The University Alliance - Guide

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Contents

[edit] Overview

The University Alliance is a race that is easy to play and has a lot of gimmicks that make them worthwhile. However, they are quite weak at the beginning.

[edit] Strengths

  • Money made with contraband (from Tech Institutes)
  • Small but effective ship list.
  • Transport Inhibitors. On some ships, they can compensate for your weak crew. Without these, everybody with a Boarding Laser will have an easy time taking over your ships. The Stormer Kingdom doesn't even need Boarding Lasers. The only problem with your inhibitors is, that they consume quite some fuel if they are constantly turned on (and don't work 100%).
  • Get all the common structures.
  • Can build the Incident Class Utility Cruiser, one of the best ships in the game.
  • Have a fully cloaking pod carrying scout ship.
  • Have a ship with a Hacker Droid.

[edit] Weaknesses

  • Boarding and Ground Combat: Crew and HG are very weak. Troops are not the worst, but troop training levels are low, so will be few in number. So this is quite simple for the UA: If your enemy brings any troops or ground units - you lose (if you do not destroy the enemy ground attack base with ships).
  • Start with few resources.

[edit] Ships

  • Watchman Class Scout is an acceptable scout, but with it's cloaking device and pod bay you can use it to deliver all kinds of surprises to enemy bases etc. The Probe Launcher will help you to find targets.
  • Pathfinder Class Transport can build jumpgates, hold 4 pods, move faster than a standard freighter, and find natives for you (Bioscanner) for cheap.
  • XL-5 Weapons Platform has good scanners and a decent weapon load for very cheap.
    • Tow bunches of these around with your fleet to add very cheap firepower.
    • Also consider building some of them with the initial stuff you have on your homeworld.
    • Dropped in deep space they can be used for scanning.
  • Hunter-Killer Class Cruiser is a decent warship with a boarding laser for cheap. It's attack and evasive bonuses make it more valuable than it first looks.
  • Incident Class Utility Cruiser is the pride of the UA fleet.
    • A fire and forget minelayer. Using the included Agrodome --> Food to Supply Converter --> Mobile Ord Factory you can send these out and make minefields all day long without resupplying with ord.
    • This cheap ship also has a DTMS-N Fuel Converter along with a number of other goodies.
    • NOT A GOOD WARSHIP, so use this for support, not frontline assaults.
    • Also take care that the enemies won't get their hands on these.
  • Hive Class Carrier IS a carrier, but it has 3 main purposes that have nothing to do with fighters:
    • Hacker Droid, allowing you to be buddies with anyone who captures foreign ships.
    • Dry Dock of size 100, allowing to drop XL-5 Weapons Platforms for defense of planets without shipyards.
    • Show Lounge, allowing you to boost your economy a bit on your major worlds.
  • The Violator is a mobile Super Laser. Not nearly as good in standard combat as most ships due to it only having one weapon that's worth anything, but good for intimidation tactics and just plain laying waste to planets you don't like.
  • Merlin Class Alchemy Ship is a standard Alchemy Ship.
  • Singularity Class Dreadnought is a decent 'big baddie' with a couple of bonus features.

[edit] Strategy

(taken from the official race guide)

  • You need the Incident for gravitonic mines to stop HyperDrive reliant races dead in their tracks. Go for it asap.
  • The Tech Institute, while costly to get the tech for and costly to build, can rapidly pay for itself in the "research" it produces and in the contraband it collects. Do not be afraid to use it.
  • Watch out for races such as the Stormers with good combat, since your combat is poor to crap. They will probably try to board you occasionally, so be ready for it - the Transport Inhibitor is costly to run, but it exists for a reason. Do not be afraid to activate them when you feel skittish. Just watch your fuel.
  • Your combat ships have low armor but decent shields, so swarm tactics (with shield exotics) are best.

[edit] Tech Level Priorities

  • Planet: Tech 4 so you can build a Tech Institute. As more institutes don't create additional contraband, you may want to stick with 1 of these on your homeworld until you can afford more for the happiness boost and the gc generation (paying off in about 10 turns). Go on as money allows.
  • Hull: Tech 4 for planetary defense (XL-5 Weapons Platform) and first warship (Hunter-Killers), and then tech 5 (Incident). Go on as money allows.
  • Point Defense: Tech 3 (Flake Cannon) for early defense against fighters.
  • Shield: Tech 3 (for XL-5), 6 (for Incidents and early Hunter Killers), finally up to 10. Agnonic Emitter A asap, B and C as money allows.
  • The other techs as money allows.

[edit] Playing Against

(originally taken from the official race guide)

  • Most University Alliance ships rely very heavily on shields, especially their Singularity Class Dreadnought, so be sure to equip Sandcasters when you can. Also, use your cloaking ships to eliminate Violators by themselves when they are at their weakest.
  • The UA are experts at gaining information about the space and races around them. Be sure to drop the highest odds minefields that you can (webs first, then Laser mines, Gravitonic, then Barbitic last) in scattered areas around your empire to try to catch those slippery Watchman that are probably doing the occasional scan of your empire. Be sure to remember, though, that the Probe Launcher only gives planet data and says nothing about current ship locations.
  • Also, be sure to bring with plenty of minesweeping ships. The UA can lay all mine types (except webs) quite easily with their Incident Utility Cruiser. If you can, get your hands on an Incident Utility Cruiser, even if you have to bribe, pillage, or steal to get one.
  • Finally, do not forget that the University Alliance is one of the few races that has a Hacker Droid, so if you have an enemy ship that you want the plans for, be sure to ask your local UA player.

[edit] Natural Enemies

  • The Stormer Kingdom
    They have good troops and they have usually lots of them. Combined with their ability to board a ship without Boarding Laser, even their transports can take over UA ships. And of course there's always the danger of a cloaked Deth Specula dropping an assault pod at one of your planets...
  • The Rebels
    The UA have no defence against an early Rebel attack until hull tech 4 (XL-5) and 5 (Incident).

[edit] See also

Retrieved from "http://planets4.hood-net.org/wiki/index.php/The_University_Alliance_-_Guide"
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