Any commentary on not only builds (I searched and found a few threads on good cruiser builds for various survival challenges) but also the tactics/orders associated with them?
I’ve had some success with the “fort up” approach–design cruisers with minimal engines, speed .03 or so, and Formation them together in a box or rectangle, sometimes with a special cruiser in the middle (usually tasked to preferentially destroy those frakkin’ frigates with the EMP/distrupter crap, and/or serve as a carrier for fighters, for the challenges that allow fighters).
I suspect others let their lads roam free on the battlefield, but whenever I set that up, at some point not too far into the waves my fleet is dispersed and is defeated in detail.
Honestly, I think you have it all, as that has been my experience as well. The only two orders I give are Formation and some ships are given the Co-operate order; usually the missile ships. I find the corners (the corner ships) to operate better by NOT giving them the co-op order…they seem to be better capable at taking out those EMP frigates at a longer range before they get emp’ed.
When surrounded, Co-operate hampers your ability to engage multiple targets. Yes, you get to destroy them and destory them sooner with Co-operate, but you can disable more, hopefully before they emp you, and finish them off later without Co-operate.
I’ve tried forting up, and that seems to generate the highest scores–which is too bad, as speed and maneuver would in theory be better.
I’ve tried mobile formations, but eventually the linchpin of the formation goes (even when placed in the middle of a mobile pack) and then the ships get picked off. . .and even so, the usual advantage speed confers is negated by the intrusive spawns that eventually show up: no point in moving if the enemy jumps into your short range band and starts blazing away.
In both cases I’ve tried various weapon configurations…
I’ve also tried starting out at different places on the map, particularly with that one survival challenge with the Alliance. Whew. There’s a wave in that one where they just pop out EVERYWHERE. But placement can help a lot for the early waves. . .
So far I can’t duplicate the six-figure scores reported on the top score list.
I find that very slow or immobile ships with extremely long range weaponry tends to fare the best. You want extremely long range weapons because your ships can’t really move, and this is to avoid them just sitting outside the range of your guns while blasting your ships.
Its basically an all or nothing thing though. You want every single ship to be as durable as possible. If you lose a single ship your firepower drops by a large percentage, and then soon after more ships will be destroyed. Repair bays are a must! Also a piece of armor is handy to fend off the fighters. The armor is useless against frigates or cruisers, but will prevent the fighters from ripping your ships apart.
Once your shields fail the ship is doomed. Shields are life. A shield with 1hp of strength remaining can recharge to full, but as soon as that shield fully fails its only a matter of time before the remaining shields also drop and your ship is destroyed.
Yes, long range, slow movers seem to do well–but inevitably stuff will at the very least “appear” in the shorter range bands, making a 100% commitment to, say, missiles, will backfire eventually.
Long range missiles along with some plasma seems like a decent combination. To deal with fighters give each ship a tractor beam, which will slow down the fighters enough that the heavy weapons can blast them. Even plasma can hit a fighter moving at 0 speed.
This gives you two engagement ranges. Missiles at 1400ish range, and plasma starting in at about 900ish range. Ships outside of plasma range get hit with missiles, and ships that get in very close will be blasted with everything. Like 2-3 missile and 2-3 plasma on the biggest cruiser hull you can get. Add in 1 tractor beam, 1 scrambler, and then the rest spent on shields, repair bays, and enough armor to ward off fighters until the tractor beams can deal with the fighters. Do not rely on the armor to protect you against frigates or cruisers! Armor backed by repair bays can hold out almost forever against fighters, but your repair bays will eventually run out of spare parts.
Your ships aren’t invincible of course. You’re doomed in the end, but it seems to work reasonably well.