Topic: Looking for new name.

[IAF Lyrkiller]

We're having to face more than 20 Drone salvoes!!

Kzinti are fair game and easy to kill, for a Klingon player, when it's a one on one battle. However it's when they turn up in large numbers that they become a problem.

9 x Kzinti DD chucking out 4 x Drones a piece equals a major nightmare scenario when the human players coordinate their fireplans. Your should see how long it takes them to destroy a Klingon battle station.

Now imagine what 9 x Kzinti CAs can do when human players control them!!

AI is just so much easier to play against compared to human players.

I'm sure our Kzinti LAN opponents could coordinate their Drone firing strategy to sort out any Lyran ESG defence strategy. It would be intresting to try to develop one though.

As Klingons, we've resorted to firing our Drones at theirs, which is a waste or sitting in the radiation field of a star, if there is one on the map. Not much use in open space really.

Have an enjoyable time with your campaign. Even being on the loosing end of a campaign is OK in SFC.

 

Watch out there are still some KATs around who can take you out in a DF.

[Panzergranate]

Taking on 9 x Human player controlled Kzinti (Mirak) warships, other than the poxy frigate, single handed with just one Lyran warship and winning, would deserve a Super Legendary Status.

In our current Klingon - Kzinti LAN campaign, our (Klingon) casulty rate is ginormous, We're loosing 9 ships for every 3 we kill, on average, with a few exceptions, where we've somehow managed to loose all the ships without actually managing to kill one enemy ship.

Most common Kzinti ship favoured by the enemy team, based on encounters, is the DD and the DW. We mamaged to "Turkey Shoot" so many frigates that they don't seem to be using them on the front line anymore.

One tactic that does seem to be excelent at taking out Drone salvoes is to turn away and target a Drone in the salvo with a Suicide Shuttle. Works out well when the damned things are too close to drop a mine on.

[KAT MRess]

Watch out there are still some KATs around who can take you out in a DF.

Someone say DF?

Or maybe DD?



As for a name... I've always been partial to apostrophes myself.

How about D'fly?

[KAT MRess]

Taking on 9 x Human player controlled Kzinti (Mirak) warships, other than the poxy frigate, single handed with just one Lyran warship and winning, would deserve a Super Legendary Status.

In our current Klingon - Kzinti LAN campaign, our (Klingon) casulty rate is ginormous, We're loosing 9 ships for every 3 we kill, on average, with a few exceptions, where we've somehow managed to loose all the ships without actually managing to kill one enemy ship.

Most common Kzinti ship favoured by the enemy team, based on encounters, is the DD and the DW. We mamaged to "Turkey Shoot" so many frigates that they don't seem to be using them on the front line anymore.

One tactic that does seem to be excelent at taking out Drone salvoes is to turn away and target a Drone in the salvo with a Suicide Shuttle. Works out well when the damned things are too close to drop a mine on.

*snicker...*

You're new aren't you...

[Panzergranate]

Naw, an old Klingon hand more used to blasting easy targets like Hydrans, Feds and Lyrans. The Kzinti players have learnt from there last campaign defeat (Klingon - Lyran) and attacked immediately and we've been on the back foot ever since. Basically a "Blitz Krieg".

Our campaigns are complex and involve hundreds of ships in a 65,535 x 65,535 square campaign map. ONe square = one light day of space flight.

Fleet actions usually involve 9 ships per side and all Kzinti ships are Drone Boats, some worst than others.  The Kzinti players have developed a well coordinated and disciplined fire plan tactic, which involves indentifying and singling out key ships in our Klingon war fleets, then dispatching them before they can be effective.

Meanwhile, in our room, the terms "coordinated" and "disciplined" soon disappear as the latest "cunning plan" rapidly falls apart on screen. Team panic sets in pretty soon afterwards as we attempt to save surviving ships by heading off of the map.

On thing discovered is that dropping a Suicide Shiuttle into a massive swarm of pursuing Drones takes out a fair few of them, if targeted on the right one. Usually a desperate measure when Drones are within mine fusing range.

One on one, I can take out a Kzinti ship, especially the feeble firgate, however larger numbers are anything but easy. A bit like the ISC formations.

The only SFB Klingon ship we've managed to scare them with is a D6P Plasma Cruiser, which really took them by surprise, then became the focus of their fire plan after taking out a key Kzinti warship. We then lost ships running interference for it as it recharged.

