Combat transport - the best defense?

I'm at work so cannot check. How about some numbers?

Combat TR's are:

Cost 50 (1.02-.03; may have been changed to 100 under 1.04)
Mtn 5

Atk 0
Def 8
HP 50

Spd 0
Rng 3

They are, imho, one of the best defenders to park over a system - especially a newly conquered or colonized one.

~SDC~

Yeah, I use them in emergencies if I need to get a defender into orbit right away and can't spend the money to rush buy a better ship. They are great defenders, they work against everything up to dreadnoughts, and even then they do some good damage to dreads. However, the 5 maintenence on them is not worth it in the long run. But they are cheap and quick to build and great defenders if you need to build a ship in 1 turn.

One negative side of using a combat transport for
defense is, that when it dies, it takes a rather
big chunk of the pop off your planet. As if some of
that pop was on your transport, probably 2.5 billion

What about the fleet defense bonus? Has anyone tried a fleet of combat transports? You could launch them with only 1 passenger, if you don't want to waste your population.

My experience has been that they always pop if they are attacked, though they may pop the enemy ship as well. Time and time again I have watched the enemy ship and my combat transport die simultaneously, which cannot happen with normal ships.. so I think they're treated like defensive anti-matter missiles in that regard. I would much rather have a real ship and use the combat transport for what it's for.

-Drake

~SDC~

Combat transport maint is 6 in 1.05, transport is now maint 2.

OK, thanks for your opinions and experiences. Something different: I know I'll sound like a big sissy, but how exactly I'll join an empire? I'v taken a look on European Alliance and clicked for join. Also I'v opened my old game at it's end and sent metaverse submission. Will it be OK? When will I some any effect? Thanks.

Looks like you have not registered for the Metaverse, Alexandr. There is a link on the Metaverse page which I attach here http://www.galciv.com/playerreg.asp

Fleet bonus YES. Launch with 1 pop, and fleet'emup and move out. I love it!

But I don't think you get the bonus while in orbit. (You get the orbit bonus.) And - as others noted - if you die in orbit, it whacks your population.

~SDC~

Particularly when the UP votes to increase the defence rating of transports!

I've seen a frigate attack a fleet of standard (not combat) transports in open space, and one of the transports died - along with the frigate. Spooky.

You mean attack rather than defense, Chris. Yeah, they become monsters after that (usually everyone goes for 20 attack).

The fleet defense bonus is insanely huge. That's a massive exploit IMO.

#2, 7

Confirmed - Combat TR cost is now 100 under 1.05; mtn 6.

Still, they are one of the best "early defenders" (pre-DN) for a system.

However, as pointed out by Staffa, any TR lost while in orbit goes down with 50% of its capacity embarked, i.e., 500 pop for a regular TR, and 2500 pop for a Combat TR.

OTOH, morale improves!

~SDC~

Okay first off building a fleet of combat transports as a defense is kinda pointless as they suck money away and are useless to actually attack anything. also what happens when all the sudden the AI gets Rangers, avatars, and overlords those nice fleets of your transporst will get blown to pieces. Yes they are good at defense but why waste the money unless the U.P gave em better weapons just spend the little extra amount of time and money on building ships the enemy will be afraid of as the enemy doesn't even really care about defense values when and unless you gonna spend tons of money garrisoning every planet you have with em just get stuff the enemy will be afraid to attack you because of.

~SDC~