"How to Beat Super Stealth" Paul Baker 1997 v2.6/7

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How to Beat Super Stealth

by: Paul

El Capitano wrote:

>

> I'm playing in a game where my ally was hit by a fleet of ships from an SS

> player, which crippled him in one year. This got me thinking, what are the

> best tactics against an SS?

>

> This is a good question for you experts out there, what tactics have you

> developed? Do you research into electronics to get the largest scanners

> possible? I would love any advice you have.

Not an expert, but...


I managed to defeat a SS player in a game that is just completing. It took some help from allies and I am sure that he had a lot more fun playing a losing game against me with SS than I was beating him with my HP JOAT. It has inspired me to try SS for the first time in a new game. Here is my take on the overall strengths and weaknesses of the SS:


SS seem to be strong in the early and late game, but vunerable in the middle. They expand well because their built in 75% cloaking is enough to secretly colonize and pick off other players stray colonizers and freighters. By the time borders have been established the SS should be sitting quite fat and sassy.


The mid-game is a different story. Everyone has a SB up with a scanner at their core worlds. They have frigate scanners on borders. The 75% built in cloaking no longer gets the job done. They can be seen 50+ ly away. SS need elec 10 to get the super stealth cloak to mantain their stealth, but they also need to keep up in weap, const and ener or fall easy prey to that first fleet of jihad cruisers that come to visit. They simply do not have the economy to do this. Many races can keep their tech near the top in 2 or even 3 categories, but not 4. This is a good time to attack and at least steal back those border worlds that you greatly covent. Later, you may wish you had delivered a fatal blow.


In the end game the SS become masters of the sneak attack. No planet is safe from them! The unprotected planets fall prey to robber baron attacks and even the strongest SB will be crushed by a 98% cloaked fleet of BBs and bombers. They will know your latest BB design and you won't know what or where their fleet is. You are worried and the SS payer is having a blast.

Paul