To convert a D6K to a D6P replace engine Disrupters with Plasma A launchers, making four in total. Best fired at point blank range.

Works well until the initial shock wears off, then it becomes a magnet to enemy fire.

D5P only mounts 2 x PlaA Launchers and isn't so effective. Good against freighters though.

On the  Lyran - Mirak camoaign, the Lyrans are better equiped to deal with an enemy equiped with primarily missile weapons, just as the Kzinti (Mirak) are equiped to deal with ESG defended foes. Kind of balanced opponents. However, against anyone other than the Lyrans, the Kzinti (Mirak) are a bit f a shock.

It should be an interesting campaign indeed.

[Dfly]

Panzer.  I would strongly recommend you fight fire with fire.  I was in an 8 race campaign where it boiled down to only us(Klingons) vs Mirak.  Our biggest advantage over every other race was also what allowed us to combat even the Mirak.  We owned over 90% of our ships as light cruisers, with a spattering of heavies and a rare dreadnaught.
Our light cruisers were of only 2 styles, both the same hulls, of which 70% were the D5D and the 30% were the AD5.  With those ships we made 1 9 ship fleet of D5D for every fleet of 5 D5D and 4 AD5.  These combinations allowed us to take on bigger heavier ship combinations, which many included the dreaded BBs and 3 Heavies and 5 light/frigs(that was the max combo size allowed in our campaign).  Most times we would lose at the very most only a couple light cruisers, but most times none, and take out most or all enemy ships.  Of course planning and timing on drone shots were necessary but once you figured it out the enemy was in real deep doo-doo. 
Only the Mirak ships were able to kill about 1 for every 3 we killed due to their total amd and phaser 3s, while droning us.  May want to try a grouping of 9 D5D ships or mix of D5D AD5(excellent against drones and fighters0.

[KAT MRess]

Two subjects for both of you...

(I know this'll get some conversation going)

ARCTIC FIRE.



The other...

Canada West.


Let the reminiscing begin.


P.S: Panzer, read my signature...

[Panzergranate]

We tried out a modified version of Diffy's idea this weekend with a adhoc fleet of stragglers and survivors from other incidents.

We went into battle with a mixed force of D6D, D5D, AD5 and E5K against one of the Kzinti DD / DW battlefleets and actually managed to kick kitty butt.

Our new tactic was to coordinate a Drone fireplan against individual ships from a safe distance with the E5Ks intercepting the Kzinti Drone salvoes as they came in. I was flying the E5Ks in the mission. The whole Klingon fleet stayed in tight formation following one lead ship.

From the amount of language coming from the Kzinti player's room, singling out one DD or DW at a time for mass Drone salvoes took them by surprise. It wasn't until the Drones were nearly onto their victim that they realised that the Salvo wasn't aimed at several ships, just one in particular. They stayed at range, as usual, fearing our superior Klingon direct weapons firepower, which allowed us to fly slow enough to deploy every shuttle we had for point defence.

I managed to receive not one shot at my 3 x E5Ks as the focus of Kzinti fire was directed at the larger ships. Damage was containable as few Drones managed to make it through to strike home. I used all of my Drones up in ADD mode which proved to be effective, though it was just so tempting to let a few off in the direction of the Kzinti, but the team plan prevented this.

Needless to say, they ran out of Drones and we went in for the kill. The Kzinti players obviously didn't have a cotingency for running out of Drones, having usually destroyed or run us off the map before such an event occured.  They went for a French tactical option and tried to run away. Our strategy was to just cripple the enemy enough to slow them up and then move onto the next ship. Once all were slowed up and unable to escape, they were despatched. Kzinti warships lack direct firepower so it is fair to say we had an enjoyable massacre. There were no survivors causing much "High Fiving" and merryment in the Klingon player room.

Not much SFC campaigning this weekend as it's bonfire weekend when we comemorate the failure of the original and first terrorist act. Needless to say much gunpowder and beer was used up this weekend.

Strange that Guido Fawkes and his co-cospirators were all religious fanatics believing that God would approve of their murderous deeds and several centuries later we have another bunch of deluded bastards doing exactly the same. Similar goals as well as both wanted to seize power and enforce their religious beliefs onto an opposing majority population.

Terrorists never seem to change.

[Dfly]

I am very glad my idea worked for you, as it had worked for us in the past.  BTW, I am Dfly , not DIFFY .

