Roads-to build or not to?

About Nova, strategies and tactics

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Maur13
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Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Maur13 » Sat Feb 01, 2003 12:34 am

I am still indecisive. Seeing as they can't really be razed, (apart from famine) i usually avoided building them at all, as they make enemy invasions easier (or so i think).

On the other hand, they makes mobile defense force more valuable, and on homeworld allow for fast (well, relatively) resource transfer to agora.

What are your opinions about them? Pros and cons?

Do you build them on all worlds, only few-land movement on jungle worlds is pretty much impossible without road network, or not at all, relying on space transports?

And if you build them, how do you do it? connecting all cities, or only making few strategic roads?

Russell
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Russell » Sat Feb 01, 2003 1:55 am

To me, roads are a must. An invasion will usually be by Marauders in the first phase, who have very little movement.

The only thing I think roads are bad for, is if you ARE going to lose the planet. Roads made your defense able to move, as well as their offense, so no advtantage is gained. The advantage goes to whoever has the stronger force.

If you want to "impede" the enemy by slowing them down, what good will that do? They cannot maintain a ground invasion if they do not control space. All you would be doing is slowing the inevitable.

So I say roads positives far outweigh the negatives.

Maur13
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Maur13 » Sat Feb 01, 2003 3:49 pm

I though of two things.

First, that lack of roads allow partisan-like stacks to survive longer (although it might not be the case), giving headache to attacker.

Second, more important point, is that attacker is going to have local superiority. With his advance slowed, you can mount decent counterattack while part of planet surface is still yours.

Third, maybe even more important issue, is that your defences will be probably at the frontier planets. If such planet falls, its very important it will hold as long as possible, or attacker will quickly move to next one.

Although all this is theoretical thinking. I didn't play enough PBEM to ever be subject to serious planetary invasion (well, i was once. By Plague bombs, sigh :roll: )

What are the pros of roads, anyway? Apart from beign able to move resources overland to sell them to agora, or concentrate them to ship them off-world?

Russell
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Russell » Sat Feb 01, 2003 11:31 pm

Even a successful counterattack would do very little, considering that if they can mount any sizeable invasion, they will control the space ways. Also, the attacker gets to choose where and when to strike your cities. Will you cluster them all in one group, hoping they attack those? If you have roads, you can reinforce outter positions.

Also, without roads, you cannot move PTS weapons around very well, which are crucial when considering bombardments or ship landings.

The defender should have the advantage, and more units, and should kill any units that land as quickly as possible, because each turn more enemies will be coming. If you are having a lightly defended planet on friendly borders, then I think no roads are good. But to build a fortress planet, I say you need roads ;) That's just my opinion, anyways.

Maur13
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Maur13 » Sun Feb 02, 2003 1:56 pm

Interesting... maybe i should start building roads then...

On a somewhat related note (i said i haven't fought real planetary invasions yet, but i might have to soon), how do you usually defend planets? Concentrate on space superiority, or also maintain decent land garrison? Are mechanized and air units really useful, or (due to the fact attacker will have control of space), do you use only foot units, as they are invulnerable to ranged space weaponry?

One of the reasons i like Al-Maliks in historical galaxies is if they capture Bannockburn and Shaprut, they can establish very nice defensive perimeter on those planets, with 5 planets completly safe (well, apart from Symbiots ;) )behind it...

Maur13
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Maur13 » Sun Feb 02, 2003 2:08 pm

On a related note, what about starving the planet? (using space bombardment to destroy arboriums while not touching other cities)

Is this effective tactic? Seems quite attractive (not to mention low-cost) to me.

Russell
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Russell » Sun Feb 02, 2003 6:25 pm

Well, I'd say you need a variety of units for defense, because you can never know what the person is going to attack with. Mega Tanks are perhaps the strongest unit in the game, so I keep those in the shield cities. I also would keep morph planes and peregrim hovercraft for anti-air. Pestulator artillery is a must, for indirect attacks, and so are DNA Assault Legions. PTS Meson cannons everywhere is good as well ;) There's never really any certain units you can build on a planet, and be completely safe.

