Structures Killers

[s|k]

Okay, I'm still trying to figure out what this is all about or how it becomes a part of strategy. I'm a zik, and I prefer to eat peoples' fleets to taking their roids. But of course the enemy always runs, if it doesn't get defense, so I've started building structure killers to give them extra incentives to stay and fight. But it doesn't work, they still run, and I just kill off a good chunk of their structures. Do I get xp for this?

To tell you the truth I get some kind of sick satisfaction out of causing the other person some extra misery, you know putting the D into 'defeated' with some emphasis. Since I've taken only some of their roids and killed off some structures their drop in value is not significant and so I attack them again, hoping maybe I'll catch their fleet unawares. I'll do this until I've killed enough buildings to drop them below the value to where I can attack them.

The person being attacked is completely helpless. They can't save their buildings, there's nothing they can do but run and watch me set them back weeks and weeks in construction time. And what is the point in this? It really seems as if these sk ships are there just to give invidious players like my self the ability to cause others pain. Is there anything worth while to it?

I can't target amplifiers or distorers, so that's sort of random. I don't know. I just think right now they let small-planet bashers like me have more fun and cause people who don't have a lot of time extra misery. Maybe we should rethink structure killers and give it some strategic element.

[Banned]

They already do have 'some strategic element'.

[s|k]

Originally Posted by Banned

They already do have 'some strategic element'.

Which is?

[Banned]

Originally Posted by s|k

Which is?

When you're in an alliance, it's strategically important to bring along SKs when attacking enemies.

[relik]

Structure killers are extremely strategic for Ziks, because they cause the target to think twice about running his entire fleet, which can be very profitable for the attacker.

[ChubbyChecker]

If I'm going to run from a guy who's not sent Structure Killers then I'm still going to run from a guy who has sent them. Better to just lose Structures than Structures and ships.

[Cannon_Fodder]

stop picking on little people then

[Banned]

The problem is that ships are still worth more than structures. So running is still the 'right' thing to do.

[Prawn]

Structure killers are an excellent concept in many ways. Personally I'd consider the 'proper' use to be, as mentioned above, during alliance/block wars to hamper the other sides infrastructure. Another acceptable use is to retal against people who have wronged you in some way - again, fair enough.

Noob bashing however, is NAUGHTY!

This was my first round and I've taken huge numbers of incs. A number of these incs were from people with comparatively (to myself) high values, whom, just for the hell of it, had sent a bunch of structure killers.
So, on top of being bashed for my roids, upsetting in itself to a noob like me who had not yet realised that losing roids isn't in fact that major a problem, each time I lost numerous structures. I found this extremely demoralising at the time, wondering "Why would people sadistically to this to a player so clearly at their mercy anyway? Do I really want to play a game with these people?" The thoughts were eventually dismissed but still they were there.

Bringing me to my point. I hear a lot of people talking about how PA is past it's glory days, about how much better this game would be with thousands more players. Even with my limited experience I tend to agree.
Fair enough, I understand that for the people that randomly kill noobs' structures, it's one way for them to have fun with the game. However, it's totally harsh to dump on poor losers like me - I do suspect that repeated incidents of this type could cause some other people to think twice about playing again, despite not discouraging me too much.

I'm not entirely sure what could be done to prevent this happening. I suppose asking people to play nice would be a waste of time? But next time you think about bashing some noobs' structures, think about how that noob might react and how many times it might take to make him just another c200+ planet?

Prawn

:edit: To clarify - Not saying don't attack noobs (if that's your thing), just saying don't needlessly attack their buildings.

[s|k]

Originally Posted by Prawn

uge numbers of incs. A number of these incs were from people with comparatively (to myself) high values, whom, just for the hell of it, had sent a bunch of structure killers.

If that was today, yesterday, and the day before, and we sent some PA mails back and forth today with you giving up and whining about how much PA sucks, then that was me. If not nm.

Anyhow, I think structure killers, since they are useful for alliances, should be then used for alliance raids only. I build them and use them for the same sadistic purposes that others build them and use them on me for. Spreading the misery I guess. Overall I think they should just be done with. What's the point of changing PA every round anyways? I think we need to back peddle to about round 5 and just keep doing that. :|

[Prawn]

Wasn't me nah... got more dignity than to whine at the person attacking me

[The Seal]

Originally Posted by s|k

I build them and use them for the same sadistic purposes that others build them and use them on me for. Spreading the misery I guess. Overall I think they should just be done with. What's the point of changing PA every round anyways? I think we need to back peddle to about round 5 and just keep doing that. :|

I'd like them taken away and only cov.ops to cause destruction to constructions. Structurekillers are the tool of the big bashers. When did you last see them used to the same extent on the large players with large alliances?
Structure killers take the pleasure out of the game for some of us and I wonder what kind of silly people with no sense of empathy are really playing this game. And then I pity them

The Seal

[lokken]

The main use of structure killers is in a siege type situation is to paralyse the planet when landing to prevent it from building its way out of trouble in the future.

[TheBerk]

how about a bash limit on structure killers? something like you can only use them on a planet with 70% of your value. [/random idea from the person with an attention span of a goldfish on speed atm]

[noah02]

http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=182728

sorry I will spam this idea everywere till i get it approved.

SK are useful especially against scanners who you want to slow down there amps by killing most of them.

