Optimal campaign completion strategies and Officer count: a Thought Puzzle

[GrenadeMagnet6]

So for those of you who have finished the game, what do you think the optimal strategy phases are to complete the game in the shortest time period on the Commander difficulty, and the optimal number of officers to manage?

I've studied a lot of the message topics on here regarding the severely ramped up difficully as you unlock blueprints in the campaign, and also how Cylon fleet sizes go up right after you increase the fleet-size your officers can command.

I've been basically following this strategy so far:

Originally posted by mark_jobling:
From what I can tell so far, the Cylon fleets scale as you unlock blueprints. I stopped doing story missions after about 3 and went a really long time with just Manticores and Adamants with Viper Mk II to try and build up my fleets, facing very manageable 2,000 sized Cylon fleets (for about 40 turns), and they only started jumping to 3,900 once I unlocked the Artemis blueprint, then jumped again once I unlocked the Ranger blueprint.

As you can imagine this strategy will make the game take a long time to complete. I'm already 30 hours into the game and about 31 turns, with about 10 officers that vary from Rank 2 to Rank 5, none with a Fleet size over 2,000 just yet.

What's the optimal way to handle your first officer fleet-size increase to 3500? Do you have to promote all your officers at the same time to the 3500 fleet size, via a combination of stored-up experience and Resource Points?

Also, what is the optimal number of officers to have to promote at the same time and deal with the increased Cylon fleet sizes, and yet complete the campaign in a reasonable time frame?

I recall one poster writing that you only need four to five officers to make it through the whole compaign. So far I have 10 officers at 2,000 fleet size, so perhaps that's too many officers to try to manage. I don't really care about the achievements, just the optimal officer count to manage so I have reserves in case any of them perish.

[GrenadeMagnet6]

Also, I stole this posting from the "The Case for Fighters" thread and placing here since I did not want to derail the other thread:

Palpat の投稿を引用：

We still have a problem with late game balance, especially regarding numbers in random and ressource missions. Campaign missions are still more or less balanced, but dynamic ones are not.
Most of the time, you encounter something like 7 Basestars and Cerberus when you can't align more than perhaps three battlestars. That's a 2:1 for the cylons and it results in Vipers being wiped out in two turns.
So, actually, fighters are perhaps not that unbalanced, but numbers and fleet generation definitely is.

If true this info should also be considered with revising the optimal fleet composition list from above.

[FreedomFighter]

Viper shred Raider Prototype, but the actual Raider eat Viper alive. Unless you are 2:1 on them or your Viper not going to survive, that is when i stop bothering using fighters and go full ballistic. Marines have no problem fighting off Heavy Raider so you don't even need to shoot them down anymore. Just bump defensive posture to max and watch those Centurion fly out of the airlock. Replace Zerker with Janus. Janus will kill anything that stay in front of it. Just keep in mind that their guns are under their chin so keep them above their target.

Give Janus 3 Nukes and laugh at Cylon. War isn't fair. Heck, you could use Nuke Janus only fleet with 1 Manticore for scout and win any fight easily since Cylon Raider never protect their ship. They just ignore ordancne completely. This is broken.

[GrenadeMagnet6]

Info on Viper squadron tactics, testing 1v1 attacks, context of the Atlas carrier.

TheMadTypist の投稿を引用：

It already has a superior evasion bonus per squadron, and the most point-efficent viper squadrons in the game. For the low price of 525 points per hangar slot, it brings vipers better than any other ship than the Berserk (at a cheaper per-slot price than the berserk). If you want to fight fighterspam, bring Atlases, you can't get a better fighter force. Atlases are awesome. Vipers from any other source (other than the berserk) just can't do what atlas-launched vipers can.

I have noticed that you need to split your squadrons to all go after a single hostile squadron each for best results. For some reason, focusing fire favors the Cylons, where drawing as many squadrons as possible into a 1v1 dogfight favors the Colonials (though you have to keep an eye on them and re-target them when they kill their target to avoid them focusing fire). Like, when I tested 12 squads of atlas-launched vipers vs 18 squads of cerberus-launched raiders (viper mk II's and upgraded raiders), the difference was significant- 4+ surviving viper squadrons vs 7+ surviving raider squadrons depending which tactic was used. Repeated the test several times and those results were consistent. I think there must be something odd going on under the hood to cause that.

