Colonizing planets are extremely difficult to destroy or invade in early game.

[Matiati]

This I've noticed a couple of days ago.

I declared war on an AI faction after I've set claims for a couple of its star systems.

One system had an AI controlled planet which I've wanted. So after destroying the enemy fleet I've sent my fleet to bombard this planet.

I've first started bombarding this planet from space (using undiscriminative stance) with a fleet having 1.5k power.

After a couple of minutes I've noticed that the planet was still in colonization process. And my 1.5k fleet has barely enough power to cause a decline in the colonization progress bar. That is because it gets replenished rapidly due to colonization.

I've tried to invade the planet while it gets colonized but the game does not permit that.

After a while I've noticed that it will take more than an hour to cancel colonization progress if I continue the bombardment. So I've decided to leave the planet as is at %70 colonization completed. My plan was to let the planet get colonized so I can invade it.

In a few minutes at fast mode, the planet indeed got colonized by the AI faction. So've immediately invaded it with my attack armys and I got ownership of the planet with ease.

Is this supposed to happen?

[Muggins]

Did you try to invade the planet with your armies first?

[Matiati]

Originally posted by Festive Muggins:

Did you try to invade the planet with your armies first?

I did it does not work. You can't invade them.

[Muggins]

Originally posted by Matiati:

I did it does not work. You can't invade them.

Damn thats wierd, definitely a bug
I mean cmon theyre just farmers and ex-cons u should be able to b1tch slap them easily

[cooltv27]

it used to be that parking a fleet in orbit of a colonizing planet would destroy the colony instantly regardless of progress

[Crim]

Probably an overcorrection that needs to be corrected down again

[RawCode]

yes you can't do anything to such planet, you can claim system and wreak havok everywhere and probably AI will surrender (it won't surrender)

as for instant colony destruction, it will be very very stupid, it's much better to tag such planet as fully occupied if station is taken, without bombing and dropping armies.

[Terminal]

Instant colony destruction if the planet is caught while still in the midst of the actual initial colonization process makes perfect sense, and is just as valuable for the player as it is for the AI. The 'completed' colony is literally just a retrofitted colony ship parked on the planet with no additional infrastructure. It being retrofitted on the ground to be hardened against orbital bombardment could explain why it would be harder to destroy after the initial effort, but during the colonization process it would - and should - be vulnerable.

This makes having to actually consider colonization time and timer buffs worthwhile. You have to consider the possibility of an enemy launching an attack just to prevent you from colonizing the planet; since uncolonized systems make for less expensive war claims and planets with no preexisting pops are usually more convenient for nonslaving conquerors. Making initialized colony planets completely invulnerable is pretty stupid - it encourages colonization bum-rushing and overstretching just to deny opponents the opprotunity, safe in the knowledge that the opponent is entirely powerless to stop you for upwards of two years if you have not researched any colony timer buffs.

[RawCode]

nothing prevent you from claiming systems with valid planets and advance and then capture them without paying additional price for colony.

[Matiati]

Two things can be done:

1. Make orbital bombardment more effective on planets that are still being colonized. For instance let it destroy the planet and make it unoccupied again in a few weeks (rather than a few years or so). Stopping colonization progress on such planets when they are besieged may do the trick. As it is the increasing colonization progress that prevents you from destroying it.

2. Make armies invade planets that are still being colonized. In such a case give 1 unit of defensive army to the planet (being the same species as the colonizers) that is being colonized with no bonusses (may be even debuffed). If invasion is successful, then you take over the planet, and colonization continues as usual. Once it is completed, there will be one enemy race population (which you subjugated or enslaved) and the planet will be yours.

[Angelmarauder]

Almost 2023 and this is STILL a problem

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by Angelmarauder:

Almost 2023 and this is STILL a problem

Moar DLC, less refinement of what already exists. Apparently the majority is just fine with this state of affairs, as they keep buying it all.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by VulcanTourist:

Originally posted by Angelmarauder:

Almost 2023 and this is STILL a problem

Moar DLC, less refinement of what already exists. Apparently the majority is just fine with this state of affairs, as they keep buying it all.

Or, get this: it occurs so rarely that hardly anyone encounters it in the first place. I know I don't.

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Originally posted by VulcanTourist:

Moar DLC, less refinement of what already exists. Apparently the majority is just fine with this state of affairs, as they keep buying it all.

Or, get this: it occurs so rarely that hardly anyone encounters it in the first place. I know I don't.

If only such shortcomings were collectively rare, but they're not. The game is littered with them like a bad stretch of highway.

[Orion Invictus]

Originally posted by VulcanTourist:

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

Or, get this: it occurs so rarely that hardly anyone encounters it in the first place. I know I don't.

If only such shortcomings were collectively rare, but they're not. The game is littered with them like a bad stretch of highway.

I'm sure if you keep a tally of such "shortcomings" of every game more complex than Pong or Pac-Man, you'll end up with the same result. Fact is, these are minor issues. This is perhaps the biggest one I've seen you complain about.

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

This is perhaps the biggest one I've seen you complain about.

No, it's not. Not even close. I haven't experienced this. The issues I'm encountering have all occurred during my FIRST PLAY of this game, not after having played it many times. I comment on issues that detracted from playability, but those comments haven't documented every frustration.

Either Paradox doesn't play its own game and also ignores bug and refinement reports, or they've deliberately chosen to ignore these issues. These issues demarcate a mediocre game from an exceptional one, the difference between craftsmanship and IKEA. Apparently they're fine with mediocre so long as it keeps generating profit. Apparently you're fine with mediocre, too.