[Snurx]

I actually like the idea of SK being suicide!

Anyways, i've had 30 odd structkillers, and I've not even used them once. I sent them as flak one time, but I had to recall (The guy had attacked me earlier). Not even on alliance attacks have I put them into my fleet.
But they are important, for instance to take out scanners, or to stop a important planet in a opposing alliance to rebuild quickly. They are, however, sometimes very annoying. Once, I lost 3 factories and nothing else. That was mean.

[themast]

omg 3 factorys excuse me while i go cry for you

[Makhil]

s|k stop bashing low value planets... it's amazing the number of zik attacking planets close to the bash limit, and it's a bit sad that those kind of player might actually win the round.

[The Seal]

Originally Posted by Makhil

s|k stop bashing low value planets... it's amazing the number of zik attacking planets close to the bash limit, and it's a bit sad that those kind of player might actually win the round.

heh, zik's need to team up to hit planets their own size, something most other races don't.
This is due to the fact that much of a zik's value is stolen ships and not really a focused fleet.
At least that's true for some of us.

The value of ships launched at target planet, which is more relevant than your planetvalue is rarely even half that of target planet.

Tho, I find teaming up nice too

[Cannon_Fodder]

They can use their fr fleets effectively on people bigger than them...

[Kaal Satori]

The only time I ever used sk's was when a planet wouldn't stop attacking me. So I built a ton of vorpreds and got some buddies together and we hit him hard. As chance would have it he was sending yet another fleet at me when we launched, and he recalled it just in time to get nailed. Wiped out his fleet and his structures and knocked him back to square one.

A few ticks later I was attacked by a zik so I left my preds at home for him as a present. Thus ended my short excursion into the world of structure killing.

[Neferti]

Originally Posted by Kaal Satori

The only time I ever used sk's was when a planet wouldn't stop attacking me. So I built a ton of vorpreds and got some buddies together and we hit him hard. As chance would have it he was sending yet another fleet at me when we launched, and he recalled it just in time to get nailed. Wiped out his fleet and his structures and knocked him back to square one.

A few ticks later I was attacked by a zik so I left my preds at home for him as a present. Thus ended my short excursion into the world of structure killing.

Nice

I only use structure killers as a last resort, too. Haven't made a single one yet this round.

[laputa]

Originally Posted by s|k

The person being attacked is completely helpless. They can't save their buildings, there's nothing they can do but run and watch me set them back weeks and weeks in construction time. And what is the point in this? It really seems as if these sk ships are there just to give invidious players like my self the ability to cause others pain. Is there anything worth while to it?

you are a sad little ****

[NotALegend]

Originally Posted by The Seal

Structure killers take the pleasure out of the game for some of us and I wonder what kind of silly people with no sense of empathy are really playing this game. And then I pity them

Couldn't agree more.

[Flying Monkey]

I never build structure killers, they're too expensive for what they do - not a lot

I lost 15 structures in 1 wave today including all my factories, and yet being terran I can set engineering to first priority and build structures in 4 ticks. Since I don't spend res buying new ships every tick its not really a problem and I have them back already. Structures don't give enough value to really harm a planet by destroying them either.

I'd rather spend my res on better attack ships than structure killers that rarely, if ever, get used

and I agree sending structure killers at people new to the game is just harsh. I can understand sending them at big planets/hostile alliances just for the fun of it but sending them to attack people just learning is pointless

[noah02]

Originally Posted by Flying Monkey

I never build structure killers, they're too expensive for what they do - not a lot

I lost 15 structures in 1 wave today including all my factories, and yet being terran I can set engineering to first priority and build structures in 4 ticks. Since I don't spend res buying new ships every tick its not really a problem and I have them back already. Structures don't give enough value to really harm a planet by destroying them either.

I'd rather spend my res on better attack ships than structure killers that rarely, if ever, get used

and I agree sending structure killers at people new to the game is just harsh. I can understand sending them at big planets/hostile alliances just for the fun of it but sending them to attack people just learning is pointless

no matter what you say or anyone says, if someone is attacking someone small coz they have just lost 4k roids then they dont care about there structures they just send in them sk's anyway no matter who they attack.

If you can build it they will specially if it makes the attack fleet look a bit fatter.

[x-dANGEr]

Stop whining about SK plz, if i find a cov opper who iskilling me with cov-ops, i would liek to give him a couple of waves and knock his security centeres to the ground. What's bad about that ???

[noah02]

Originally Posted by x-dANGEr

Stop whining about SK plz, if i find a cov opper who iskilling me with cov-ops, i would liek to give him a couple of waves and knock his security centeres to the ground. What's bad about that ???

See thats one thing i agree on
Thats when i Wish sk where stronger to kill 100% of the damn yellow back cov opppers.

[teknik]

it is damn annoying when someone lands on you and sets you back about a week of construction, but i personally think you shouldnt just be able to run your fleet and take almost no loss at all when you get attacked...there should be something there to make you want to defend the attack rather than put your tail between your legs and leg it till the attacker is gone.

and before someone says "OMFGLOLZ YOU G3T ROIDZ 4 ATTACKING PPLZ" yeah, but does losing 25% of your roids really effect you that much? for the average player as long as you still have your fleet you can get those roids back within a few hours, and you have only really been slightly inconvenianced by the loss of a few k res for a few ticks