PLIST tips

Some fundamental tips for PLIST 3.2, based on the corresponding PLIST 3.2 pconfig.src.

General

Engines

• Ships can always be moved with "low-tech" engines. Enerpsis are advisable. Bad engines burn more neutronium, but the ship can still move on its own.
• Cheap engines can be an economic choice, especially in light ships (< 100 KT), e.g. Daedalus, Archaeopterix, Terra formers, hyper jumpers ...
• Transshield Generators provide a good EngineShieldBonus at low techlevels, however they are not very useful for moving on its own.
• Improbabilities are the engines of choice for big freighters. But for a Sirius freighter meant as a pure Megacredits transporter Enerpsis are good enough.
• With the EngineShieldBonus at a default of 20% Bistromatics will add 110 KT to the ship mass. So every good and expensive warship should be outfitted with Bistros, but at least the big flagships and the cloakers with many engines (Gravitonic Accelerators, Allosaurus, Vor'cha).
• Especially with the new Alternative Towing System good engines are worth their weight in gold.

Beams

• Compared to the original list beams are very cheap.
• Equip small cloakers with Kill-O-Zaps, Disruptors or Inpotrons for freighter hunt.
• Kill-O-Zaps and Disruptors ignore shields and kill crew directly.
• Disintegrators provide a good recharge rate at low tech level, especially useful against fighterships to shoot down enemy fighters.
• Big battle ships should get Multitrafs, but remember that Inpotrons are better in shooting down enemy fighters due to a faster beam recharge.
• Due to the cheap beams and a higher amount per ship, minefields are swept faster in PLIST. In opposite torps are relatively expensive. Therefore, minefields especially webs offer mainly just a tactical advantage.

Tubes

• Equip no tubes or only one cheap tube (for laying mines in a pinch) for scouts in the first couple of rounds.
• Paralyso-Matic Bombs and Photon Bombs ignore shields and kill crew directly.
• Photon Bombs, Arkon Bombs, Katalysator/Selphyr are fit for mine laying.
• Warships should always get Inital Bombs, Graviton Bombs, Antimatter Bombs, or preferably Selphyr-Fataro tubes as these do the most damage.
• If you are short in money and decide to build a few ships with low tech tubes create your ammo by laying minefields with a high tech tube and rescoop them by the ships with the low tech tubes. For example 1 Katalysator can be transformed into 2.5 Initial Bombs by this trick.

Race Modification - Combat Settings

Race modifications provides races with distinct advantages or disadvantages in the different aspects of combat (beams, torpedos, fighters, crew kill, and shield defense). The PLIST 3.1 modifications are chosen quite moderate (+/- 10%), but can be become important in special situations. Therefore, be aware about these race-specific modifications and read details at combat setting modification.

Experience

• In PLIST 3.2 ships can gain experience. Experience points can be collected by movement, combat, training or other missions. A certain number of EPs raise the ship into a new experience level resulting in improved combat abilities and sometimes in new hull functions. Players should think about properly, when it is useful to invest resources into ship training to receive these advantages and not to invest into another starbase.
• To train heavy ships up to level 1 or 2 for better combat abilities is in most case recommended.
• Some races have special academy ships in their list. Academy ships can train crew very effectively (by factor 4 faster). Build these ships during building phase and use them to level up your heavy ships by crew replacement.

The beginning

In PLIST it is tougher, but important nonetheless, to ship colonists away from the home world to good (money) planets. Unfortunately big freighters need a lot of engines. A Hansa with Improbs still costs 1700 MC! That is with 15000 MC starting capital you won't build a lot of them. Still you need the capacity of about 4 to 6 Hansas (= 6000 to 9000 KT) in order to colonize successfully.

The Foundation Freighter is nice, but has a relatively small cargo room. So its better to build Talarians, Hansas and Ferengies. A resource saving trick is to move a Hansa or Ferengi hull with a two engine tow ship (Foundation, Dead Parrot, Constitution, B-Rel, C7 Qapla, Buccaneer ...) with Improbs/Bistromatics. To do this you shall quickly build a second star base next to your home base to build freighter hulls. In PLIST the Rebels have a Corellian freighter that can hyper jump.

Keep your budget tight in the beginning. Only increase the tube and beam tech if you can exactly predict when enough money will come to the home world!

For defensive measures almost every race can build a cheap fighter ship (no good engines are needed). This can help against the glorious Empire tactic of sending a Draklor (=SSD in the original list, Imperial Assault capable) early in the direction of another homeworld. To stop it from doing harm it just needs to be damaged.

Merlins are light weight and can move on their own with Enerpsi drives. Build at least two Merlins during the building phase, as PLIST ships are very expensive in minerals and up to 50 percent of the needed minerals must be converted from supplies!

You usually don't need to build a Miraculix (Neutronic Refinery) in the beginning.

Do build your top ships as a flag ship plus starbase will destroy almost all attacking flag ships.

