Sniper-class ships

from GalCiv2 Forums
I got jumped in the early game by the Dregin AND the Yor... and, out of desperation, I sort of stumbled on an idea (I'm sure has been tried before): Sniper-class warships.

Essentially I use a cargo-class ship, put one (and only one) of my smallest weapons on it, then with the remaining space I use about 50% of it for engines, 25% for sensors, and 25% life support (space- and need-depending, of course). I call it a Sniper and it's great for hovering around the edges of an enemy empire, swooping in and killing undefended starbases, constructors, freighters, and troop transports (even right next to enemy planets with warships in orbit), then escaping well out away from the enemy fighters-- all in one turn! And when the enemy sends a fleet of fighters after your Sniper, all the better because you can lead them on wild goose chases.

Even now that I have medium size hulls, I'm still building (much upgraded) Sniper-class ships. I couldn't imagine waging a war without them!

Of course you've got to "fly" these Sniper ships pretty carefully because if they end up within firing range of enemy craft they're sitting ducks, so good sensor range is a must, and some very micro-managed flight paths. But if you want to punish and torment the AI, the Sniper-class warship is great fun!

Of course, don't forget to check every target first and make sure it's not a SB with defenses, or the icon of a transport but actually a small fleet with a transport protector. Spying is your friend.

Enjoy.
strategies
6,678 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Heh. Very interesting Idea. Thanks for sharing!   
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've built ships much like that before, though I don't use them much anymore. I originally designed them to counter Dread Lord troop transports. This was before I got a lot better at maintaining my defenses. Now using them never crosses my mind.

Come to think of it, it might be fun to dust off those old designs of mine and try to torment the AI. Maybe I'll develop a few new strategies...

P.S. Thanks for sharing.
Groupy 2 - Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I usually do this with Small class ships, but you can obviously pack more engines onto a cargo hull. I will defo try this as well!
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I already did that. However, I heard the Devs are trying to get the AI to adapt to fast ships.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Awesome! I'm glad you guys like my idea!

Lemme tell ya, having a "Sniper" with FOUR Warp engines and a small laser is just what the doctor ordered. Taking out all of their starbases and freighters slows their economy down real nice. And it's GREAT fun to be able to attack these things-- even with their warships out next to it-- and fly back out into the depths of space before they can get a shot off.

Also try to have only barely enough life support to get you to and around their Empire (I'm playing Huge map, still early game) because good sensor range is a MUST. More than once I've ran out of moves too close to a previously undetected enemy fleet, resulting in the untimely loss of a valiant sniper with many, many kills painted on the hull...
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I disagree, but only because I operate differently tactics-wise. I build a strong economy/research base on few worlds, suck up to the big bullies, then screw them over with a fleet of massive warships.

Not my cup of tea, but an interesting idea nonetheless. I will try it out and see if it works better than my Blitzkreig approach =P
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
i use KHSM and build these to look like missiles (blank cargo hull + the star trek nacelle -looking jewelry piece as the visual base + lots of the engine jewelry that's long and flat until the very end of the piece and a couple other torian pieces to smooth it out).

but i build them differently - i put a pretty high number of weapons on them as well, so they can take out large ships as well. i think of them as throw-away ships because they're cheap enough to support and build.

though i could see something like this being very powerful with the first strike super ability in DA.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
these types of ships work very well with the eyes of teh universe wonder