[GrenadeMagnet6]

More info on usefulness of the Beserker light carrier and Viper tactics:

Colonel Clank の投稿を引用：

So far I have found that the Cylons require a numerical advantage of atleast 4:3 raiders to
Vipers to challenge the Colonials for fighter superiority (on Admiral), that being said the new Cylon picket ship does shred viper wings like tissue paper. However if you doubled Colonial fighter capacity, you'd be obligated to increase Cylon Raider capacity, and now you would require an overhaul of the strike craft command and control to manage so many wings, especially if you have 10 ships per fleet.

Currently in my new game i've really liked using the Berzerker along side my Adamants for the extra punch, while the paired adamant attempt to block incoming missiles and torpedoes. I,ve nearly stopped incuding Manticores in my fleets, prefering to fighters to missiles, sometimes just using 3 Berzerkers in my 2000 point fleets.

[GrenadeMagnet6]

Leyline's take on the new DLC ships and munitions. I consider Leyline an authority on these topics:

Leyline の投稿を引用：

I can tell you right away that i love the janus.

The throw weight of 3 torpedo tubes is just awesome and the ships have the hide to get into close range, also the guns work well as support fire.

Now, thee missile Reload is of course an issue if you wanna empty your tubes fast, for that the ranger is better. However the ranger makes a for a lousy tank and as such is not seen in my fleets. Because meh.

Once the ranger has run through its ammo, and it does it fast, its only left with its gunnery. While said gunnery is decent, its not something to rely on because the paper armor will not hold long.

So, janus for me, even over minotaur because minotaur has no role not better filled by an artemis.

Atlas and berzerk share very good values for viper evade. Berzerk also carries the emotional firepower of 5 manticores per side. (whiel that is not strictly true, it dam wel lfeels like a manticore with more useful stats. glassy but classy.)

also: artemis + janus = 2500.
that times 2 is 4 shisp at 5k.
You get 2 artmeis and 2 janus, and can spend the last 3 slots on 2 atlas and one minotaur to make it 8k.

You will have 8 squads of vipers, of which 4 will be better than the others because they come from the atlas and 2 battlestars to lay down the gunnery and fla, also a minotaur because she fits the point value (or just go take a zerker...) and fits in neatly.

The janus together wield 6 tubes, the artemis each one. So you have 8 launchers ready to lay down low any target in the game.

You ned not fear anything really. All your ships are well armored and you can deal with any threat.

If you like the jupiter you could switch out the minotaur and one atlas for 1 jupiter and 2 zerkers. Which leaves you at:
1 Jupiter, 2 artemis, 2 Janus, 1 Zerker
You will have 7 viper squads, which will not be as buff as the atlas wings.
But you will gain another battlestar, that can easily blot out any sort of incoming missile attack and tanks like a pro.
The Zerker is a good second row dps appliance.

Both fleets have their perks, the atlas fleet certainly trumps in terms of fighter pwoer, but on the other hand: having 3 Battlestars pound something down....
Or 1 Jupiter, 3 Janus, 1 minotaur and 2 atlas....

The point is: The Janus offers so much missile firepowr, its a bad ida NOT to use this ship in all your fleets.

Also, leveling your new commanders:

2K fleet:

2 Januses + daidalos. Fit sweeper squads on the daidalos. Deploy chaf in the region your janus will charge at the enemy WITH THEIR 6 NO COST NUKES.

Also: Mines work like PCM 'sin that you deploy them to an area. Then they arm for roughly half a round (EMP mines arm fastr though) and explode onc someone comes close.

Both ranger and janus could very well be spamming emp mines to RUIN the Cylons subsystems (and your own if you take the emp as well..).

The EMP mines arm FAST. So its a viable close quarters weapon. As it attacks a large area and deals a lot of subsystem damage at once to ALL systems.

Dead cylon sstems = duck hunt.

Also ,the explosive mine deals 40 damag a pop.
Thats 120 per janus every 4 turns....

Oh damn that janus. Love it.

[ZiggyDeath]

Or if you don't have the DLC, Rangers will fill the role of torpedo boat just fine. Bring 2-3 to a fight, and blow up Basestars before they even reach Dradis range.

