Difference between revisions of "AI War:Ion Cannons"

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(Added scrapping cost, as well as some additional information about the cannon's rate of fire and targeting priority)
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'''A:''' To destroy an ion cannon, you'll need to have ships equal to or greater than the level of the ion cannon, or you'll need to have a LOT of lower-level ships. Ion cannons insta-kill any ships with a equal to or lower level than themselves, but they can only one-shot about one ship per 1 to 4 seconds (depending on ship cap level). So if you bring a few hundred ships, this gives you time to work (but it will be killing your higher mark ships first). You can use this tactic to get yourself closer to the ion cannon and destroy it, or you can use it to slip scouts or other ships past the planet, avoiding it.
 
'''A:''' To destroy an ion cannon, you'll need to have ships equal to or greater than the level of the ion cannon, or you'll need to have a LOT of lower-level ships. Ion cannons insta-kill any ships with a equal to or lower level than themselves, but they can only one-shot about one ship per 1 to 4 seconds (depending on ship cap level). So if you bring a few hundred ships, this gives you time to work (but it will be killing your higher mark ships first). You can use this tactic to get yourself closer to the ion cannon and destroy it, or you can use it to slip scouts or other ships past the planet, avoiding it.
  
Do note that it isn't always a given that you want to destroy ion cannons. If you can capture the planet without destroying them, the ion cannons will become yours, helping you to defend that planet against future enemy waves. You might take more losses in the short term, but the longer-term payoff is sometimes worth it.  Do note that Mark III and higher Ion Cannons have an AI Wave Multiplier that can be quite nasty. These structures in particularly are viewed by many players as high value scrap (even 10% of 5,400,000 resources will nearly cap you out).
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Do note that it isn't always a given that you want to destroy ion cannons. If you can capture the planet without destroying them, the ion cannons will become yours, helping you to defend that planet against future enemy waves. You might take more losses in the short term, but the longer-term payoff is sometimes worth it.  Do note that Mark III and higher Ion Cannons have an AI Wave Multiplier that can be quite nasty.  
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NB: When scrapping high-value targets such as these, the player will not get the normal 10%, but a paltry 0.1% or so. Don't expect to get rich capturing mark-IV and mark-V ion cannons. We are also not sure if the enemy wave multiplier has been changed since 2010. --- zharmad.
  
 
=== Ships That Are "Immune To Being Insta-Killed" ===
 
=== Ships That Are "Immune To Being Insta-Killed" ===

Revision as of 02:26, 29 May 2012

What Do I Do About Ion Cannons?

A: To destroy an ion cannon, you'll need to have ships equal to or greater than the level of the ion cannon, or you'll need to have a LOT of lower-level ships. Ion cannons insta-kill any ships with a equal to or lower level than themselves, but they can only one-shot about one ship per 1 to 4 seconds (depending on ship cap level). So if you bring a few hundred ships, this gives you time to work (but it will be killing your higher mark ships first). You can use this tactic to get yourself closer to the ion cannon and destroy it, or you can use it to slip scouts or other ships past the planet, avoiding it.

Do note that it isn't always a given that you want to destroy ion cannons. If you can capture the planet without destroying them, the ion cannons will become yours, helping you to defend that planet against future enemy waves. You might take more losses in the short term, but the longer-term payoff is sometimes worth it. Do note that Mark III and higher Ion Cannons have an AI Wave Multiplier that can be quite nasty.

NB: When scrapping high-value targets such as these, the player will not get the normal 10%, but a paltry 0.1% or so. Don't expect to get rich capturing mark-IV and mark-V ion cannons. We are also not sure if the enemy wave multiplier has been changed since 2010. --- zharmad.

Ships That Are "Immune To Being Insta-Killed"

Ships that have the ability "Immune To Being Insta-Killed" cannot be hit by ion cannons at all. This includes golems, starships, bulletproof fighters, armored warheads, and various other specialized ships.

AI War:Fleet Command