Also, bombing aboriums won't work, unless you plan on controlling their space for a LONG time. They could have thousands and thousands of food stock piled (which is usually the case in the late game), and it would take a ridiculous amount of time to starve them. My favorite way to attack a planet is to send in marauders (sacraficing transports of course) and finding out what they have on defense. Marauders aren't very powerful, but if you know what they have, you can dictate how the war will go. Half the war is fought in space, which is definately the most important thing to get control of. I consider using plague bombs a last resort, because they have the potential to ruin an entire planet and bring it back to it's early stages in the game, so I use them only if they overwhelm me and I don't think I will be able to take it back.

woutergr
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby woutergr » Mon Feb 03, 2003 3:21 am

To road or not to road, good question.
U must assume space-superiority for the enemy, if he doesn't have that, you don't have a problem to begin with :) This means that you'll have very limited transport capability. Leaves the question on who has ground-superiority. If you have this roads are your friend, if you don't it would be wiser to bide your time untill you can sent in reinforcements. I gradually build the road network as I build up goundforces. I do think you should keep to amount of roads to the bare minimum, this makes the way that an attack will procede more predictable.
I can resist anything but temptation
-Oscar Wilde-

Phries
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Phries » Tue Feb 04, 2003 5:24 am

When I play I don't necessarily use roads, I just build cities in huge clumps, so I don't need them. My strategy is to use space craft to move my units around the planet to scramble a defense. When later in the game I can have 16 units at any location in the heart of my planets, and about 8 on the fringes.
I've had some bad experiences with plague bombs in the past so I tend to hardly use them, but I always keep one hidden incase the battle goes horibbly for me. My main reason for invading is Scepter snatching so I have little use for a planet after my initial attack.

Shocker
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Shocker » Wed Feb 05, 2003 3:43 am

Having just experienced an invasion by Ramiro in our Fulcrum game, I have this advice.

1) On a strong planet that looses space superiority, there is really no way to stop an enemy from landing, even if you cover the entire planet in PTS weapons.

So, 1 infantry in every city to force ground/air troops to land and a reactionary force to attack them agressively. (Space transports on the ground can move a reaction force quickly, just land them far enough away to not lose the transport)

Have a food and energy reserve so you do not starv and can still build units.

Build roads and place cheap infantry at key points to slow enemy progress and warn you of an attack.

Finally, if you play Nova, build Hover Anti-Air.

2) On a weak planet, who cares, you've invested so little that it does not matter anyway.

Be sure to have a food reserve outside of cities to support partisan troop movements that hassel the enemy or have a Plague Bomb near by.

3) No matter what you do, always have a food reserve off to the side so you do not starv. Starvation will deplete your cities and troops faster than your enemies, plus it can cause plague.

Engineers can act as a good food and metal reserve
since disbanding them gives you both and you could build a quick city in a pinch.

Just my advice,
- Shocker.
Long Live EFS!

Phries
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Phries » Wed Feb 05, 2003 6:33 am

I learned that orbit is the key to a planetary invasion. You can easily starve someone out by bomibng all their farms and by destroying all theur food resources. Because it's not real life I never give much consideration to the future of a planet and like to leave it pretty much barren. Constant bombardment will wipe out any un PTSed structures to get the process moving along quicker.
If you really want it to go faster you send in a few plague bombs.
I know the waiting game isn't very fun and thats why I usually just steal scepters. Without scepters, they're not much of a house. And while doing it, you usually take out their nobles, which limits their ability to collect planetary taxes.

I know this is supposed to be about being invaded, but I just have more experience invading.

Russell
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Russell » Wed Feb 05, 2003 11:16 pm

I'm curious to why so many people don't consider the future of a planet they're invading...

Maybe it's just my experiences in long term games like Devolution, where every planet is literally a fortress, and just to get one is a great accomplishment.

Maur13
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Re: Roads-to build or not to?

Postby Maur13 » Wed Feb 05, 2003 11:30 pm

Phries, plaetary taxes doesn't depend on presence of noble...

And for future of the planet. I'm very long-term player myself, but thats the reason i would usually want to exterminate whole planet.

Much easier to rebuild it from scratch than modify existing infrastructure. Especially when someone isn't using the matrix for most effiecent resource gathering ;)

I tend to disagree with notion that house without scepters is nothing. I think in the end it all comes to whoever is able to defend his noble on Byzantium II, and that doesn't depend on scepters.

Those are theoretical thoghs, mind you ;)

Unfortunately, Nova doesn't allow Scepter trading..., as they don't have movement and aren't transportable.


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