[GrenadeMagnet6]

ZiggyDeath の投稿を引用：

Or if you don't have the DLC, Rangers will fill the role of torpedo boat just fine. Bring 2-3 to a fight, and blow up Basestars before they even reach Dradis range.

Ziggy, thanks: that's a good tip. Will try that out soon.

[Sir Wagglepuss III]

Mid game fleet that I'm currently enjoying the crap out of:

3x Artemis, 4x Bezerker. 7250 total point cost you get 4 squads of high evasion Vipers, with the Artemis free to provide whatever support you feel is required with it's craft.

The raw DPS output of these 7 ships is simply murderous. Between the Bezerker DPS and the improved Battlestar Artillery, anything that wanders into your firing solution melts. The opening salvo alone is 164 damage, and that's assuming you've got the flak wall up. That number ramps up massively once the Bezerkers start living up to their namesake. (6x8 damage per Battlestar, 1x5 damage per Bezerker on opening salvo)

It's light on the ordinance, only having the three Artemis launchers to play with, but the fleet is built around raw gun power. You can use the slots for utility ordinance such as PCM's or mines. Alternatively you can just throw on torpedoes to delete a Nemesis at an awkward angle, and late game you can bring out the nukes.

This is a fleet you can use as soon as you get your hands on the Artemis, and by around mission 6 you can have an 8k officer to make it happen if you've been playing the long game. (That, or invest some RP now you're swimming in it)

[ZiggyDeath]

The thing about Cylons is that all their carriers cannot dodge torpedoes in the opening moves of a round. It makes it easy. Also, even the weakest carrier requires 3 salvos of torpedoes to sink.

This means that after skipping the first turn, it's easy to figure out which ships can and cannot dodge your torpedoes. And you can punish that hard. A safe bet is to drop 2 vollies into every target that deployed a fighter wing.

And if they deploy 2 wings? Nuke them.

The reload rate on a Ranger makes it ideal for short engagements, while the Janus's endurance is better if the fight is drawn out.

[GrenadeMagnet6]

Pretty good discussion thread on the utility of Adamants after the DLC release:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/544610/discussions/0/2549465882919605805/

[FreedomFighter]

ZiggyDeath の投稿を引用：

The thing about Cylons is that all their carriers cannot dodge torpedoes in the opening moves of a round. It makes it easy. Also, even the weakest carrier requires 3 salvos of torpedoes to sink.

This means that after skipping the first turn, it's easy to figure out which ships can and cannot dodge your torpedoes. And you can punish that hard. A safe bet is to drop 2 vollies into every target that deployed a fighter wing.

And if they deploy 2 wings? Nuke them.

The reload rate on a Ranger makes it ideal for short engagements, while the Janus's endurance is better if the fight is drawn out.

Yep. Once those big Cylon carrier show up, torp the living toaster out of them. Raiders lose all of their dodge bonus without their mothership so they will get shot by ship's turret.

[GrenadeMagnet6]

FreedomFighterEx の投稿を引用：

Yep. Once those big Cylon carrier show up, torp the living toaster out of them. Raiders lose all of their dodge bonus without their mothership so they will get shot by ship's turret.

Wow, that's interesting the Raiders lose evasion when their parent ships are destroyed. I wondered about that last night.

So if you can build a strong captial fleet that can wipe out the Cylon capitals quickly then you don't have to worry about the Raiders? If the Raiders evasion bonus is gone then they become sitting ducks?

[GrenadeMagnet6]

Speaking of evasion, does anyone have what all the Evasion bonuses are for all the carrier-class ships? If not handy, would I be able to go find out those myself in Skirmish mode?

[Sir Wagglepuss III]

You can check them in Skirmish yes, deploy the ship then select it, press space and then go on posture. It's listed under the hanger.

As for values off the top of my head:

Bezerker: 50
Atlas: 35
Everything else: 20

Cylons can route subsystem power to the hanger system for a max of +30 for all ships from what I recall.

Bezerkers especially are prime candidates for your Vipers. If you want to use support craft, it's best to let your Adamants, Artemis or Jupiters handle them.

[FreedomFighter]

Still surprise me when i inspect Zerker's subsystem and found out it providing 50 dodge bonus for VIpers. I though i was hallucinating when i see my Vipers out perform Raiders. It is still a good ship if you can cover it.