Troop Carriers

cargo hulls w/ 4 x Adv troop mod. 1 x Ultra Life Support 9 x Hyper Warp III.

Always protect them with attack fleets.

Ya, it's kinda disturbing that troop carriers disappear when they're used. I guess that keeps you building them as an invasion cost v. just using a couple everywhere.

Anyway, I too just use cargo hulls. I tend to make 'lightening' transports that are designed to be launched and invade on the same turn. I use a single troop module and the rest engines.

I use a cargo hull with 2 advanced troop modules and the rest engines. I station them in a central location and call them up as the battlefront advances. usually I only build them on planets with 11b population or more.

I've moved up to 3 modules per transport (based on a cargo hull) and the rest engines, with a life support module or two thrown in to fill out the space. But be ready: in Dark Avatar engines are already bigger and more expensive in the first Beta and looking to stay that way or get even more so. It seems like 90+ move transports (like I had once in a game I played as the Yor) are too hard for the AI to defend against and the developers are trying to make engines a premium to calm things down a bit. It's true that it's a little more of a hassle to actually have to move your transports around and advance them with your fleets, but I can understand that it's hard for the AI to plan for transports that can basically be anywhere on the map in one turn.

Same as the rest here, I tend to use 3-4 adv modules on my transports with lots of engines.

One way to keep from totally depleting you planets is to build transports during peacetime, keep them pretty simple and cheap and station them deep inside your territory. Then as your populations grow, land a partially full transport on a planet and launch it again in the same turn with more people on board. You are essentially "culling" your population, but with this method, you always have full transports read and waiting! All you have to do is upgrade them to what ever speed you and range you need!

Depends on the game for me, my typical transport has 2 Advanced troop modules. I tend to heavy them up late in the game for maximum effect. I never arm them and always run interference for them with my attack fleets.

I usually build transports with just one adv. module, rest is speed. The speed thing is changing, so my transports probably will as well. I usually build enough transports to take every planet on the map before I ever go to war(if I'm in a position to dictate war). I usually leave them on my planets till I'm ready to position for attack, as to not lose the tax money from all those citizens just sitting in space. I have run transports with multi modules, but if soldiering is high enough you don't need that many troops. I know some use the extra troops to fill out population as well. I usually just let mine grow naturally, but I have an odd style compared to a lot of the strats I hear on here, plus I'm not a high level player...Yet.  

i use heavy hull and gigantic hull that way i don't need to escort them 2 modules as heavily armed and shielded as i can get

gigantic hull is double sixe heavy hull

I've two types I use. First there is the cargo hull design with 4 modules on board (I can adjust how many troops are brought along), three or four of the best engines I've got, and how ever many life support things I can throw on. This is my primary transport for my military expeditions. Fairly cheap, fast, and carries a lot.

Second is my attack transport which is usually based on a large hull, has two modules, two of my best engines, configurable shield/armor/point defenses, configurable weapons (this is all depending what I'm going against), and the remainder is life support. This is a specialty ship, usually used when there is a mildly defended planet I need (like a PQ9 that can extend my range further into enemy space)and I don't have the warships available to back up the invasion and defend the transports. Problem with this ship is cost, with all the added weapons and defenses.

I'm to impatient to get all the way to HyperWarp, so my transports never get past 15 parsecs/week. But generally I put two Adv. Troops, one or two of my best life support and fill it up with engines. If theres enough room for another life support at the end but not another engine I'll do that.

I usually end up with 25 pc/week transports, with capacity of 1B troopers...

I usually leave them on my planets till I'm ready to position for attack, as to not lose the tax money from all those citizens just sitting in space.

Just a thought DethAdder. If you have a sound economy you can launch them and the population will be able to grow again so that when you are ready for war you don't take the tax hit on your economy then.

If you have a sound economy you can launch them and the population will be able to grow again so that when you are ready for war you don't take the tax hit on your economy then.

Thanks for the advice FC. Never thought about it from that stand point. As an evil dictator, I didn't want them freeloaders wriggling out of paying me  , but I can get all new people to shake down  .

I didn't want them freeloaders wriggling out of paying me , but I can get all new people to shake down .

   

Any use all those freeloaders to max populate a newly conqueored planet immediatley for maximum taxiation efficiency.

Cargo hull, one advanced troop carrier, 2 life support, the rest engines. I like to invade with the lower number so I can switch tactics as the planet's population drops. Plus, the higher speed is helpful. I can park them further behind the front line to keep them out of harm's way.

Something to add:

A fleet of 2 ships with 1 troop module each is SUPERIOR to 1 ship with 2 troop modules, and the main reason why is this:

If after the invasion there are still enough troops to fill a transport, one will still be in orbit and STILL HAVE MOVEMENT POINTS!

This works especialy well with large fleets .. a fleet of 10 troop carriers can take many planets on the same turn .. leveraging billions of troops multiple times!

I have been building fleets of 7 transports built on huge hulls. Each has a single adv crew carrier, and a speed of something like 107.