[Panzergranate]

OK Difly.

However, it's only a matter of time before they evolve their tactics in an attempt to find an answer to it. Until then , we're planning to exploit it for all it's worth!!

As we now have demonstrated a counter tactic, to what is basically, the only tactic they've been using for the past 60 plus battles of the campaiign so far, I'm hoping that we've really paniced them somewhat.

War is 50% psychology!!

Back onto the Mirak campaign.... will you be posting updates and/or screen shots live from the front??

[Dfly]

I can post updates, and screenshots(this part is a maybe lol , but if I work at it I will find a way).  The first main battle happens Nov 25-26ish, and any leftover ships are a bonus of ships for the winning team.  after that the fun really begins.

I do hope you can continue to use those tactics vs the Mirak.  You should be able to recharge phasers and with transporter mines, be able to defend yourselves adequately without using drone vs drone defences.  Just turn off the dizzies and use speed also, if you can.  Keep them on the defencive if possible.  Continue to build the D5D AD5(best drone defence ship out there, with drones to help) and get them to the front line ASAP.  GL.

[Panzergranate]

We stopped purchasing D5E quite a while back, though still have a few dozen scattered over the campaign map. Our next 10 campaign day reinforcement purchasing will probally be dominated with AD5s and a few E5K Battle Escort Destroyers.

Other unit losses are made up from the stargglers and survivor's pool, which eventually catch up with their assigned units.

We haven't replaced any BB or DN losses as these "Drone Magnets" have proved to be expensive and ineffective so far.

What little BPV income we have left, is spent after a lot of careful scheming. Our numero uno priority is to protect key BPV producing systems and facilities, which the enemy is obviouly keen to destroy or capture. If we loose enough then the Kzinti will be able to win, vary rapidly,  by attrition.

Meanwhile, deep inside Kzinti territory, one of our surviving distant action battle groups managed to successfully attack and destroy a Kzinti mining station, this past weekend, though we lost the L7 Fast Battle Cruiser IKV Darkness and all but one of the battle group's N7 Fast Troop Ships. kind of leaves us in a bit of a fix as we now have a large Klingon army stuck on a planet that we didn't want to capture deep inside enemy territory. We can't even use it fro BPV revenue either.

We also have a few local action battle groups running D5G, N6, T7 and whatever escort /offensive warship we can spare forming up ready for a counter offensive. Atra's N6 Battle Tugs have proved to be very sucessful in previous campaigns and we have quite a large number in the fleet (30+), making it our largest tug class fielded.

Unlike a D5G, it allows a marine unit carry both troops and fighter support on one tug for not much more BPV points cost. Defensive firepower is better too.

A N6 plus 2 x CVA Pods is our prefered CVA instead of the expensive but lower capacity C8S and the like.

All hail Atra for this brilliant ship!!

Overall, despite being on the loosing side (for a change) it's been an enjoyable LAN campaign, so far,  and really force the Klingon side (us) to think seriously hard about tactics both in game, ship purchasing and campaign strategy just to prevent a Kzinti walkover victory. I believe it will be soon time to turn the tables on the feline currs!!

[Soreyes]

I'll take a Z-DF+ against a K-L7 any day

Some of us Kitty's have a few tricks up our sleeves..... right T00l 

I subscribe to Mat's famous saying.  "I'll take a bloody Nose to crack your skull"

[Panzergranate]

That's the problems of playing Klingons, one can't run away from the chance of battle!!

If I manage to sit on your tail with all those 8 x FA Dis3s then you'd best kiss your ass goodbye on the Z-DF!!

You might outnumber a L7 on Drones and manuevrabilty, smaller target class but I'd have the edge on speed, direct firepower, shields and have the race advantage of having a crew of dedicated Klingon warriors just iching to board!!

I'd just have to steer clear until all the Z-DF drone racks rn dry, then.....

I can put up with a reduced turning circle and slightly increased movement cost (1.25) just for the extra Warp Power and Disrupter firepower over a C7!!

Our opponents seem to have a love affair with the Z-DW and Z-DD, at the moment looking at the numbers fielded so far.

I don't think I've added a Z-DF to the shiplist yet, what are the specs and is it the same hull type as a Z-DD or as a Z-DW?? I suppose that I should include it, to be fair. They already have too many Kzinti ships to choose from as it is!! I gave them every SFB variant that I could find. 

Would make for a glorious battle!!