Topic: Question about when to "create a fleet" in campaigns

[Kumerian14]

Folks,

After a long hiatus, I've been playing a SFCOP (Mirak) and a SFC1 (Hydran) campaign, alternating between the two.  Based on my recent experiences and my previous campaigns (when these games were newer), I have a few nagging questions:

1) Is there an optimal time to add ship(s) to your starting fleet of one?  Obviously for the ISC, their tactics are designed around an echelon of 3+ ships, so they would be an exception.  For everyone else, though, is there a general consensus?

2) Should a player add a 2nd / 3rd ship as they go along from hull class to hull class?  For instance, should you add two FF types once you are flying a DD type, then replace the FFs with DDs once you are flying a CL, etc.?

My personal experience has shown that I am better off waiting until I'm flying my preferred ship (class and model) before adding ships to my fleet.  This keeps the odds / drafting from being lopsided which, in turn, can make some of the campaign missions feel darn near impossible.  On the other hand, reaching this point doesn't take a huge amount of missions and after that, the game seems more repetitive, as I'm not upgrading ships (and in SFC1, changing officers) very often.

Any thoughts on building and maintaining a fleet as you progress through the campaigns?

[Age]

The best time to start a Fleet in STFC 2 is after the second mission as only 1 ship is required to complete the second mission.This is where you have to deleiver vaciine to colony planet which the ISc is blockaded with mines.Promises to Keep.

[Kumerian14]

@Age,

Thanks for the info.  I believe the campaign to which you are referring is the Romulan one, yes?  Isn't that the one where you have to stop a plague, or am I confusing this with SFC1?

In almost all cases, I tend to play the general conquest campaign in SFC2OP (using the Hydrans, Mirak, or ISC), the ISC Pacification campaign, or the SFC1 Hydran campaign (even though it's still broken after Scenario 6 or so--anyone know about a fix for this?).  Beyond these, I don't have much experience, as I took a long hiatus from SFC / SFB until recently.

Based on your comment, should the optimal time to add ships ALWAYS vary with race?  Some variation would make logical sense, as different races optimized different hull classes based on their tactical philosophy.  Even so, are there some general guidelines that apply to all races regardless of which campaign one is playing?

Thoughts, anyone?  If you have race-specific comments, I'm interested in anything, as my question was as much a general thread-starter as a specific request for intel.

[Age]

It is for all the Empires except that of the ISC and it should be in FireSouls Opplus as he ported it over from EAW to OP.The only storyline mission in the stock OP are the missions for the cartels.

You can get those missions here
EAW_Campaigns_for_OP-20030330.exe

http://klingon.pet.dhs.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=SFC:EAW_missions_for_SFC:OP

[Panzergranate]

I completed SFC 1 campaigns with nothing more than a squadron of DDs and also with a Squadron of FFs.

It depends on what types of FF and DD used. Also how one delegates in game tasks to squadron ships.

I tend to start off by cycling through and launching shuttles either to extend sensor range, to task them with a group mission or to scout ahead and act as early warning.

Survivors are recalled and taken aboard.

DDs and FFs are a lot cheaper to keep in tip top condition with lower overheads.

Formation tactics ensures that even a BC can be overwhelmed in an initial all out attack and it pays to have a FFT sometimes with orders to hit and run raid capital ships whilst continually targeting a weak shield with the other ships.

Running 3 x K-E5s or 3 x K-F6s does make a player believe that winning is inevitable.