or fully covered? Give yourself room to land, and it's far more likely that you can land for 20% losses (which, with XP, is almost always worth it). If you don't, then just one fleet may mean that you can't land. Think about it.

That was advice to Caths, but it holds true for all races.

[Cannon_Fodder]

Not everyone gets a lucky as you who has half the size of my fleet yet still lands on 1.2k roid targets in a bigish gal def free you lucky ****. Like just now my target got no alliance def, but 3 ingal def fleets. 2 i could have managed, but yet again i have to recall...


GRRRR

[Alessio]

My advice on becoming big:

Join a big ally and fencesit in a war
its a proven and tested method

[ChubbyChecker]

Originally Posted by _ryzekiel_

T200 is quite poor, no offence, but "big" is t10ish.

I think being in the top 5% of players counts as big

Originally Posted by sniborp

Not everyone gets a lucky as you who has half the size of my fleet yet still lands on 1.2k roid targets in a bigish gal def free you lucky ****.

Er, do you know me or something?

Also, oooooh.. handbags at dawn!

[Cannon_Fodder]

Oh that was at furball...

[furball]

Originally Posted by sniborp

Not everyone gets a lucky as you who has half the size of my fleet yet still lands on 1.2k roid targets in a bigish gal def free you lucky ****. Like just now my target got no alliance def, but 3 ingal def fleets. 2 i could have managed, but yet again i have to recall...


GRRRR

Originally Posted by sniborp

Oh that was at furball...

Landed again yesterday for 300 roids and 450k score

[lokken]

Attack like a maniac day in day out.

Never give up.

Don't do anything stupid and lose your ships for no reason.

Be in the right alliance.

[NotALegend]

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

I spend about 6 effective hours in the gym this week

And roids help to grow there as well!

[Cannon_Fodder]

Originally Posted by lokken

Attack like a maniac day in day out.

Never give up.

Don't do anything stupid and lose your ships for no reason.

Be in the right alliance.

and recall night in night out.

I gave up once i couldnt change race

Woops, just fleet caught myself (No i really did)

Well i suppose thats one good thing ive got...

Originally Posted by furball

Landed again yesterday for 300 roids and 450k score

I hate you and will be piggybacking you from now on.

[noah02]

Wish I had have gone cath this round :/
I have had a lot of ideas on how to use them running through my head but can't really practice it.

[Atolla]

Greate post mate ! I liked it. Many good points here !

[ChubbyChecker]

Thank you

A bit late though

And in case you were wondering, I finished the round 97th. So not huge, but respectable
I also lost 900k value on the last day so I could have done some ranks better.

[Dotatrix]

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

I spend about 6 effective hours in the gym this week

Or one option is to eat MUCH!

[furball]

enlargement pills <3 that's how I did it

[Dotatrix]

Originally Posted by furball

enlargement pills <3 that's how I did it

Have u noticed any side effects ?

[furball]

Yes, my planet suffered but the rewards were worth it....rl strikes