Help

[sparda4]

I'm having a hard time keeping the xeno off my teritorry any ideas how to gain the upper hand only got lv 2 ships so far and i'm pretty crammed in one little section of the map

[tenbsmith]

Sometimes you have to fight a delaying action while you build up your economy.

Do you have enough income each turn and money in your treasury to build more ships?

If you're low on income/funds, how's morale in your colonies? Are you building a bunch of mines and exchanges? Any politics going?

Finally, it'd be helpful to know how many colonies you have and what turn you're on.

Or more simply, what do you think is blocking your ability to whoop some xeno ass.

Really need answers to at least some of these questions before we can give the most useful advice.

[sparda4]

I'm on the 32x32 map on rinze and my planets are just the close area i can get i was geting my economy upgrades and then the then the ships and then just as i got the wolf cruiser they attacked full force lvl 2 ships mainly torpedo and to boot they even had an outpost right outside my camp

[tenbsmith]

It can be challenging when the Xeno get right on top of you early in the game like that. I've lost games that way, possibly on the very map you're playing. Aggressively colonizing nearby systems early in the game can provide a buffer and help prevent this problem.

Fighters pair well with Templar Defenders and cost less than cruisers making them appealing to young empires. Try to keep fighters in or near green tiles where they can repair/refuel and maintenance costs are lower. Draw the Xeno in.

The canned ship designs provided in the game are ok, but you can create much more effective ship designs using the in game Ship Designer. Here's a fighter design i've used successfully in early games on 'Hard' difficulty.

The Valiant-II
The Valiant-II is significantly more effective than the canned 'Strike Fighter' design provided to players at the beginning of the game, but costs for the two designs are similar (Valiant-II: 21cp + $111, Maint $35/turn). The only techs to unlock for the Valiant-II design are Fighters 1 (Phoenix Defense Pod) and Starship Construction 3 (Ship Design Level 2 & Fast Reactor 3). Therefore, a Templar Commander can afford to build one for each faction early in the game and rotate damaged ships off the front line.

Ship Design elements in order of appearance in the Ship Designer.
-Ship Design Level 2 (Cost similar to Level 1, but gives better hull, fuel capacity, Ship and Captain)
-Fast Reactor 3 (Supports Mass >2100, 4MP)
-Ship: Guns 6, Torp 0, Durability 4, Shielding 2, Evasion 14, Sensor 1 (Primary focus evasion, secondary Gun)
-Captain: Guns 6, Pilot 1, Torp 0, Stealth 1, Repair 3, Warrior 0, Invasion 0 (primary focus guns)
-Weapon 1: Valiant Autocannon (the least expensive light gun, does more damage--8-17--than other low-cost light guns, no accuracy bonus so pump up Guns)
-Weapon 2: Phoenix Defense Pod +1 Defense (provides an essential defense bump at very low cost).
-Armor: None (keep cost low)
-Upgrades: None (keep cost low)
-Training: Gun Barrage, Heavy Gun Barrage 1.

This design focuses on evasion-related stats, as a result it avoids around 2/3 to 3/4 of attacks from level 1 and 2 Xeno ships. These avoided attacks allow the ship to stay in combat longer and reduce maintenance costs. The secondary focus on Guns allows it to hit consistently, especially after it gains the first 5 experience points.