I have been building fleets of 7 transports built on huge hulls. Each has a single adv crew carrier, and a speed of something like 107.

But huge hulls are more expensive than cargo hulls, and they don't hold that much more. Plus, all those engines aren't free either. And with only one advanced troop module on each ship, it will probably take several ships to conquer each enemy planet. It's cheaper to put several advanced troop modules on each ship, and lose only one troop ship per enemy planet.

I have been building fleets of 7 transports built on huge hulls. Each has a single adv crew carrier, and a speed of something like 107.

Sounds like a lot of extra room. And a bit expensive.

I have been building fleets of 7 transports built on huge hulls. Each has a single adv crew carrier, and a speed of something like 107.

Egads. I thought a move of 30-40+ was alot.

I think I might switch to a Huge Hull with 2 or 3 Advanced Troop modules and the rest engines for those really big or well defended planets. I'll still retain my cargo transports to do it on the cheap.

It really is too bad that transports get eaten in the process of the invasion. I designed this super-bling ship, lots of weapons and defenses, long range, reasonably fast, ungodly expensive and with an Advanced Troop module. Eventually I noticed that I was losing those ships but it wasn't in combat...oops it was in invasions (n00b alert!).

Doh!

If your using single advance troop modules, you can still reach speeds of 75+ with cargo hulls and they're cheaper than huge hulls. Seems to be a waste to use huge hulls for disposable ships.

This works especialy well with large fleets .. a fleet of 10 troop carriers can take many planets on the same turn .. leveraging billions of troops multiple times!

You'd get the same results sending one ship to each planet as the total number of soldiers does not alter the combat.
Say you hit 18:3 on the invasion screen,,which equals 6:1.
The net effect of that is that for each troop you lose,,the defender loses six.
Then both sides are lowered accordingly until only one side has troops left and is declared the victor.

A fleet of 2 ships with 1 troop module each is SUPERIOR to 1 ship with 2 troop modules, and the main reason why is this: If after the invasion there are still enough troops to fill a transport, one will still be in orbit and STILL HAVE MOVEMENT POINTS!

Those two ships will also cost more to both produce and maintain than the single ship.
Also,,your newly conquered planet will have very few citizens,,and hence pay less in taxes than the colony maintence costs you.


I ususally prioritize Soldiering techs,,so early on I dont need that many troops to invade and still have a population over 1B.

Late game,,when the others start to catch up,,I deploy two types:

Commando: Single troop module on Cargo hull, enough Lifesupport to give the desired range with some margins and the rest engines.
These little rascals hit first with the most destructive tactics that would lower the planet's PQ if they win,,but since there are only 500 troops in the ship,,they just take a big chunk out of the defenders.

When the odds are below 1:2,,my Invaders fly in with 4k troops (Adv troop modules,,Cargo hull,,sufficent life support and a move around 60) which is enough to give me a decent population base once the planet is captured with Minisoldiers.

I usually leave them on my planets till I'm ready to position for attack, as to not lose the tax money from all those citizens just sitting in space.

I have a Space port on all planets to build a troop transport as soon as the planet hits maximum population.
The reason I take the hit in efficiency compared to build something useful on those squares is that I simply can't be bothered micromanaging transports from my ship building planets to those with max. pop. lol

One way to keep from totally depleting you planets is to build transports during peacetime, keep them pretty simple and cheap and station them deep inside your territory.

I find that the best option for filling those multi-module transports is to have, yes have, a few high population planets where the morale is hovering near that forty percent mark. Filling the transports quickly raises the planet's morale rating and buys me at least ten turns before I repeat the process. That'll teach the peasants to complain about things like entertainment, and food.  

For a long time now, I've been building transports using a cargo hull, three advanced troop modules, and as much engine as I could fit.

I've seen in other threads that Brad is almost certainly going to change the game so that the maximum ship speed is going to be about 8.

If this happens, I will probably fall back on my old Assault Transport; it had a small hull (they stack much better in your fleets than cargo hulls), one or two advanced troop modules (depending on my miniaturization level) and some engines.

If we won't be able to keep transports out of range of enemy interception fleets, we'll have to fleet them with warships, and a few hit points will be better than the cargo hull's one hp.

I usually wait until I have Eyes of the Universe and the advanced troops modules (playing on very fast research) before launching my first war around in early 2226. I place 3 adv. troop modules on a cargo hull with as much speed as I can fix (remember to include enough life support). Once I have Hyper Warp III, I can build transports with speed 40. At that point I don't need to worry about escorting them because with Eyes of the Universe and 40 speed, they can fly circles around any enemy combat ships!

Troop transports may also be used to move your population from maxed out planets to low population planets (e.g., newly conquered planets). If the destination is one of your planets then the transport does not disappear! Also when invading an enemy planet you will always lose one transport but if using more than one you might not lose them all. Each transport that can be filled with troops after the invasion will survive. For example, if you invade a planet using two transports, each holding 3 billion troops (for a total of 6 billion) and 3.5 billion survive then you lose one transport and the other will survive.