First and foremost: Never ever ever ever EVER attack a planet in one step(i.e. take all of your ships to their planet and attack until one or the other fleets has been beaten) unless you have significantly superior numbers and combination of ships. Remember three steps:

1.) Prelude

2.) Disruption

3.) Invasion

1. Prelude: A minor attack, generally long-range, hit-and-run, designed to do a little damage and shake up the defenders a little, as well as stop the other player from multi-tasking. A prelude on another base then the one you plan to attack may be more useful than a prelude on your target. This is the least important and least necessary step. (Note: If you are Gaitori, the "Dump and Run" tactic which I posted previously is the best prelude in the game and should be put to good use, especially since it needs to do the most damage because the Gaitori aren't any good at the other two stages.)

2. Disruption: An attack designed to throw the defenders into combat to make an attack much easier. The most effective way to do this is by leading a medium-sized force yourself and Not dropping out of warp until you are physycally on the planet. This attack is to be sudden. Do not approach the planet in sub-light from long range. This gives the defender time to prepare.

3. Invasion: This is the step where you DO approach at sublight. This should be done while the disrupting fleet is still engaged with the defenses. Now your enemy is fighting and unorganized, and your fleet can approach in formation and really do some damage before it, too, becomes embroiled in the fight.

-If the enemy has reserve fleets it can call upon from elsewhere, make sure you also have a significant backup fleet. You can use this either to reinforce your attack or, if you think you can handle the enemy's backup, to attack whatever base the backup abandoned.

------------------
-Traek Cicion of the Taeskor

"Never tell me the odds!"
-Han Solo

"Then we'll do it real quiet-like."
-Han Solo

(This message has been edited by Taeskor Cicion (edited 09-25-2000).)

....or just launch a Salrilian Transport at it

Well, I'm off to test that on some unsuspecting clam mamber.

------------------
I have a plan so ingenius even an idiot could have devised it. On my command, we will line up our ships and fly straight into the enemy death-cannons clogging them with wreckage.

Stop Exploding you cowards!

Giving out strategies is bad, Cicion. It ends up making everybody use the same set of tactics, which gets dull. I don't like strategy guides, unless they're single-player only. I actually don't have any set strategies for anything. I make it up as I go. I manage to make up stuff that works, though. Me winning the tourney is evidence of that...

That said, it's nice to have you posting in topics besides "The Buildup" and the Officer's Club Bar. Are you going to keep it up? I hope you are.

------------------
"I can ail what cures you."

This is a place to exchange opinions, and that's all I'm doing. There are thousands of other strategies that work just as well, I'm sure, or better, and I'm only stating what I generally use. I change and adapt as well, but I still need a basic frame. I realize now, though, that it sounds like a class the way I started out.

------------------
-Traek Cicion of the Taeskor

"Never tell me the odds!"
-Han Solo

"Then we'll do it real quiet-like."
-Han Solo

im sorry i dont read the build up like alot of people who are u!

------------------
Mag Steelglass, an old friend who aild what cured me many times!
Enforce contest space blob!

Quote

Originally posted by Sumo the minion of darkness:
....or just launch a Salrilian Transport at it

LOL That was rather anticlimactic

------------------
Give a man a match and he'll be warm for an hour... Set him on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
-Polaris Confederate Recruitmant Theme
StarLance

Yes but it does work.

------------------

Especially if you combine that with a fleet of cloaked Gunships with a cloaked HVD. Then you can wreak havoc while waiting for the transports to get there. Stay away from major landmarks, and they'll have an extrememly hard time finding you...

------------------
"I can ail what cures you."

I rarel play as Sals, so I am not terrably worried about giving away my secrets... As if I have any...
Anyway, I like to use cloaked transports, especially if the enemy has a huge fleet. I usually build a few transports as the first ships in the game. Then I build gunships, and keep the enemy occoupied. The Sal HVD is not very good, so it is merely a distraction. But I think that it is very fun to capture the enemy's planet, and once they get the little announcement (and they are saying "What the...") and then announce to them "cloaked transport." They realize it, and it is like "Oh, yeah! AGGGGHHH!" I love it. Especially in something like "Between a rock and a rock" where they are off with their fleet killing a bunker, leaving their planet wide open. Although it is a disposable strategy. You use it once, and then they will always hover over their planet, protecting it. Then you must find some other newbie to use it on...
It is kind of like the strategy in "Ender's Game" where Ender goes for the enemy gate, insted of the troops. A disposable strategy.

------------------
Now we can all rejoice because Hera is here!

Personally, I love playing as Salrilians. The fact that there could be cloaked transports attacking your planet at any time forces you to stay on your toes, and the myriad possibilities offered by cloaked attacks allows far, far more strategy.

That said, your guide is quite interesting Cicion. It's nice to have a backup plan for when I come up against serious players (I'll often wipe out a newbie's fleet with my HVD. Cruel, yes, humiliating, yes, satisfying, yes ). My strategy is generally more fluid than any set plan, though, so don't expect to see me using it.

------------------
Sundered Angel ,
The One and Only

Ares Webboard Moderator, and all-around Nice Guy

Yep. True.

------------------
Give a man a match and he'll be warm for an hour... Set him on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
-Polaris Confederate Recruitmant Theme
StarLance

Are u trying to just pomp your posts?

------------------
Mag Steelglass i like him ok slug?

With salrilians, I find that the best use for their transport is not to actually take over planets, but just to use it to keep all your ships going steady in sublight and keep them grouped together. You can win most of the time with Sals by making a transport, carrier, and the rest gunships. Target everything to the transport, and have your carrier launch all its fighters. Works suprisingly well. The enemy knows where you are, but big deal.

------------------
Did you feed us tales of deceit
Conceal the tongues who need to speak
Subtle lies and a soiled coin
The truth is sold, the deal is done
-Portishead, "Coyboys"