Space battles...why am I getting crushed?

[SuperfluousNinja]

I'm at least in mid-game by now, and I just had a battle with my own fleet having 8.5k power against a fleet with just 6.5k power. And I got completely annihilated while my opponent still had like 4.0+k power left, meaning I killed no more than 1/3 of his ships.

I'm kind of a noob at this game...only been playing a few weeks, and this is the first time I've gotten this far in the game. I also supposedly had an overall tech advantage over him, but maybe he just focused on military tech?? What sorts of things can I look at? I don't fully know how to make sense of everything I'm seeing at the bottom of the battle screen, but I did notice their evasion was quite high. But most of my ships were equipped with missiles which aren't supposed to miss?

Any tips?

 

[Talanic]

Sorry, but missiles are in fact really bad - especially mid-game, at which point the enemy has destroyers with point defenses (guns that shoot down missiles before they hit). I'm certain more in-depth responses will follow, but until the next patch, don't use missiles if you can avoid it.

 

[The Founder]

But most of my ships were equipped with missiles which aren't supposed to miss?

Missiles are just abysmally bad. Missiles are in fact so bad, they will get a numerical buff in 1.5. Just so they suck slightly less. And that the AI that chooses it is not quite as poorly set up.

While in theory Missiles would be excellent Corvettte counters - and Torpedoes wuld be excellent Cruiser+ Counters - In practice Traveltimes, Overkill, missile despawn and PD vulnerability just make the terrible. To terrible to even consider as a weaponsystem.

 

[Schatten51]

Missles only usfull in the first years of the Game, as long no one has Point Defense, than they great as Frig Counter.
But after short time change asap to other weapon, Kinetic is atm the best *overall* Weapon System bu that changes from Patch to Patch.

 

[krios41]

But most of my ships were equipped with missiles which aren't supposed to miss?

aand, you just listed your problem
Yes, missiles are so bad you cna't even use it on ships for cannon fodder!
You're better of with kinetics and lazers.

 

[henzington]

Missles look competitive in theory but point defense makes them way less powerful. Kinetics are the best right now as the AI tends to build shield heavy.

 

[Meathim]

At launch missiles/torpedoes were overpowered, now they are - as have been pointed out - completely useless, unless you can verify your enemy has no point defence at all, but they seem to always have at least some. Kinetic really is the way to go right now. Later in the game you'll want shield busters combined with armour smelting weapons.

 

[Pugmak]

I'm not a min-maxer and mostly just stumble my way through game sessions but...

I've found that up through late mid-game, Corvettes rigged as torpedo boats are a nice have in a fleet.

In my large fleets, I'll have 20-30 torpedo boats accompanying my primary warships and those torpedo swarms do some nifty damage.

Sure, the corvettes are one shot kills but are also cheap, quick and easy to replace.

Late game, I'll dump the torpedo boats and fill up their place with combo arty/lance battleships and a few extra PD destroyers.

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

Really simple answers. Don't use missiles.

Prior to destroyer tech, use corvettes with laser weapons. Not every opponent you have in the early game is going to have shields, but they'll always have hulls.

As soon as you get destroyer tech start building ships that have a mix of shield advantage and hull advantage weapons. It can be kinetics and plasma, lasers and disruptors, hell, even kinetics and lasers is viable. Do that and your ships will at the very least carry their own weight.

 

[stumason]

I'm not a min-maxer and mostly just stumble my way through game sessions but...

I've found that up through late mid-game, Corvettes rigged as torpedo boats are a nice have in a fleet.

In my large fleets, I'll have 20-30 torpedo boats accompanying my primary warships and those torpedo swarms do some nifty damage.

Sure, the corvettes are one shot kills but are also cheap, quick and easy to replace.

Late game, I'll dump the torpedo boats and fill up their place with combo arty/lance battleships and a few extra PD destroyers.

Aye - I do the same sort of thing. I'll have a mix though, some Torp corvettes, others with autocannons. Mainly though, they are there to charge in and soak up the damage while my bigger ships sit back and pound from a distance. (I have the NSC mod, so have quite a bit of choice when it comes to ship behavior though)

 

[niallmcfc]

Disregard missiles, acquire mass drivers.

Energy torps are good though.

 

[Darth Vaper]

Someone should really mention that missiles suck.

 

[SuperfluousNinja]

So I get the impression that missiles suck! Hehe

Thanks for the help Time to equip my fleet with kinetics and kick some Grok'nathoran ass!

 

[Angelic_Daemon]

So missiles, how do you really feel?

 

[scaper12123]

Missiles? More like MISSiles :3

but seriously, it's sad to say but as of this moment missiles are mostly useless.

 

[Riftwalker]

i read the title and went "it's missiles, he used missiles"

And well i wasn't wrong.

 

[TandooriChicken]

As soon as you get destroyer tech start building ships that have a mix of shield advantage and hull advantage weapons. It can be kinetics and plasma, lasers and disruptors, hell, even kinetics and lasers is viable. Do that and your ships will at the very least carry their own weight.

Just a note re disruptors: due to a reputed flaw in the anti-shield targeting AI, they aren't good enough to merit the slot. Kinetics and plasma seem clearly best in current meta, see "Best Battleships" thread for gory details

 

[Pavane]

Min-maxers will never use missiles, but you can win the game using missiles exclusively when you have enough experience to compensate for their deficiencies with a larger fleet than your enemy. It is a personal challenge that you may want to try after you can win games with energy or kinetic weapons. Apparently missiles are going to be tweeked in the next release, so they may become more competitive.

 

[Iacs]

Just forget missles and wait for battleships. I personally prefer Lance/Arc Emitter + Large Kinetic Artillery. Not the best battleship, but it works for me because of simillar range of weapons. If you want to yse missles so much, may be you should wait for Proton Torpedoes - at least they are not countered by point defence. Not that missles helped Awakened Empire much when i rebelled.

 

[niallmcfc]

Min-maxers will never use missiles, but you can win the game using missiles exclusively when you have enough experience to compensate for their deficiencies with a larger fleet than your enemy. It is a personal challenge that you may want to try after you can win games with energy or kinetic weapons. Apparently missiles are going to be tweeked in the next release, so they may become more competitive.

If you're going to stick to missiles and not even move to energy torpedoes then I wish you the best of luck not getting curb stomped by awakened FEs.