Logistics are essential. You need to plan your freighter routes far in advance. Maybe skip ship building for a turn. Two mediocre ships are mostly not worth as much as a top of the bill battle ship. In extra rich universes a good player that isn't disturbed usually builds 12 well outfitted Mon Calamaries!

Race specific PLIST tips

(apart from the usual Phost/Thost strategies)

Feds

• Keep in mind, in PLIST 3.2 the Federation has only a 70% production rate of factories and bovinoids.
• The Feds have a cloak-intercept ship with the cloaking Defiant. However it is very expensive. If possible, order/build it after the building phase.
• The Daedalus is an armed alternative to the Sirius Freighter and gets Planet Immunity in Level 3.
• Federation is a bad miner. Therefore, build a few NewOrleans Frigate and train them in Level 2 to get a OreCondenser device.
• Build a few Nebula. Besides a good combat ability the Nebula gets an Academy device in Level 2.
• Don't forget to build several Constitution (hulls) during building phase.
• The Excelcior and Ambassador are good mine layers.
• The Armageddon is ideal for attacking enemy starbases.
• The Galaxy becomes a Commander in Level 4.
• Other than that build Rigel, Galaxy and Nova as battle ships.
• Level 1 Ships owned by the Federation are immune against ion storms.

Gorn/Lizards

• The Gorn usually don't have a big numerical advantage anymore.
• The relatively strong Allosaurus has 5 engines and can tow out almost every ship in the Alternative Towing system. Definitely build it with Bistromatics.
• The Godzilla is the ultimate battle ship of the Gorn list, but it has a small cargo room! => accompany it with a Raptor.
• Build Raptors early and attack enemy planets and starbases with ground assault.
• The T-Rex is a good alternative against torp ships and starbases
• The Dimetrodon is ideal as a first ship to enter a big battle. At Level 3 it receives a glory device.
• The Excelsior is a good mine sweeper and mine layer.
• The Gemini is a good fighter supplying ship. At Level 2 it can repair ships.
• Cobra Gunship becomes immune from AntiCloak decloakment at Level 3.

Romulan/Birds

• The Romulans have a good trading ship in the cloaking freighter.
• Always accompany D'Deridex' with King Condors or Superhawks (good and cheap).
• Archaeopterix and King Condor receives an AntiCloakImmunity at Level 4. Train them up.
• The Romulans and Klingons now have battle worthy ships in all ranges. Nearly all warships can cloak at higher levels. 
• Build many Archaeopterixes for spy missions and money transport.
• Vogon is a good mine sweeper and torp supplying ship. It receives a cloaking device at Level 2.
• C7 Qalpa' is nice strategic convoying ship to repair damaged ships on location

Klingon

• The Klingon Vor'cha has 5 engines (make them Bistromatics). It is an excellent tower. Build it preferably later by PBPs.
• Glory Device ships can be build in large numbers at cheap bases. Train a few D19B into Level 3 to get a cloaking device.
• Low Damage Glory Device ships can 'trg' cloakers with AntiCloakImmunity (Penguin, B11).
• The B11 is the battle ship of choice. As soon as a Level 1 B11 runs into troubles (e.g. high damage, low fuel in a web or potentially get robbed) detonate it by the glory device.
• The D3 is a good ground assault vessel due to its big cargo room.
• C7 Qalpa' is nice strategic convoying ship to repair damaged ships on location
• As Klingon ships usually can't be attacked by planets a glorious strategy is to have Ferengies or Merlins drop colonists on enemy bases. Of course you need to protect them with warships.
• Kingon has a high EPTrainingScale

Orion/Privateers

• The Orions have a good cloaked mine layer in the Dreadful. It is strong enough to eliminate Constitutions (Lokis). Train it.
• Cobra Gunship becomes immune from AntiCloak decloakment at Level 4.
• The Godfather is a good battle ship and should be build. At Level 4 it receives a cloaking device. Therefore, could be interesting to train.
• Build the Savvy Academy ship to train your ships.
• Gambling ships => Colonies.
• Menhunter - good and cheap Robber (Enerpsis and a single beam are enough).
• The Corsair is a relatively cheap towing ship, but the Buccaneer is as always the ship of choice. Don't be cheap here. Train some Buccis to receive a Level2Tow.
• Build few Vogons as good mine layers and sweepers. Due to its high mass and a Gravitonic at Level 2 it is a pretty good tower through minefields.
• At Level 4 Orion crew is experienced enough to equip all armed (also foreign) ships having one or two engines with gravitonic accelerators. Exceptions are ships with a cloaking device and two engines or ships with a glory device.

