Defense is one of the most under-appreciated elements of the game. Combined with FLEETSAVING, you will be nearly invincible. Although there are multiple ways to war, several of our members have found an effective balance to defensively deter most enemies even while skipping a fleetsave from time to time.
I will start with what I believe every player’s target goal should be for their homeworld’s defenses. According to BattleCalc and several top 200 players, you will not be attacked with these defenses unless someone hates you—and even then it would take time to wear your defenses down as no one is likely to take you head on unless they have a death wish. The END GOAL may be daunting to the newest player and even some veteran players, but seeing the finish line is nearly as effective as the most simplified explanations.
END GOAL (as of 4/10/10):
2,000 x Missiles
1,000 x Lasers
300 x Pulse
300 x Particle
1 x Decoy
60 x ABM
200 x Gauss
1 x Large Decoy
100 x Plasma
PROS:
1) Deterrence – This combination of defenses would ravage 99% of the fleets in the game. Whoever decides to attack you would likely lose more in the long run then what you have at your base. In addition, your defenses have a 70% chance of being rebuilt. His fleet does not.
2) Fleetsaving – Most top 200 players interviewed would not attack this defense even if your ships were at your home base. This allows you more flexibility with raiding if you are in a position to log on at random times of the day and don’t want to be limited by a returning fleet. Ask yourself what type of player you are before investing in a defensive shell.
CONS:
1) Resources, time, smaller fleet.
PATH TO SUCCESS:
1) Defenses are easily destroyed by ICBMs. Build 30 ABMs before you seriously begin working on your defense.
2) Unlock and build 20 plasmas.
*With 40 ABMs and 20 plasmas, you will effectively deter/frustrate most players, especially in combination with FLEETSAVE.
3) Build Missiles/Lasers/Pulse/Particles/Gauss at your own pace with the END GOAL in mind.
4) Build 10 or more ABMs and 10-20 more Plasmas as you begin to develop your Athena/Hades/Prom fleet.
5) Halfway to the end goal (see above), you will effectively deter even top 1000 players.
*At this point, some players have found fleetsaving during the day to be inconsequential, especially if they like to log on at random times through the day for a quick raid. The losses to most fleets are just too high, especially if a good-sized fleet of Athenas/Hades/Proms will be waiting behind the defenses. ALWAYS fleetsave at night.
6) Continue to the END GOAL at your own pace and based on your perceived threats. You will undoubtedly gain an advantage through deterrence as you scale your desired fleet size with the END GOAL for your defenses in mind.
SCENARIOS:
To emphasize the value of this defensive strategy in numbers through BattleCalc:
An attacker with 333/333/333 Athenas/Hades/Proms would lose 191/153/88 ships.
Losses: 18465000 Ore, 13385000 Crystal, 3615000 Hydrogen.
500/250/250 Athenas/Hades/Proms would result in a draw and losses of 311/125/68 ships.
Losses: 21825000 Ore, 13065000 Crystal, 2895000 Hydrogen.
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There are always “what if” scenarios involving multiple members of an alliance attacking your homeworld with 200 ICBMs at once or a high ranked player attacking regardless of any losses he would sustain. This is why FLEETSAVING is your #1 defense. However, for typical and predictable game play, you should be safe from most attackers.
...I am building the above post for my alliance. Scanning the board I'm curious to hear if anyone would disagree or would like to input. Thanks!
