Federation Commander

[Jscot991]

I'm a long-time solo F&E player who has posted a bit on the old BBS (mostly about my hatred for PFs) and I wanted to ask a few questions that occurred to me as I read this forum.

During the initial Lyran and Klingon attacks, particularly the turn 2 or 3 attacks on the Kzinti starbases, are people using directed damage to destroy those bases or just enduring the damage until the Kzinti fleet has to retreat (since the Hegemony can't afford to lose too many ships)?

I've always directed damage against the starbases, but this leaves the Kzinti fleet relatively intact for most of the war. I wonder now if I'm not overusing directed damage as the Coalition.

When does it make the most mathematical sense to use it? I generally use it in any base assault, reasoning that you have to get the base out of the battle force's COMPOT ASAP, or at least cripple it so you can return the following turn and finish it off.

But perhaps I'm wrong.

[BadSyntax]

What is the point of directing? It blows through half your damage?

Granted, I'm still kind of a noob, but up to turn 8 playing with cyberboard.

I'm the alliance, and the Klingons just 2 hexes out from Terra, Hydrax has coalition starbases over, though the Kzinti are making a bit of a comeback.

Anyway, I've lost like 30 BATS and half a dozen starbases, and not one has been directed on in any way. There is simply no point. Make the Alliance take the damage, it has to fall somewhere. If they are defending let them choose their fleet, or a base sitting in the middle of nowhere. My kzinti choose to keep their fleet alive, and have about 150 ships now (granted the coalition has over 600, but they have 3 fronts).

If you direct on a BATS, it takes 36 damage to kill it, and then the enemies have 6 minus points to avoid any pursuit.

If you let the damage fall, it'll die with 24 damage. Simple math

[Steve Cole]

Directing is useful only if you want to kill a specific thing.

There might be several reasons you would want to do that. One might be it's the only scout the enemy has (or one of a few) and that eliminating scouts gives you an EW advantage. Another might be to kill the commando ship approaching your planet. Another might be to knock out an outer escort and force a carrier group of of the battle. Another might be to kill the only CR10 unit the enemy has in this location.

But just using it to kill a random cruiser is a sure way to lose the war.
_________________
The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander

[aramis]

Reasons to kill specific things can vary...
Bases (self-obvious - expensive to replace and provide reaction force movement)
Scouts (massive effects on battle and reaction)
Flagships in mixed battleforces.
Things they can't replace (Like Fed CVL's)

Killing a flagship can be quite valuable. Especially if one key flag unit is coupled to a bunch of smaller line ships...

For example, killing a DN flagship accompanied by several DD's and a bunch of frigates can reduce the damage potential by 50% or more... because the difference between the DN's CR10 and the DD's CR5 is most of the frigates dropping out.

And if you have a mauler, using the mauler to do this is fairly cost effective.

[Jscot991]

I've never found it worthwhile to pick off flagships with directed damage, but I do think you need to do it against starbases and capitals, right?

Surely the Klingons can't sit and let Alliance forces have COMPOTs over 150 for round after round, even if that means using CIDS to damage the bases and PDUs?

[aramis]