Borg

• The Borg have Terraformers. Build them on mass.
• Cubes are cheap and strong. The 15/15 Cube is the ship of choice. The 18/18 Exterminator is the ultimate star base killer next to the Death Star.
• Build Bridgekeepers and train them into Level 1 for ChunnelOthers.
• Don't hesitate to put good beams on Probes. With their large mass they can attack border planets without any problems.
• Borg's Merlin and Miraculix can ChunnelSelf at Level 4. Also most Cubes receive ChunnelSelf with increasing experience.
• Eraser becomes a Commander at Level 4.

Tholian

• Tholian ships are now a lot more battle worthy than in the original list. A combination of a Sapphire and a Silicon Avatar knocks out almost all other top ships (other than Exterminator and Death Star).
• Still: you definitely need to build Diamonds.
• The Topaz is good fighter supplying ship. At Level 1 it receives a diamond production & sales device (works as gambling). Due to the high amount of crew the Topaz is the perfect ship to take over fuelless ships. It is not necessary anymore to weak other warships by loosing crew for a tow capture. A RamScoop at Level 3 makes this ship independent on fuel, at Level 4 it can repair ships.
• Hellfire becomes an ore condenser at Level 3.

The Empire

• The Empire has 3 mine layers that are all worth building. Watch out for the low crew on the Apollo though.
• The Manticore is a perfect Anti-aircraft ship to protect SBs.
• Carrack is a perfect Hyperjumping Fighter supplying ship. Train it on Level 2.
• Furthermore the Empire has good middle class fighter ships. Build a few Victories and train them into Level 3 in order to receive an AntiCloak device. A Level 3 Imperial could be useful as repair ship.
• A Death Star (DS) is quite expensive, but it is the crown of PLIST. Train DSs and take advance of the Commander device in Level 1. A worthy plan is to train all DSs to L1 and the Commander of a fleet up to Level 2 (= flag ship). A DS in Level 2 is about 40% stronger than a L0 DS!! It kills easily 2 D'Deridex on its own. Build fleets and never attack with your high Level DS flag ship first. Keep its high Level secret, because a cloaking race would always try to kill it first by cloaked intercept. Train your flag ship by moving around, supplies or traded academy ships.

Cylon

• Use the 200 LY minefields capability extensively.
• The 100%-Bioscanner Goblin is cheap and can be used tactically in an attack.
• Build a few Gnome and train them into Level 4. Escort fleets to supply them with fighters and fuel and to repair ships.
• Build at least one Dwarf Ore Explorer within the first turns to increase the mining rates on the homeworld.
• The Basilisk station is meant as a supply ship, but with its AntiCloak device it is an ideal protection for a fleet against cloakers. At each new experience level Basilisks receives a new worthy hull function resulting in a Commander device at Level 4 - of course difficult to reach.
• Otherwise build Dragons and Hydras.
• The Ogre is the mine sweeper in this list with its 10 beams.
• The Manticore is a perfect Flak ship to protect SBs.

Rebels

• Rebel Falcon has tubes. Trading goody. Cloaks at Level 4.
• Flintstone has limited minelayer abilities and can perfectly scout long borders due to a Gravitonic device at Level 3 . 
• The hyperjumping Corellian with its 280 KT cargo bay offers the possibility of a fast colonization in the 300-400 LY range.
• Dead Parrot is at Level 4 a basic protection against cloakers without AntiCloakImmunity.
• Build at least one Dwarf Ore Explorer within the first turns to increase the mining rates on the homeworld.
• The Borallus is the choice battle ship in the beginning.
• Don't forget to build mine layers.
• Alderaan is a smart terraformer in Level 2
• The Bothan or Topsid (Colonial) is almost as effective in a battle against a very strong fighter ship as the flag ship, but much cheaper.
• The Rebel Assault is an especially good mine sweeper and receives a Imperial Assault at Level 4.
• The Gallofree can hyperjump at Level 3. Good for supplying fleets in outer spheres or to attack surprisingly planets behind the frontline.

Colonial

• The Colonial Carillion with its added Ramscoop is fit for the defense of longer borders. Otherwise build the Borallus and Atlantia. Borallus receives RamScoop at higher levels.
• Virgos (= Cobol) are a must!
• Build the Savvy Academy ship to train your ships.
• A full Sagi sweeps a maximum range mine field in 4 turns.
• Gambling ships are cheap and can therefore be built on almost every low tech star base.
• The Rising Star is - next to its Advanced Alchemy function (friendly code NAL to switch it off) - also an armored and cheap freighter. At higher levels it receives an ore condenser ability.
• The Topsid Frigate is an effective pre-battle ship. At Level 4 it receives a AntiCloak device.

Borg and Galactic Empire have to be attacked from the beginning. If they get too big then it becomes very hard for a single race to stop them. Simulate how many top of the bill Mon Calamaries are needed to stop a Death Star!

The Fed should also not be allowed to live in peace. You need to force him to refit battle ships still in the building phase.

Don't forget to simulate battles beforehand. A ship going BOOOM because of lack of munition hurts even more in PLIST 3.2!

Degi and Heiko

Translation by Maurits van Rees. New tips added by Degi.