Just been playing a game with the AI and they sent a fleet into my home planet with a load of small weak fleets and blockaded my system. I went in with my large fleet and went to battle but they just retreated. The remaining week fleets remained and my planet remained blockaded. I started a battle with the next enemy fleet and they fled as well. Next turn they fleets that retreated previously returned and this pattern just continues. My fleet is stuck on my home world because they have blockaded me in, my planet is not producing and i'm unable to fight as the ai just runs away.



I'm unable to build more ships as the resource I need is on my home planet that they now blockade.

I have been running into this same problem. My only solution so far has been to change targeting to target the front ship (I think called snubnose). In this way I tend to destroy one or 2 of their ships while they are retreating. You may also need to bring in a second fleet if available.



These are more workarounds and not really the right solution.

Early to mid game I would focus on using ships geared more toward inflicting damage at long range. I.E. Kinetics or beams set to long range and use either nosebreaker or guilotine for a formation. This will ensure that retreating isn't cost free. However, the real solution is to build multiple fleets and threaten your opponent accross multiple fronts. Backed up by an invasion force of ships with troops and and least one ship with cluster bombs, you can make sure that you can successfully invade any system that they don't actively contest.



Retreating is a real nuisance when learning the game, but as time goes on it's a non issue. The problem I hear about time and again is players only building one fleet with a hero that can stomp anything. While it is good to have one of those, you need to pony up and build lots of fleets if you want to seriously take someone out.

warhawk26 wrote:
The problem I hear about time and again is players only building one fleet with a hero that can stomp anything. While it is good to have one of those, you need to pony up and build lots of fleets if you want to seriously take someone out.

Good advice; I second that. I cannot even count the number of times that I managed, via careful use of crew quality and hero choices, to create a primary Death Fleet of +50,000 MP. However, I use that simply as an elite executioner and nothing more -- useful for crushing a similarly immense, hero-amplified fleet built by the enemy.



But a single irresistible Death Fleet (no matter how awesome its raw strength) cannot be everywhere at once, and it's dangerous to rely upon the pretense that it can.



Depending on the map size and my geographic location in it, I also absolutely need anywhere from 20 to 50 ordinary workhorse fleets (excluding single scoutships) to do the bulk of the job. Often, "defense in depth" also translates into "offense in depth" and the flexibility that a right-sized navy gives you is well worth the mental inconvenience of managing it all. The enemy AI's habit of often playing Star Fortress by putting +80% of its fleets on blockade duty in just one or two of its own star systems is rendered ineffective when you're able to simultaneously rush him - and with sufficient force, too - at four, five or even six or more other locations.



Cultivate your strategic mobility, everyone.

I'm just getting close to finishing my first game (trying to decide which victory as I have finally broken the lead opponents fleets and moved far enough in front economically).



Anyhow early on his swarms of fleets made it very difficult to fight him in war as I was stuck back on my heels, but as people here suggest I just increased the number of fleets I am using. Additionally if you have a couple stronger fleets move them into enemy territory in a choke point and blockade from there. This way when their other fleets retreat back into the system they can get pounded on by your top fleets.

reck wrote:
...



I'm unable to build more ships as the resource I need is on my home planet that they now blockade.

You can build more ships to recover this game, they just won't have your latest technology. Go to the ship designer and use lesser technology. If you need a resource that you don't have, the chosen item will have a red circle and slash over the displayed resource. Downgrade that item.



After building those ships, move a fleet to wherever the enemy is retreating and have them guard it. You'll increase the chance for the retreat to fail and the enemy fleet would be destroyed en route. If the retreat is successful, you'll have a second shot at the weakened fleet.



And as others said, use nosebreaker or guillotine.

A tactic I use is to arm all my siege assault ships with one laser and one missile each so that when the AI attacks with massive stacks that include hundreds of unarmed siege ships I use main, secondary and tertiary fleets to whittle down the top combat fleets then split my assault fleet into many two ship squadrons and use these to auto resolve destroying the defenceless siege ships, for me this significantly speeds up destroying the massive and weak fleets the AI likes to use.



I hope this helps.



Cheers,



Laz3456

When I first made the switch to Harmony, I played Sheredyn affinity custom races so I wouldn't have to worry about the retreat issue.



However, now that I'm comfortable with the game, I will play other races since I am able to deal with retreats. In fact, sometimes it's an advantage when they retreat because I am often able to destroy their fleet anyway and they don't shoot back. Building ships with long-range kinetics or beams is the key. Add snipers level 3 to your custom race and pity the poor fools who try to retreat!



I do find it interesting that this game does make the stack of doom strategy less effective. Based on posts from every 4X game forum I've ever played, this should be considered a good thing!

coyote303 wrote:
When I first made the switch to Harmony, I played Sheredyn affinity custom races so I wouldn't have to worry about the retreat issue.



However, now that I'm comfortable with the game, I will play other races since I am able to deal with retreats. In fact, sometimes it's an advantage when they retreat because I am often able to destroy their fleet anyway and they don't shoot back. Building ships with long-range kinetics or beams is the key. Add snipers level 3 to your custom race and pity the poor fools who try to retreat!



I do find it interesting that this game does make the stack of doom strategy less effective. Based on posts from every 4X game forum I've ever played, this should be considered a good thing!

Actually, I find this to be one of the great strengths of ES as a game. The SOD ruins so many games. Here, its a challenge! Yea. Agree strongly w cayote303