How many Strafers?

[Nephthys]

I'm (as usual) looking for advice.

So far, I have found no real use for Strafers. They don't seem to cut Creeper much & they really don't seem to cut deep Creeper at all. If I have any ore at all, Bombers are my Aerial weapon of choice. (And Bombers over Sprayers always. I generally use Sprayers only to soak up "used" AC. The 50 units that they hold no matter what really bugs me! But I digress.)

I feel like I must be missing something. Strafers wouldn't be in the game if they didn't serve a good purpose. I've tried using 4 or 5 & still don't seem to get a good result. I've seen the occasional screen shot with multiple Strafers, so I'm thinking you need at least 6 to do any real damage to Creeper.

Bottom line: What is the minimum amount needed to really make a difference?  Do they need to run the same line or should they be spread out a little/a lot? To help clarify, I am speaking of the use of Strafers in either Story Mode or Prospector Zone as opposed to the more challenging maps that can be found elsewhere. More so in Prospector Zone since that is where my admittedly low skill level is happy. OR, are they really of use in the "elsewhere"?

Thoughts & opinions?

[NNR_Alex]

They're most useful in taking out digitalis.

[Grauniad]

I agree with OP. I hardly ever find a use for Strafers.

[steelwing]

I use them regularly, when I need to thin out the creeper in remote locations and don't have access to ore to supply bombers.  Takes at least 4 to do any good, but even two or three help a smidgen.

[Ninointeli]

Strafers are good
I only use about 10 strafers and 2 cannons with 1 morter to get through some creeper
With thin creeper I use 5 and 1 cannons with 1 morter
I can post a screenshot of me doing it 8)

I sometimes get about 10 bombers ready just in case some bad happens like a spore hit or something like that or I just dump them all in front of my weapons and move them forward(really useful)

[Grayzzur]

A single Strafer is week. However, as said, they can take out digitalis. If you have a few of them carving a path across a choke point on digitalis, they can keep large sections of it from growing.

[florrat]

I partially agree with the OP. Yes, strafers are a energy-inefficient way to destroy creeper, and you will hardly see any effect using only 1 or 2 of them. I generally use them in two ways:

1: (as has been said before) Strafers are great at cutting digitalis arms. Launch 2 strafers at the same time to cut a small branch of digitalis. If there is an "arm" of digitalis reaching toward you base, this is a very effective way of reducing the amount of creeper near your base and to get rid of those runners near your base. You will probably need 2 more strafers to deal with the digitalis when the first two strafers are reloading. Yes, having 4 strafers does cost some energy, but it is sometimes definitely worth it to cut the digitalis.

2: If I have spare energy (which is usually the case when I have had a steady position for a while, and when I start reconquering land from the creeper, then having some strafers shoot at the creeper to help - for example - to protect a nullifier can be worth it.

So strafers are bad at destroying creeper (but can help if you have enough energy) but shine when you can cut of digitalis at a chokepoint.


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By the way: I have exactly the same feeling you have about strafers, but then about bombers. I generally build 1 or 2 sprayers, which will usually require more AC than all ore mine on the map will give me. I prefer sprayers over bombers, because
(1) they are cheaper
(2) they deliver the AC exactly where I want it: on the border of the creeper and my defensive/attacking units. There is absolute no reason to waste AC by sending a bomber to far away or deep creeper. Okay, there is one reason: when you want to send a landing party (i.e. guppies+weapons) there, but even then sprayers can do the job , because they have a decent amount of hp. Okay, it is annoying that you can't refill sprayers on a distance, because guppies can't carry AC (or at least, I have not found a way), so in that case bombers might be useful. But in any other case I haven't seen a good use for them. I'd love to hear other's opinions about this.

[Katra]

I too mostly use strafers to cut digitalis paths. By far the best way to cut the enemy off at the pass. Especially when there are runners. If you can put a strafer base on a power zone you have a weapon that can do some real damage; though I still find them mostly useful against digitalis. (Though there is something to be said for highly mobile aircraft for cleaning up areas of leftover thin creeper.)

I don't use bombers often; and half of the time it's been as preparation/support for landing on distant islands.

[Ninja]

Strafers are effective, you just have to know how to use them in the right way. i.e., sometimes you can't see the effect of Strafers where you're aiming at, but on your front lines you can. They're mainly used for relieving pressure. You just have to know where to aim them to relieve pressure from where you need it relieved.

[NFITC1]

I rarely make less than 10 strafers at a time and even circling a single emitter they aren't that effective. Generally I'll entrust them to slowing the spread of the leading edge of creeper before it gets to my main defenses.

[Godsbrother]

I agree with much that has been said.  Strafers are good for cutting digitalis choke points, or thinning out creeper if you have excess energy.  I sometimes build strafers then only turn on their resupply at times of excess energy(though over 4-8 strafers berthas serve the same purpose better)   When they really shine for me is for using PZ's that have fallen behind the front line(especially if the spot is too small or energy/time is too tight for a bertha).  On a PZ they definitely feel energy efficient, just one feels more effective then 3 or 4 normal ones on bunched up creeper.   

[pawel345]

I usually use strafers 10+ at a time, on huge maps together with berthas and bombers to jump from one emitter to another and just guppy build a nullifier. Also they are useful on island maps when you don't have enough space to place enough weapons on the frontline. But I agree that mortars or PC are better. I miss the CW1 drone, if we could change the settings on bombers to carry packets and fire mortar shots......

[4xC]

I tend to build at least 8-10 strafers if at all.

I often use them if I keep playing a world after I win it to completely sanitize the map.

I also use them if a section of creeper I mean to deploy bombers over is too thick for them but not thick enough to resort to berthas.

I actually don't use them against digitalis much because it grows back too fast in my opinion and that scenario requires a number of strafers with micromanaged attack time intervals to really suppress it. Then again, maybe that's because I play worlds with Inhibitors too often.

Even though the PZ strafer is cool, I rarely use that because it's all about numbers; and how often are enemy structures that close to one another anyway?

Bombers are slower and had a lot of technical issues even after release as I recall, but I think they are still far superior to strafers.

[Ringo]

Strafers are good. There is a learning curve to using them due to the slightly higher amount of power they need per smaller damage output.

I perfer to use strafers to target emitters directly. Depending on the power of the emitter i can normally cancel out an emitter. Even if i don't i can  cut an emitters output in half (power depended) which helps ALOT on the fount.  

How i use them i depending on the power i have i build 1-2 at a time. Up to 5 then select them disarm them and target an emitter. Then build 5 more.

All the while switching between cannons, morters and reactors mostly.

Then open fire with the 1st wave of strafers i watch them once they are down to about 25-30 ammo i send the 2nd wave of strafers. Works really well for me.

[Cavemaniac]

Strafers are effective, you just have to know how to use them in the right way. i.e., sometimes you can't see the effect of Strafers where you're aiming at, but on your front lines you can. They're mainly used for relieving pressure. You just have to know where to aim them to relieve pressure from where you need it relieved.

This is so true.

The best way to see a quantifiable result from strafer fire is to watch Virgil's video where he reveals the freeze AoO.

With the creeper frozen, you can really see the effect of even a small number of strafers.