Quote:
Originally Posted by Monroe
I've been watching what attack times allies choose to use and it's been an interested progression over the last couple of years. 4 years ago most attacks were launched 22:00 GMT, 2 years ago a lot of attacks were launched 3-4 GMT over the course of the last 4-5 rounds or so I've noticed it continue to shift forward, and now most attack seem to launch between 5-7 GMT, and I've seen some attacks launching as late as 12 GMT. While some of this shift is clearly because there is an advantage in landing last, I am beginning to wonder how long this slow shift will continue. Also I'm not sure the 'landing last is better' philosophy is entirely to blame for this shift. I wonder if some of the shift has to do with the changes to PA game demographics, or attack philosophies, or the simple change made to the game to allow prelaunches. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this slow shift, and if they have any better explanation as to why this is happening. I don't feel the shift is necessarily go or bad, but it'll be really funny (at least to me) on the day we've gone the whole 24 hour cycle are are back to launching attacks in the European evening.
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I can't speak for the top players or alliances. But I will drop in my own opinions, just for the sake of discussion.
1. We've aimed for 1am/2am launches, and tried to do so en masse. We've only really been active in the last third of the round. Any semi organised grouping can go from nothing to some form of ranking by simple play.
The logic of the timeframe is that you hope to hit the magic ETA5 before people wake up. To maximise this, fleet weight should be CO/FI/FR
2. If you are small, there are lots of broken gals and inactives to hit.
3. We avoided the 'mega strike', massive rises in roids bring unwelcome visitors, you lose what you gained. Lots of people gain hundreds of roids, in flashy clever strikes, then have wolves at their door, and the rise in roids does not yet allow enough fleetbuilding to make solid use of roids in that way.
4. Our strikes boringly aimed to increase roid count *every* night, and secondary aim was make it a landing fleet every time, as far as possible. Flying fleets that get deffed wastes ETA, and leaks intelligence. Every hour should be gainfully used.
BS / CR ETA over 90 days = @98 Missions (x3 possible fleets =194).
FI/ CO ETA over 90 days = @154 Mission (x3 possible fleets =462)
FR/ DE ETA over 90 days = @120 missions (x3 possible fleets =360)
The race, and therefore alliance that has the right mixture, in pure, outright attacking terms has massive advantages over a whole round. (IMHO, if this remains as is now, with stats, TER is a very bad race and needs help next stat time... Being slow is one thing, being slow and having hundreds of less viable launches over 90 days is crippling)
By my rough reckoning, alliances should be using CO/FI for attacking as much as possible, in the hunt for roids, ships, xp, score. There is no difference in ships, fi/co have as many targets as any other ship type, this does not change. The only think that matters is successful landing through a whole round. Even if you don't, mixed C0/FI alliance fleets become the most available resource in an alliance fleets arsenal, short ETA's mean higher availability round the clock for both attack and defense.
5. Three fleet like crazy at every opportunity while small/medium, but keep to the smaller, more successful strikes that give a steady rise in roids. Especially if you keep fleet weight at FI/CO/FR/DE. You won't begin to register in other alliance eyes until you reach a certain size.
Downsides.
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Our tactic is severed by late attacking committed by other alliances. By the time we wake, our ships are down to a few ticks to landing, you can be in position that your fleets are out of reach when those late attackers come.
Late attacking recovers/wins higher roids if you retal. (You pick up of others landings, they land first, giving you higher roid count).
Late attacks work against opponents already committed - leaving them a choice. Land your own attacks, but have the attackers take a higher share because they hit you after your landing, pull your attack and try and defend, even though half your ally will be asleep, or half way through an attack. Launching late against a committed alliance is a killer.
There is a downside though. If you run late, the risk is that galaxies in particular, wake up with more than ETA5 on INC and put up stern resistance. Any late raid on a galaxy therefore, should be more than the weight of the possible def - ie crushing. But even then, because the late raids land in daylight hours, the attackers get a very clear view of the play, and can always pull raids that get covered.
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