How do the 4 navies compare in FaF?

[kenji]

i had an idea of how i could learn the game and help the community at the same time.

i thought i'd ask a question on the forum and learn what i can from the replies, then compile the answers into a newbie-friendly guide that i'd repost on the forum for future reference.

this springs from the need for resources relevant to FaF as the main FA wiki i've always is vanilla and often gives terrible advice.

so, this is the first question i have, any and all opinions/facts are appreciated.

also, does the seraphim cruiser's missiles outrange t2 torpedo launchers like the UEF cruiser does?

[Von_Ribbentrop]

i had an idea of how i could learn the game and help the community at the same time.

i thought i'd ask a question on the forum and learn what i can from the replies, then compile the answers into a newbie-friendly guide that i'd repost on the forum for future reference.

this springs from the need for resources relevant to FaF as the main FA wiki i've always is vanilla and often gives terrible advice.

so, this is the first question i have, any and all opinions/facts are appreciated.

also, does the seraphim cruiser's missiles outrange t2 torpedo launchers like the UEF cruiser does?

Hi Kenji

I played with you on Setons last night where you went total navy.

If you want to get naval supremacy go 100% subs. Knock his navy out but not too far into game otherwise he will have t2 torpedo boats and sub destroyers. Once you've knocked them out (using any faction) then start making your cruisers, destoyers, battleships, etc. The reason for doing this is most surface boats cant kill subs so its easy gaining supremacy using them early on.

When you do your naval battle with subs dont forget to micro who they attack and focus on the units which can kill your subs first. Then go for the ones who cant destroy them.

Another tweak you need is you line up your forces against theirs and engage in a war of attrition. Instead of wars of attrition think strategically and knock out their economy instead. If that means running your units behind enemy lines, using bombers or hitting mass extractors along the coast with boats then you should do it. If you hit him where it hurts then he cant make units as he has no resources.

VR.

[Gorton]

I would disagree with ^ up there. Simple spamming of t2 will decimate those t1 subs, and it's really not that hard to do, either.
Generally on setons you will find several factories being used to make frigates and a factory with a hundred engies around it spamming t2, and more of those spammed factories being created as eco gets better.

[Von_Ribbentrop]

I would disagree with ^ up there. Simple spamming of t2 will decimate those t1 subs, and it's really not that hard to do, either.
Generally on setons you will find several factories being used to make frigates and a factory with a hundred engies around it spamming t2, and more of those spammed factories being created as eco gets better.

The timing is important.

If he is using t1 subs to knock out the enemy it needs to be done early before they have sufficient t2 to counter it.

[BRNKoINSANITY]

T1 sub spam is awesome!!! For the other guy All that means is that he can eco more while you wasted those resources on subs that are easily killed by air and ground attack, and can't really kill anything useful other than frigates. You just have to save up about 20 engies, a hair of mass storage, and instabuild a torp launcher. After that, subs are so weak that you win easily. If there are a lot of subs you can tank damage with your ACU and still get the win for basically nothing, and then have all that mass to reclaim. Frigate spam is 100% more effective.

[stalewee]

Cybran:
- best t1 and t2 navy
- strong, cheap frigates
- strong destroyers
- not as strong at t3
- good at bombarding land
- terrible anti air
- stealth + long range makes for good kiting at t2

Sera:
- solid t1 and t2
- very strong t3 with subs
- not good for bombarding land until you get battleships. Destroyer beams no good for land and cruiser missiles stopped with tmd unless you have heaps of them
- good anti air

UEF:
- decent all round navy
- good anti air with shield boats and cruisers
- destroyers not so good against subs. You need torp boats

Aeon:
- I haven't really used them because they used to be terrible. They have been improved since

[stalewee]

Don't spam t1 subs. They're expensive and don't do much damage.

[Gorton]

Like others have already said: T1 subs are expensive, little damage, destroyed easily by torpedo launchers, murdered by t2 ... etc.
Just not worth it. The only reason I would use them is so I can have unseeable (by radar and t1 scouts) vessels to prevent people from making naval bases in other spots (and this is of course after naval has been won) so they would not have a sonar to check if that spot is really safe.

[ggstack]

Cybran:
- best t1 and t2 navy
- strong, cheap frigates
- strong destroyers
- not as strong at t3
- good at bombarding land
- terrible anti air
- stealth + long range makes for good kiting at t2

Sera:
- solid t1 and t2
- very strong t3 with subs
- not good for bombarding land until you get battleships. Destroyer beams no good for land and cruiser missiles stopped with tmd unless you have heaps of them
- good anti air

UEF:
- decent all round navy
- good anti air with shield boats and cruisers
- destroyers not so good against subs. You need torp boats

Aeon:
- I haven't really used them because they used to be terrible. They have been improved since

Seraphim is undisputed king of T2, and generally most naval battles, with UEF coming a close second.
Cybran has good T2, good and is a close third to UEF (Cruisers, Shields boats and Torp boats). Although the C-19 Mermaid is a great unit with great torpedo defence.

UEF has a strong tier 3 naval play, very very close 2nd to Seraphim, Cybran has weak t3 naval IMO, their battleship AOE is too small.

[ColonelSheppard]

I think Cybran does better than UEF on T2, especially because the Cybran stealth is pretty hard to counter on T2 and because coopers might be good vs. Subs but they die fast against destroyers, making it sometimes difficult for UEF to fight a mixed Cybran army, first the Cybran army focuses down the Coopers with stealth and then the subs go for the destroyers.

UEF 2 navy might be good at some point, with shields and missle cruisers and so on but i think overall Cybran navy is better on T2, at least in the 1v1's i played.