tl;dr - Is there a minimum capture time to siege a system? e.g. 8 turns on normal speed mode?



I've been going through trying each race to learn ES, but finally settled in for some more serious games and playing on Normal speed, Normal difficulty or the one above that, I notice that no matter how much siege strength I bring - the enemy systems I siege seem to always take at least 8 turns.



However, not sure as a) haven't played too many games and b) maybe what I think of as lot of siege firepower isn't that much - I'm bringing ships with tier 3 siege weapons, and usually 3 siege fleets of 12 ships each stacked with nothing but siege weapons (MP 100k total including the boost from Melee bonus Hero).



Best I recall, every system I've tried to stack more siege MP onto doesn't seem to accelerate the capture time. I know some systems are stronger than others, and I can definitely see when I don't have enough siege power - like the capture time will initially start at say 19 or 33 turns, something really long. So I bring more siege MP and I'll see it drop a lot, but I've never seen it drop lower than 8 turns.



Anyone know if there is some built in game cap on minimum number of turns to capture a system?

I think there is a maximum of 12.5% siege per turn (displayed as 13%).



When you siege, the system can still add defences, so even when you are closer than 8 turns, you can check if you still have 13% siege gain.

Or you calculate 8 x defensive power to see how many siege power you have to maintain. Extra power can be used elsewhere.

Thanks. Still learning as I go. I've been moving one siege fleet in first, to see what turn time I get, and then if it's already good enough - 8 turns - then I user my other siege fleets elsewhere. But if it's higher than 8, or I see the number creep up again, then I move in more siege power.



I kind of wish we could siege and take in 1 turn if you brought enough power, but I guess it adds some protection for yourself in the sense the AI can't rush your systems either. 8 turns is plenty to bring in fleets to relieve your system, maybe that's why - so you can park nodal defense forces instead of having to have forces always very close by if systems could be taken in 1 turn

If you're playing the DLC Disharmony, you can capture a system in one turn by using troops.

coyote303 wrote:
If you're playing the DLC Disharmony, you can capture a system in one turn by using troops.

Be advised however that this would cause a lot of losses in both population and infrastructure. If you can afford it, instant invasions are incredibly potent, especially if you do so to a wormhole system in the middle of an enemy empire, and then send your fleets through the wormhole from your own empire after researching the appropriate tech. It is one of my favorite strategies, which would be amplified if you manage to lure enemy fleets to systems that you blockade and hold out, preventing them from relocating to defend their territory.

When a star system is maxed out in population, I build a small vessel with invasion troops. During the end game you acquire large invasion fleets that can take out enemy systems in one turn, while basically using excess food production. Do add a repair module to the invasion ship, then the troop losses will be filled up in a few turns.



The only down side of this approach is that it requires a lot of micromanagement looking for the systems that are at maximum population. There should be an AI setting for this. :-)

coyote303 wrote:
If you're playing the DLC Disharmony, you can capture a system in one turn by using troops.

Omg really? Dumb question - how do I that? (just to be sure)



I have Disharmony, the whole emperor edition. I've so far been using the siege modules - the invasion modules. I see on the tech tree a module that uses troops - which sounds like it takes up population from my planet to load? So if I use these combat troops instead of siege artillery invasion modules, it can reduce the turn time to 1 if I bring enough?



For systems I want to take into my empire, I'd prob still use the invasion modules. But lots of times I just want to take out the system and then I use that raze tech to plasma burn it to the ground. The troops to take it quicker since I'm going to just torch the place afterwards sounds like a lot better option.

springel wrote:
When a star system is maxed out in population, I build a small vessel with invasion troops. During the end game you acquire large invasion fleets that can take out enemy systems in one turn, while basically using excess food production. Do add a repair module to the invasion ship, then the troop losses will be filled up in a few turns.



The only down side of this approach is that it requires a lot of micromanagement looking for the systems that are at maximum population. There should be an AI setting for this. :-)

Wow thanks for the tip. I've been using repair modules as must-have on my combat fleets, but if they regenerate troops too, that sounds great. I'll give using troops a try. Haven't used the population/building bombs yet either, just the invasion artillery modules.

Also note that the cap appears to be based in some way on more than one factor. I've had enemy colonies I was able to take in 2 turns, ones that it said I could take in 8 but reinforcing with more ships got it down to 4 (but no lower), ones that would not drop below 8 no matter what. I have yet to do exhaustive research on what makes them different, but I assume it has something to do with system improvements since the different numbers existed even among enemy colonies of the same faction, so it's more than just a racial thing.